Getting back to the booze (should BA read this) can I ask that you accomodate us Northerns. You can stick your poo, give me a Cains please.

Thanks in advance,

Beer!? Beer in the CCR?! Shock horror! What is the Empire coming to!

Wait until the revolution!

Can anyone tell me what time the Concorde Breakfast Room closes, please? Can't seem to find the info on ba.com.

Thanks

If you mean the Arrivals Lounge, it closes at 14:00 and food starts disappearing about 13:00 ish.

On my last two visits the attendant denied all knowledge of such facilities. Including today "Yes bathrooms. P1. No sir. No bath. Only shower here sir, perhaps you mean departure terminal?" I asked why the signage shows showers and infinity bathrooms but it became clear that I was getting nowhere and I started to feel I was making a fool of myself.

I came here to check they actually exist. I am still not convinced they do. Does anyone have a photo? Wouldn't surprise me to learn that they all sprung leaks and have been taken out of service.

The showers are ... showers. If I had paid the contractor to install them I'd have been unhappy with the fit (assuming a fair price was paid). I think the old T4 facility was better although the attendants could be just as surly. The T4 steam showers in departures were excellent.

CCR breakfast service was very friendly with good humour from one lady serving/greeting. Yes the food/drinks do come from the same place as the buffet outside, only slower and without the mix and match you get yourself. The seating is comfy.

Before my F Trip I phoned 'You First' regarding the arrival cabanas, which are some times referred to as 'Infinity bathroom'. I was told they were available but couldn't be booked. The guy wasn't sure what I meant, but phoned me back with the details.

When you arrived at the Arrivals lounge we did ask for �Infinity bathroom� and were told they were available but take 15mins to run the bath. We weren�t in a rush but needed the refreshment so went with the standard showers.

Yes they do exist! No pix tho unfortunately. Nothing to write home about imo - it's just a bath! I guess if you prefer a bath over a shower it may be more to your liking.

you'll be lucky to find prepared food in T5 arrivals lounge after 12.00 these days - it depends whether the supervisor is around but I've passed the supervisor making an "early dart" around midday and the catering staff swing into action immediately the lift door closes and clear the food and close the kitchen immediately. This is especially at weekends

Here is a picture I took of one of the actual baths on 2nd Feb.

The whole whole infinity effect is ruined because the thing wasn't installed level, so it only 'infinities' at its lowest point...

At the far right, you'll see a glass screen on the other side of which is a wash basin and lavatory.

http://s975.photobucket.com/albums/a...vals%20Cabana/ - Galleries Arrivals Infinity Bathrooms (for arriving BA F pax only)

Note that these photos are not mine.

Indeed. I was somewhat irritated recently. I arrived at about 1330 off a late flight from SFO. All I wanted was a shower and a cup of coffee. I was allowed in (having been warned that they closed at 1400, which was fair enough), took until about 1355 (definitely that time as I checked) to get out of the shower (I don't move fast in mornings ). I moved to the coffee machine and was just putting the cup under the nozzle when the person who had admitted me touched my arm and tried to take the cup away mumbling at me in not instantly understandable English they "we are closed". I stood my ground very firmly indeed: I can drink coffee in 5 minutes.

The situation was redeemed (can you redeem an abstract noun? ) when a lady who was obviously one of the other lounbge "dragons", whio was at a table with her colleagues having coffee, came over and disengaged the man. She apologised and said that he was concerned as he had another duty to go to immediately. I finihsed th ecoffee in lightening quick speed, thanked her profusely and left. It was an example of the best and the worst, I thought.

(And yes, there are more important things in life, which is why I did not bother to share the experience until it fitted into this thread...)

Jeesh, I really despair sometimes at the general levels of the "Service Industry" in the UK. Having spent most of January in the USA, South East Asia, Australia* etc. where people go out of their way to help you, be polite and generally seem to understand that as a passenger / hotel guest / restaurant customer etc. you are paying their wages, and if you get good service you might even come back. ^ (OK, in the USA the service is mostly for tips).

* the exception being the girl at Avis in MEL, but that's another story.

When I was a student, I worked in a 'restaurant' that "closed" at 10:00pm. If a customer walked in at 9:59, they could have a whole 3 course meal if they wanted.

My pet hate in lounges, restaurants etc., is staff clearing up and tidying around while they are still "open" eg Buffet breakfast cleared away 20 minutes early as they "have to prepare for lunch" even though breakfast is stated to end at 10:00. IMO clearing away etc. should happen after the closing time.

/end rant

One of my pet hates as well.

My wife takes absolutely ages to come to and get dressed in the morning and always says to me "what's the rush it says breakfast is till 10". You go down at 09.30 and help your self to what's left....the lone rubbery fried egg that no-one wanted, a scraping of baked beans with congealed sauce, a shrivelled sausage and if you're really lucky a charred rasher of bacon.
Cold coffee and the dregs of the orange juice are also on offer if you're quick.

Me too, in some places it's like customers are doing the staff a favour by being there.

Never been to Australia (no real desire, sorry) so can't comment about there; and it's a long time since I've been to SE Asia but I do remember the service as being excellent. I spend a lot of time in the US and service remains very, very good in most places and it comes across as being genuine, not forced. Though I have to say 1 or 2 places on my last visit (November) seemed to have caught the British attitude.

I was having a chat with one of the stylists at my hairdressing salon last week (she's a new young lady with barely a handful of clients so far). But I was horrified when she told me that when working in a local supermarket she was expected to offer to help customers pack their shopping. She said "why the f... should I, they can do it their f...ing selves, I ain't nobody's f...ing slave". The saddest thing was, she could see absolutely nothing wrong with that attitude.