Seat 2A

If you’d asked me a week ago what I’d be doing today, I’d have likely told you that – road conditions permitting - I’d be driving from Laramie, Wyoming down to Durango, Colorado. However, thanks to my impulsive nature, I’m now sitting in the British Airways Terraces Lounge at San Francisco International savoring a tall glass of Guinness and a tuna sandwich whilst awaiting the boarding call for BA 286, the 7:20pm departure from San Francisco to London.

Having recently completed a 106 flight, 120,000-mile Mileage Run, I thought I was done with travel for this year. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere that might require a passport until March. Indeed, I wasn’t even going to go near an airport until February. Rather, I was going spend half of December and all of January in the Desert Southwest, then head up to Denver in early February to do a few Mileage Runs out to the East Coast.

That all changed just before Christmas when a great job opportunity became available for next autumn that effectively nixed my September 2005 travel plans to Australia.

So? That just meant I wouldn’t be going to Australia in September. I already had plans booked to go down there in April but with 150,000 miles suddenly available now, well - I don’t know what came over me. I recall contemplating how nice it would be to sink back into one of BA’s wonderful First Class Suites, kick off my shoes and delight in that first flute of champagne while munching on those delicious canapés… Suddenly I’m on the phone to Alaska Airlines’ Partner Desk checking out availability for First Class Suites from America to London and points beyond.

What can I say? I’m an air travel junkie. The urge to get high on BA’s marvelous First Class was just too irresistible. Perhaps I should engage professional help someday. Until that time however, I am primed and ready to go, now only minutes from striding down that jetway and settling into my favorite seat up in the nose of BA’s 747-400 and speeding off to London.

Truth be known, I really wanted to return to Africa but was unable to secure anything more than a Business Class seat on either BA or CX. Cathay in particular had no First Class award seats available from its North American gateways until well into February. BA was sold out of London until mid-January.

Many would argue that a Business Class seat is perfectly acceptable for long distance travel. Without a doubt, a seat in Business Class is far preferable to grinding it out back in Steerage. Consider, too, that most people traveling to foreign lands are more excited about the destination than the transportation, so even if they’re traveling there in First or Business Class, they’ll spend far more time daydreaming about all the new things they’ll see and experience than they’ll ever spend anticipating the pleasures of their Premium Class passage. In short, most people love to travel rather than to fly.

The main difference between most other people and myself is that I love to fly. And, just as those who truly love to drive won’t settle for anything less than a high performance automobile, I won’t settle for anything less than a First Class Suite when it comes to long distance international travel. At least, not when I have the award miles to afford it.

I love to fly. Oh sure, I’m excited about traveling to new places and I’m really looking forward to the good times I’ll have once I’m there. I’ve already done a fair bit of research on accommodations and activities for this trip. Mostly though, regardless of whether I go to Asia or Africa or around America, I’m really just taking my life on the road. It’s not a vacation – it’s how I’ve been living my life for the past thirty years. I really don’t do things that much differently on the road than I do every day at “home”, wherever that happens to be. I’ll experience new things, meet new people and generally have a good time regardless of whether I’m in Alice Springs or Anchorage.

One thing I definitely don’t get to do on a daily basis, much less very often at all, is fly in First Class aboard one of the world’s great airlines. That gets me really excited. But then, I love to fly. It is in that spirit that I write these Flight Reports.

By the way, pictures can be found HERE.

Seat 2A

December 28, 2004
Denver to Seattle
Alaska 565 First Class * Light Dinner
737-700 N612AS Seat 1A
620p-847p Flight Time: 2:21

It’s tough to leave the Rocky Mountain West when the weather has been so nice. Since Christmas, daytime temperatures have been in the fifties and even sixties with abundant sunshine. It’s really felt more like Spring. As well, the Broncos are playing the Colts on Sunday for a chance to get to the NFL playoffs. Even though they aren’t playing particularly inspired ball of late and probably won’t get past the first round again, I’d love to see that game, as I love to see all Bronco games.

Still, my bags are packed and I’m ready to go. I found an RV storage lot to park my truck in for the next month because neither of the streets outside my sisters’ places down in Greeley or Denver are particularly safe for long term parking. And hey! With the monthly rate at just $25.00, it’s far cheaper than parking anywhere near the airport!

I took the airport shuttle from Greeley down to DIA and arrived to find Alaska’s counter was fairly busy. Because my award ticket disqualified me from using the self check-in kiosk, I had to wait in the First Class/MVP line for about five minutes! Boy, have I gotten spoiled by the comparatively smaller operation at Fairbanks or what?! Truth be known, there were similarly timed departures to both Portland and Seattle this evening, so a five minutes wait was actually quite short given the holiday crowds.

With an hour and a half to spare before my flight’s departure, I decided to take the walkway from the main terminal over to Concourse A, where Continental’s excellent Presidents Club is located. This is a great walk because it affords one an outstanding view of the ramp and its assortment of brightly colored Frontier jets. For those of you unfamiliar with Frontier, it’s a Denver based airline that has pictures of wildlife painted on the tails of all its aircraft – a different animal for each aircraft. Today’s collection of A319s and 318s sported a veritable menagerie of local wildlife along with a decidedly non-local dolphin.

Years ago, the tails of Alaska Airlines’ aircraft bore four distinct images of Alaska – a rather stoic looking Eskimo in blue, a purple onion domed Russian Orthodox Church steeple, a green totem head and a red miner with pick axe. Today, only the Eskimo image remains, though his scowl has been replaced with a smile, greatly improving his once glowering countenance.

Tonight’s aircraft was N612AS, a 737-700 that I last flew upon in 2002, just prior to my very first British Airways adventure to the South Pacific. The flight was fairly full, including a good number of non-revs that must have come down to Colorado to take advantage of the spring skiing conditions. We taxied quickly out to one of the east-west runways and, after a fairly long takeoff roll, climbed out over the northwestern Denver suburbs and headed for Seattle.

Although a 6:20pm departure with a projected flight time of two hours and thirteen minutes is perfectly timed for a full dinner service in First Class, recent cutbacks have degraded Alaska’s once fine dinner offering on this route to a mere snack. As such, following a round of beverages with pretzels, we were offered our choice from the following:

Chicken Caesar Salad
or
Chicken Sandwich on Ciabatta Bread

I chose the salad and was presented with a good sized bowl of mixed greens topped with a sliced chicken breast accompanied by the worst Caesar Salad dressing I have ever tasted. The salad was actually pretty good but that dressing has got to go! It wasn’t that many years ago that I believe Alaska used Ken’s dressings, a vastly superior brand to the current Naturally Fresh brand currently in use. Seatmate opted for the sandwich, which looked fairly good even though that Ciabatta bread can be somewhat hard to bite into. We’re talking chew hard and snap your head back to get it down.

Our approach into SeaTac was from the north and we landed on a foggy night made drearier by a light rain. It was typical Seattle winter weather except that today the fog had been so bad that earlier in the day the airport was actually closed for a few hours. As a result, many flights were delayed – some of them over six hours – and the terminal was crowded with weary travelers anxious to finally get out of town.

Down in baggage claim, we waited a good forty minutes for our bags because the poor baggage handlers were forced to deal with not only the usual lot of on time flights but also the glut of delayed and/or diverted flights now arriving into Seattle. By the time I got to my room at the Doubletree Hotel, it was 10:15pm.


29 December, 2004
Seattle to San Francisco
Alaska 376 First Class * Snack
DC-9-80 N975AS Seat 2A
100p-200p Flight time: 1:39

One of the nicest things about staying at a Doubletree Hotel are the complimentary cookies doled out upon check-in. The packaging said something about sweet dreams, but I saved my cookie to enjoy with a cup of Doubletree’s excellent coffee in the morning. The cookies are a delicious oatmeal-chocolate chip mix and are truly excellent by any standard. Apparently they can be purchased separately, something I’ll have to consider next time I visit a Doubletree.

Seattle’s airport has been in the midst of a major facelift over the past couple of years and is finally beginning to show signs of what it will ultimately become – a very nice, indeed beautiful facility. The recently opened A Concourse offers a nice preview of what’s to come, but as work progresses on the rest of the main terminal we’re starting to see some of the beautiful polished stone floors and rich wooden side walls that will accent the airport as a whole. A number of new shops and restaurants will also be opening so when this reconstruction is finally completed, Seattle should have one of the nicest airports in America, much less the world.

The new C Concourse security checkpoint is now open and was – thankfully – deserted. I sped through it and headed straight for Alaska’s Boardroom airport lounge where a hot cup of coffee and a tub of peach yogurt awaited me. On my way up to the gate, I stopped for a quick shoeshine before strolling onto the MD-80 that would take me down to San Francisco this morning.

Flight time was announced as one hour and thirty-eight minutes, though no cruising altitude was ever mentioned. I looked up briefly from my book to hear if there were any howls of dismay from the detail freaks on board but apparently nobody noticed. Well alrighty then – let’s git this show on the road!

Take off was to the south and as we climbed past the South Satellite, I saw one of Northwest’s DC-10s parked next to an American Trans Air L-1011. Though once commonly seen at most any major American airport, these two wide-bodies are both nearing extinction as passenger aircraft. There are still a handful of DC-10 passenger operators, but aside from ATA and possibly Air Transat, I can’t think of any other airlines who operate the L-1011 in a passenger configuration.

I wasn’t expecting any service at all on this short mid-morning departure, so I was surprised when the Flight Attendant presented us with a tasty fruit plate accompanied by a delicious apple pastry. Throw in a cup of coffee with Bailey’s and I was one satisfied customer when we touched down at SFO one hour and thirty-nine minutes later.

A baggage storage facility is located over in the International Terminal, so after depositing my pack there, I caught a bus into Burlingame. It was a beautiful day in the Bay Area and it was nice to get out into the sunshine, walk around Burlingame’s quaint streets and have a nice lunch before returning to SFO about 3:30pm.

Seat 2A

29 December, 2004
San Francisco to London
British Airways First Class * Dinner - Breakfast
747-400 G-BNLN Seat 2K
720p-150p Flight time: 9:21

Check in was particularly speedy today because nobody was in either the First Class or Club World lines when I arrived. As if to emphasize this point, when I approached the First Class counter, the agent greeted me with “We’ve been waiting for you!” My passport was inspected, boarding passes were issued, bag tags were applied and just like that I was free to wander anywhere in the terminal, including the gate areas.

BA’s lounge facilities at SFO consist of a Terraces Lounge for Club World passengers and a small room adjacent to that for First Class patrons. The First Class lounge has a nice bar at one end, but is otherwise unremarkable. The food and drink offerings are identical to the Terraces Lounge, so after a cursory inspection of the First Class lounge, I moseyed on over to the brighter and more cheerful Terraces Lounge.

Food offerings consisted of tea sandwiches (Tuna, Egg Salad and Cucumber with Cheese) along with a variety of potato chips, cheese, crackers and cookies. I’ve seen much better selections in other lounges but given that I’d just had lunch only three hours earlier and with a big dinner to look forward to enroute to London, I bit my tongue and settled for a couple of little tuna sandwiches and a nice cold pint of Guinness. Thank God for that Guinness because the other beer selections were Budweiser, Bud Lite and Heineken.

Boarding commenced at 6:50pm – a half-hour before departure. One of the nicest features of BA’s SFO Terraces Lounge is that First and Business Class passengers may board the aircraft directly from the lounge. No mixing with the Great Unwashed out in the main gate lounge! Rain had begun to fall shortly before boarding and by the time I made my way down the jetway, I could hear it pounding steadily on the roof. Indeed, a fine night to fly out of San Francisco!

Three members of the cabin staff were stationed at the doorway to the aircraft. BA recently introduced new dark blue uniforms for its employees and I must say the three working the doorway all looked quite well turned out. Upon entering the plane and displaying my boarding pass, I was handed off to a pretty young lady with a wonderful lilting accent who led me to my suite 2K.

I love the First Class cabin on BA’s 747s! In fact, I’ve never flown anything but First on a British Airways 747. That’s a trend I’d like to maintain as long as possible. Although other airlines such as Cathay Pacific offer an arguably more comfortable First Class cabin, on style and overall ambience I give the nod to British Airways as my personal favorite. BA’s First Class cabin is intended to emulate the interior of a Rolls Royce. The fourteen suites are upholstered in gray Connolly leather and chenille fabric offset by burr walnut wraparound barriers, beige side panels and dark blue carpet. The atmosphere is quiet and refined, radiating a subdued elegance. I think it is the nicest First Class cabin I have ever had the good fortune to travel in. On the 747, there are a total of fourteen suites – five rows of singles along the windows and two sets of two in the middle towards the rear of the cabin. Only four suites would be occupied for this evening’s flight into London.

Each suite was already supplied with a soft white cotton duvet, an attractive black and beige wool blanket bearing the BA First emblem, a distinctive maroon and black throw pillow and a large, well-stuffed white pillow for sleeping. As I was taking in my new surroundings, a Flight Attendant approached, introduced herself as Susan, welcomed me aboard and informed me that I’d have her services all to myself as I was the only passenger on the starboard side of the aircraft. Might I care for a glass of champagne to begin with? But of course! Just half a glass though, thanks. Oh come on now, she chided. You’re in First Class!

Of course, I took an immediate liking to Susan as I would any woman plying me with free booze. Really though, she had charm and panache and it’s always nice to see someone who not only does their job well but also enjoys doing it. I accepted a full glass of Laurent Perrier Grand Siécle Champagne, presented with a small plate of Macadamia nuts – a definite upgrade over the usual cashews.

Soon, the new amenity kit and pajamas were presented. The pajamas are now a deep indigo blue, and look far more stylish than the old white or gray ones. The amenity kits - or BAgs as they are known - are still made by Anya Hindmarch but are now gray rather than beige in color. Mine featured a view of an Imperial Airways Short C-Class Flying Boat taxiing under London’s Tower Bridge. Each BAg contains the general basics of socks, eyeshades, Carmex lip balm, Aroma Therapeutics moisture mist, toothbrush, Elgydium toothpaste and D R Harris mouthwash. Extras such as a razor and shaving cream, not to mention exotics such as eye gel and Aroma Therapeutics sleep enhancer are available upon request.

Captain Dunn then came on over the PA, issued a cordial welcome aboard and proceeded to introduce the entire flight crew. He informed us that First Officer MacDougal would be at the controls for our flight over to London this evening and I couldn’t help but wonder what the Captain would be doing in the meantime. Flight time to London was planned for an expeditious nine hours and twelve minutes. Conditions in London were expected to be dry and pleasant.

The Cabin Service Director then stopped by to extend his personal welcome and what I felt was a very sincere thank you for traveling with British Airways this evening. His approach was polished and professional, yet also quite personable. Even though I’m traveling up front on an award ticket, I’ve always appreciated the time and effort taken to extend this extra greeting and I’m sure those that pay full fare definitely appreciate it.

Seat 2A

A round of nicely scented hot towels was followed by the presentation of menus. BA’s First Class menus are looking quite stylish these days. They feature a row of four vintage travel posters against a white background accented by the silver BA First logo at the bottom of the menu. They’re a nice reflection on BA’s considerable heritage and serve to heighten the anticipation of the journey – and the meal – to come. Let’s see what’s for dinner, shall we?


San Francisco to London

DINNER


STARTERS

Fresh Lobster with Lemon Mayonnaise

Shiitake Mushrooms with Roast Balsamic Mediterranean Vegetables

Coconut Curry Soup

Fresh Salad leaves with your choice of Garlic and Sour Cream Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette or Extra Virgin Olive Oil


MAIN COURSES

Fillet of Lamb with a Mustard and Herb Crust, Sautéed Spinach and Roast Sea Salted New Potatoes

Char Siu Breast of Duck with Stir-fried Vegetables and Jasmine Rice

Steak and Ale Pie with Garden Greens

Seared Atlantic Salmon on Caesar Salad


SNACKS

Bacon Roll served with Tomato Ketchup

Coconut Curry Soup with a Side Salad

Penne Pasta with your choice of Tomato and Olive Ragout or Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce topped with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Duchy of Cornwall Biscuits

A Selection of Cheese and Fruit


DESSERT AND CHEESE

Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart

Rhubarb Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

A Selection from our Cheeseboard

A Basket of Fresh Fruit




Mmmm… well, I’ll definitely have to start with the lobster, and who could pass up Coconut Curry Soup? Not me! What’s that? More champagne? Oh, alright. Now, let’s see… the first three mains look pretty good, but I came hungry so I’ll have to go with the Fillet of Lamb. As for dessert, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Turning to the wine list, I was disappointed to see that the Warre’s 1986 Reserve Tawny Port has apparently run its course with BA and has now been replaced by the Warre’s 1988 Colheita Port. Will this be a worthy successor to that fabulous 1986 edition, the finest port I have ever tasted? We’ll see. In the meantime, here’s the rest of the wine list:


WINE LIST

CHAMPAGNE

Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle Champagne
A stunning Champagne with a classic toasty aroma and creamy, fresh lemon flavours – the finish is long and stylish

WHITE WINES

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Chenevottes 2001, Joseph Drouhin
The wines of Chassagne have a mineral complexity, not always apparent in other appellations, that combines well with the richness and depth of great Burgundy

Cape Mentelle Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc 2003, Margaret River
The beautifully fresh and aromatic blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes has become the hallmark of the Margaret River region of West Australia – and a benchmark for the world!

Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2004 – Constantia
Steenburg Vineyards make one of the finest Sauvignon Blanc wines in South Africa – scintillatingly fresh and vibrant with a hint of tropical succulence and a long finish

Calera Central Coast Chardonnay 2000
The isolated, high elevation vineyards of Calera and their lime rich soils produce superb Chardonnay of astonishing depth of flavour and great freshness

RED WINES

Domaine de Chevalier 1995, Grand Cru Classé, Graves
A deep garnet colour and a fine, soft fruit bouquet lead into an all enveloping, mouth filling black fruit flavour or great length and power

Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 1997, Domaine Girardin
The beauty of great red Burgundy is the way in which it integrates the delicacy of the fragrance and the finesse of the flavour with real power and concentrated red berry notes

Rodney Strong Symmetry 1999, Alexander Valley
A harmonious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes from the northern end of California’s delightful Sonoma Valley


DESSERT WINES

Opitz Goldackerl Trockenbeerenauslese 2002, Austria
Austria makes some of the finest sweet wines in the world. The effervescent Willi Opitz, from his tiny vineyards in Illmitz near the Hungarian border, produces some of the very best in the country

Warre’s 1988 Colheita Port
Complex, sweet nutty flavours offer an admirable after dinner glass

Seat 2A

The sudden roar of the tractor engine directly beneath my seat signaled that push back was imminent. Pushing back an aircraft from SFO’s gate A-4 is no simple affair. Whereas from some gates an aircraft can simply be pushed straight back and released, we were pushed back away from the gate, then angled to the left whence we continued our backwards journey down the length of the concourse before being turned to the right and straightened out. At this point the tractor disconnected, the engines spooled into life and we were waved off by the ground crew and cleared to head for the runway.

Following a slow, stately taxi out to what had to be the farthest corner of the SFO property line, the big Rolls Royce engines were incrementally revved to full take off thrust and we commenced our thunderous roll down the runway. Beaded water along the windows began to disappear as we picked up speed, finally reaching V1 and leaving earth’s embrace at exactly 8:00pm, Pacific Standard Time. Despite the rain, there were good views to be had of the brightly lit suburbs of the South Bay. I reclined my seat and enjoyed the view until the cloud ceiling obscured it all for good.

Cabin service got underway quickly. Within fifteen minutes, I was munching from a small plate of canapés whilst savoring a harmonious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes from the northern end of California’s delightful Sonoma Valley – otherwise known as a glass of Rodney Strong’s Symmetry 1999 from the Alexander Valley. Good stuff. The canapés consisted of three little toast circles topped with fresh nova lox salmon, Proscuitto with a melon ball and asparagus spears on buttered brown bread. Delicious!

Soon thereafter, my table was efficiently set with crisp white table linen, a dark blue napkin, a variety of silver colored plasticware, a set of salt and pepper grinders, a bread plate, a butter plate with three curls of butter and a glass of water. A variety of breads and rolls were then presented, including the ubiquitous and always appreciated garlic bread.

The lobster appetizer was presented first. It was a good-sized portion of both claw and tail meats that were accompanied by three small dollops of surprisingly zesty lemon mayonnaise. Though simple in presentation, it was one of the nicer appetizers I’ve had on BA.

Next up was an excellent Coconut Curry soup, accompanied by more of that delicious garlic bread. The soup was actually quite spicy – always an enjoyable condition by my palate.

The main course consisted of two large pieces of lamb fillet, thoroughly coated in a mild mustard and herb crust. Lamb, like most meat, is best enjoyed when cooked medium rare. Of course, this is never easy to accomplish in an aircraft oven. Unfortunately tonight’s lamb was cooked medium to medium well and as a result had lost much of its distinct lamb flavor. Thankfully, I had a couple of packets of Grey Poupon mustard with me and just treated it all like a steak. As such, it tasted pretty good.

Dessert was indeed tempting. I’ve had that chocolate and hazelnut tart before and it’s really quite delectable. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t room for both that and a glass of BA’s new port, which of course would have to be accompanied by a plate of fine English cheeses. The cheese was cut to my specifications and served with dried cranberries, a dried apricot half, red grapes and a pecan. A variety of crackers were also presented from a separate serving tray. This is how a proper cheese service should be presented. Too many airlines offer nothing more than pre-plated cheese, crackers and fruit – even to their First Class clientele. For shame!

I think the reason I liked the Warre’s 1986 Reserve Tawny Port so much was because its flavor was as nutty as it was sweet. It had this incredible, warm earthiness to it that unfortunately the Warre’s 1988 offering does not. That’s not to say however that I didn’t like this port. If anything, it reminded me very much of the Ramos Pinto Quinta de Ervamoira 10 Year Old Tawny Port which Cathay Pacific serves on its flights.

Despite the overcooked lamb, this meal was tasty and filling, representing yet another enjoyable dining experience in BA’s First Class. I know a lot of people feel it’s silly to even consider the possibility of a quality dining experience aloft, but to each their own when determining the ultimate quality of their meals. Given the limitations imposed by having to cook food well in advance of the flight, chill it and then reheat it, I think most airlines do a pretty good job. Of course, I also derive more enjoyment than most just from being presented plates of complimentary food whilst comfortably cruising along high above the earth. Whereas some would write off the entire meal as typically bad airline food because their meat wasn’t just right, I tend to grade on a fairly generous curve.

By the time the last plates had been cleared, we were almost two hours into the flight. The SkyMap indicated we were about to fly right over the top of Pierre, South Dakota. We were making good time, pushed along by a 102-mph tailwind and speeding towards northeastern Canada at 615-mph.

Most people would consider the nine and a half hour flight from the West Coast to London to be pretty long. From a First Class perspective however, these flights pass by quicker than you might imagine. Dinner can take up two or more hours and if you want to enjoy the full breakfast service, you’ll need to be up an hour and a half prior to arrival in London. Assuming you’ve enjoyed the full dinner service, that leaves only five and a half to six hours available to sleep. I can never go right to sleep immediately after eating a large meal, so sleeper suites notwithstanding, I’m lucky if I can knock off four and a half to five hours of sleep on a flight like this. If I were willing to forego the full dinner service and sleep through breakfast – as many travelers do – I could really take better advantage of that most cherished feature of modern day First Class travel – the lie flat bed. Still, I get plenty of sleep during the rest of the year and it’s not everyday I get to enjoy a quality inflight service. As a guy who’s an admitted First Class flight junkie, I hate to sleep any more than I have to while enjoying a quality product such as BA’s.

After dinner, took a stroll back beyond the curtain. Club World was nearly deserted – at least on the lower level. I never did venture upstairs. World Traveller Plus was better patronized, as was Economy. Two things always stand out for me during these mid-flight strolls through the airplane. First, of course, is the incredible disparity in space between my First Class Suite and anywhere else on the plane, including Club World. Secondly, the noise level is substantially higher from the middle of the plane on back. First Class on the 747 is by no means silent, but I would say the ambient noise level is very similar to what you would hear if standing next to a rippling stream. Any of you fishermen can relate to what a nice sound that is. From the middle of the airplane back, the engines emit a steady, dull jet roar.

As much as I’d like to have watched a movie – BA offers its First Class passengers over twenty-five personal choices on cassette in addition to its monthly offerings available to all passengers via the PTV - I really needed to get some sleep if I were going to be in any condition to 1.) Enjoy the full cooked breakfast service, 2.) See the coast of Ireland as we flew overhead, and 3.) Be able to stay awake during my lengthy transit at Heathrow. I popped a Melatonin, read for a bit and was asleep soon after.

All too soon, Susan was at my seat, gently pouring water on my face – No No, just kidding! – but she got me up and soon after set to turning my bed back into a seat complete with set breakfast table while I changed out of my sleeper suit. Awaiting me upon my return was a refreshingly chilled glass of BA’s delicious fruit smoothie. Hot coffee, an apricot Danish and a fruit plate were delivered soon after. Here is a copy of the breakfast menu:


BREAKFAST


STARTERS

Chilled Fruit Juice

An Energizing Fruit Smoothie

A Selection of Fruit, Plain Yogurts and Cereals

Fresh Seasonal Fruit Plate


BAKERY

A wide selection of Breakfast Pastries and Rolls


MAIN COURSE

Scrambled Eggs, Grilled bacon, Pork Sausage, Sautéed Mushrooms, Grilled Tomato and Hashed Brown Potatoes




Interestingly, the main course selection was limited to the Classic British Breakfast. Little matter however as that’s what I would have ordered anyway. Susan put together a nice plate of food and presented it to me with a refill on both my coffee and the smoothie.

Because two passengers were still sleeping, I was unable to open my window shades and take in the morning’s light. Not that it mattered really, as clouds had obscured everything below and around us. As such, I took only minimal consolation in watching the West Coast of Ireland pass beneath us via the SkyMap. Propelled by an 87-mph tail wind, we hit the Irish Coastline doing 607 mph.

Although it was cloudy over London, it was a high ceiling and so during our approach we were treated to excellent views of downtown London highlighted by the River Thames, its numerous bridges (including the distinctive Tower Bridge), and the usual collection of ancient buildings and castles. From the air at least, London looks quite spectacular and I could easily imagine keeping entertained here a good two or three weeks. Alas, that’ll have to wait until the exchange rate on the US dollar improves somewhat because London, for all its charms, is also one of the most expensive cities I’ve ever visited.

After a flight of nine hours and nineteen minutes, we touched down nicely at Heathrow and once again, I am left with my usual complaint about flying with BA – this flight was too short! Bring back the Bristol Britannias!



NOTE This trip continues on to Singapore and Melbourne HERE

JuPe

Thank you for this great first part! You're not an air travel junkie, you're an air travel "afficionado"

luftaom

I'd like to thank you ever so much for the time and effort you invest in writing such brilliant reports.

dordal

Wow! What a coincidence! At the very time you were on this flight, I was on the phone with the AS Partner Desk booking SFO->LHR->SIN->SYD and back using the BA F award! Well, almost all F -- I'm in J SIN->LHR, but since I've never flown BA J or F, it will be interesting to compare.

Seat 2A, you should know my trip is inspired almost exclusively by you, and your previous trip reports on your South Pacific journeys. I’m going in April and early May, and am very much looking forward to it. Its taken me almost four years to get enough miles, so it wasn't a decision I made lightly. :-)

QF WP

Seat 2A, how delightful it was to see another Trip Report with your flowing prose. Having had the pleasure of two BA F flights, I shared your sense of unsurpassed service with my own memories, tinged with regret that I wasn't on the same flight.

Now you've pushed me into finally getting started on two TR's I have on my desk.

flyingmad

Wonderful report - as always. I read all of yours and love the detail. It is seriously inspiring that some folk still appreciate the details of service. When I was working for a major asian carrier, we ensured we would memorise all the First Class passengers names even before they checked-in, checked their FF details as to ascertain their age/gender/race and with a bit of luck and forthought were able to greet them personally before they even reached the check-in counter (luckily the maximum number was 12!!) This was always appreciated and made our job so much more enjoyable. Looking forward to your return trip and thanks for posting such an informative trip report.

Seat 2A

Thanks, everyone, for your compliments. High praise coming from such knowledgeable, experienced and well traveled brethren as yourselves. ^ ^

Just a quick note: Pictures can now be found at this link

As a trip report writer, I could hardly be more honored. Thanks, dordal and here's wishing you a fantastic trip!


QF WP, you are truly one of the titans of Trip Reporting. I'm sure I speak for many when I say hurry up with those reports! We can hardly wait!

PresRDC

Great report. I'll be flying BA F LHR-DXB-LHR over Martin Luther King weekend and am looking forward to it.

So where are you headed from London?

ACfly

I must admit, after 4 flights on BA First, I have now concluded that BA is my favorite airline to fly in First Class.

Cathay used to be my favorite, after flying 6 flights in F with them. However, there's something about the how BA does things (and I cant seem to put my finger on it), that makes me feel oh slightly better.

It could be the following factors:
(1) The professional but not intrusive nature of the FA's? I find the CX crew to be a little to "mechanical", while the BA staff are really themselves and down to earth (almost motherly). My recent LHR-JNB Purser was just a pleasure.. She noticed that I didn't drink on board, and I told her than I was too tired to enjoy the alcohol. She asked me what drink I would have had, and I responded Champagne. Well, when the plane landed, she handed me a bottle of champagne to take home so that I can enjoy it when I am not tired! My favorite moment on this flight was the pursurer coming to make my bed. On another flight from CPT-LHR, I complimented on how good the Raspberry pie was for dinner. For breakfast, the FA asked if I would like another piece of pie, and I said yes. Somehow, she had already placed the pie in the over, anticipating my need.
(2) The simple yet elegant pajamas from BA. - Dark blue, with a subtle white First class logo. CX PJ while great is just a tad "loud" - the black with the neon green!
(3) Beautiful First Class Toletry bags - with really quality bags compared to CX's "little" non-useable bag.

This is not to say tha CX product is not great, it's superb! However, BA has a slight edge. If I had to rate, BA 9.99/10 CX 9.98