My First First! - BA First Class, Sydney to UK Return (& Paris, Ireland, Bangkok)
Jul 28, 2011, 1:51 am
#196
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver, I'm back!
Posts: 657
A brillant trip report, I have been checking every two days to read the next installment.
Matt you seem to have a gift where you transport the reader into the story, with the text and photos. I feel that I can hear the chink of the plates, the annoucements in the lounge, the sounds and smell of Bangkok, the dirt of the RER etc. It does help having travelled to all your destinations
but you still are a magician.:-:
Matt you seem to have a gift where you transport the reader into the story, with the text and photos. I feel that I can hear the chink of the plates, the annoucements in the lounge, the sounds and smell of Bangkok, the dirt of the RER etc. It does help having travelled to all your destinations
but you still are a magician.:-:^^ from me too. Pre FT these TR's would just be a fantasy for me but now I have 3 x CW trips planned you have whetted the appetite for premium travel. I only hope when I post a TR it will be half as good as yours!
Jul 28, 2011, 4:51 am
#197
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,348
Just read your update from BKK, matthandy. I must admit that BKK is not really on my list of places to visit as a city. The airport just confused me when I was there in the autumn 
Jul 29, 2011, 3:33 am
#199
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
.I must say that Bangkok isn't somewhere I would ever want to go to (apart from the airport obviously). I've probably watched too many of those programmes showing the seedier side which of course exists in all cities but it's definitely not on my list. It's nice to see pictures though...
When can we expect the next part, so I can make sure I'm not otherwise distracted.
When can we expect the next part, so I can make sure I'm not otherwise distracted.
Matt you seem to have a gift where you transport the reader into the story, with the text and photos. I feel that I can hear the chink of the plates, the annoucements in the lounge, the sounds and smell of Bangkok, the dirt of the RER etc. It does help having travelled to all your destinations but you still are a magician.:-:
but you still are a magician.:-:
Perhaps I'm good and pointing out things that I don't like (the RER)!
.
Jul 29, 2011, 5:01 am
#200
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Bangkok to Sydney – British Airways Club World
So this is it, the last flight of my trip report (but not the last part). I’m truly humbled by all of your amazing comments, especially those of you that have been checking back on a regular basis for updates.
I had packed up all of my stuff into my suitcase and camera bag and then started to make my way down to reception. It was about 2.00pm at this point, still an hour to go before the pre-arranged Mercedes would take me to the airport.
When I checked in a few days ago, the hotel had told me that they would be performing maintenance from 2pm which would involve turning off the electricity to most parts of the hotel (including the lifts). This meant that I had to lug my rather heavy suitcase down 3 flights of stairs to reception. Not exactly ideal, but I’d be warned, so didn’t have anything to complain about.
I reached the bottom of the stairs and as soon as the porter saw me he literally ran over in a flood of apologies and took my suitcase. I told him that it was no problem and thanked him for taking my case. He stored the case while I went and checked out, which was very friendly and efficient.
I made my way to the club lounge, where afternoon was being served. This enabled me to have a few snacks before I headed to the airport. On offer was a pretty good selection of sandwiches and cakes.
The waitress remembered me from the day before and offered me a drink, so I went for a Sprite. I helped myself to afternoon tea and then sat browsing my iPad (the wifi was still working for some reason).
As I sat down, a rather horrible, scruffy looking man entered the lounge, trailed by a very apologetic member of staff. The rant was focussed on the fact that the electricity was off. This guy was totally full of himself. ‘Not good enough; disgusting that you treat customers this way; no-one told me when booking; I’m a businessman, this is the most important part of my day; if I can’t work then the whole purpose of my visit will be rendered null and void; what are you going to do about?’. May I point out that the electricity was only due to go off for just 2 hours, and we were already 30 minutes into the outage.
The staff member was utterly apologetic, I felt really sorry for her. Just because Thai staff tend to address customers in a subservient manner does not mean that you can feel good about treating them that way. This man should really show some respect. I really wanted to ask him if he felt like more of a man for berating the lady like he did.
He then started complaining that his Marriott Silver status (the lowest earnt tier) was not on his booking and that the “girl” at reception didn’t speak very good English. The poor lady was actually thanking him for his comments, and that she would pass them on to the reception manager. This man was a total disgrace to his nation (USA) and the English speaking world. I wanted to go up to the staff member and re-assure her that not every Westerner was this disgusting. My god this guy was awful, just awful.
Listening to his ranting actually really annoyed me and spoilt the last hour that I spent in the hotel. It made me very angry.
At 3pm I left the lounge, and plucked up the courage to loudly mutter ‘arse’ under my breath as I walked passed my new lounge friend. He didn’t hear me, which was either fortunate or unfortunate depending on how you look at it.
The porter was already waiting for me with my car and I was ushered outside where the same Mercedes was waiting for me. Cold towels and water were offered and after a goodbye, I was on my way to the airport.
Cold towels and water
Typically, as I was leaving, the weather started to improve and it looked like I’d spend the afternoon in the airport with bright sunshine outside.
The journey to the airport was unremarkable. We arrived at 3.45pm, for a scheduled departure of 6.10pm. When we arrived at the drop off area, door (6) that is used for both Qantas and British Airways it was closed for building work, so we had to go up to the next one.
Door 6 - Closed
The driver got my bag out of the boot and I thanked him and made my way to the check in desks. There wasn’t a queue at all, so I went up to the nearest desk and started going through the check in process. The agent was friendly, but not as nice as the agent that I had the BKK-LHR flight. There seemed to be a problem and he said that he wasn’t able to print my boarding pass. My heart skipped a beat slightly. What he meant was that his printer was broken, so he had to wait for the agent next to him to be free so that he could issue my BP. I had to ask for the fast track pass, as he didn’t offer it.
Check in
Statues near check in
I made my way to the fast track security and immigration (possibly the best set up at any airport that I have been through) and then started to fight my way through the crowds to the lounge. It was about five to four at this point.
I stopped off at Boots to pick up some Gaviscon (I seem to be suffering a lot with heart burn lately) and then went down the escalator, following the signs to the lounge. At the bottom I saw a couple talking to an airport rep, asking where the BA lounge was. I helpfully intervened and suggested that I take them with me, since I was heading that way too. I confidently strode off in the direction of the lounge, only to get to the end of the concourse and realise that I’d gone the wrong way, oops! The Glaswegian couple were not particularly amused, especially the rather gruff chap. We changed direction and headed towards concourse G (note to self, G, not D!) and eventually found the joint BA and QF lounges for First and Business Class passengers.
Entrance to the BA/QF Business Lounge
By 4.15 I was in the lounge (along with the grumpy couple, who we’ll meet again later). Reception had placed a sign up indicating what time the BA and QF flights would be boarding this evening, which I thought was a very helpful touch.
I was welcomed as my boarding pass was checked and then I made my way into the main lounge area. Wow, it was busy! Although, I suppose this was to be expected. The Qantas flight, QF2, was due to start boarding soon.
The lounge is much bigger than the First lounge, as you would expect. It was split into two areas. One small room with seating and computer work stations on the left of reception, and the large, long room with lots of seating, the bar and washrooms.
The lounge is decorated in the familiar style of the Qantas Sydney business class lounge as well as the Singapore lounge. It felt very welcoming and comfortable. The staff also seemed friendly and attentive. Surprisingly, a step up from the First lounge. I felt much more at home here.
The main lounge area, including the bar and food buffet (taken after the QF passengers had left)
The main lounge area, looking back to the entrance (taken after the QF passengers had left)
Drinks (the man in the waistcoat is actually a passenger, not staff!)
There wasn’t really a space that took my fancy in the main lounge area so I headed to the smaller seating area to the left of the entrance and settled down, getting out my iPad so that I could watch some videos and browse the internet. Well that was the plan, however, there seemed to be issues with the wifi, as I couldn’t connect. Maybe this was because the lounge was so busy. After a few attempts I gave up and went for a wander to take a look at the food and get a drink. The food selection looked pretty good, although I wasn’t very hungry. Unfortunately, there was no actual Champagne available, just that fizzy Australian ‘Chandon’ stuff that I’ve seen before. Ho hum, I took a glass anyway, and also grabbed a Sprite.
Cold selection
Spirits and liqueurs
My drinks
As I sat and waited, trying to get the wifi to work again, the staff made an announcement that boarding for QF2 would be delayed as there was a technical issue. The lady doing the announcement stated that the crew had lost electrical power in the cockpit. Is that a bit too much information to be giving out perhaps?!
A few passengers started to grumble and there was a reasonable stream of people going up to reception to ask about the delay. I noticed that a man was using his laptop to Skype someone, however, he was demonstrating the right way to do it, very quiet and with headphones ^.
Another announcement was made a short while later and all of the QF passengers filed out of the lounge, leaving it a bit more peaceful.
My time in the lounge went very quickly as I eventually got the wifi working and was able to browse a bit of Flyertalk and send some emails.
Boarding was due to start for BA9 to Sydney at 5.30pm and at this time I packed up my stuff and made the long trek to the assigned gate, which was E10, right at the end of the E concourse.
Verdict
The joint Qantas/British Airways lounge in Bangkok is great and based on my experience, ironically, much better than the First class lounge/room. I found the staff to be friendly, the ambience and décor very good and the food and drink offering to be comprehensive. My only gripe is that it would be nice to serve some proper Champagne instead of sparkling wine.
I had packed up all of my stuff into my suitcase and camera bag and then started to make my way down to reception. It was about 2.00pm at this point, still an hour to go before the pre-arranged Mercedes would take me to the airport.
When I checked in a few days ago, the hotel had told me that they would be performing maintenance from 2pm which would involve turning off the electricity to most parts of the hotel (including the lifts). This meant that I had to lug my rather heavy suitcase down 3 flights of stairs to reception. Not exactly ideal, but I’d be warned, so didn’t have anything to complain about.
I reached the bottom of the stairs and as soon as the porter saw me he literally ran over in a flood of apologies and took my suitcase. I told him that it was no problem and thanked him for taking my case. He stored the case while I went and checked out, which was very friendly and efficient.
I made my way to the club lounge, where afternoon was being served. This enabled me to have a few snacks before I headed to the airport. On offer was a pretty good selection of sandwiches and cakes.
The waitress remembered me from the day before and offered me a drink, so I went for a Sprite. I helped myself to afternoon tea and then sat browsing my iPad (the wifi was still working for some reason).
As I sat down, a rather horrible, scruffy looking man entered the lounge, trailed by a very apologetic member of staff. The rant was focussed on the fact that the electricity was off. This guy was totally full of himself. ‘Not good enough; disgusting that you treat customers this way; no-one told me when booking; I’m a businessman, this is the most important part of my day; if I can’t work then the whole purpose of my visit will be rendered null and void; what are you going to do about?’. May I point out that the electricity was only due to go off for just 2 hours, and we were already 30 minutes into the outage.
The staff member was utterly apologetic, I felt really sorry for her. Just because Thai staff tend to address customers in a subservient manner does not mean that you can feel good about treating them that way. This man should really show some respect. I really wanted to ask him if he felt like more of a man for berating the lady like he did.
He then started complaining that his Marriott Silver status (the lowest earnt tier) was not on his booking and that the “girl” at reception didn’t speak very good English. The poor lady was actually thanking him for his comments, and that she would pass them on to the reception manager. This man was a total disgrace to his nation (USA) and the English speaking world. I wanted to go up to the staff member and re-assure her that not every Westerner was this disgusting. My god this guy was awful, just awful.
Listening to his ranting actually really annoyed me and spoilt the last hour that I spent in the hotel. It made me very angry.
At 3pm I left the lounge, and plucked up the courage to loudly mutter ‘arse’ under my breath as I walked passed my new lounge friend. He didn’t hear me, which was either fortunate or unfortunate depending on how you look at it.
The porter was already waiting for me with my car and I was ushered outside where the same Mercedes was waiting for me. Cold towels and water were offered and after a goodbye, I was on my way to the airport.
Cold towels and water
Typically, as I was leaving, the weather started to improve and it looked like I’d spend the afternoon in the airport with bright sunshine outside.
The journey to the airport was unremarkable. We arrived at 3.45pm, for a scheduled departure of 6.10pm. When we arrived at the drop off area, door (6) that is used for both Qantas and British Airways it was closed for building work, so we had to go up to the next one.
Door 6 - Closed
The driver got my bag out of the boot and I thanked him and made my way to the check in desks. There wasn’t a queue at all, so I went up to the nearest desk and started going through the check in process. The agent was friendly, but not as nice as the agent that I had the BKK-LHR flight. There seemed to be a problem and he said that he wasn’t able to print my boarding pass. My heart skipped a beat slightly. What he meant was that his printer was broken, so he had to wait for the agent next to him to be free so that he could issue my BP. I had to ask for the fast track pass, as he didn’t offer it.
Check in
Statues near check in
I made my way to the fast track security and immigration (possibly the best set up at any airport that I have been through) and then started to fight my way through the crowds to the lounge. It was about five to four at this point.
I stopped off at Boots to pick up some Gaviscon (I seem to be suffering a lot with heart burn lately) and then went down the escalator, following the signs to the lounge. At the bottom I saw a couple talking to an airport rep, asking where the BA lounge was. I helpfully intervened and suggested that I take them with me, since I was heading that way too. I confidently strode off in the direction of the lounge, only to get to the end of the concourse and realise that I’d gone the wrong way, oops! The Glaswegian couple were not particularly amused, especially the rather gruff chap. We changed direction and headed towards concourse G (note to self, G, not D!) and eventually found the joint BA and QF lounges for First and Business Class passengers.
Entrance to the BA/QF Business Lounge
By 4.15 I was in the lounge (along with the grumpy couple, who we’ll meet again later). Reception had placed a sign up indicating what time the BA and QF flights would be boarding this evening, which I thought was a very helpful touch.
I was welcomed as my boarding pass was checked and then I made my way into the main lounge area. Wow, it was busy! Although, I suppose this was to be expected. The Qantas flight, QF2, was due to start boarding soon.
The lounge is much bigger than the First lounge, as you would expect. It was split into two areas. One small room with seating and computer work stations on the left of reception, and the large, long room with lots of seating, the bar and washrooms.
The lounge is decorated in the familiar style of the Qantas Sydney business class lounge as well as the Singapore lounge. It felt very welcoming and comfortable. The staff also seemed friendly and attentive. Surprisingly, a step up from the First lounge. I felt much more at home here.
The main lounge area, including the bar and food buffet (taken after the QF passengers had left)
The main lounge area, looking back to the entrance (taken after the QF passengers had left)
Drinks (the man in the waistcoat is actually a passenger, not staff!)
There wasn’t really a space that took my fancy in the main lounge area so I headed to the smaller seating area to the left of the entrance and settled down, getting out my iPad so that I could watch some videos and browse the internet. Well that was the plan, however, there seemed to be issues with the wifi, as I couldn’t connect. Maybe this was because the lounge was so busy. After a few attempts I gave up and went for a wander to take a look at the food and get a drink. The food selection looked pretty good, although I wasn’t very hungry. Unfortunately, there was no actual Champagne available, just that fizzy Australian ‘Chandon’ stuff that I’ve seen before. Ho hum, I took a glass anyway, and also grabbed a Sprite.
Cold selection
Spirits and liqueurs
My drinks
As I sat and waited, trying to get the wifi to work again, the staff made an announcement that boarding for QF2 would be delayed as there was a technical issue. The lady doing the announcement stated that the crew had lost electrical power in the cockpit. Is that a bit too much information to be giving out perhaps?!
A few passengers started to grumble and there was a reasonable stream of people going up to reception to ask about the delay. I noticed that a man was using his laptop to Skype someone, however, he was demonstrating the right way to do it, very quiet and with headphones ^.
Another announcement was made a short while later and all of the QF passengers filed out of the lounge, leaving it a bit more peaceful.
My time in the lounge went very quickly as I eventually got the wifi working and was able to browse a bit of Flyertalk and send some emails.
Boarding was due to start for BA9 to Sydney at 5.30pm and at this time I packed up my stuff and made the long trek to the assigned gate, which was E10, right at the end of the E concourse.
Verdict
The joint Qantas/British Airways lounge in Bangkok is great and based on my experience, ironically, much better than the First class lounge/room. I found the staff to be friendly, the ambience and décor very good and the food and drink offering to be comprehensive. My only gripe is that it would be nice to serve some proper Champagne instead of sparkling wine.
Last edited by matthandy; Jul 29, 2011 at 5:06 am
Jul 29, 2011, 8:37 am
#201
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
I made my way along to concourse E, and using the endless moving walkways I arrived at gate E10. The gate area seemed rather busy and I hope that boarding would start soon. I hate hanging around when I’ve left the lounge, it defeats the purpose of the lounge in the first place.
Endless walk ways
The gates at BKK are designed so that you arrive on the top level and then take a ramp down to the actual gate area. The advantage of this is that it gives passengers a good view of the aircraft waiting on the stand.
BA 747 operating BA9 – G-BNLS
I approached the gate and had to go through a secondary bag check. As I did so, the cabin crew had just started to arrive. This was not a good sign. I know that crew often arrive a good 45 minutes to an hour before pushback. This meant that we were delayed, although nothing had been announced up until this point.
I made my way down the ramp and had my boarding pass checked. The gate area was rammed, with lots of people congregating near the door. Most of the seats were taken, but I managed to find one. Almost as soon as I sat down, an announcement was made to say that due to technical issues, the flight would be delayed, with a new departure time of 18.25. This was only 15 minutes later than the schedule, but it felt much longer.
About half an hour later boarding started, with families invited to board first followed by First and Club passengers, of which I was one. Quite a few people boarded at that point and it took 5 minutes or so to actually reach the door of the aircraft. Two air bridges were in use; door 1 for First and Business, door 2 for Economy and Premium Economy.
Bangkok to Sydney with British Airways
Flight: BA9
Carrier: British Airways
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 – G-BNLS
Scheduled Departure time: 18.10
Duration: 8h 55m
Scheduled Arrival time: 06.05
Class: Club World (Upper Deck)
Seat: 64A (seat plan)
I received a friendly welcome at the door and invited to climb the stairs to the upper deck (I do love doing that). I made my way upstairs to find that a few passengers were already settling in. I was seated in 64A which probably has the most personal space around it than any other seat on the aircraft. You also get four windows and subsequently, four window bins. On the seat was a blanket, pillow/cushion and noise cancelling headphones.
View from 64A during boarding
Curiously, all of the blinds were closed on the upper deck. I’m not sure why. Anyway, as I started to unpack my various bits and pieces, and very smiley Irish crew member came over with welcome drinks, with the usual choice of Champagne, water or orange juice. I chose the Champagne of course and settled down into my seat.
Leg room!
Compared to First, I’d say that the seat was about the same width, but certainly not as comfortable. Unfortunately, my seat suffered from the very common problem of wobbly arm rests. The amount of personal space was actually much greater than First, but this is simply due to the unique nature of the seat that I had chosen, rather than it being standard.
Welcome Champagne
As boarding continued, the upper deck started to get very busy. I was eventually joined by my seat mate, a very friendly Aussie chap in 64B. We didn’t really start off talking, but eventually, for whatever reason, the conversation got going. He owned his own corporate travel agency in Sydney and had been at a conference for a few days in Bangkok. We chatted a lot about travel and what his favourites cabins were etc. He’d never flown BA J before, but had been lucky enough to have New First from Sydney. I worked out that he would have been on the same aircraft that I was on from LHR-BKK several days earlier.
We were really chatting away as we had so much in common. It made the wait for push back very enjoyable.
We missed our scheduled departure time and at 18.40, the Captain announced that because of the storm that had settled overhead, we wouldn’t be going anywhere. He was pretty clear on this, stating that even though we might see other aircraft taking off, he would not risk our safety just to meet the schedule. This was very well received by the passengers, nobody seemed to complain. I had actually expected it, as storms were predicted for early evening, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.
We pushed back at 18.55 (45 minutes late as per the original schedule) and then the safety demonstration commenced. We had a pretty long taxi out to the runway and then a further wait as other aircraft took off in front of us.
As we took off I remember how much fun it is to do so when seated backwards. For me, as someone who isn’t exactly very tall, it meant that my legs dangled as the angle of take off meant that I was leaning out of the seat slightly. It was great fun.
We had quite a bit of turbulence as we climbed to our cruising altitude and it took several minutes before the seat belt signs were turned off. As soon as this happened, I jumped up and went to use the toilet. The man in 64J also did the same but he wasn’t quick enough. It turned out that he was the grumpy Glaswegian from earlier. So that was twice that I’d annoyed him in the space of a few hours. He actually seemed a bit surprised to see me. Perhaps he didn’t think that I’d be travelling in Club, but would be further down the back.
At this point, the CSD introduced herself and the crew and announced that we had a flight time of 8 hours and 20 minutes tonight.
I returned to my seat and the crew came around with hot towels and then menus and wash bags.
Here is the contents of the current BA Club World amenity kit:
Elemis amenity kit
The crew then came around with pre-dinner drinks orders. I was feeling in a very good mood as I was continuing to chat away with my seat mate. We were talking about living in Sydney, what I do for a living, his family and where he lives etc. I don’t remember talking so much on an aircraft before!
I decided to have a vodka and lemonade and the lovely Irish crew member prepared it for me and handed out accompanying nuts. She commented that she thought that we were travelling together as we were getting along so well and was surprised when we said that we didn’t know each other!
Vodka and lemonade and nuts
As the crew went off to start taking dinner orders there was a bit of a lull in the conversation so I started to carry on with a bit Glee watching.
The lady FA made her way to me, addressed me by name and took my dinner order. As I gave her my order she gave me lots of smiles and positive responses. She was fantastic at dealing with passengers.
Here is the menu:
Welcome on board
British Airways is proud and delighted to work alongside some of the world’s finest chefs and to feature their dishes on board. These have been created for your pleasure and to complement our selection of fine wines.
We’ve focussed on the simplicity of dishes, using locally sourced fresh produce.
The menu alters from month to month according to the quality of seasonal ingredients and features various regional specialities from around the world.
Dinner
Starters
Marinated king prawns with ginger mayonnaise
or
Mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and grilled artichokes with pesto dressing
Salad
Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette
Main
Stir-fried beef with ginger
Seared salmon with linguine tossed in Alfredo sauce
Vegetable curry with bok-choy and steamed rice
Chilled main course Caesar salad of char-grilled chicken and garlic croutons
Dessert
Crème caramel
Red Cheddar and Camembert served with crackers
A selection fruit
Drinks
Complimentary bar service, including alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, is available throughout the flight. See today’s wine list for information.
Ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea
Selection of herbal teas, includes green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant and camomile with honey
Club Kitchen
Please visit the galley area in between meal services, where light snacks and drinks will be available. Please the crew for drinks not on display.
If seated in the upper deck, you can visit the Club Kitchen downstairs.
Wines
British Airways is pleased to offer you our award winning selection of fine wines and Champagnes. Our Master of Wine has helped us to create today's list, featuring wines from the classic regions of Europe as well as the best of the New World. As an airline that covers the globe, we try our best to find interesting and delicious wines, some classic and some more unusual, from all corners of the wine world.
Champagne
Champagne Cocktails
Kir Royale
Bucks Fizz
Lanson Black Label Brut NV Champagne
Ayala Brut Majeur NV Champagne
Your crew will be pleased to advise you of the Champagne we have available on today’s service.
White
Sancerre 2009, Domaine Bardin, Loire, France
or
Chablis 2009, Domaine Sainte Claire, Burgundy, France
Glen Carlou Chardonnay 2009, Paarl, South Africa
or
Vasse Felix Semillion/Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Margaret River, Western Australia
Red
Chateau de la Riviere 2004, Fronsace, Bordeaux, France
or
Chateau Beaumont 2004, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France
Langmeil Three Gardens “SGM” 2007, Barossa Valley, Australia
or
Mount Riley Pinot Noir 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand
I ordered the prawns to start and then the salmon.
I then faced an awkward dilemma. We’d stopped talking for a bit, but I knew that I’d need to take photos of the food for this TR, which would look weird, so I wanted to raise the privacy screen, however, that would be rude. Hmm.
As the starters arrived, I decided that it would be easier, and less rude, to admit to what I was doing. I told him that I write reports on my travels. He hadn’t heard of Flyertalk but was impressed with my blogging efforts. He probably still thought that I was weird, but was just being polite.
King prawns and side salad
I was very impressed with the presentation of the starter, and even the salad looked good. Certainly this was not First class, but definitely better than my expectations. Still no bread plate though!
The prawns were absolutely delicious and went very well with the mayonnaise. My seat mate chose the mozzarella and declared that it also was very good.
Next up was the salmon, which was delivered by the female FA again. Her comments were something along the lines of, ‘here is your protein course sir’, with a big smile.
The salmon looked very good. It was delicately cooked so it retained a lot of it's moisture without being soggy. The pasta was also very good, very creamy and it went well with the salmon itself. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was well presented and tasted good. I couldn’t have expected more than that really. It was very satisfying.
Salmon with linguine
As my main was cleared away the FA asked if I would like dessert. I ordered the Crème caramel and she asked if I wanted anything to drink with it. I asked nicely if I could have a Baileys, to which she said ‘with those beautiful blue eyes, you can have anything you want’. I almost blushed, she was a real charmer. She proceeded to chat up my seat mate too, saying that he must work in sales or PR, with his charm and smooth voice. What a flirt! I should probably make it clear that this was all just good banter, rather than a genuine approach!
Dessert and a generous serving of Baileys was delivered after a short while.
Crème caramel
The dessert was good, not too slimy or too sweet. After finishing it off, plus the chocolates and the liqueur, it was time for bed.
I took the opportunity to take a photo of the seat, as I had been unsuccessful when boarding the flight earlier.
64A
I went to the bathroom to change into the First pyjamas that I had saved from my last flight and then wished my seat mate good night, stuck up the divider and turned the seat into the sleeping position.
I extracted the ear plugs and eye mask from the amenity kit, opened up the blanket and then settled down. It’s fair to say that after spending several hours ‘in bed’ in First, the Club experience wasn’t exactly up to the same standard. The seat was not as comfortable, and it felt a lot more restricted around the knee and head area when turned in towards the partition. I drifted off at about 9.30pm (Bangkok time) and slept for 3.5 hours, waking up at 5am Sydney time.
We had about an hour and a half to go before landing at this point, so I got up and changed back into my normal clothes, before settling down, watching a bit of Glee as I waited for the breakfast service to start. I’d been given a water bottle towards the end of the dinner service, but it was warm by now so I went to the galley to ask for a glass of ice, which the male FA sorted out for me.
At 5.20am Sydney time, the lights were turned on and the service started. Hot towels were brought around and then the crew started dishing up breakfast.
Here is the menu:
Breakfast
Starters
Chilled fruit juice
An energising fruit smoothie
Fresh seasonal fruit
or
Birchermuesli
Bakery
Warm bacon roll
A selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries
Drinks
Ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea
Selection of herbal teas, includes green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant and camomile with honey
The female crew member said good morning and asked what I’d like for breakfast. I wasn’t exactly sure what ‘Birchermuesli’ was, but I didn’t fancy the fruit, so went for that. I was offered a breakfast pastry too and went for a croissant.
Birchermuesli and a croissant
Unfortunately, the preserve that was delivered as part of my tray was distinctly orange. Since the day I was born, I’ve hated marmalade, so I attracted the attention of the male crew member and asked if I could swap it for strawberry, or at a minimum, raspberry. This was met with a very curt ‘No, it comes like that’. Ok then, I guess not. I thought that his response was somewhat rude. I should have asked the lady. I struggle to believe that ALL of the trays in Club contained marmalade, but maybe someone can correct me.
The muesli, for those of you who don’t know, or are just learning like me, is basically traditional muesli with yoghurt. It was delicious actually, and rather filling. I enjoyed the croissant with jam, sticking just with butter.
The grumpy male FA returned to offer me a very soggy bacon role. It was the last one and all of the condensation from when it was cooked had gathered at the bottom of the tray. The bottom layer was total mush. It was actually disgusting, I should have sent it back. I asked him for ketchup, since only HP sauce was provided (yuck). Again, this was met with a rather firm, no. Great. How can you have a bacon roll without ketchup?? Put me back into First please.
I managed to eat the top layer of the roll and then pushed my tray aside before going to the toilet to freshen up.
A view of the upper deck as we start our descent
At 5.50am, the First Officer announced that we had 40 minutes of flying left to do and were expecting to land at 6.30am, 25 minutes late. The CSD came along with landing cards and fast track immigration passes for everyone on the upper deck and I settled into my seat to complete the form.
At 6am, the announcement was made that the crew would go through the cabin to spray insecticide. I really hate this part of the flight.
At 20 minutes to landing, the seat belt sign was turned on as we were well on our way into Sydney.
Landing was exactly at 6.30am and was very smooth indeed, with no reverse thrust used to slow us down. After a short taxi, we were on stand and everyone got up to de-plane. I thanked the crew and then waited on the stairs whilst everyone in World Traveller Plus got off the aircraft.
Waiting on the stairs
I was soon off and then headed towards immigration, following signs to the fast track desks. This was actually pretty quick, with only a small queue. I made my way to the baggage belt where my bag came out after just 10 minutes, which wasn’t bad for Sydney. I spied the quarantine man walking around the baggage belt so I made sure that I got my form stamped.
I collected my bag and then headed towards quarantine. As I’d had my form stamped, I was directed to the right, past all of the x-ray machines and out into the terminal. This was certainly the quickest that I’ve been through quarantine at Sydney! I’ve had my form stamped before but then it has been ignored by the guys at the front of the queue, so I had to join anyway. Luckily that was not the case this time.
I made me way into the arrivals area and spotted my driver. It was about 7am at this point, so that meant it had only been 30 minutes since touching down (20 minutes after arriving on stand). It has to be a record for me.
The sun was rising as I travelled back to my apartment at Milsons Point. It was good to be back and the morning light was absolutely beautiful, as it bathed the Opera House and the harbour bridge in it’s warm glow.
Ending where we begun, with a photo on the bridge
I arrived back at my apartment, said good morning to the concierge and then headed up in the lift. My bed was calling to me.
Verdict
Well, this flight was certainly a come down from First! I never thought that I would be in a position to say that. I won’t state the obvious, because Club is not First Class, so all of the points like the seat not being as comfortable or the food not being as good are a given.
For Club, I thought that the food was very good indeed, however, the bacon roll was simply disgusting. I’m a bit disappointed that a full breakfast was not provided. Qantas manage to do this so I think that BA should make more of an effort in this respect.
With regards to the crew; the female FA was brilliant, really charming, funny and friendly. The other guy, well, ‘rude’ springs to mind.
I did enjoy being able to have a good chat with my seat mate; that and the female FA made this a very memorable flight.
Would I be happy to spend 22 hours in 64A back to the UK? Yes, but I’d prefer to be in 1A instead.
So that’s my last flight for this report. I do intend to post an appendix shortly with my overall conclusions and some additional material. Stay tuned..
Endless walk ways
The gates at BKK are designed so that you arrive on the top level and then take a ramp down to the actual gate area. The advantage of this is that it gives passengers a good view of the aircraft waiting on the stand.
BA 747 operating BA9 – G-BNLS
I approached the gate and had to go through a secondary bag check. As I did so, the cabin crew had just started to arrive. This was not a good sign. I know that crew often arrive a good 45 minutes to an hour before pushback. This meant that we were delayed, although nothing had been announced up until this point.
I made my way down the ramp and had my boarding pass checked. The gate area was rammed, with lots of people congregating near the door. Most of the seats were taken, but I managed to find one. Almost as soon as I sat down, an announcement was made to say that due to technical issues, the flight would be delayed, with a new departure time of 18.25. This was only 15 minutes later than the schedule, but it felt much longer.
About half an hour later boarding started, with families invited to board first followed by First and Club passengers, of which I was one. Quite a few people boarded at that point and it took 5 minutes or so to actually reach the door of the aircraft. Two air bridges were in use; door 1 for First and Business, door 2 for Economy and Premium Economy.
Bangkok to Sydney with British Airways
Flight: BA9
Carrier: British Airways
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 – G-BNLS
Scheduled Departure time: 18.10
Duration: 8h 55m
Scheduled Arrival time: 06.05
Class: Club World (Upper Deck)
Seat: 64A (seat plan)
I received a friendly welcome at the door and invited to climb the stairs to the upper deck (I do love doing that). I made my way upstairs to find that a few passengers were already settling in. I was seated in 64A which probably has the most personal space around it than any other seat on the aircraft. You also get four windows and subsequently, four window bins. On the seat was a blanket, pillow/cushion and noise cancelling headphones.
View from 64A during boarding
Curiously, all of the blinds were closed on the upper deck. I’m not sure why. Anyway, as I started to unpack my various bits and pieces, and very smiley Irish crew member came over with welcome drinks, with the usual choice of Champagne, water or orange juice. I chose the Champagne of course and settled down into my seat.
Leg room!
Compared to First, I’d say that the seat was about the same width, but certainly not as comfortable. Unfortunately, my seat suffered from the very common problem of wobbly arm rests. The amount of personal space was actually much greater than First, but this is simply due to the unique nature of the seat that I had chosen, rather than it being standard.
Welcome Champagne
As boarding continued, the upper deck started to get very busy. I was eventually joined by my seat mate, a very friendly Aussie chap in 64B. We didn’t really start off talking, but eventually, for whatever reason, the conversation got going. He owned his own corporate travel agency in Sydney and had been at a conference for a few days in Bangkok. We chatted a lot about travel and what his favourites cabins were etc. He’d never flown BA J before, but had been lucky enough to have New First from Sydney. I worked out that he would have been on the same aircraft that I was on from LHR-BKK several days earlier.
We were really chatting away as we had so much in common. It made the wait for push back very enjoyable.
We missed our scheduled departure time and at 18.40, the Captain announced that because of the storm that had settled overhead, we wouldn’t be going anywhere. He was pretty clear on this, stating that even though we might see other aircraft taking off, he would not risk our safety just to meet the schedule. This was very well received by the passengers, nobody seemed to complain. I had actually expected it, as storms were predicted for early evening, so it wasn’t a huge surprise.
We pushed back at 18.55 (45 minutes late as per the original schedule) and then the safety demonstration commenced. We had a pretty long taxi out to the runway and then a further wait as other aircraft took off in front of us.
As we took off I remember how much fun it is to do so when seated backwards. For me, as someone who isn’t exactly very tall, it meant that my legs dangled as the angle of take off meant that I was leaning out of the seat slightly. It was great fun.
We had quite a bit of turbulence as we climbed to our cruising altitude and it took several minutes before the seat belt signs were turned off. As soon as this happened, I jumped up and went to use the toilet. The man in 64J also did the same but he wasn’t quick enough. It turned out that he was the grumpy Glaswegian from earlier. So that was twice that I’d annoyed him in the space of a few hours. He actually seemed a bit surprised to see me. Perhaps he didn’t think that I’d be travelling in Club, but would be further down the back
.At this point, the CSD introduced herself and the crew and announced that we had a flight time of 8 hours and 20 minutes tonight.
I returned to my seat and the crew came around with hot towels and then menus and wash bags.
Here is the contents of the current BA Club World amenity kit:
Elemis amenity kit
The crew then came around with pre-dinner drinks orders. I was feeling in a very good mood as I was continuing to chat away with my seat mate. We were talking about living in Sydney, what I do for a living, his family and where he lives etc. I don’t remember talking so much on an aircraft before!
I decided to have a vodka and lemonade and the lovely Irish crew member prepared it for me and handed out accompanying nuts. She commented that she thought that we were travelling together as we were getting along so well and was surprised when we said that we didn’t know each other!
Vodka and lemonade and nuts
As the crew went off to start taking dinner orders there was a bit of a lull in the conversation so I started to carry on with a bit Glee watching.
The lady FA made her way to me, addressed me by name and took my dinner order. As I gave her my order she gave me lots of smiles and positive responses. She was fantastic at dealing with passengers.
Here is the menu:
Welcome on board
British Airways is proud and delighted to work alongside some of the world’s finest chefs and to feature their dishes on board. These have been created for your pleasure and to complement our selection of fine wines.
We’ve focussed on the simplicity of dishes, using locally sourced fresh produce.
The menu alters from month to month according to the quality of seasonal ingredients and features various regional specialities from around the world.
Dinner
Starters
Marinated king prawns with ginger mayonnaise
or
Mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and grilled artichokes with pesto dressing
Salad
Fresh seasonal salad served with vinaigrette
Main
Stir-fried beef with ginger
Seared salmon with linguine tossed in Alfredo sauce
Vegetable curry with bok-choy and steamed rice
Chilled main course Caesar salad of char-grilled chicken and garlic croutons
Dessert
Crème caramel
Red Cheddar and Camembert served with crackers
A selection fruit
Drinks
Complimentary bar service, including alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, is available throughout the flight. See today’s wine list for information.
Ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea
Selection of herbal teas, includes green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant and camomile with honey
Club Kitchen
Please visit the galley area in between meal services, where light snacks and drinks will be available. Please the crew for drinks not on display.
If seated in the upper deck, you can visit the Club Kitchen downstairs.
Wines
British Airways is pleased to offer you our award winning selection of fine wines and Champagnes. Our Master of Wine has helped us to create today's list, featuring wines from the classic regions of Europe as well as the best of the New World. As an airline that covers the globe, we try our best to find interesting and delicious wines, some classic and some more unusual, from all corners of the wine world.
Champagne
Champagne Cocktails
Kir Royale
Bucks Fizz
Lanson Black Label Brut NV Champagne
Ayala Brut Majeur NV Champagne
Your crew will be pleased to advise you of the Champagne we have available on today’s service.
White
Sancerre 2009, Domaine Bardin, Loire, France
or
Chablis 2009, Domaine Sainte Claire, Burgundy, France
Glen Carlou Chardonnay 2009, Paarl, South Africa
or
Vasse Felix Semillion/Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Margaret River, Western Australia
Red
Chateau de la Riviere 2004, Fronsace, Bordeaux, France
or
Chateau Beaumont 2004, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France
Langmeil Three Gardens “SGM” 2007, Barossa Valley, Australia
or
Mount Riley Pinot Noir 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand
I then faced an awkward dilemma. We’d stopped talking for a bit, but I knew that I’d need to take photos of the food for this TR, which would look weird, so I wanted to raise the privacy screen, however, that would be rude. Hmm.
As the starters arrived, I decided that it would be easier, and less rude, to admit to what I was doing. I told him that I write reports on my travels. He hadn’t heard of Flyertalk but was impressed with my blogging efforts. He probably still thought that I was weird, but was just being polite.
King prawns and side salad
I was very impressed with the presentation of the starter, and even the salad looked good. Certainly this was not First class, but definitely better than my expectations. Still no bread plate though!
The prawns were absolutely delicious and went very well with the mayonnaise. My seat mate chose the mozzarella and declared that it also was very good.
Next up was the salmon, which was delivered by the female FA again. Her comments were something along the lines of, ‘here is your protein course sir’, with a big smile.
The salmon looked very good. It was delicately cooked so it retained a lot of it's moisture without being soggy. The pasta was also very good, very creamy and it went well with the salmon itself. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was well presented and tasted good. I couldn’t have expected more than that really. It was very satisfying.
Salmon with linguine
As my main was cleared away the FA asked if I would like dessert. I ordered the Crème caramel and she asked if I wanted anything to drink with it. I asked nicely if I could have a Baileys, to which she said ‘with those beautiful blue eyes, you can have anything you want’. I almost blushed, she was a real charmer. She proceeded to chat up my seat mate too, saying that he must work in sales or PR, with his charm and smooth voice. What a flirt! I should probably make it clear that this was all just good banter, rather than a genuine approach!
Dessert and a generous serving of Baileys was delivered after a short while.
Crème caramel
The dessert was good, not too slimy or too sweet. After finishing it off, plus the chocolates and the liqueur, it was time for bed.
I took the opportunity to take a photo of the seat, as I had been unsuccessful when boarding the flight earlier.
64A
I went to the bathroom to change into the First pyjamas that I had saved from my last flight and then wished my seat mate good night, stuck up the divider and turned the seat into the sleeping position.
I extracted the ear plugs and eye mask from the amenity kit, opened up the blanket and then settled down. It’s fair to say that after spending several hours ‘in bed’ in First, the Club experience wasn’t exactly up to the same standard. The seat was not as comfortable, and it felt a lot more restricted around the knee and head area when turned in towards the partition. I drifted off at about 9.30pm (Bangkok time) and slept for 3.5 hours, waking up at 5am Sydney time.
We had about an hour and a half to go before landing at this point, so I got up and changed back into my normal clothes, before settling down, watching a bit of Glee as I waited for the breakfast service to start. I’d been given a water bottle towards the end of the dinner service, but it was warm by now so I went to the galley to ask for a glass of ice, which the male FA sorted out for me.
At 5.20am Sydney time, the lights were turned on and the service started. Hot towels were brought around and then the crew started dishing up breakfast.
Here is the menu:
Breakfast
Starters
Chilled fruit juice
An energising fruit smoothie
Fresh seasonal fruit
or
Birchermuesli
Bakery
Warm bacon roll
A selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries
Drinks
Ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee or tea
Selection of herbal teas, includes green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant and camomile with honey
Birchermuesli and a croissant
Unfortunately, the preserve that was delivered as part of my tray was distinctly orange. Since the day I was born, I’ve hated marmalade, so I attracted the attention of the male crew member and asked if I could swap it for strawberry, or at a minimum, raspberry. This was met with a very curt ‘No, it comes like that’. Ok then, I guess not. I thought that his response was somewhat rude. I should have asked the lady. I struggle to believe that ALL of the trays in Club contained marmalade, but maybe someone can correct me.
The muesli, for those of you who don’t know, or are just learning like me, is basically traditional muesli with yoghurt. It was delicious actually, and rather filling. I enjoyed the croissant with jam, sticking just with butter.
The grumpy male FA returned to offer me a very soggy bacon role. It was the last one and all of the condensation from when it was cooked had gathered at the bottom of the tray. The bottom layer was total mush. It was actually disgusting, I should have sent it back. I asked him for ketchup, since only HP sauce was provided (yuck). Again, this was met with a rather firm, no. Great. How can you have a bacon roll without ketchup?? Put me back into First please.
I managed to eat the top layer of the roll and then pushed my tray aside before going to the toilet to freshen up.
A view of the upper deck as we start our descent
At 5.50am, the First Officer announced that we had 40 minutes of flying left to do and were expecting to land at 6.30am, 25 minutes late. The CSD came along with landing cards and fast track immigration passes for everyone on the upper deck and I settled into my seat to complete the form.
At 6am, the announcement was made that the crew would go through the cabin to spray insecticide. I really hate this part of the flight.
At 20 minutes to landing, the seat belt sign was turned on as we were well on our way into Sydney.
Landing was exactly at 6.30am and was very smooth indeed, with no reverse thrust used to slow us down. After a short taxi, we were on stand and everyone got up to de-plane. I thanked the crew and then waited on the stairs whilst everyone in World Traveller Plus got off the aircraft.
Waiting on the stairs
I was soon off and then headed towards immigration, following signs to the fast track desks. This was actually pretty quick, with only a small queue. I made my way to the baggage belt where my bag came out after just 10 minutes, which wasn’t bad for Sydney. I spied the quarantine man walking around the baggage belt so I made sure that I got my form stamped.
I collected my bag and then headed towards quarantine. As I’d had my form stamped, I was directed to the right, past all of the x-ray machines and out into the terminal. This was certainly the quickest that I’ve been through quarantine at Sydney! I’ve had my form stamped before but then it has been ignored by the guys at the front of the queue, so I had to join anyway. Luckily that was not the case this time.
I made me way into the arrivals area and spotted my driver. It was about 7am at this point, so that meant it had only been 30 minutes since touching down (20 minutes after arriving on stand). It has to be a record for me.
The sun was rising as I travelled back to my apartment at Milsons Point. It was good to be back and the morning light was absolutely beautiful, as it bathed the Opera House and the harbour bridge in it’s warm glow.
Ending where we begun, with a photo on the bridge
I arrived back at my apartment, said good morning to the concierge and then headed up in the lift. My bed was calling to me.
Verdict
Well, this flight was certainly a come down from First! I never thought that I would be in a position to say that. I won’t state the obvious, because Club is not First Class, so all of the points like the seat not being as comfortable or the food not being as good are a given.
For Club, I thought that the food was very good indeed, however, the bacon roll was simply disgusting. I’m a bit disappointed that a full breakfast was not provided. Qantas manage to do this so I think that BA should make more of an effort in this respect.
With regards to the crew; the female FA was brilliant, really charming, funny and friendly. The other guy, well, ‘rude’ springs to mind.
I did enjoy being able to have a good chat with my seat mate; that and the female FA made this a very memorable flight.
Would I be happy to spend 22 hours in 64A back to the UK? Yes, but I’d prefer to be in 1A instead
.So that’s my last flight for this report. I do intend to post an appendix shortly with my overall conclusions and some additional material. Stay tuned..
Last edited by matthandy; Jul 29, 2011 at 8:48 am
Jul 29, 2011, 2:36 pm
#202
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Orchard Co. NI
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 607
Matthandy, thank you for taking the time and effort to put together this TR, it really has been a fantastic read and most certainly will go down in FT history as one of most enjoyable, comprehensive and well presented reports ever posted.
I've just finished this and am going to toast the end of this trip with a glass of Bushmills in your honour!!!!
I've just finished this and am going to toast the end of this trip with a glass of Bushmills in your honour!!!!
Jul 30, 2011, 5:29 am
#204
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Appendix/Conclusions
Goodies
I’d never flown First Class before this trip and overall I’d say that it left me very spoilt. Flying First is so easy, in that you are so well looked after, it’s almost not like flying at all. The thought of jumping on a plane back to the UK at a moment’s notice, in First, doesn’t feel daunting at all. Of course, that is to be expected.
As I explained at the start of the report, I used a mixture of miles and cash to upgrade from the base business class fare. For the amount of miles that I had to cash in, 80,000, I’d say that it was reasonable value, as the upgrade in terms of hard and soft product from Club World is significant. For my Sydney to Bangkok flight, I paid cash, approximately $800/£540 and I also think that this was good value. However, I don’t think that I could justify the full fare difference between First and Club if I was to pay cash. That is just too much.
The saying ‘when you move forward you cannot move back’ is very true in my case, and I found going back to Club World quite a step down from First. The thought of having to do the same journey in economy (which I have done many a time) fills me with dread.
Additional Photos
Here are some additional photos that I excluded from the first pass of the report, but help to add a little more detail.
Qantas A380 – Viewed from the Sydney First Class Lounge
A view towards the Sydney skyline - Viewed from the Sydney First Class Lounge
Another attempt at the Champagne shot in the Sydney First Class Lounge
BA 777 – G-YMMO heading to Singapore
A view of the bar in the Concorde Room
A view over the apron from the Concorde Room Terrace
Comfy arm chairs out on the Concorde Room Terrace
A view over the apron from the Concorde Room Terrace
Overlooking central London, from my friend’s flat
BA 747 lands at Heathrow
Pre-flight dining in Galleries First – Terminal 3 - Heathrow
Bahrain Royal Flight 747
BA 777 – G-YMMH bound for Singapore
Qantas 747 – VH-OJN bound for Bangkok
A view of the ‘A’ seats in New First
5E and 5F – New First Cabin - 747
Riding the hotel shuttle boat in Bangkok
A Big Thank You
I just want to extend my further thanks to all of you that have commented along the way. It really does mean a lot to me and it keeps me posting.
Thank you for sticking with me! This was my longest trip report to date, with approximately 41,000 words and 308 photos.
Previous Trip Reports
If you liked this report, you might also like to browse my previous reports:
- January 2011: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...r-qf-a380.html
- December 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...tas-767-a.html
- November 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...el-qantas.html
- September 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...747-400-a.html
- May 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-business.html
- March 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-wedding.html
- February 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...eb-2010-a.html – :-: BA Board Trip Report of the Year 2010 :-:
- Nov–Dec 2009: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...y-pacific.html
- Feb 2009: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-lhr-jfk.html
- Nov 2008: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...rld-777-a.html
- Oct 2008: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...747-400-a.html
- Sept 2008 - My first TR: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...lub-world.html
Jul 30, 2011, 6:14 am
#205
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Nottingham, UK
Programs: HHonors - Diamond, AA - EXP
Posts: 150
Is it really over :(
Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed this TR. I'm quite new to FT and this was just the 2nd TR I came across but it has had me hooked from the start. I've since gone back and read many of your others (starting to feel like a bit of a stalker!)
To echo many of the other comments, your writting style together with your excellent photographs really do transport the reader to the seat next to you, which is probably as close as I'll ever get to First.
About to head for the airport myself, will I write a trip report...after reading yours I wouldn't want to embaress myself so i'll stick to reading them I think. I'm sure you're looking forward to your next trip, whereever and whenever it might be, I'm also sure there are many FT users who are looking forward to it too as it means a new matthandy TR.
Best regards, Dan
To echo many of the other comments, your writting style together with your excellent photographs really do transport the reader to the seat next to you, which is probably as close as I'll ever get to First.
About to head for the airport myself, will I write a trip report...after reading yours I wouldn't want to embaress myself so i'll stick to reading them I think. I'm sure you're looking forward to your next trip, whereever and whenever it might be, I'm also sure there are many FT users who are looking forward to it too as it means a new matthandy TR.
Best regards, Dan
Jul 30, 2011, 7:49 am
#206
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
Thank you for the excellent reports, Matthandy! Lovely to have the detailed report and also really good photographs. It's also good to read the comparison between F and CW.
I could not help but to notice some dreadful food presentation in First. Some of the CW ones looked better than some First ones. BA needs to lift its game in terms of presentation, I think, and as for soggy bacon rolls - well what can I say! I still love BA but I hope they improve the food a bit.
I could not help but to notice some dreadful food presentation in First. Some of the CW ones looked better than some First ones. BA needs to lift its game in terms of presentation, I think, and as for soggy bacon rolls - well what can I say! I still love BA but I hope they improve the food a bit.
Jul 30, 2011, 10:30 am
#207
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 235
Matt, I think I've used up all the superlatives that there are but now we have reached the end of the report I just need to say again that it is just fabulous. I know I'll definitely be reading this a few more times and thanks for the index of your other TR's as I don't think I've read all of them.
BTW, I haven't been to Kings Cross but I may suggest to Sis that we head there next time I'm over, in the day time though!
BTW, I haven't been to Kings Cross but I may suggest to Sis that we head there next time I'm over, in the day time though!
Jul 30, 2011, 2:51 pm
#208
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,348
A great ending to a fabulous trip report. ^
I know who I'll be nominating for BA Trip Reporter of the Year again
I know who I'll be nominating for BA Trip Reporter of the Year again
Jul 30, 2011, 7:34 pm
#209
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
Good last couple of flights you had there apart from the rather abrupt male cabin crew member.....time he looked for a new job I think. 
Really enjoyed this report Matt especially your on the ground excursions. It has put me right in the mood for our trip back to the UK in September.
Now you've spent all your money and miles on this trip I shall look forward to your next report in Y.
Really enjoyed this report Matt especially your on the ground excursions. It has put me right in the mood for our trip back to the UK in September.
Now you've spent all your money and miles on this trip I shall look forward to your next report in Y.
Jul 31, 2011, 1:29 am
#210
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: London
Programs: BAEC, AA, Emirates, Hilton, Hyatt, Taj Hotels
Posts: 2,345
Enjoyed 'taking' this journey with you. TRs like this make this site enjoyable and informative and help keep the travel bug going. Your efforts and those of the other legends here are well appreciated. If ever I could get the hang of posting photos I might even be tempted to do one myself.
Well done ^
Well done ^