A Tyre Quest
Sep 26, 2012 | 5:59 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Location: NBO, MEL, PER
Programs: QR Gold, TK Elite. Flying Blue Silver
Posts: 1,452
A Tyre Quest
So Mrs RWA is restoring a vintage racing car, and realised one week before the Vintage Car show that she had two wrong sized tryes. DHL said they will take 4 days to deliver, and at least 4 days to clear. I was in Kampala, and offered to go to London to pick them up. She said yes please, and I was on KQ.com to see what fares I could get.
I managed to get a really great fare in Z class Business. This meant I will fly flat, drink and eat well hopefully, but most importantly get my Flying Blue Gold Card☺
My routing is:
NBO LHR 24 SEP KQ 102 2359 0645*
LHR NBO 25 SEP KQ 101 2000 0630*
I am getting 13 hours in London.
I checked in online, and managed to get 3J on NBO LHR and 3A on LHR NBO. Both cabins looked pretty full. I arrived at JKIA (NBO) at 2130 for a 2359 flight. I did not want our driver to travel home late on his own so had decided to arrive early. As I had checked in online, and had no check in luggage, I was at the Premier Lounge (Business Class access only) within 17 minutes of arriving.
The lounge is not big. There are 14 sofa type chairs, 4 tables that seat 16, around 8 bar stools, and a few (6-8) other seats scattered. That is 45 seats for all of KQ/KLM/Korean J class. With 3 wide bodies leaving JKIA in the evening, plus all the narrow bodies, on a bad day for KQ with 50% loads, there would be at least 90 J class passengers. So what are the masses to do? Stand? Or not bother to come to the lounge at all.
Food and drink offerings have really improved. Moet is available, as are full sized bottles of red and white wine (some decent ones in there), as well as spirits including Bombay, Black Label and Absolute. There is also hot food offerings (tonight there was a curry, rice, and veg option). As I had eaten at home, I did not bother to have anything in the lounge. Free WiFi and showers are also available.
Boarding was announced at 11.00 pm. I headed to the gate where there was a separate line for Sky Priority. My boarding pass and passport was checked. You get given a separate coloured boarding card as well. I had a red one. After a second security check, I headed to the gate, but boarding had not started. At around 11.15 pm, they boarded special assistance passengers, and then all passengers with red boarding cards.
I was one of the first on board. To LHR KQ operate a 777-200. Seating in J is 2-3-2. I was in seat 3J a window. A quick dash to the bathroom to put on my Emirates Pyjamas for the flight, and I was settled into my seat. The cabin started filling up. There were two young lads, who had been upgraded by their fathers. They were off to the UK to attend University and looked very excited. My seatmate soon came along, and turned out to be a KQ Country Manager. We had a great chat for the first few hours of the flight about KQ, and what their plans are for expansions.
PDB of Champagne/Juice/Water was offered. I had to have a glass of Moet. Our seats already had the wafer thin blanket and pillow, as well as an amenity kit and headphones (not noise cancelling). I asked for a second glass of Moet, which I think took the flight attendant by surprise, as passengers normally only have one glass. Oh well. Newspapers, and menus were also handed out (there was a separate menu for the Light Meal and one for Breakfast).
We pushed back at 12.15 am, and were airborne by 12.20 am. As soon as the seat belt sign went off, most passengers reclined their seats, and knocked out. I was having a great chat with my seatmate, so decided to sample the light meal.
It took at least 40 minutes after take off for the cabin crew to come around with a trolley. They passed out hot towels, and then linen for our tables. Food choice was a cold chicken salad, coffee crusted beef or a Indian vegetarian option, followed by a chocolate cake type desert or fruit.
I had the beef with a South African Shiraz. Both were not bad. The beef was a bit overcooked. The desert was soft, and choclatey. The crew offered tea/coffee, which I declined, as I wished to continue with the wine. The crew were pro-active in topping up glasses. This was great.
After 5 glasses of Shiraz, I decided I should get some kip, as I had a long day ahead of me. So I put my seat flat (It is not fully flat as advertised, but 175 degrees or so). I am 6 feet tall, and I felt my feet pushed up against the hard shell of the seat in front of me. A duvet and mattress would be well appreciated, as the seat is a but lumpy. I donned on my Emirates F class eye mask, earplugs and with a bottle of water next to me, slept reasonably well for the next 5 hours or so.
Around 90 minutes before landing, the crew came around with hot towels on one side of the cabin (not ours). I am not a huge fan of them anyway☺. The trolley came a long once again. Linen was placed on our table, and a tray with cereal (all bran), and fruit was placed down. From a separate tray, yoghurt was offered, and also breads including croissants. Juice was offered, and cold milk poured on our cereal.
Tea and coffee also came around. We were given a hot breakfast choice of Vegetarian Omelette with chicken sausage or Beans in a tortilla or some Indian Veg option. I had the omelette which was okay. Not great, but good to fill a hole in my stomach.
After breakfast, I used the bathroom to change back to my civvies. Landing and fast track immigration cards were handed out. We did a few bog laps around Heathrow, and landed at 6.35 am. As we parked at an Air bridge, I watched a Saudia plane come in as well. I thought Yes, we are in before them, so we will be at immigration before them, but we had a long walk, and most of their plane had disembarked before us.
I sprinted to immigration, and saw that the fast track line was longer then the normal line. So I queued up with the normal people, and saw an immigration officer in 2 minutes.
Officer: You are here for one day?
Me: Yes, I fly back tonight.
Officer: Where have you come from?
Me: Nairobi. I live there.
Officer: Why are you here?
Me: To pick up some tyres for my wifes vintage racer. She has a car show on Sunday, and DHL cant deliver them in time.
Officer: Why didnt she come?
Me: Because she is working on the car.
Officer: Oh. Can I see your ticket or boarding pass for tonight?
Me: (showed him boarding pass).
He then wrote all my return flight details on the back of the immigration card and allowed me to graciously enter The United Kingdom
For the first time at LHR, I arrived with hand luggage, and was out so quickly. Bought a Heathrow Express ticket for 19. Then down in the lift, long walk to Platform 2, where I think I just missed the train connecting to Heathrow Central from where the HEX goes from. So wait 15 minutes, board the train, get to the next station, get off, cross to opposite platform, and scramble to get onto the next HEX.
On the HEX there was a couple with 4 massive suitcases, plus hand luggage, and she was carrying her wedding dress. They really struggled, and she was giving him the evils. I thought dude, this is just the beginning
There was no room to sit, so standing for 15 minutes, we arrived at Paddington. It was now 50 minutes since I had landed.
I needed to get to Canning Town station. Bought a tube ticket for $4.30 one way (very expensive), and I got on the Bakerloo line during rush hour. Everyone was dressed in suits, reading papers, iPads, Kindles, listening to music. Nobody talks to anyone else. No eye contact. Rush to get a seat. Push through. I changed trains at Baker Street, onto the Jubilee Line. This is when lots and lots of suits got on. All dressed up, with expensive watches, shoes, and no smiles. When we got to Canary Wharf, the train emptied.
I got to Canning Town, and met my wifes cousin. Got the tyres and a 6 volt battery from him, and headed off to a pet warehouse to buy some dog collars. (Our pups are no longer small, and need big collars) Then off to the local for a few pints of IPA (loved it), and some bangers and mash (water for gravy). I asked to be dropped off at LHR by 3.30 pm. I needed a shower, and a rest before boarding the same plane to head home.
I thought I should go and claim the VAT back on the tyres and battery. So down one level I went, and saw a queue that snaked. My first thought was lounge time. It will cut into my lounge time. So no, I am not going to queue. So back up one level.
Now time to wrap my tyres. LHR charges 7 for each piece of luggage you get wrapped. Expensive, and very unprofessional. There was some guy who struggled to speak English, and was rude to some Asian travellers, and proceeded to joke with me about them after they left. He did a poor job, and I asked him to wrap my tyres properly. He was very surly. He then asked me how many receipts I wanted, as people ask for more, so they can claim from their employers. I took my one receipt and went to find the check in counters.
Sky Team has a nice glassed off check in area for Business Class, and Sky Priority Passengers. There was no line, and I checked my two pieces in. As one was oversize, I was politely asked to take it to the oversize baggage drop off. I was also asked if I knew where the lounge was.
Through fast track security, and I was airside by 4.00 pm. I made my way to the Sky Team Lounge. It is a great lounge with good facilities.
First stop shower. They have a Clarins Spa, and offer free 20 minutes treatments to passengers. All I wanted was a shower. I was offered a dental kit (declined), shampoo and lotion (LOcitain) and shown a free shower. The shower gel is Clarins. After a great shower and change of clothes, I was feeling peckish.
There are two huge buffet areas (one downstairs, one up stairs). I found downstairs to be busy, but grabbed a quick bite. On offer today was mini beef burgers, pulled pork pies, veg samosas, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and deserts. As I was enjoying this, they brought out Thai chicken curry and rice, as well as noodles. All the food was very fresh and tasty. There is also an excellent wine (inc. two types of champagne) selection, spirits, beers and coffees. I had a few glasses of champagne, as the Sav Blanc was not cold or crisp enough. Feeling better, I decided to go and do some shopping.
Nothing really took my fancy at LHR Duty Free, so I was back at the Sky Team Lounge. This time I went up stairs. It was much quieter. There are also some private resting rooms. I had some more champagne, and some cheese. Flights are not called out, so you have to monitor the boards. At 7.00 pm I decided to head down to the gate.
When I got there, they were boarding, and I did not see a Sky Priority line. There were also two immigration officers checking passports at random. I was asked for my passport which I handed over. He flicked through it, not really looking at anything, and gave it back to me. What was the point?
On board I settled into seat 2A. The usual routine of pyjamas on and then chill. The aircraft was very warm. It took a while to cool down. PDB tray came around and no champagne. I was told this is London, so I am assuming there are issues with payment o duty.
Not a single seat was spare. Papers were handed out with menus and landing cards. We pushed back at 2005, and were airborne by 2020. LHR was very busy. Seat belt signs went off, and then the wait started. We would have waited an hour after take off to be served a drink and packaged nuts. Despite this slowness, drinks were kept topped up. I could see the crew literally faffing about in the galley. Not sure why they took so long to get started. Most passengers wanted to eat and sleep.
Dinner was then served. Starter was a vegetarian pakora (deep fried shredded vegetable dumpling). It was pathetic. KQ is trying to cut costs, but to serve such crap???? Main had a choice of lamb, chicken or Indian vegetarian. I went with the lamb. The gravy was very good, and helped the overcooked lamb. I was now knackered, and forgo the desert (a frangipani pie) and cheese. Instead a quick trip to the loo, grab a bottle of water, seat flat (I got it even flatter by using the manual override), and I entered lala land.
I actually had a decent sleep for close to 6 hours. I woke up as I heard the crew shouting breakfast. I declined. On offer was a continental breakfast of yoghurt, fruit and breads. Instead I waited for a bathroom, (one floor was flooded). Got into my civvies and prepared for landing. I was asked if I wanted a drink, so had an OJ and black coffee (Kenya produces some of the worlds best coffee, yet their flagship carrier offers Nescafe!!!!). We landed at 6.30 am on the dot. I was off the plane and through immigration in less then 10 minutes.
I located our baggage belt, and noticed they were going to off load the Qatar and KQ bags on one belt. We landed first, and the belt was surrounded by KQ passengers, but the QR bags were off first. After a good 15 minutes wait, the KQ priority bags started to come through. I got my tyres and bag, and knew I was going to be stopped by customs. Note that customs marks bags with chalk marks that they want their colleagues to inspect.
Like clockwork, my unusual luggage was spotted a mile off, and I saw 3 customs officers hone in on my trolley. Like I was going to try and escape their dragnet.
Officer:What is that?
Me: Good morning. They are tyres for a motor bike (could not be bothered explaining what they really were for)
Officer: Where did you buy them and how much?
Me: UK. 70.
Officer: Come, you must pay duty
So we walked towards the Kenya Revenue Authority Desk
Me: I thought I am allowed to bring in $500 duty free worth of goods:
Officer: Not tyres.
So now I am handed over to another officer, who asks the same questions. I tried the $500 idea, and he would have none of it. He entered it all onto a computer. Then told me I had to pay Kshs 4300 (US$50) at the bank. Off I went, paid, came back, he stamped the receipt, and I was on my way.
I got home 2 hours later, thanks to the wonderful traffic we have in Nairobi. Wife was happy, and so was I. I am now Flying Blue GOLD!!!
I managed to get a really great fare in Z class Business. This meant I will fly flat, drink and eat well hopefully, but most importantly get my Flying Blue Gold Card☺
My routing is:
NBO LHR 24 SEP KQ 102 2359 0645*
LHR NBO 25 SEP KQ 101 2000 0630*
I am getting 13 hours in London.
I checked in online, and managed to get 3J on NBO LHR and 3A on LHR NBO. Both cabins looked pretty full. I arrived at JKIA (NBO) at 2130 for a 2359 flight. I did not want our driver to travel home late on his own so had decided to arrive early. As I had checked in online, and had no check in luggage, I was at the Premier Lounge (Business Class access only) within 17 minutes of arriving.
The lounge is not big. There are 14 sofa type chairs, 4 tables that seat 16, around 8 bar stools, and a few (6-8) other seats scattered. That is 45 seats for all of KQ/KLM/Korean J class. With 3 wide bodies leaving JKIA in the evening, plus all the narrow bodies, on a bad day for KQ with 50% loads, there would be at least 90 J class passengers. So what are the masses to do? Stand? Or not bother to come to the lounge at all.
Food and drink offerings have really improved. Moet is available, as are full sized bottles of red and white wine (some decent ones in there), as well as spirits including Bombay, Black Label and Absolute. There is also hot food offerings (tonight there was a curry, rice, and veg option). As I had eaten at home, I did not bother to have anything in the lounge. Free WiFi and showers are also available.
Boarding was announced at 11.00 pm. I headed to the gate where there was a separate line for Sky Priority. My boarding pass and passport was checked. You get given a separate coloured boarding card as well. I had a red one. After a second security check, I headed to the gate, but boarding had not started. At around 11.15 pm, they boarded special assistance passengers, and then all passengers with red boarding cards.
I was one of the first on board. To LHR KQ operate a 777-200. Seating in J is 2-3-2. I was in seat 3J a window. A quick dash to the bathroom to put on my Emirates Pyjamas for the flight, and I was settled into my seat. The cabin started filling up. There were two young lads, who had been upgraded by their fathers. They were off to the UK to attend University and looked very excited. My seatmate soon came along, and turned out to be a KQ Country Manager. We had a great chat for the first few hours of the flight about KQ, and what their plans are for expansions.
PDB of Champagne/Juice/Water was offered. I had to have a glass of Moet. Our seats already had the wafer thin blanket and pillow, as well as an amenity kit and headphones (not noise cancelling). I asked for a second glass of Moet, which I think took the flight attendant by surprise, as passengers normally only have one glass. Oh well. Newspapers, and menus were also handed out (there was a separate menu for the Light Meal and one for Breakfast).
We pushed back at 12.15 am, and were airborne by 12.20 am. As soon as the seat belt sign went off, most passengers reclined their seats, and knocked out. I was having a great chat with my seatmate, so decided to sample the light meal.
It took at least 40 minutes after take off for the cabin crew to come around with a trolley. They passed out hot towels, and then linen for our tables. Food choice was a cold chicken salad, coffee crusted beef or a Indian vegetarian option, followed by a chocolate cake type desert or fruit.
I had the beef with a South African Shiraz. Both were not bad. The beef was a bit overcooked. The desert was soft, and choclatey. The crew offered tea/coffee, which I declined, as I wished to continue with the wine. The crew were pro-active in topping up glasses. This was great.
After 5 glasses of Shiraz, I decided I should get some kip, as I had a long day ahead of me. So I put my seat flat (It is not fully flat as advertised, but 175 degrees or so). I am 6 feet tall, and I felt my feet pushed up against the hard shell of the seat in front of me. A duvet and mattress would be well appreciated, as the seat is a but lumpy. I donned on my Emirates F class eye mask, earplugs and with a bottle of water next to me, slept reasonably well for the next 5 hours or so.
Around 90 minutes before landing, the crew came around with hot towels on one side of the cabin (not ours). I am not a huge fan of them anyway☺. The trolley came a long once again. Linen was placed on our table, and a tray with cereal (all bran), and fruit was placed down. From a separate tray, yoghurt was offered, and also breads including croissants. Juice was offered, and cold milk poured on our cereal.
Tea and coffee also came around. We were given a hot breakfast choice of Vegetarian Omelette with chicken sausage or Beans in a tortilla or some Indian Veg option. I had the omelette which was okay. Not great, but good to fill a hole in my stomach.
After breakfast, I used the bathroom to change back to my civvies. Landing and fast track immigration cards were handed out. We did a few bog laps around Heathrow, and landed at 6.35 am. As we parked at an Air bridge, I watched a Saudia plane come in as well. I thought Yes, we are in before them, so we will be at immigration before them, but we had a long walk, and most of their plane had disembarked before us.
I sprinted to immigration, and saw that the fast track line was longer then the normal line. So I queued up with the normal people, and saw an immigration officer in 2 minutes.
Officer: You are here for one day?
Me: Yes, I fly back tonight.
Officer: Where have you come from?
Me: Nairobi. I live there.
Officer: Why are you here?
Me: To pick up some tyres for my wifes vintage racer. She has a car show on Sunday, and DHL cant deliver them in time.
Officer: Why didnt she come?
Me: Because she is working on the car.
Officer: Oh. Can I see your ticket or boarding pass for tonight?
Me: (showed him boarding pass).
He then wrote all my return flight details on the back of the immigration card and allowed me to graciously enter The United Kingdom
For the first time at LHR, I arrived with hand luggage, and was out so quickly. Bought a Heathrow Express ticket for 19. Then down in the lift, long walk to Platform 2, where I think I just missed the train connecting to Heathrow Central from where the HEX goes from. So wait 15 minutes, board the train, get to the next station, get off, cross to opposite platform, and scramble to get onto the next HEX.
On the HEX there was a couple with 4 massive suitcases, plus hand luggage, and she was carrying her wedding dress. They really struggled, and she was giving him the evils. I thought dude, this is just the beginning
There was no room to sit, so standing for 15 minutes, we arrived at Paddington. It was now 50 minutes since I had landed. I needed to get to Canning Town station. Bought a tube ticket for $4.30 one way (very expensive), and I got on the Bakerloo line during rush hour. Everyone was dressed in suits, reading papers, iPads, Kindles, listening to music. Nobody talks to anyone else. No eye contact. Rush to get a seat. Push through. I changed trains at Baker Street, onto the Jubilee Line. This is when lots and lots of suits got on. All dressed up, with expensive watches, shoes, and no smiles. When we got to Canary Wharf, the train emptied.
I got to Canning Town, and met my wifes cousin. Got the tyres and a 6 volt battery from him, and headed off to a pet warehouse to buy some dog collars. (Our pups are no longer small, and need big collars) Then off to the local for a few pints of IPA (loved it), and some bangers and mash (water for gravy). I asked to be dropped off at LHR by 3.30 pm. I needed a shower, and a rest before boarding the same plane to head home.
I thought I should go and claim the VAT back on the tyres and battery. So down one level I went, and saw a queue that snaked. My first thought was lounge time. It will cut into my lounge time. So no, I am not going to queue. So back up one level.
Now time to wrap my tyres. LHR charges 7 for each piece of luggage you get wrapped. Expensive, and very unprofessional. There was some guy who struggled to speak English, and was rude to some Asian travellers, and proceeded to joke with me about them after they left. He did a poor job, and I asked him to wrap my tyres properly. He was very surly. He then asked me how many receipts I wanted, as people ask for more, so they can claim from their employers. I took my one receipt and went to find the check in counters.
Sky Team has a nice glassed off check in area for Business Class, and Sky Priority Passengers. There was no line, and I checked my two pieces in. As one was oversize, I was politely asked to take it to the oversize baggage drop off. I was also asked if I knew where the lounge was.
Through fast track security, and I was airside by 4.00 pm. I made my way to the Sky Team Lounge. It is a great lounge with good facilities.
First stop shower. They have a Clarins Spa, and offer free 20 minutes treatments to passengers. All I wanted was a shower. I was offered a dental kit (declined), shampoo and lotion (LOcitain) and shown a free shower. The shower gel is Clarins. After a great shower and change of clothes, I was feeling peckish.
There are two huge buffet areas (one downstairs, one up stairs). I found downstairs to be busy, but grabbed a quick bite. On offer today was mini beef burgers, pulled pork pies, veg samosas, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and deserts. As I was enjoying this, they brought out Thai chicken curry and rice, as well as noodles. All the food was very fresh and tasty. There is also an excellent wine (inc. two types of champagne) selection, spirits, beers and coffees. I had a few glasses of champagne, as the Sav Blanc was not cold or crisp enough. Feeling better, I decided to go and do some shopping.
Nothing really took my fancy at LHR Duty Free, so I was back at the Sky Team Lounge. This time I went up stairs. It was much quieter. There are also some private resting rooms. I had some more champagne, and some cheese. Flights are not called out, so you have to monitor the boards. At 7.00 pm I decided to head down to the gate.
When I got there, they were boarding, and I did not see a Sky Priority line. There were also two immigration officers checking passports at random. I was asked for my passport which I handed over. He flicked through it, not really looking at anything, and gave it back to me. What was the point?
On board I settled into seat 2A. The usual routine of pyjamas on and then chill. The aircraft was very warm. It took a while to cool down. PDB tray came around and no champagne. I was told this is London, so I am assuming there are issues with payment o duty.
Not a single seat was spare. Papers were handed out with menus and landing cards. We pushed back at 2005, and were airborne by 2020. LHR was very busy. Seat belt signs went off, and then the wait started. We would have waited an hour after take off to be served a drink and packaged nuts. Despite this slowness, drinks were kept topped up. I could see the crew literally faffing about in the galley. Not sure why they took so long to get started. Most passengers wanted to eat and sleep.
Dinner was then served. Starter was a vegetarian pakora (deep fried shredded vegetable dumpling). It was pathetic. KQ is trying to cut costs, but to serve such crap???? Main had a choice of lamb, chicken or Indian vegetarian. I went with the lamb. The gravy was very good, and helped the overcooked lamb. I was now knackered, and forgo the desert (a frangipani pie) and cheese. Instead a quick trip to the loo, grab a bottle of water, seat flat (I got it even flatter by using the manual override), and I entered lala land.
I actually had a decent sleep for close to 6 hours. I woke up as I heard the crew shouting breakfast. I declined. On offer was a continental breakfast of yoghurt, fruit and breads. Instead I waited for a bathroom, (one floor was flooded). Got into my civvies and prepared for landing. I was asked if I wanted a drink, so had an OJ and black coffee (Kenya produces some of the worlds best coffee, yet their flagship carrier offers Nescafe!!!!). We landed at 6.30 am on the dot. I was off the plane and through immigration in less then 10 minutes.
I located our baggage belt, and noticed they were going to off load the Qatar and KQ bags on one belt. We landed first, and the belt was surrounded by KQ passengers, but the QR bags were off first. After a good 15 minutes wait, the KQ priority bags started to come through. I got my tyres and bag, and knew I was going to be stopped by customs. Note that customs marks bags with chalk marks that they want their colleagues to inspect.
Like clockwork, my unusual luggage was spotted a mile off, and I saw 3 customs officers hone in on my trolley. Like I was going to try and escape their dragnet.
Officer:What is that?
Me: Good morning. They are tyres for a motor bike (could not be bothered explaining what they really were for)
Officer: Where did you buy them and how much?
Me: UK. 70.
Officer: Come, you must pay duty
So we walked towards the Kenya Revenue Authority Desk
Me: I thought I am allowed to bring in $500 duty free worth of goods:
Officer: Not tyres.
So now I am handed over to another officer, who asks the same questions. I tried the $500 idea, and he would have none of it. He entered it all onto a computer. Then told me I had to pay Kshs 4300 (US$50) at the bank. Off I went, paid, came back, he stamped the receipt, and I was on my way.
I got home 2 hours later, thanks to the wonderful traffic we have in Nairobi. Wife was happy, and so was I. I am now Flying Blue GOLD!!!
