I've Grown accustomed to your Nose - A RTW in F On OneWorld
May 6, 2014, 5:16 pm
#92
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Black Kite and something else. But I think you would know that.
I'm always very happy when you chose what I'd have chosen and not when you don't - it appears I eat F menus vicariously
I'm always very happy when you chose what I'd have chosen and not when you don't - it appears I eat F menus vicariously
May 7, 2014, 11:54 am
#93
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,221
Thanks Jenbel
May 7, 2014, 12:07 pm
#94
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Part 25 LAX-LHR
I had a late checkout from the hotel at 16:00 thanks to my platinum status and I made use of every second of this. My flight to London wasn’t until 21:45 so I decided to wait in the hotel lobby using their wifi until time to go to the airport. At around 18:30 I went out and waited for the shuttle bus to the airport.
Once inside I found the F check-in desks for BA and approached the waiting agent. He processed my bag to LHR only at my request and gave me a boarding pass. He then gave me directions through to the OneWorld lounge.
Security was short and sweet and the agent checking the ID commented that I had forgotten part of my name. My name is the same as a prominent politician in the US apart from a missing piece of the name. She said she had seen him once in person and he looked so old in person. I said that is what politics does to you, look at Obama. She laughed and agreed. The security check after this was quick although I had to endure yet another radiation treatment. The entrance to the OW lounge was straight ahead of me up one flight in an elevator err lift, we are in the US after all.
I was directed over to the right hand entrance into the F lounge. The lounge was relatively busy but I was able to find a seat. The food offerings including a lovely beef chilli with rice and some mushroom pasta, garlic soup, salads, sandwiches etc.
Curry in OW F Lounge LAX
OW F Lounge LAX
The bubbly was a Piper H. My boarding pass said that the gate closed at 20:50 that was almost a full hour before departure time. Close to that time I made my way out and down into the newly refurbished area of TBIT and down to the gate.
At the gate the sign said boarding wouldn’t even start until 21:05, so much for gate close at 20:50. God BA can be idiots at times.
When boarding did start it was the usual BA scrum as 50% of the passengers who had OW elite status all joined the scrum to board. No such thing as priority boarding for F on BA.
I joined the throng and made my way down on to the aircraft.
Flight BA0268 LAX-LHR Seat 2A (First)
Aircraft: A380-800
Departure time: 21:45
There was one other F passenger before me down the ramp and the crew were not at their stations. A crew member eventually appeared and directed us, not escorted us, to our seats.
I hung my jacket in the closet at the seat and I sat and waited. Whilst I waited I got acquainted with the F seat on the 380.
F Seat on BA 380
F Seat on BA 380
F Seat on BA 380
Cool IFE Flight Map
It is a much wider space and doesn’t seem to have as many nooks and crannies where things can disappear into the depths of the seat mechanism like on the 747.
The passengers on the other side were being offered pre-departure beverages but on the A side it was deafening silence from the BA crew. Eventually someone appeared and asked if I would like a drink. I asked for champagne. This was delivered a short while later and followed up by an amenity kit and offer of PJs, socks, mask, earplugs etc
Finally a Glass of Bubbly
The captain announced a flight time of 9 hours and 50 minutes. The crew took my empty glass away at least 20 minutes before we eventually pushed back and 22:09.
We took off at 22:29 with the QF 22:30 departure to MEL lining up just behind us.
At least some airlines know how to do on time departures. ;-)
After we were in the air a while the crew came around with hot towels and the menus. After this we hit some turbulence and the crew were asked to take their seats.
Menu
Eventually 45 minutes after take off the crew started the dinner service with no pre-dinner drinks and nuts. I opted for the tasting menu with suggested wines.
Bread was offered with the first course and again with the second course.
Salmon Starter
The tomato tea in the small cup was very tasty but could best be described as drinking watered down hot tomato sauce (ketchup).
Tomato Tea
This fish course was quite nice and it seems BA have finally discovered an element of cuisine not often featured in their on board meals. Flavour.
Fish Course
The beef rib looked pretty vile but tasted OK and wasn’t tough.
Beef Rib Main Course
Beef Rib Main Course
The dessert was petite but a nice way to end the meal and there was no offer of cheese at all.
Dessert
I finished off with a nice double espresso.
Coffee
I checked out the IFE and was able to select a couple of acceptable albums to add to a play list whilst I watched the moving map. I think there is some irony in the fact that the IFE icon for the ‘My Journey’ section is a silhouette of a 747-800.
The crew were good at supplying top ups of wine and water during the meal but just seemed to lack the polish of their older world fleet brethren.
After the meal I asked the crew to set the bed up and slept quite soundly until around 4 hours out of London.
After I awoke I watched a movie during which a crew member offered to get me a drink. I asked for a peppermint tea. After the movie the crew again dropped by asking if I would like breakfast. I decided to go the whole hog and asked for some fruit and the full English.
The fruit was edible apart from the winter melon that was not ripe at all.
Breakfast Fruit Plate
The main course was tasty but very salty and I needed to ask for several glasses of water prior to landing to compensate.
Full English
We touched down at 16:26 and taxied up to a gate at the C gates at T5. After an long wait for the jet bridge operators to get the things to the plane we eventually left via door 2L with the crew holding back the other passengers until F had vacated the plane.
I caught the train over to the A building and up to immigrations that was thankfully quite empty. I used fast track and was seen in a few minutes and the agent also processed my registered traveller application which should allow me quicker access into the UK using the EU lines in the future.
Down at the baggage belt the bags had already started to appear. I waited no longer than 3 minutes before mine appeared and I made my way out through customs and home for a night before the final leg of the RTW was to take place.
Once inside I found the F check-in desks for BA and approached the waiting agent. He processed my bag to LHR only at my request and gave me a boarding pass. He then gave me directions through to the OneWorld lounge.
Security was short and sweet and the agent checking the ID commented that I had forgotten part of my name. My name is the same as a prominent politician in the US apart from a missing piece of the name. She said she had seen him once in person and he looked so old in person. I said that is what politics does to you, look at Obama. She laughed and agreed. The security check after this was quick although I had to endure yet another radiation treatment. The entrance to the OW lounge was straight ahead of me up one flight in an elevator err lift, we are in the US after all.
I was directed over to the right hand entrance into the F lounge. The lounge was relatively busy but I was able to find a seat. The food offerings including a lovely beef chilli with rice and some mushroom pasta, garlic soup, salads, sandwiches etc.
Curry in OW F Lounge LAX
OW F Lounge LAX
The bubbly was a Piper H. My boarding pass said that the gate closed at 20:50 that was almost a full hour before departure time. Close to that time I made my way out and down into the newly refurbished area of TBIT and down to the gate.
At the gate the sign said boarding wouldn’t even start until 21:05, so much for gate close at 20:50. God BA can be idiots at times.
When boarding did start it was the usual BA scrum as 50% of the passengers who had OW elite status all joined the scrum to board. No such thing as priority boarding for F on BA.
I joined the throng and made my way down on to the aircraft.
Flight BA0268 LAX-LHR Seat 2A (First)
Aircraft: A380-800
Departure time: 21:45
There was one other F passenger before me down the ramp and the crew were not at their stations. A crew member eventually appeared and directed us, not escorted us, to our seats.
I hung my jacket in the closet at the seat and I sat and waited. Whilst I waited I got acquainted with the F seat on the 380.
F Seat on BA 380
F Seat on BA 380
F Seat on BA 380
Cool IFE Flight Map
It is a much wider space and doesn’t seem to have as many nooks and crannies where things can disappear into the depths of the seat mechanism like on the 747.
The passengers on the other side were being offered pre-departure beverages but on the A side it was deafening silence from the BA crew. Eventually someone appeared and asked if I would like a drink. I asked for champagne. This was delivered a short while later and followed up by an amenity kit and offer of PJs, socks, mask, earplugs etc
Finally a Glass of Bubbly
The captain announced a flight time of 9 hours and 50 minutes. The crew took my empty glass away at least 20 minutes before we eventually pushed back and 22:09.
We took off at 22:29 with the QF 22:30 departure to MEL lining up just behind us.
At least some airlines know how to do on time departures. ;-)
After we were in the air a while the crew came around with hot towels and the menus. After this we hit some turbulence and the crew were asked to take their seats.
Menu
Eventually 45 minutes after take off the crew started the dinner service with no pre-dinner drinks and nuts. I opted for the tasting menu with suggested wines.
Bread was offered with the first course and again with the second course.
Salmon Starter
The tomato tea in the small cup was very tasty but could best be described as drinking watered down hot tomato sauce (ketchup).
Tomato Tea
This fish course was quite nice and it seems BA have finally discovered an element of cuisine not often featured in their on board meals. Flavour.
Fish Course
The beef rib looked pretty vile but tasted OK and wasn’t tough.
Beef Rib Main Course
Beef Rib Main Course
The dessert was petite but a nice way to end the meal and there was no offer of cheese at all.
Dessert
I finished off with a nice double espresso.
Coffee
I checked out the IFE and was able to select a couple of acceptable albums to add to a play list whilst I watched the moving map. I think there is some irony in the fact that the IFE icon for the ‘My Journey’ section is a silhouette of a 747-800.
The crew were good at supplying top ups of wine and water during the meal but just seemed to lack the polish of their older world fleet brethren.
After the meal I asked the crew to set the bed up and slept quite soundly until around 4 hours out of London.
After I awoke I watched a movie during which a crew member offered to get me a drink. I asked for a peppermint tea. After the movie the crew again dropped by asking if I would like breakfast. I decided to go the whole hog and asked for some fruit and the full English.
The fruit was edible apart from the winter melon that was not ripe at all.
Breakfast Fruit Plate
The main course was tasty but very salty and I needed to ask for several glasses of water prior to landing to compensate.
Full English
We touched down at 16:26 and taxied up to a gate at the C gates at T5. After an long wait for the jet bridge operators to get the things to the plane we eventually left via door 2L with the crew holding back the other passengers until F had vacated the plane.
I caught the train over to the A building and up to immigrations that was thankfully quite empty. I used fast track and was seen in a few minutes and the agent also processed my registered traveller application which should allow me quicker access into the UK using the EU lines in the future.
Down at the baggage belt the bags had already started to appear. I waited no longer than 3 minutes before mine appeared and I made my way out through customs and home for a night before the final leg of the RTW was to take place.
Last edited by Moomba; May 11, 2014 at 3:40 am
May 7, 2014, 3:54 pm
#95
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Cayman, San Diego, London
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Posts: 1,054
Fantastic report. Many thanks, particularly for the A380 details.
Quick question: if on a RTW, how were you able to travel LAX-PBI return? According to the AONE rules, only one direct flight is allowed between these two airports on the same ticket.
Quick question: if on a RTW, how were you able to travel LAX-PBI return? According to the AONE rules, only one direct flight is allowed between these two airports on the same ticket.
May 8, 2014, 1:18 am
#96
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,221
Ah was wondering if someone would notice the PBI flights.
The LAX-PBI route is quite new on AA. The rules for transcons on the AONE tickets use named cities and these hadn't been updated when I booked these flights. So I managed to sneak these in during the sweet spot after flights were loaded into the CRS but before the AONE rule sheet was updated.
Last edited by Moomba; May 8, 2014 at 4:11 am
May 8, 2014, 6:16 am
#98
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Cayman, San Diego, London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, AA 4MM Lifetime Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Amb, Bonvoy Lifetime Gold
Posts: 1,054
May 8, 2014, 11:14 am
#99
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,221
No I am definitely the wrong side of 35.
May 8, 2014, 12:01 pm
#100
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,221
Part 26 LHR-NBO
I arrived at the airport early enough that the plan was to have breakfast in the Concorde room and then a late lunch on the plane. I was not able to check-in online for some reason, as I had not on the LAX-LHR flight either. On reaching LHR I to made my way to the F check-in desks and presented my PP. I was issued with a boarding pass and asked if I knew how to get to the Concorde room. I assured her I did and made my way to security. The FT line was reasonably busy but three lines were available and it didn’t take more than a few minutes to make it out the other side.
I grabbed my stuff and walked over to the white door entrance to the Concorde room.
I was welcomed inside and once again presented the BP to the agent inside who swiped me in.
First order of business for the day was to print my BP for the return sector from NBO to LHR. My return flight was an Avios reward flight on the same plane I would fly out on.
The business centre has seats that are converted from the old Concorde planes.
Business Centre in Concorde Room LHR
Busuibness Centre in Concorde Room LHR
New BP in hand I walked out and over to the restaurant area to grab some breakfast. I waited a minute or so before someone acknowledged my presence and directed me to an empty table.
I ordered some fruit and some eggs benedict with some OJ and coffee to accompany. The fruit was fresh and tasty, the EB were mediocre. I had forgotten how crap the hollandaise sauce was that the CR serves. It is really rank and thick and not at all like what you get at a proper restaurant or the QF lounge in SYD or MEL.
Fruit Plate Concorde Room Restaurant
Eggs Benedict Concorde Room Restaurant
After the meal I decamped to the terrace as the main lounge was quite busy. It seems it was back to the bad old self service days out there today. I eventually gave up and walked in to the bar and ordered a glass of bubbly.
Concorde Room Terrace
Concorde Room Famous Horse Lamp
I surfed for a while and supped my champers. At around 40 minutes prior to the ‘gate closing’ time on my BP I walked out and made may way over to the B gate lounge. Once inside I immediately noticed that the flight time of my flight had jumped 1 hour and 10 minutes back. I went back to the desk and asked if I was able to get back to the CR. She asked me to wait until they had confirmation of the delay as they were expecting a call in the next few minutes. I went back into the lounge and noticed my flight had disappeared from the flight displays. I looked at the BA app on my phone and the flight time had changed to 2 hours and 10 minutes delay. I went back to the desk and she again asked me to wait until they heard more. Soon after this an announcement was made of the delay and I again went to the desk and asked how I could get back to the CR. The agent gave me directions back to the transit level and then take the stairs down one more level and walk back to the A terminal building.
Walkway from B Gates to A Gates
I made the long walk back to A and up again to the CR where I camped out of the terrace again. I again walked inside and asked for some bubbly and a glass of sparkling water.
I sat and supped and surfed away the next hour or so. At around 50 minutes prior to the new boarding time I asked the desk agent if the NBO flight was still showing 13:00 and wasn’t going to change again after I reached the B gates. She confirmed all was good so I made my way back over to the B gates via the transit train.
I went up to the lounge and kept an eye on the monitors. The new departure time was 13:00 and at 12:30 it still didn’t show as boarding. I decided to make my way to the gate. At the gate the queue for the Fast Track line was huge and kind of defeat the purpose somewhat. Boarding hadn’t yet started so I decided to just take a seat and wait and watch the scrum.
Boarding eventually started with an announcement for First, Business and all OW elites to use the Fast Track (LOL) lane. They then announced that general boarding could be done through the other lane. BA had no idea how to do Fast Track boarding. AA ask First to board first, CX process all people in the FT line using all available agents and only then start non FT boarding. Nope with BA it is queue at the FT line and trickle through or queue with the non FT line.
After the FT lane emptied to a handful I got up from my seat and walked up to the join the line.
Of course this was BA at their major airport which meant only one ramp was being used and even after escaping the queue through the BP check I had to then queue in the ramp to get on the plane.
Flight BA0065 LHR-NBO Seat 2A (First)
Aircraft: A747-400
Departure time: 10:50
I entered through door 2L and was escorted to me lovely old First seat that was tattered and grubby. Hey I got an escort that is better than the last few outings on BA in F.
Old First Seat
The crew offered my bubbly and handed out amenity kits, PJs, masks, ear plugs, slippers etc.
Pre-departure Bubbly
Old First Seat
A bloke arrived not long after me and proceeded to rant to the FA about this being old F. The captain announced a flight time of 7 hours and 30 minutes. I was offered a top up of bubbly on the ground before we pushed back at 13:16.
We eventually took off at 13:30 and once airborne the CSM dropped by to welcome me and offered a landing card for Kenya. He also gave me a card to fill in that offered 250 GBP credit note or 50000 avios because this was old F.
View on Take-off
Twickenham Stadium
The crew handed out menus and took drink orders.
Menu
I went with the usual Scotch and Dry to start.
Scotch & Nuts
Grimy Seat Controls
Quite a while after I noticed orders being taken on the K side the crew asked for my lunch order. The main I selected was not available so I chose another. A while later the crew came back saying my starter was not available either. I made some quip about everyone on board being Gold Guest List (BA’s Uber top tier) in a rare moment of DKYWIA. She apologised and said it was a constant problem for them on lighter loaded F flights.
At this point I had reached the last page in my note pad I record flights in that was in capital letters and was not all that complimentary of BA.
The meal service started with an amuse bouche of goats cheese with tomato and fennel salad with basil. The crew passed the cutlery test by taking the use cutlery and not setting it aside for future courses.
Amuse Bouche
Table Set
Italian Coastline
Italian Coastline
The starter I didn’t want was next and was OK but I am never overly impressed with terrines as a starter.
Starter
Very Choppy Mediterranean
The soup was very nice and I was offered more bread with this course.
Soup
The main I didn’t want was next and although was less than appealing visually it was quite tasty except some of the rice had turned to stone.
Main Course
I switched from the White Burgundy to the SA red for the main and asked for another glass before I would have the cheese course. This was misunderstood and the cheese came out with the wine top up.
I finished my wine and then asked for some of the dessert wine to have with my cheese.
Cheese Course
After I finished the cheese and wine I asked for another glass of the wine and a double espresso.
Coffee & Wine
Lush. OMG this stuff give the perennial favourite De Bortoli Noble One a run for its money.
I also asked the crew to send the CSM over when he had a moment. A while later he dropped by and I said I was a little concerned as I was flying back on this plane and although I had a BP printed I wasn’t sure if anyone at NBO would notice my absence. He assured me all would be fine and then we had a chat about the lack of choice for meal and he encouraged me to write to BA. The more of us that do they might actually listen.
After I was done with the meal I decided to work on this report. As this was ancient First on BA they only had the really old empower supply. I asked the crew if they had an adaptor and she came back with one that didn’t allow a UK plug or any adaptor that would work with my Apple laptop. God damn it could this flight get any worse.
What a way to end a 16 sector round the world in F.
After working on this report for a while the crew started doing their second meal service for the flight. I was particularly full from the lunch so I opted for a cuppa tea only.
I had a nice long chat to one of the crew who had friends in Sydney and how lucky she was she could get to see them every now and again.
It was time then to pack up my stuff and get ready for landing into Nairobi.
We touched down just before 23:00 and were pulled up at stand soon after. They did not attach the bridge but instead brought some stairs up to the plane. Due to the fire the arrivals area had been moved to an area in the multi-storey car park and passengers needed to be bussed to that facility. The CSM made an announcement as we landed that transit passengers should notify the ground staff and not to board the bus.
After I thanked my lovey crew I went down the stairs and waited with some other people next to a gent holding a sign with ‘Transit’ written on it. Other passengers were all herded into the busses and about three of us stood and waited a while before we were escorted down the tarmac to a crew ramp that led up to the terminal departures level. Once up there we passed through a WMD the wrong way and were in the terminal departures hall.
I went down to the BA gate where passengers were already lined up to go through the Kenya airport security and then a further BA security screening before entering the lounge. There was a roped off section on one side that was for BA First/Club World and Exec Club elites. There were some tables at one end with alcohol, other soft drinks in a fridge and some snack items that I didn’t take much notice of.
After waiting a couple of hours boarding commenced with the usual scrum that is BA boarding. They had attached the bridge to door 2 and after queuing on the ramp for a while I was told to go upstairs.
I won’t bore you with the details of this flight as from a service perspective it involved a welcome OJ, a bottle of water after take off and sleep as I declined all other offerings on the flight including the breakfast.
Well there you have it folks another jolly ending to a RTW ticketed out of South Africa. It was almost a repeat of my last NBO flights as I was delayed leaving London that time also. Perhaps the next one needs to finish in some other port.
Conclusions:
QF offer a reasonably consistent and excellent service in F and the addition of limo service adds a nice touch. The food seemed a little less appealing especially on the DXB-MEL sector. I was pretty wowed by both the crew and the food on the SYD-HKG sector though.
BA offer a mediocre at best service and food ranged from bland and boring to quite tasty on the 380 flight. The crew were all over the shop as usual and is one of the big drawbacks with flying BA. The last sector left a real sour taste in my mouth when it comes to BA as there really should be no reason why someone in First should not be able to get a first choice meal.
JL are a solid outfit although the IFE is completely lacking when it comes to English content. The food didn’t seem to wow me as much as it did last April even though I had the same dishes. I don’t know why; perhaps it was just the newness of it all last time that influenced me.
CX are still my favourite carrier in OW and offer consistently good service. They make you feel like they actually care when crew go out of their way to recognise you as the F purser did from my HKG-SIN flight when he looked after me on the SIN-BKK flight.
I am sure I have mentioned this before but it is the little things that make a true first class experience. I thought about this yesterday on the way to Nairobi. During some turbulence my red wine slopped over the edge of the glass and covered the foot of the stem in wine. When it came to a refill the crew just topped up the same glass.
Compare this with my flight on QF where the champagne glass had my grubby fingerprints all over it so the crew whipped it away and came back with a fresh one. On JL the lead FA spilt the bubbly down the glass and immediately went away and returned with a new glass. On CX, in the past I had been eating a satay that was served on a plate sitting on the unset tablecloth. The satay skidded across the table as I attempted to get it off the stick. When the crew came back I said I am afraid I have dirtied your tablecloth. She whipped it off and said that is what CX laundry is for and came back with a new cloth before setting the table for dinner.
These little things make or break an F service for and perhaps I am too pernickety but some airlines do get it and others don’t. It is a shame the airline I need to fly the most living in London doesn’t seem to quite get what a real F experience is.
Happy contrails and thanks for reading.
Lastly the obligatory list of previous reports that you may be interested in reading.
My First RTW on OneWorld in F 2006
Passion or Addiction OneWorld RTW in F 2008
Definitely Addicted OneWorld RTW in F 2009
Moomba's Addiction Continues RTW One World in J 2010
A trip across the pond on a 318
Another addiction fuelled RTW in F on One World
Easter in Asia CX F & JL F
A quick trip to Oz AY, BA & QF J
A trip to Vancouver & Scottsdale AZ on BA First
And for those that enjoy non-flight specific reports:
Land of the Cherry Blossom Japan by Rail April 2007 (a most underrated travel destination)
Alaska Land & Sea June 2008 (stunning part of the world)
China in Summer 2011
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/20815725-post1.html
I grabbed my stuff and walked over to the white door entrance to the Concorde room.
I was welcomed inside and once again presented the BP to the agent inside who swiped me in.
First order of business for the day was to print my BP for the return sector from NBO to LHR. My return flight was an Avios reward flight on the same plane I would fly out on.
The business centre has seats that are converted from the old Concorde planes.
Business Centre in Concorde Room LHR
Busuibness Centre in Concorde Room LHR
New BP in hand I walked out and over to the restaurant area to grab some breakfast. I waited a minute or so before someone acknowledged my presence and directed me to an empty table.
I ordered some fruit and some eggs benedict with some OJ and coffee to accompany. The fruit was fresh and tasty, the EB were mediocre. I had forgotten how crap the hollandaise sauce was that the CR serves. It is really rank and thick and not at all like what you get at a proper restaurant or the QF lounge in SYD or MEL.
Fruit Plate Concorde Room Restaurant
Eggs Benedict Concorde Room Restaurant
After the meal I decamped to the terrace as the main lounge was quite busy. It seems it was back to the bad old self service days out there today. I eventually gave up and walked in to the bar and ordered a glass of bubbly.
Concorde Room Terrace
Concorde Room Famous Horse Lamp
I surfed for a while and supped my champers. At around 40 minutes prior to the ‘gate closing’ time on my BP I walked out and made may way over to the B gate lounge. Once inside I immediately noticed that the flight time of my flight had jumped 1 hour and 10 minutes back. I went back to the desk and asked if I was able to get back to the CR. She asked me to wait until they had confirmation of the delay as they were expecting a call in the next few minutes. I went back into the lounge and noticed my flight had disappeared from the flight displays. I looked at the BA app on my phone and the flight time had changed to 2 hours and 10 minutes delay. I went back to the desk and she again asked me to wait until they heard more. Soon after this an announcement was made of the delay and I again went to the desk and asked how I could get back to the CR. The agent gave me directions back to the transit level and then take the stairs down one more level and walk back to the A terminal building.
Walkway from B Gates to A Gates
I made the long walk back to A and up again to the CR where I camped out of the terrace again. I again walked inside and asked for some bubbly and a glass of sparkling water.
I sat and supped and surfed away the next hour or so. At around 50 minutes prior to the new boarding time I asked the desk agent if the NBO flight was still showing 13:00 and wasn’t going to change again after I reached the B gates. She confirmed all was good so I made my way back over to the B gates via the transit train.
I went up to the lounge and kept an eye on the monitors. The new departure time was 13:00 and at 12:30 it still didn’t show as boarding. I decided to make my way to the gate. At the gate the queue for the Fast Track line was huge and kind of defeat the purpose somewhat. Boarding hadn’t yet started so I decided to just take a seat and wait and watch the scrum.
Boarding eventually started with an announcement for First, Business and all OW elites to use the Fast Track (LOL) lane. They then announced that general boarding could be done through the other lane. BA had no idea how to do Fast Track boarding. AA ask First to board first, CX process all people in the FT line using all available agents and only then start non FT boarding. Nope with BA it is queue at the FT line and trickle through or queue with the non FT line.
After the FT lane emptied to a handful I got up from my seat and walked up to the join the line.
Of course this was BA at their major airport which meant only one ramp was being used and even after escaping the queue through the BP check I had to then queue in the ramp to get on the plane.
Flight BA0065 LHR-NBO Seat 2A (First)
Aircraft: A747-400
Departure time: 10:50
I entered through door 2L and was escorted to me lovely old First seat that was tattered and grubby. Hey I got an escort that is better than the last few outings on BA in F.
Old First Seat
The crew offered my bubbly and handed out amenity kits, PJs, masks, ear plugs, slippers etc.
Pre-departure Bubbly
Old First Seat
A bloke arrived not long after me and proceeded to rant to the FA about this being old F. The captain announced a flight time of 7 hours and 30 minutes. I was offered a top up of bubbly on the ground before we pushed back at 13:16.
We eventually took off at 13:30 and once airborne the CSM dropped by to welcome me and offered a landing card for Kenya. He also gave me a card to fill in that offered 250 GBP credit note or 50000 avios because this was old F.
View on Take-off
Twickenham Stadium
The crew handed out menus and took drink orders.
Menu
I went with the usual Scotch and Dry to start.
Scotch & Nuts
Grimy Seat Controls
Quite a while after I noticed orders being taken on the K side the crew asked for my lunch order. The main I selected was not available so I chose another. A while later the crew came back saying my starter was not available either. I made some quip about everyone on board being Gold Guest List (BA’s Uber top tier) in a rare moment of DKYWIA. She apologised and said it was a constant problem for them on lighter loaded F flights.
At this point I had reached the last page in my note pad I record flights in that was in capital letters and was not all that complimentary of BA.
The meal service started with an amuse bouche of goats cheese with tomato and fennel salad with basil. The crew passed the cutlery test by taking the use cutlery and not setting it aside for future courses.
Amuse Bouche
Table Set
Italian Coastline
Italian Coastline
The starter I didn’t want was next and was OK but I am never overly impressed with terrines as a starter.
Starter
Very Choppy Mediterranean
The soup was very nice and I was offered more bread with this course.
Soup
The main I didn’t want was next and although was less than appealing visually it was quite tasty except some of the rice had turned to stone.
Main Course
I switched from the White Burgundy to the SA red for the main and asked for another glass before I would have the cheese course. This was misunderstood and the cheese came out with the wine top up.
I finished my wine and then asked for some of the dessert wine to have with my cheese.
Cheese Course
After I finished the cheese and wine I asked for another glass of the wine and a double espresso.
Coffee & Wine
Lush. OMG this stuff give the perennial favourite De Bortoli Noble One a run for its money.
I also asked the crew to send the CSM over when he had a moment. A while later he dropped by and I said I was a little concerned as I was flying back on this plane and although I had a BP printed I wasn’t sure if anyone at NBO would notice my absence. He assured me all would be fine and then we had a chat about the lack of choice for meal and he encouraged me to write to BA. The more of us that do they might actually listen.
After I was done with the meal I decided to work on this report. As this was ancient First on BA they only had the really old empower supply. I asked the crew if they had an adaptor and she came back with one that didn’t allow a UK plug or any adaptor that would work with my Apple laptop. God damn it could this flight get any worse.
What a way to end a 16 sector round the world in F.
After working on this report for a while the crew started doing their second meal service for the flight. I was particularly full from the lunch so I opted for a cuppa tea only.
I had a nice long chat to one of the crew who had friends in Sydney and how lucky she was she could get to see them every now and again.
It was time then to pack up my stuff and get ready for landing into Nairobi.
We touched down just before 23:00 and were pulled up at stand soon after. They did not attach the bridge but instead brought some stairs up to the plane. Due to the fire the arrivals area had been moved to an area in the multi-storey car park and passengers needed to be bussed to that facility. The CSM made an announcement as we landed that transit passengers should notify the ground staff and not to board the bus.
After I thanked my lovey crew I went down the stairs and waited with some other people next to a gent holding a sign with ‘Transit’ written on it. Other passengers were all herded into the busses and about three of us stood and waited a while before we were escorted down the tarmac to a crew ramp that led up to the terminal departures level. Once up there we passed through a WMD the wrong way and were in the terminal departures hall.
I went down to the BA gate where passengers were already lined up to go through the Kenya airport security and then a further BA security screening before entering the lounge. There was a roped off section on one side that was for BA First/Club World and Exec Club elites. There were some tables at one end with alcohol, other soft drinks in a fridge and some snack items that I didn’t take much notice of.
After waiting a couple of hours boarding commenced with the usual scrum that is BA boarding. They had attached the bridge to door 2 and after queuing on the ramp for a while I was told to go upstairs.
I won’t bore you with the details of this flight as from a service perspective it involved a welcome OJ, a bottle of water after take off and sleep as I declined all other offerings on the flight including the breakfast.
Well there you have it folks another jolly ending to a RTW ticketed out of South Africa. It was almost a repeat of my last NBO flights as I was delayed leaving London that time also. Perhaps the next one needs to finish in some other port.
Conclusions:
QF offer a reasonably consistent and excellent service in F and the addition of limo service adds a nice touch. The food seemed a little less appealing especially on the DXB-MEL sector. I was pretty wowed by both the crew and the food on the SYD-HKG sector though.
BA offer a mediocre at best service and food ranged from bland and boring to quite tasty on the 380 flight. The crew were all over the shop as usual and is one of the big drawbacks with flying BA. The last sector left a real sour taste in my mouth when it comes to BA as there really should be no reason why someone in First should not be able to get a first choice meal.
JL are a solid outfit although the IFE is completely lacking when it comes to English content. The food didn’t seem to wow me as much as it did last April even though I had the same dishes. I don’t know why; perhaps it was just the newness of it all last time that influenced me.
CX are still my favourite carrier in OW and offer consistently good service. They make you feel like they actually care when crew go out of their way to recognise you as the F purser did from my HKG-SIN flight when he looked after me on the SIN-BKK flight.
I am sure I have mentioned this before but it is the little things that make a true first class experience. I thought about this yesterday on the way to Nairobi. During some turbulence my red wine slopped over the edge of the glass and covered the foot of the stem in wine. When it came to a refill the crew just topped up the same glass.
Compare this with my flight on QF where the champagne glass had my grubby fingerprints all over it so the crew whipped it away and came back with a fresh one. On JL the lead FA spilt the bubbly down the glass and immediately went away and returned with a new glass. On CX, in the past I had been eating a satay that was served on a plate sitting on the unset tablecloth. The satay skidded across the table as I attempted to get it off the stick. When the crew came back I said I am afraid I have dirtied your tablecloth. She whipped it off and said that is what CX laundry is for and came back with a new cloth before setting the table for dinner.
These little things make or break an F service for and perhaps I am too pernickety but some airlines do get it and others don’t. It is a shame the airline I need to fly the most living in London doesn’t seem to quite get what a real F experience is.
Happy contrails and thanks for reading.
Lastly the obligatory list of previous reports that you may be interested in reading.
My First RTW on OneWorld in F 2006
Passion or Addiction OneWorld RTW in F 2008
Definitely Addicted OneWorld RTW in F 2009
Moomba's Addiction Continues RTW One World in J 2010
A trip across the pond on a 318
Another addiction fuelled RTW in F on One World
Easter in Asia CX F & JL F
A quick trip to Oz AY, BA & QF J
A trip to Vancouver & Scottsdale AZ on BA First
And for those that enjoy non-flight specific reports:
Land of the Cherry Blossom Japan by Rail April 2007 (a most underrated travel destination)
Alaska Land & Sea June 2008 (stunning part of the world)
China in Summer 2011
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/20815725-post1.html
Last edited by Moomba; May 11, 2014 at 3:46 am
May 9, 2014, 3:10 pm
#101
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Cayman, San Diego, London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, AA 4MM Lifetime Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Amb, Bonvoy Lifetime Gold
Posts: 1,054
Thanks
Thank you, Moomba, for a superb trip report. Having done 45 AONEs on OW over the last 20 years I concur completely with your final conclusions on BA/QF/CX.
BA can be a total disgrace, particularly their continued use of old F seats on 747s without any prior warning. At least they've belatedly (4 years too late) begun to offer a little recompense. Really inconsistent levels of service in F, particularly since they encouraged some of the older (male) attendants to retire.
QF are much improved of late, though finding F flights has become almost impossible.
CX are way out in front with comfort and level of service. However, as part of my RTWs I've often done HKG-JNB in F, but CX have inexplicably withdrawn their F cabin from Sept next so that it's now impossible to book OW F between HKG/Australia and South Africa (though they still issue AONE tickets!)
BA can be a total disgrace, particularly their continued use of old F seats on 747s without any prior warning. At least they've belatedly (4 years too late) begun to offer a little recompense. Really inconsistent levels of service in F, particularly since they encouraged some of the older (male) attendants to retire.
QF are much improved of late, though finding F flights has become almost impossible.
CX are way out in front with comfort and level of service. However, as part of my RTWs I've often done HKG-JNB in F, but CX have inexplicably withdrawn their F cabin from Sept next so that it's now impossible to book OW F between HKG/Australia and South Africa (though they still issue AONE tickets!)
May 11, 2014, 10:31 am
#104
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,221
Thank you, Moomba, for a superb trip report. <snip>
CX are way out in front with comfort and level of service. However, as part of my RTWs I've often done HKG-JNB in F, but CX have inexplicably withdrawn their F cabin from Sept next so that it's now impossible to book OW F between HKG/Australia and South Africa (though they still issue AONE tickets!)
CX are way out in front with comfort and level of service. However, as part of my RTWs I've often done HKG-JNB in F, but CX have inexplicably withdrawn their F cabin from Sept next so that it's now impossible to book OW F between HKG/Australia and South Africa (though they still issue AONE tickets!)
Thanks again SYDSiderFlyer. I appreciate the feedback.
May 12, 2014, 2:00 am
#105
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Cayman, San Diego, London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, AA 4MM Lifetime Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Amb, Bonvoy Lifetime Gold
Posts: 1,054