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Live TR: MAN-LHR-BRU-LHR-JFK-MIA-SEA/SFO-LAX-JFK-LHR-BRU-LHR-MAN

Old Aug 9, 2014, 2:05 am

Live TR: MAN-LHR-BRU-LHR-JFK-MIA-SEA/SFO-LAX-JFK-LHR-BRU-LHR-MAN

Old Aug 9, 2014, 9:04 am
  #31  
 
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Enough.

This thread is not about who should post where or why or how.

Please stop commenting on this topic or I'll simply close the thread.

If the OP wants to continue to post then by all means. If not then that is their loss. I'm quite staggered by the amount of noise moving a thread to the correct place has generated.

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Old Aug 9, 2014, 9:20 am
  #32  
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I hope the OP continues posting as I enjoy reading his trip reports.
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 11:04 am
  #33  
 
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Billinghamn & Billinghamv, keep posting, it's really a joy to read.
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 12:06 pm
  #34  
 
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Please keep posting. I have managed to subscribe which I am sure is a good thing.
I hope you are enjoying your journey and look forward to news of your travels.
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 1:18 pm
  #35  
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Dont really mind where it sits. its a good read. .
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 1:51 pm
  #36  
 
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I'm here too so keep up the good work.....
John

Last edited by Moomba; Aug 9, 2014 at 3:23 pm
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 4:12 pm
  #37  
 
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Ditto...
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 4:18 pm
  #38  
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Enjoying this so far, hope you keep adding to it! ^

P.S. I was last in the MAN BA Lounge in 2007. Looks like it hasn't changed at all
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 9:15 pm
  #39  
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So I think we have agreed to move on from the shenanigans of yesterday and get back to normal today. I have accepted the decision of the mods to move this thread to the TR forum. Let's not waste any more energy on debating the rights and wrongs in public from this point onwards. I bet the TR forum regulars are wondering what all the fuss is about!

I'd like to thank everyone again for their support and encouragement to continue. I'm a tad behind on my reporting after a day of positioning flights, and a day reviewing what my objectives of this thread are. To finish this thought process off, and to share with you how I see this thread progressing:
  1. I've got a blog running which contains a flight by flight and day by day account of what we are doing on our trip - I've shared that with people by pm
  2. This thread will be the live commentary to that blog and will contain similar flight by flight and day by day summaries - that avoids anyone on FT needing to go to my blog if they don't want to
  3. Hopefully lessons learned will be highlighted, interesting subjects raised and debated by all, so that the FT readers can engage and interact
  4. I'm hoping we can also have some fun with the entertaining exchanges from the BAEC forum members and the new TP forum community

This is a big day for us in our trip and I need to catch up with yesterday's events so things may appear out of order for the next 12-24 hours or so. Just bear with us.

SO LET'S GET THIS TRIP REPORT RESTARTED...
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 9:18 pm
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by billinghamn
So I think we have agreed to move on from the shenanigans of yesterday and get back to normal today. I have accepted the decision of the mods to move this thread to the TR forum. Let's not waste any more energy on debating the rights and wrongs in public from this point onwards. I bet the TR forum regulars are wondering what all the fuss is about!

I'd like to thank everyone again for their support and encouragement to continue. I'm a tad behind on my reporting after a day of positioning flights, and a day reviewing what my objectives of this thread are. To finish this thought process off, and to share with you how I see this thread progressing:
  1. I've got a blog running which contains a flight by flight and day by day account of what we are doing on our trip - I've shared that with people by pm
  2. This thread will be the live commentary to that blog and will contain similar flight by flight and day by day summaries - that avoids anyone on FT needing to go to my blog if they don't want to
  3. Hopefully lessons learned will be highlighted, interesting subjects raised and debated by all, so that the FT readers can engage and interact
  4. I'm hoping we can also have some fun with the entertaining exchanges from the BAEC forum members and the new TP forum community

This is a big day for us in our trip and I need to catch up with yesterday's events so things may appear out of order for the next 12-24 hours or so. Just bear with us.

SO LET'S GET THIS TRIP REPORT RESTARTED...
Nice. Look forward to checking in on your blog. Btw, what is the drink in your wife's glass. The pink one.
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Old Aug 9, 2014, 11:59 pm
  #41  
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I am really looking forward to the JFK route, personally. However looking forward to the next chapter on here.
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Old Aug 10, 2014, 12:20 am
  #42  
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Live TR: MAN-LHR-BRU-LHR-JFK-MIA-SEA/SFO-LAX-JFK-LHR-BRU-LHR-MAN

So summary of yesterday's events due very soon. In the meantime can confirm am now in the CCR. Just tried the Elemis spa treatment at 7 am with a very nice young lady giving me a back massage. Slightly embarrassing whipping my top off for her! She quickly advised me that the back massage would be with my T shirt on! Oops...
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Old Aug 10, 2014, 12:22 am
  #43  
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Live TR: MAN-LHR-BRU-LHR-JFK-MIA-SEA/SFO-LAX-JFK-LHR-BRU-LHR-MAN

billinghamv is in next having a facial. Hope she doesn't make the same mistake I made!
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Old Aug 10, 2014, 1:21 am
  #44  
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Sat 09 Aug BA0394 - LHR-BRU

Equip: A319
Scheduled Depart: 10:50 Actual: 10:50
Scheduled Arrival: 13:00 Actual: 12:54
Takeoff: 11:09 Touchdown: 12:49

Since the Heathrow Hopper runs on a 30 min cycle, we needed to tie in within the H57 bus timetable. It leaves Hilton T5 at 17 and 47 mins past each hour (more frequent on weekdays I believe), so we jumped on board on the 08:47 bus. We had to go via the Travelodge T5 which I have to say didn’t look that inviting! And we reached T5 by about 09:05.



Vick’s learning the ropes now about how to get through security quickly. She knows that we need to go through Security South since it always gets less pax; that we need our boarding cards ready (and not stuck in our rucksack); that our BAEC Gold cards give us access to the fast track lanes; and that we need to be careful about which fast track queue you get in to. The only one we didn’t do too well on today was the selection of the fast track lane – we ended up in the slowest lane ever – looked like we had an operator who was training. Never mind – we could see the Millionaire’s door just beyond security which was inviting us in.



It only took us 10 mins to get through security, so no great shakes. Into the CCR and as normal it was very busy so we ended up on the terraces again. I went out to Starbucks and there was a huge queue with some foreigners trying to jump in – I’m not having any of that! Got back to the CCR and the lounge agent opened the door for me and I was straight back in.

It wasn’t long before Vick noticed that our gate was the dreaded A10 which meant a bus ride to the aircraft. We got down to A10b with 25 mins to go, and the last few pax were boarding the bus – we joined the queue and were on the second bus out to the plane.



Once onboard, we settled down in the first row of economy and luckily had the row to ourselves. It was an uneventful flight – we dozed when we could to save our energy for the 5 hour wait I had included at BRU as a risk mitigation strategy since we would be heading straight back to LHR on our first flight of our main trip to the US. This flight is part of our positioning trip.



I had agreed to provide some photos of the arrival process for one of the FT readers who was intending on doing a same plane turnaround at BRU. So when we arrived I started a video of the walk up the ramp expecting to see the ramp up to the left but it was nowhere to be seen. Oops – perhaps we have arrived at a different gate to normal?



So as the aircraft taxis to the gate, the visible gate numbers on the outside don’t tie in with the published gate numbers from a pax perspective. So gate B04 (which is the standard BA gate) is gate 204 from an aircraft viewpoint. Things may have changed now at gate B04 – they had specifically turned off the overhead sign advising UK connections to head left up the ramp, and the door to this ramp was shut, so you have no idea the ramp is even there.



As it happens getting back to the gate was child’s play, and still easy to achieve for a same plane turnaround. Off the aircraft, follow the air bridge up into the terminal, through the security automated doors and then turn right to head to arrivals/connections. 50 yards down the corridor, head up the stairs to the right and that takes you to the start of the security process to get into Terminal B. For us there was no queue, and we were back at gate B04 in 5 mins.

Last edited by billinghamn; Aug 29, 2014 at 10:10 am
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Old Aug 10, 2014, 1:27 am
  #45  
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Sat 09 Aug BA0395 - BRU-LHR

Equip: A319
Scheduled Depart: 14:10 Actual: 14:22
Scheduled Arrival: 14:25 Actual: 14:24
Takeoff: 14:37 Touchdown: 14:14

I decided it was worth seeing whether BA would move us on to the earlier flight – i.e. go back on the same aircraft as we had arrived on. I knew Vick would be happier to do this. No one at the gate, so we popped upstairs to the lounge where the guy at reception was very fast on the phone and quickly sorted everything for us. We headed back down to gate B04 and although we had to wait for a few enquiries to be completed ahead of us, we had our new boarding cards.



Vick had a stroll down to the shops in Terminal B and before too long we were first on in CE heading back to Blighty. We were getting hungry by now, and we were looking forward to some in flight lunch.

Based on comments on FT, I was under the impression that the flight safety video had been updated to reflect the changes in mobile device rules, but the one we got on this flight was the old one. I knew the bunny was still in the video, but I couldn’t detect any changes, and they still refer to turning off your phone for the flight. Not the end of the world.



Lunch turned out to be afternoon tea, and although Vick is wheat intolerant we could help but indulge ourselves a little. I have always loved a warm scone, jam and fresh clotted cream – ever since the days of BMI – long time ago that, and well documented in previous trip reports. Sandwiches were ok – nothing fancy.



Cabin crew were very welcoming and provided a lot of time to pax to make sure they got what they wanted to eat and drink. So no complaints there. Was a little disappointed to have to take the bus to T5 after landing – it’s just not a good experience. However on the positive side, we were back 3-4 hours earlier than expected and so we could relax at the hotel before meeting up with Andrew and Sam for dinner at the hotel in the evening.



We got the Heathrow Hopper back to the Hilton T5, and by this stage I was checking through all my pms on FT – this took a lot of my attention over the next couple of hours since it had been bugging me most of the day, and it was time to put the situation to bed once and for all.

Once back at the hotel, we prepared for meeting our dining companions and met in the River Bar for drinks just after 6pm. Good attention from the bar staff, and they were very helpful in setting up a tab and providing drinks to the table etc. We had booked a tab at Mr Toddiwala’s for 7pm and having got extremely good reviews, we were really looking forward to it.



The restaurant is on the mezzanine level and we received a warm welcome. We were shown t our table without any delay and provided with a very good level of service. The waiters were very knowledgeable about the food options, and how to adapt the options to meet the requirements of individual diners. We had some mini pops to start with, a selection of starters and then an individual main each. I ended up with a Pork Shank which was tremendous. Some of us had puddings and then coffee afterwards.



In summary it was an amazing culinary experience of Indian food – very much recommended. A little on the pricey side, but worth it. We paid 200 for the four of us including bottles of water and some alcoholic drinks (and a healthy tip).

We said our goodbyes, ensured our guests didn’t have to pay to get out of the car park and headed up to bed. Need a restful night’s sleep ahead of a busy day tomorrow.

I noticed that the equivalent flights for Sun have been cancelled, so that’s worked out well for us!

Last edited by billinghamn; Aug 29, 2014 at 10:10 am
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