Another Tier Point/Milage Run to Hawaii [Semi Live]
May 23, 2015, 5:29 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
Another Tier Point/Milage Run to Hawaii [Semi Live]
Back to the Island of Hawaii
It’s late spring 2015 so it must be time for me to set off again on my travels. As part of my plan to both earn enough BA Tier Points (TPs) to get my Gold card again for another year as well as hit the magic 2,500 TPs for an upgrade voucher so that I can aim to do something special for my 40th birthday next year. As ever, whilst this is a trip primarily for the purposes of earning as my TPs (and Avios) as cheaply as possible, I will also be making sure I have a good break once I get to Hawaii. After all, if you’re travelling that far you might as well do some exploring.
The Trip
As this is now my third TP earning trip to Hawaii I didn’t have to spend very long considering the various routes to get there. The hardest part seems to be the wait for reasonable sale prices ex-EU and then hoping that there’s a suitably timed “extra discount” window during which I can actually get time off work. The “extra discount” is basically the even lower prices that come up usually during school holiday periods in the UK. Come late 2014 and said ex-EU sale appeared and there was a nice window at the end of May when the prices were even lower.
Having been to the island of Hawaii (the Big Island) in August 2014 and not really managed to see all that much of it, I’d already decided that my next trip would be back there. I’d also mostly decided on my routing to get there/back in a reasonably time efficient way.
Route planned, sale fare available it was then just a simple call to BA to book the various flights. I like to do this direct with BA, insetad of the simpler process on AA.com, because it is only possible to upgrade the BA flights with Avios if the flights are booked with BA and to deal with the issue of multiple BA booking references (or hidden in some cases). As ever, the key is to know exactly which flights you want to book, including the AA flight numbers for the flights in the USA (so that you get booked into domestic first rather than BA treating it as a business class flight).
This routing for this trip ended up being very much like my first TP run to Hawaii, except for the start in Dublin rather than Brussels:
23 May
LHR – DUB [BA 828] Economy (positioning flight)
DUB – LHR [BA 829] Club Europe (then a night at home)
24 May
LHR – BOS [BA 213] First
BOS – LAX [AA 147] Domestic First (night stop at LAX)
25 May
LAX – KOA [AA 59] Domestic First
30 May
KOA – HNL
HNL – LAX [AA 298] Domestic First
31 May
LAX – BOS [AA 146] Domestic First
BOS – LHR [BA 212] Club World
1 June
LHR – DUB [BA 834] Club Europe
DUB – LHR [BA 837] Economy (final positioning flight to get me home)
Having gone to the Big Island last year I had already decided which hotel I would be staying in (Waikoloa Marriott Beach) and also which hotel I would be doing a night stop in on my outbound journey (Los Angeles Airport Marriott). I had also already decided on the planned excursions I would be doing whilst there, an all day tour down to Volcano National Park and a helicopter trip across the island. This would still leave me with some time to do some more exploring of the island on my own.
Fast forward 6 months
A few days before the start of the trip I “got lucky” with upgrade availability on the LHR-BOS flight. Finally I get to experience First, hopefully it will be worth it (more on that later). It also means I’ll get my first experience of the Concorde Room (CCR) at Heathrow, if only for a short while as my flight is mid-morning.
It’s late spring 2015 so it must be time for me to set off again on my travels. As part of my plan to both earn enough BA Tier Points (TPs) to get my Gold card again for another year as well as hit the magic 2,500 TPs for an upgrade voucher so that I can aim to do something special for my 40th birthday next year. As ever, whilst this is a trip primarily for the purposes of earning as my TPs (and Avios) as cheaply as possible, I will also be making sure I have a good break once I get to Hawaii. After all, if you’re travelling that far you might as well do some exploring.
The Trip
As this is now my third TP earning trip to Hawaii I didn’t have to spend very long considering the various routes to get there. The hardest part seems to be the wait for reasonable sale prices ex-EU and then hoping that there’s a suitably timed “extra discount” window during which I can actually get time off work. The “extra discount” is basically the even lower prices that come up usually during school holiday periods in the UK. Come late 2014 and said ex-EU sale appeared and there was a nice window at the end of May when the prices were even lower.
Having been to the island of Hawaii (the Big Island) in August 2014 and not really managed to see all that much of it, I’d already decided that my next trip would be back there. I’d also mostly decided on my routing to get there/back in a reasonably time efficient way.
Route planned, sale fare available it was then just a simple call to BA to book the various flights. I like to do this direct with BA, insetad of the simpler process on AA.com, because it is only possible to upgrade the BA flights with Avios if the flights are booked with BA and to deal with the issue of multiple BA booking references (or hidden in some cases). As ever, the key is to know exactly which flights you want to book, including the AA flight numbers for the flights in the USA (so that you get booked into domestic first rather than BA treating it as a business class flight).
This routing for this trip ended up being very much like my first TP run to Hawaii, except for the start in Dublin rather than Brussels:
23 May
LHR – DUB [BA 828] Economy (positioning flight)
DUB – LHR [BA 829] Club Europe (then a night at home)
24 May
LHR – BOS [BA 213] First
BOS – LAX [AA 147] Domestic First (night stop at LAX)
25 May
LAX – KOA [AA 59] Domestic First
30 May
KOA – HNL
HNL – LAX [AA 298] Domestic First
31 May
LAX – BOS [AA 146] Domestic First
BOS – LHR [BA 212] Club World
1 June
LHR – DUB [BA 834] Club Europe
DUB – LHR [BA 837] Economy (final positioning flight to get me home)
Having gone to the Big Island last year I had already decided which hotel I would be staying in (Waikoloa Marriott Beach) and also which hotel I would be doing a night stop in on my outbound journey (Los Angeles Airport Marriott). I had also already decided on the planned excursions I would be doing whilst there, an all day tour down to Volcano National Park and a helicopter trip across the island. This would still leave me with some time to do some more exploring of the island on my own.
Fast forward 6 months
A few days before the start of the trip I “got lucky” with upgrade availability on the LHR-BOS flight. Finally I get to experience First, hopefully it will be worth it (more on that later). It also means I’ll get my first experience of the Concorde Room (CCR) at Heathrow, if only for a short while as my flight is mid-morning.
May 23, 2015, 5:30 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
Day 1: The Dublin boomerang
As usual for the first segment of the trip (LHR-DUB-LHR) I’ve prepared to travel with only hand luggage. Whilst I have built in quite a lot of contingency time, there is always the risk of delays and/or problems. This does mean I pack a little lighter for this part of the trip on the basis that I’ll get home for the night before going to BOS on the Sunday. The drawback is that I have to carry all my luggage with me rather than checking it in, although I suppose that’s good exercise...
It’s also an earlier start for the first day of the trip than usual as my flight to Dublin is at 9.35. After a shorter than I would have liked nights sleep it was up, finish last bits of packing and then wait for the usual cab service to Heathrow. I seem to use my local cab firm so much that some of the drivers are starting to recognize me. I’m not sure whether this is a good thing…
As it’s a Saturday and relatively early (for a weekend) the drive to Heathrow was the usual 25 minutes. Out of the cab, into the airport and straight into Not Fast Track. I assume due to the volume of morning departures and also because it’s the start of the half term break in the UK, T5 was absolutely heaving! After an age, bags were repacked and then I set off to the lounge. As I would only have about 40 minutes until boarding I decided not to walk all the way down to the South lounges but instead decided to “slum it” in Gallaries North. This was, of course, suitably busy. After a good wander I finally found somewhere comfortable to sit, although I seemed to end up sitting next to a couple of “sweary” Americans, oh well.
Fortunately the wait for the flight passed reasonably quickly and then I headed off to the gate. Boarding today seemed slow and, as usual, the overhead lockers were quickly filled with a variety of sized bags including “personal bags” that were the size of full sized carry-ons. One day BA might work out how to “do” hand luggage, but that doesn’t seem to be coming any time soon.
As this was my positioning flight for the trip I’d booked an economy seat so I wasn’t expecting much in the way of in flight snacks and I wasn’t surprised when I got my drink and biscuit. What was worse was the fact that we could all smell the breakfast being served in Club Europe. Also, I remembered just how tight the seat pitch on BA’s shorthaul fleet is now. I’m very glad that I’m relatively short and the person in front of me didn’t decide to recline their seat!
The flight time to Dublin was quite short and we made up for a lot of the time we were delayed for at Heathrow, the result of the number of departing flights. Once on the stand it was off, down the stairs, through immigration and the to flight connections. It’s seems that there aren’t many connecting passengers at Dublin, based on the way you have to join the queue for security half way down. It does feel more than a little awkward “pushing into” the queue.
A bit more walking and I found the Dublin Airport lounge. There are plenty of seats, although it is a little green, and a reasonable range of snacks.
This should keep me going for a few hours until the next flight. It should also give me a bit of time to finish writing the trip report from last August (it’s still half written!)
As usual for the first segment of the trip (LHR-DUB-LHR) I’ve prepared to travel with only hand luggage. Whilst I have built in quite a lot of contingency time, there is always the risk of delays and/or problems. This does mean I pack a little lighter for this part of the trip on the basis that I’ll get home for the night before going to BOS on the Sunday. The drawback is that I have to carry all my luggage with me rather than checking it in, although I suppose that’s good exercise...
It’s also an earlier start for the first day of the trip than usual as my flight to Dublin is at 9.35. After a shorter than I would have liked nights sleep it was up, finish last bits of packing and then wait for the usual cab service to Heathrow. I seem to use my local cab firm so much that some of the drivers are starting to recognize me. I’m not sure whether this is a good thing…
As it’s a Saturday and relatively early (for a weekend) the drive to Heathrow was the usual 25 minutes. Out of the cab, into the airport and straight into Not Fast Track. I assume due to the volume of morning departures and also because it’s the start of the half term break in the UK, T5 was absolutely heaving! After an age, bags were repacked and then I set off to the lounge. As I would only have about 40 minutes until boarding I decided not to walk all the way down to the South lounges but instead decided to “slum it” in Gallaries North. This was, of course, suitably busy. After a good wander I finally found somewhere comfortable to sit, although I seemed to end up sitting next to a couple of “sweary” Americans, oh well.
Fortunately the wait for the flight passed reasonably quickly and then I headed off to the gate. Boarding today seemed slow and, as usual, the overhead lockers were quickly filled with a variety of sized bags including “personal bags” that were the size of full sized carry-ons. One day BA might work out how to “do” hand luggage, but that doesn’t seem to be coming any time soon.
As this was my positioning flight for the trip I’d booked an economy seat so I wasn’t expecting much in the way of in flight snacks and I wasn’t surprised when I got my drink and biscuit. What was worse was the fact that we could all smell the breakfast being served in Club Europe. Also, I remembered just how tight the seat pitch on BA’s shorthaul fleet is now. I’m very glad that I’m relatively short and the person in front of me didn’t decide to recline their seat!
The flight time to Dublin was quite short and we made up for a lot of the time we were delayed for at Heathrow, the result of the number of departing flights. Once on the stand it was off, down the stairs, through immigration and the to flight connections. It’s seems that there aren’t many connecting passengers at Dublin, based on the way you have to join the queue for security half way down. It does feel more than a little awkward “pushing into” the queue.
A bit more walking and I found the Dublin Airport lounge. There are plenty of seats, although it is a little green, and a reasonable range of snacks.
This should keep me going for a few hours until the next flight. It should also give me a bit of time to finish writing the trip report from last August (it’s still half written!)
May 23, 2015, 8:47 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,790
Looks like a fun way to work to earn TPs.
Just a quick question, why fly to Dublin just to fly back home again and leave to the US the next day? Is it easy/cheap TPs, something about APD, something else?
Just a quick question, why fly to Dublin just to fly back home again and leave to the US the next day? Is it easy/cheap TPs, something about APD, something else?
May 23, 2015, 8:55 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Fares originating in Dublin are enormously cheaper than those originating in London.
May 23, 2015, 12:37 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
Day 1 (part 2)
Well the flight back was slightly delayed, no issue really as it just gave me more time to continue sitting. This travelling lark is really hard work…
Anyway, after having a light lunch in the lounge I wandered to the gate. There was a rather large scrum of people waiting, although that was partly the result of a flight due to depart from the neighbouring gate. I didn’t have to wait long before Fast Track boarding started and headed down the airbridge… to join a large queue. It seemed that the gate staff had sent us all down to board about 5 minutes before the crew were ready for us. Fortunately it wasn’t too long a wait.
Finally on board I fitted my bags into the overhead lockers and settled down into seat 1F. The front row on the shorthaul fleet is by far the most spacious since the refit, not that I really needed it.
The flight wasn’t particularly full which meant that boarding was quick and it wasn’t long before I was back in the air heading back to LHR. The in flight service started fairly quickly after departure and we got the standard afternoon tea consisting of 3 sandwiches, a small piece of cake and a scone.
It’s not the best offering, it’s not the worst either and definitely filled a snack sized hole in my stomach.
I relaxed for the rest of the flight and during the normal circling in the stack during the approach to LHR. The arrival was uneventful and then it was just a walk through T5 out to the cab that I’d booked to take me home for the night.
All that remains now is for me to repack into a proper suitcase (yes, from now on it’s checked luggage), eat and sleep.
Well the flight back was slightly delayed, no issue really as it just gave me more time to continue sitting. This travelling lark is really hard work…
Anyway, after having a light lunch in the lounge I wandered to the gate. There was a rather large scrum of people waiting, although that was partly the result of a flight due to depart from the neighbouring gate. I didn’t have to wait long before Fast Track boarding started and headed down the airbridge… to join a large queue. It seemed that the gate staff had sent us all down to board about 5 minutes before the crew were ready for us. Fortunately it wasn’t too long a wait.
Finally on board I fitted my bags into the overhead lockers and settled down into seat 1F. The front row on the shorthaul fleet is by far the most spacious since the refit, not that I really needed it.
The flight wasn’t particularly full which meant that boarding was quick and it wasn’t long before I was back in the air heading back to LHR. The in flight service started fairly quickly after departure and we got the standard afternoon tea consisting of 3 sandwiches, a small piece of cake and a scone.
It’s not the best offering, it’s not the worst either and definitely filled a snack sized hole in my stomach.
I relaxed for the rest of the flight and during the normal circling in the stack during the approach to LHR. The arrival was uneventful and then it was just a walk through T5 out to the cab that I’d booked to take me home for the night.
All that remains now is for me to repack into a proper suitcase (yes, from now on it’s checked luggage), eat and sleep.
May 24, 2015, 3:52 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
A short day 2 update (I'll write it up properly when I get to Boston):
As expected T5 was very busy again this morning, due to school holidays in the UK. This meant that Fast Track reverted to slow again... On the plus side, as I'm travelling First to Boston I could go straight into the CCR after security. Had about an hour in there, enjoying a coffee and some pastries. Then to the gate. Boarding was easy and at the door I was escorted to my seat (1K). Crew very pleasant & attentive already. Got my slippers & sleep suit too. Now to enjoy the champagne before departure...
As expected T5 was very busy again this morning, due to school holidays in the UK. This meant that Fast Track reverted to slow again... On the plus side, as I'm travelling First to Boston I could go straight into the CCR after security. Had about an hour in there, enjoying a coffee and some pastries. Then to the gate. Boarding was easy and at the door I was escorted to my seat (1K). Crew very pleasant & attentive already. Got my slippers & sleep suit too. Now to enjoy the champagne before departure...
May 24, 2015, 4:58 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,145
Ah, the nostalgia!! Both TRs read to date, and so many parallel points with our trip in January [see my sig] ... although our routing was less complex [JER-UK-LAX-HNL] 
I really must get round to doing an ex-DUB to either KOA or HNL over the coming winter.
Enjoy the trip, and if oldies can do it in one 30-hour day coming home you should be fine
I really must get round to doing an ex-DUB to either KOA or HNL over the coming winter.
Enjoy the trip, and if oldies can do it in one 30-hour day coming home you should be fine
May 24, 2015, 7:08 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
That should be a 210 pointer in itself
May 25, 2015, 8:33 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
Day 2: The long slog to LAX
After a late night (I wholly blame Eurovision for that – thank heavens that Sweden won!) I woke a little later than planned. Fortunately it didn’t take me long to get my things together as everything was pretty much ready from Day 1. The cab turned up on time, although that was earlier than I would have liked as I was still dashing round my apartment making sure everything was switched off. Damn my OCD…
As it it’s a Sunday (I think it’s still Sunday…) the traffic was light and we arrived at T5 in quick time. I asked the driver to drop me off at the far end of the terminal as I wanted to use the First check in for once. As a BAEC Gold card holder I could use the First check in all the time, but I normally can’t be bothered with the walk down to the far end of the terminal. However as I was travelling in First to BOS today I wanted to have the full First experience.
I would like to say check in was a breeze but given it is still the start of a holiday week in the UK there was about a 5 minute wait before I was able to drop my bags. That done I joined the large queue for Slow Track… yawn!
Once through I had much pleasure in turning immediately right into the CCR. This was an experience made more enjoyable by the fact that the “door guardian” had just turned two people away… I went straight out to the terrace, found myself a confortable chair and waited for one of the waiting staff to appear. Coffee and pastries ordered I sat back and relaxed for about 40 minutes. All too soon it was time to head out to the C gates. I waited a little longer than usual as boarding never seems to start on time. The transit itself remains a relatively painless experience, although the front car of the train is usually filled up by chattering BA crew. Like me, they know that the front car is always closest to the escalators/lifts.
Boarding started about 15 minutes after I got to the gate. Gate 61 is one of those gates that involves a long walk as it’s one of the furthest from the actual T5C building. Finally at the aircraft door, the crew member looked at my boarding card and asked one of his colleagues to escort me to my seat.
New(ish) First is still a wonderful sight when you first enter the cabin with the light blue lights bathing the cabin.
My home for the next 7 hours
I unpacked various items from my hand luggage and settled down. The crew member that would be looking after me for the flight came round and offered me a glass of champagne which I gratefully accepted. Now, I know that people can and do have mixed experiences of the crew in First but for this flight the crew was superb. The crew member that looked after my side of the cabin was extremely friendly and I had a few nice chats with her during the course of the flight. When she came back to top up my champagne glass she playfully told me off for not drinking quickly enough…
Departure was pretty much on time and soon after takeoff the crew were back to find out what we would like to drink before our meal. I opted for a Kir Royal and a glass of water (I was trying to pace myself).
Then they were back to ask about lunch and when we wanted to eat. The options were all rather appealing and it did take a while to decide on a starter!
Wine list
Lunch menu
Afternoon tea
Half an hour later my table was being laid and the amouse bouch appeared. This was a wasabi salmon “thing” (I can’t remember the exact description!). It was a very pleasant start to the meal.
Then followed my actual starter which was a duck confit terrine. By now I’d switched to a rather nice St. Emillion which actually complemented the food well. There was plenty of duck in the actual terrine and the bed of apple, carrot and celeriac added to the overall flavours.
Next was the salad, a fairly simple affair with a vinaigrette dressing.
This was followed by a top up of my wine, which was going down rather too well(!), and my steak. The steak itself was a little well done for my liking but it was definitely not the shoe leather consistency that others have reported. The accompaniments went with it well, especially the herb potato cake.
Main course polished off it was time for dessert. I asked the crew member if I could have the dessert and the cheese and picked the rhubarb and redcurrant tart.
Unfortunately she interpreted this as me wanting two desserts. This left me a little surprised when a warm chocolate and hazelnut tart arrived. Not one for turning down food, especially nice desserts, I set to and quickly demolished it. The second dessert was delicious, washed down with a glass of port (that I was planning to have with the cheese, oh well).
After two desserts I really didn’t want any cheese so just had a coffee. This arrived and shortly afterwards the chocolate box did. The crew member left this with me for quite a while, it appears she decided I had a bit of a sweet tooth, can’t think why. It was difficult to not have several as they were very nice. Food consumed I settled down to doze for a couple of hours.
I woke about 90 minutes out from Boston not long before it was time for afternoon tea. The table was laid again and I soon set about the sandwiches with a rather nice cup of tea accompanying it.
Of the four sandwiches I would say the least enjoyable was the one with an asparagus and radish with cream cheese filling. The others were very good. I had soon eaten one of the two scones I’d opted for and by then the crew member was back to see if I wanted any cakes, of course I did.
Yet again very tasty, although not being a fan of passion fruit I left the passion fruit and raspberry tower. To be honest I didn’t think I really needed anything else to eat by then.
The arrival into BOS was straightforward and it wasn’t long before I was walking to US immigration, normally the worst part of any trip! However… since my last visit they have installed a huge number of automated machines for use by visitors.
This simplified the whole process, meaning it was just a case of scanning my passport, scanning my fingerprints, having my picture taken and answering a few simple questions. The making then prints out a receipt which you take to one of the officers. Passport stamped I was off to baggage claim. This was the slowest part of the process and by the time the bags did start appearing there was probably almost half of the passengers waiting.
Bag collected, I put the First washbag into my checked luggage and then went straight to the transfer desk to drop the bag off again. From there it was a nice easy walk to Terminal B. Back through security and it was straight to the Admirals Club for a shower.
Suitably refreshed it wasn’t long before it was time to board the BOS-LAX flight. I settled down into the seat, wishing at that point for something a little more comfortable.
Still domestic First is much better than Economy, especially for a 6 ½ hour flight. The flight pushed back on time and we were airborne soon afterwards, doing a long loop before starting to head west towards LAX.
A view towards Boston on departure
Whilst the crew on the flight were very pleasant, it seems that the onboard service is unfortunately heading downwards to the standards of US Airways (and American West before it). Fortunately they still serve Sam Adams and provide warm nuts. However, whereas in the past there was a printed menu now there is none. The food itself is presented in a way that one would expect for WTP on BA, with everything (starter, salad and main) provided at the same time on the same tray, rather than having separate courses.
The food itself was distinctly average with a reasonably nice starter but a woeful chicken main course. How I wish for the catering of the “old” American Airlines!
Food done, I settled back to doze for a few hours. The remainder of the flight was uneventful aside from a lot of turbulence, seems to have been a stormy day across the USA.
Sunset on approach to LAX
Arriving early, baggage retrieved I waited for the shuttle bus to the LAX Marriott. They checked me into a rather nice room at the end of the building furthest away from the din of LAX. After unwinding for a while it wasn’t long before I was in bed and sleeping.
After a late night (I wholly blame Eurovision for that – thank heavens that Sweden won!) I woke a little later than planned. Fortunately it didn’t take me long to get my things together as everything was pretty much ready from Day 1. The cab turned up on time, although that was earlier than I would have liked as I was still dashing round my apartment making sure everything was switched off. Damn my OCD…
As it it’s a Sunday (I think it’s still Sunday…) the traffic was light and we arrived at T5 in quick time. I asked the driver to drop me off at the far end of the terminal as I wanted to use the First check in for once. As a BAEC Gold card holder I could use the First check in all the time, but I normally can’t be bothered with the walk down to the far end of the terminal. However as I was travelling in First to BOS today I wanted to have the full First experience.
I would like to say check in was a breeze but given it is still the start of a holiday week in the UK there was about a 5 minute wait before I was able to drop my bags. That done I joined the large queue for Slow Track… yawn!
Once through I had much pleasure in turning immediately right into the CCR. This was an experience made more enjoyable by the fact that the “door guardian” had just turned two people away… I went straight out to the terrace, found myself a confortable chair and waited for one of the waiting staff to appear. Coffee and pastries ordered I sat back and relaxed for about 40 minutes. All too soon it was time to head out to the C gates. I waited a little longer than usual as boarding never seems to start on time. The transit itself remains a relatively painless experience, although the front car of the train is usually filled up by chattering BA crew. Like me, they know that the front car is always closest to the escalators/lifts.
Boarding started about 15 minutes after I got to the gate. Gate 61 is one of those gates that involves a long walk as it’s one of the furthest from the actual T5C building. Finally at the aircraft door, the crew member looked at my boarding card and asked one of his colleagues to escort me to my seat.
New(ish) First is still a wonderful sight when you first enter the cabin with the light blue lights bathing the cabin.
My home for the next 7 hours
I unpacked various items from my hand luggage and settled down. The crew member that would be looking after me for the flight came round and offered me a glass of champagne which I gratefully accepted. Now, I know that people can and do have mixed experiences of the crew in First but for this flight the crew was superb. The crew member that looked after my side of the cabin was extremely friendly and I had a few nice chats with her during the course of the flight. When she came back to top up my champagne glass she playfully told me off for not drinking quickly enough…
Departure was pretty much on time and soon after takeoff the crew were back to find out what we would like to drink before our meal. I opted for a Kir Royal and a glass of water (I was trying to pace myself).
Then they were back to ask about lunch and when we wanted to eat. The options were all rather appealing and it did take a while to decide on a starter!
Wine list
Lunch menu
Afternoon tea
Half an hour later my table was being laid and the amouse bouch appeared. This was a wasabi salmon “thing” (I can’t remember the exact description!). It was a very pleasant start to the meal.
Then followed my actual starter which was a duck confit terrine. By now I’d switched to a rather nice St. Emillion which actually complemented the food well. There was plenty of duck in the actual terrine and the bed of apple, carrot and celeriac added to the overall flavours.
Next was the salad, a fairly simple affair with a vinaigrette dressing.
This was followed by a top up of my wine, which was going down rather too well(!), and my steak. The steak itself was a little well done for my liking but it was definitely not the shoe leather consistency that others have reported. The accompaniments went with it well, especially the herb potato cake.
Main course polished off it was time for dessert. I asked the crew member if I could have the dessert and the cheese and picked the rhubarb and redcurrant tart.
Unfortunately she interpreted this as me wanting two desserts. This left me a little surprised when a warm chocolate and hazelnut tart arrived. Not one for turning down food, especially nice desserts, I set to and quickly demolished it. The second dessert was delicious, washed down with a glass of port (that I was planning to have with the cheese, oh well).
After two desserts I really didn’t want any cheese so just had a coffee. This arrived and shortly afterwards the chocolate box did. The crew member left this with me for quite a while, it appears she decided I had a bit of a sweet tooth, can’t think why. It was difficult to not have several as they were very nice. Food consumed I settled down to doze for a couple of hours.
I woke about 90 minutes out from Boston not long before it was time for afternoon tea. The table was laid again and I soon set about the sandwiches with a rather nice cup of tea accompanying it.
Of the four sandwiches I would say the least enjoyable was the one with an asparagus and radish with cream cheese filling. The others were very good. I had soon eaten one of the two scones I’d opted for and by then the crew member was back to see if I wanted any cakes, of course I did.
Yet again very tasty, although not being a fan of passion fruit I left the passion fruit and raspberry tower. To be honest I didn’t think I really needed anything else to eat by then.
The arrival into BOS was straightforward and it wasn’t long before I was walking to US immigration, normally the worst part of any trip! However… since my last visit they have installed a huge number of automated machines for use by visitors.
This simplified the whole process, meaning it was just a case of scanning my passport, scanning my fingerprints, having my picture taken and answering a few simple questions. The making then prints out a receipt which you take to one of the officers. Passport stamped I was off to baggage claim. This was the slowest part of the process and by the time the bags did start appearing there was probably almost half of the passengers waiting.
Bag collected, I put the First washbag into my checked luggage and then went straight to the transfer desk to drop the bag off again. From there it was a nice easy walk to Terminal B. Back through security and it was straight to the Admirals Club for a shower.
Suitably refreshed it wasn’t long before it was time to board the BOS-LAX flight. I settled down into the seat, wishing at that point for something a little more comfortable.
Still domestic First is much better than Economy, especially for a 6 ½ hour flight. The flight pushed back on time and we were airborne soon afterwards, doing a long loop before starting to head west towards LAX.
A view towards Boston on departure
Whilst the crew on the flight were very pleasant, it seems that the onboard service is unfortunately heading downwards to the standards of US Airways (and American West before it). Fortunately they still serve Sam Adams and provide warm nuts. However, whereas in the past there was a printed menu now there is none. The food itself is presented in a way that one would expect for WTP on BA, with everything (starter, salad and main) provided at the same time on the same tray, rather than having separate courses.
The food itself was distinctly average with a reasonably nice starter but a woeful chicken main course. How I wish for the catering of the “old” American Airlines!
Food done, I settled back to doze for a few hours. The remainder of the flight was uneventful aside from a lot of turbulence, seems to have been a stormy day across the USA.
Sunset on approach to LAX
Arriving early, baggage retrieved I waited for the shuttle bus to the LAX Marriott. They checked me into a rather nice room at the end of the building furthest away from the din of LAX. After unwinding for a while it wasn’t long before I was in bed and sleeping.
May 25, 2015, 8:44 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
Day 3 - Early update
So here I am, back in the Flagship Lounge at LAX. The usual lounge affair with a marginally improved offering compared to the standard Admirals Club lounge.
I woke early this morning, not surprising really. After a coffee it was off to wait for the shuttle bus to LAX Terminal 4. Traffic was light this morning, although that might have been because a) it was 6am and b) it's Memorial Day here. Check in was a breeze and then to security.
Now to wait another half hour or so until boarding for the flight to KOA. After yesterday's food offerings I'm really not expecting much from this flight. Fortunately I arrive around lunchtime so I'll be able to fill up again then.
So here I am, back in the Flagship Lounge at LAX. The usual lounge affair with a marginally improved offering compared to the standard Admirals Club lounge.
I woke early this morning, not surprising really. After a coffee it was off to wait for the shuttle bus to LAX Terminal 4. Traffic was light this morning, although that might have been because a) it was 6am and b) it's Memorial Day here. Check in was a breeze and then to security.
Now to wait another half hour or so until boarding for the flight to KOA. After yesterday's food offerings I'm really not expecting much from this flight. Fortunately I arrive around lunchtime so I'll be able to fill up again then.
May 26, 2015, 4:17 pm
#12
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: LAX and LHR. UA lifetime Gold 1.9MM 1K , DL Gold Medallion, HHonors Gold, Marriott Gold, Avis President's Club
Posts: 3,592
You have no idea what you flew over. 24 hours ago, the biggest line of major storms, thousands of lightning strikes a minute, tornados galore, that I've ever seen, from below San Antonio all the way via Austin and Dallas to the north Oklahoma state border. By today it had given Houston a pasting and is now on its way to Florida.....
May 30, 2015, 9:47 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
You have no idea what you flew over. 24 hours ago, the biggest line of major storms, thousands of lightning strikes a minute, tornados galore, that I've ever seen, from below San Antonio all the way via Austin and Dallas to the north Oklahoma state border. By today it had given Houston a pasting and is now on its way to Florida.....
May 30, 2015, 10:21 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
Day 3: To the Island of Hawai’i
I woke to the sound of the alarm after a relatively restful night’s sleep. After a quick shower I set off back to LAX to check in again. There was no one waiting at the Business/First class desks at LAX so check in was a breeze. Security was also relatively painless for once, I assume the result of the Memorial Day holiday here. Through security I went straight to the Admirals Club where I was presented with my card for the Flagship Lounge. Once in there I settled down and had a light breakfast of fruit and then a pastry from the selection of unhealthy treats. That done I finished writing up Day 2 of this TR.
Time passed quite quickly and before long I was at the gate ready to board the flight to KOA. As ever boarding on AA was a simple process using boarding groups. On board I unpacked the laptop & iPad and got myself settled in. The flight wasn’t particularly full and I ended up with no one sat next to me. This was a definite bonus.
The usual Domestic First setup on AA
After pushback the aircraft headed down the eastern end of the airport as is normal for LAX and we departed out to the west.
In flight service was smooth and efficient and definitely an improvement on the service on the BOS-LAX flight the day before. After getting my pre-meal drink (a soft drink, I just couldn’t justify beer at 9.30am!) the crew came back to check/take our food orders. I’d decided to have a “strada” which apparently is some egg concoction. When I selected it a few weeks ago it was definitely the best of a bad selection of meals. The meal tray arrived already with a small dish of fruit on it. My main course was added and then I was offered a bread roll or a “biscuit”. I still have no idea what one of those actually is, but it looked better than the alternative.
I tucked into my meal and was pleasantly surprise to discover that the “egg thing” was contained various vegetables. It also came with some potatoes and some pieces of sausage. Not only was it tasty, it was a vast improvement on the chicken I’d had the night before! I quickly finished off the rest of the offering and settled back to watch some downloaded TV on the iPad.
For a 6 hour flight, it passed relatively quickly and soon we’d arrived in KOA. As others may have mentioned, KOA is a relatively simple airport with no airbridges and very little in the way of buildings. In fact most of it is just covered concrete! Disembarking from the aircraft was done with the aid of a ramp which was just pushed up the side of the aircraft and then I wandered round to the open air baggage claim area.
Bags collected I dashed over to the waiting car rental shuttle bus, collected the car and set off to the hotel. I’d decided to stay in the same hotel that I’d used last year, the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. I already knew that I was a little early so was not at all surprised when they told me that my room wouldn’t be ready for about an hour. On the plus side I’d been upgraded to a nice ocean view room so there was no complaint at the wait.
Once I’d unpacked I wandered around the hotel grounds before going up to the pool area to relax for a few hours with a good book before dinner, followed by beer and bed.
Hotel grounds
I woke to the sound of the alarm after a relatively restful night’s sleep. After a quick shower I set off back to LAX to check in again. There was no one waiting at the Business/First class desks at LAX so check in was a breeze. Security was also relatively painless for once, I assume the result of the Memorial Day holiday here. Through security I went straight to the Admirals Club where I was presented with my card for the Flagship Lounge. Once in there I settled down and had a light breakfast of fruit and then a pastry from the selection of unhealthy treats. That done I finished writing up Day 2 of this TR.
Time passed quite quickly and before long I was at the gate ready to board the flight to KOA. As ever boarding on AA was a simple process using boarding groups. On board I unpacked the laptop & iPad and got myself settled in. The flight wasn’t particularly full and I ended up with no one sat next to me. This was a definite bonus.
The usual Domestic First setup on AA
After pushback the aircraft headed down the eastern end of the airport as is normal for LAX and we departed out to the west.
In flight service was smooth and efficient and definitely an improvement on the service on the BOS-LAX flight the day before. After getting my pre-meal drink (a soft drink, I just couldn’t justify beer at 9.30am!) the crew came back to check/take our food orders. I’d decided to have a “strada” which apparently is some egg concoction. When I selected it a few weeks ago it was definitely the best of a bad selection of meals. The meal tray arrived already with a small dish of fruit on it. My main course was added and then I was offered a bread roll or a “biscuit”. I still have no idea what one of those actually is, but it looked better than the alternative.
I tucked into my meal and was pleasantly surprise to discover that the “egg thing” was contained various vegetables. It also came with some potatoes and some pieces of sausage. Not only was it tasty, it was a vast improvement on the chicken I’d had the night before! I quickly finished off the rest of the offering and settled back to watch some downloaded TV on the iPad.
For a 6 hour flight, it passed relatively quickly and soon we’d arrived in KOA. As others may have mentioned, KOA is a relatively simple airport with no airbridges and very little in the way of buildings. In fact most of it is just covered concrete! Disembarking from the aircraft was done with the aid of a ramp which was just pushed up the side of the aircraft and then I wandered round to the open air baggage claim area.
Bags collected I dashed over to the waiting car rental shuttle bus, collected the car and set off to the hotel. I’d decided to stay in the same hotel that I’d used last year, the Waikoloa Beach Marriott. I already knew that I was a little early so was not at all surprised when they told me that my room wouldn’t be ready for about an hour. On the plus side I’d been upgraded to a nice ocean view room so there was no complaint at the wait.
Once I’d unpacked I wandered around the hotel grounds before going up to the pool area to relax for a few hours with a good book before dinner, followed by beer and bed.
Hotel grounds
May 30, 2015, 10:35 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Windsor
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 909
Day 4: Choppers!
Following another relaxing night of sleep, unusual for me when it comes to hotels, I woke to a second overcast day in Hawai’i. Where was the sun I’d expected? After the morning coffee and croissant I got in the car and drove a couple of minutes up the coast to the Waikoloa base of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters from where I would be doing a round the island tour.
After check in (which includes being weighed!) we waited outside for the safety briefing. That done, and after being issued with our “personal flotation devices” (or life jackets to most people) we were given our seating assignments for the trip. Luckily I got a window seat, a good thing given I planned to take pictures during the trip and didn’t really want to have to be peering over someone else the whole time.
On board the helicopter we were strapped in, given our noise reducing (definitely NOT noise cancelling) headsets and waited while our pilot did his pre flight checks. Once airborne we turned north and headed up to the northern end of the island. Rounding the tip we then started to fly south east down the other side of the island towards Hilo. On the way we passed numerous deep valleys carved out of the volcanic rock, most of which had waterfalls in them.
Soon we passed the town of Hilo and continued our southwards progress towards our ultimate goal, Volcano National Park. The weather got progressively worse and about 10 minutes after we went past Hilo we had to turn back, the cloud base being just too low for our trip to continue any further. We flew back round the top of the island and back to the base where we were refunded about half of the overall price of the trip.
Hilo on a cloudy day
Ever worsening weather
Was a bit of a disappointment not to get to fly over the park, that being said, the scenery that we did see was spectacular and it wouldn’t have been possible to see it otherwise.
Following another relaxing night of sleep, unusual for me when it comes to hotels, I woke to a second overcast day in Hawai’i. Where was the sun I’d expected? After the morning coffee and croissant I got in the car and drove a couple of minutes up the coast to the Waikoloa base of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters from where I would be doing a round the island tour.
After check in (which includes being weighed!) we waited outside for the safety briefing. That done, and after being issued with our “personal flotation devices” (or life jackets to most people) we were given our seating assignments for the trip. Luckily I got a window seat, a good thing given I planned to take pictures during the trip and didn’t really want to have to be peering over someone else the whole time.
On board the helicopter we were strapped in, given our noise reducing (definitely NOT noise cancelling) headsets and waited while our pilot did his pre flight checks. Once airborne we turned north and headed up to the northern end of the island. Rounding the tip we then started to fly south east down the other side of the island towards Hilo. On the way we passed numerous deep valleys carved out of the volcanic rock, most of which had waterfalls in them.
Soon we passed the town of Hilo and continued our southwards progress towards our ultimate goal, Volcano National Park. The weather got progressively worse and about 10 minutes after we went past Hilo we had to turn back, the cloud base being just too low for our trip to continue any further. We flew back round the top of the island and back to the base where we were refunded about half of the overall price of the trip.
Hilo on a cloudy day
Ever worsening weather
Was a bit of a disappointment not to get to fly over the park, that being said, the scenery that we did see was spectacular and it wouldn’t have been possible to see it otherwise.