T8191

Just a fairly short review of a recent JER-UK-IAD with BA in CE/CW. Nothing really interesting or scenic, but we haven’t done this route since June 2015 and haven’t done much BA l/h since then either. Will we miss flying TATL with AA? Read on …

30 Aug 16
JER-LGW, 1350-1450
BA2773, A319, Club Europe seats 2A/C

A leisurely start, with at the taxi booked for 1230. Arrived at the airport to find it heaving- something to do with school holidays, I assume. No problems with CE bag-drop, but on this occasion Security was packed with a queue of some 60 people! However, even with those numbers it only took 10 minutes to get through, and we were in the un-crowded lounge by 1315 for a quick snack.



The board showed a 15 minute delay on the flight, but by 1355 we were in our usual seats (2A/C, with bags under the seat in front!) after the usual Jersey version of Priority Boarding (mixed!). The traditional high-speed Lunch service delivered a rather tasty Chicken Salad during the short hop to LGW.



At 1505 we arrived on stand at LGW at one of the 55 Gates, which made a nice change from bussing, and we were in Reclaim 5 minutes later … waiting and waiting for our cases. At 1540 an announcement apologised for the delay with bags, as “Gatwick is very busy today.” Eventually, at 1548 the bags started arriving, with ours coming in to view at 1550 [45 minutes after arriving on stand]. Not one of LGW’s better days!

Thanks to the baggage delay, we had clearly missed our intended National Express coach to LHR (the #200 at 1540) so checked with the NE desk for the next available coach service. There we were told they were also running a bit late and we would probably get the #200 or, if necessary, the later #707. Ah, how glad I was that we bought Flex tickets … £87 return for the 2 of us. We drifted outside to wait for what might happen …



… and a few minutes later the #200 arrived at the kerb! The helpful driver loaded our cases into the hold, and at 1605 we were in the comfortable seats at 1A/B, which provide an excellent view of proceedings. We are now thoroughly convinced by the NE service between the 2 airports, as we cruised smoothly and quietly along the M23 and M25. Until we hit the inevitable buildup of traffic as we neared LHR, of course!



Journey time - around 50 minutes. And the bus stop [# 13] is right below Zones H/J [the CW and First desks]. But that’s for tomorrow, as we headed back to the north end of T5 and our ‘cheap’ night at the Sofitel attached to the Terminal. The booking was made through lastminute.com using their “Top Secret Hotel” deal … I can’t remember which description is the Sofitel, but folks on FT will remind you if needed! The room cost £137.93 - would be £242 for the same room next week!

31 Aug 16
LHR-IAD, 1050–1350
BA217, A380, Club World seats 53J/K

After a decent night’s sleep we showered and packed and, trailing our 2 large 4-wheel spinner cases, set off on the long walk from the Sofitel to the far end of T5, where we exercised our BAEC Gold privileges by using the First desks in Zone J. No point in not using them, especially when there is a queue at the CW desks! At 0800 there was no queues at the desks, and happily no queue at South Security [Fast Track] either, so we whisked through in minutes and grabbed breakfast in the First Lounge. At 0950, after the short train shuttle from T5A to T5C, we found ourselves seats at Gate C57, where G-XLEK sat waiting for us [and a couple of hundred other people].



Boarding started at T-45 minutes, and was managed well, and we were soon relaxing in the smaller CW cabin on the Upper Deck in 53J/K with a glass of champagne: oh, this is the life! We pushed back at 1051, just 1 minute late, but a busy day at LHR meant a long and slow taxi before eventually getting airborne at 1122

As seems normal [for us] there was very little interaction from the CC. No visit by the CSD [OK, big and busy aircraft], and never addressed by name. That doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but it’s supposed to happen!

Lunch. Ah-ha. How exciting … or not We had pre-ordered the Curry, on the basis that a BA Fillet Steak was going to be a guaranteed ‘fail’.



Oh, good-oh. A Salad Starter to go with the Salad. Excuse me, BA, do I look like a rabbit? I’m a carnivore, for Heaven’s sake!! Left largely untouched, as the Full English Breakfast in the FLounge a couple of hours earlier was enough food for one morning!





The Curry was pleasant enough, in a Marks & Spencer pre-prepared sort of way.



The red wine was, of course, ‘nicely’ chilled as always, but when it recovered it turned out to be rather pleasant … Barbera d’Asti Superiore 2012, DOCG, “La Luna e I Falò” apparently.

I finished with the Cheese plate, which was OK.



And then decided to have a couple of hours sleep, as I do

Tea was actually quite nice … the sandwiches were fresh and the little cakes quite tasty, but the scone seems to be getting smaller every time I see one!



Anyway, I’m not here for fine dining, I’m here to get to IAD … which we achieved successfully, thanks to the skill and dedication of the Flight Deck crew There then followed what was possibly our easiest/quickest IAD Arrival ever, obviously helped by being amongst the first dozen or so pax to disembark and from a bit of practice over the years:
From entering the IAB to waiting at Carousel 7 at 1415 - maybe 5 minutes? And at 1430 it was a quick kerb-side cigarette before hopping on the Avis bus to their Rental Depot, where we were dropped off at the Preferred cabin to collect our rental - a shiny black Kia Sportage this time.



And so to Old Town Alexandria, VA for a 2-week stay at the Embassy Suites by Hilton at 1900 Diagonal Road [what a cute address] with its very cosy underground parking arrangements. Parking was a rather pricey $30/day, and our suite was $2,804 for the 14 nights … with taxes a total of $3,225 as the USD/GBP rate hit rock bottom!!





On this occasion I’m glad Avis didn’t give us an upgrade to anything larger!

T8191

PART 2 … The Return Journey

14 Sep 16
IAD-LHR, 1830–0650
BA216, A380, Club World seats 53A/B

We left the hotel at 1305, and at 1355 I dropped Wife at Departures [with our luggage] and returned the vee-hickle to Avis. Back at Departures at 1415, I waited for the BA desks to open … they had signs on the desks saying “Open at 1530”, but comments on FT recently said it was 1430. As you would expect, FT was correct!! Positioning ourselves at the front of the empty First queue [sorry, line] we only had to wait a few minutes before the Agents emerged from wherever they keep Agents … and having checked in on-line earlier our bags were taken and BPs issued for the 2 homebound sectors. What a charmless Agent she was - hardly a word, no eye contact, never a smile. Oh, well, we all have bad day, I guess.

Down the escalators to TSA and Security, where they have rearranged things slightly since I was last at IAD. Still the ‘Priority’ line for passport/BP checks, and then the complete lottery of which screening lane you choose to use. No TSA Pre✓ for us this time … shoes and belts off, electronics in the tray too, and empty your pockets before the Nude-O-Scope. Now I didn’t hear that quite clearly enough: I thought that meant things like wallets and metal objects. I discovered it means everything including handkerchiefs, passport, BP, comb. OK, I’ll know better next time. The TSA staff were as miserable and vague as ever - how did they expect my wife, facing sideways in the scanner, to see the Agent away to her left out of her line of sight waving a limp hand to tell her to come out? Shouting at my wife eventually resolved the communications problem. Grrrr.

The BA Lounge at IAD is, as many of you will know, very pleasant. A nice range of mini-wraps and things like that, and an excellent Vegetable Minestrone soup. Some very tasty wines on offer [self-pour, or served at the Bar] and Champagne available on request.





A great place for ‘People-Watching”.



At T-45 we headed for Gate B-44, where G-XLEC was waiting for us, and Priority Boarding commenced almost immediately. The A380 boarding at IAD seems very well run, with numerous signs showing where to wait depending on seat number [and indeed deck]. We saw little of that, being amongst the first to board! Push-back was at 1825, and the first drinks run was at 1930 … immediately followed by the meal carts. Clearly there was a degree of urgency to allow people to get to sleep, but I had hardly drunk half of my V&T before I had to make space for the meal tray!



Ummm … no starter, just a salad? Apparently they do this to minimise meal time and maximise sleep time. Well, it’s over 7 hours, so not exactly a short flight, and an 1830 departure is hardly screaming “bed-time”. Oh, well, go with the flow. I ignored the “Grass Course”, supposedly enhanced by the presence of 4 green beans and a bit of chopped beetroot, and waited for the delivery of the Braised Beef - which was actually rather tasty and moist, as was the Tedeschi Capitel Nicalalò 2014, Valpolicella Superiore DOC. Italian wines both ways - how very British





The cheesecake was OK, in an anodyne sort of way, and the Cheese plate was fine.



To my annoyance, I just could not get any sleep, despite the nice quiet cabin. Everywhere I moved I was bumping some part of me against something hard and uncomfortable, and the pillow was [as always] barely adequate for head support even with the seat tilted up slightly. I really don’t get on with the CW seat, I’m afraid. If I could sleep flat on my back, it might be different, but I can’t sleep in that position.

Oh, well, Breakfast ... in the dark, of course! A couple of pastries, a yoghurt and a black coffee fitted the bill nicely: the pastries were actually surprisingly nice.



After a very short holding loop, we arrived at LHR on 09L at 0620. No delays at the Border, with most of the e-passport machines seemingly working, and we were at reclaim at 0700. I’m not sure that we waited very long for our bags, because at 0730 we were on the NE Bus to LGW [booked on the 0820, but no problem thanks to the Flex tickets] and to our surprise were able to grab 1J/K

15 Sep 16
LGW-JER, 1210-1315
BA2772, A319, Club Europe seats 2A/C

Ahh, Gatwick. What a mess they have made of you over the years! I can remember when it was all quite neat and tidy, but now it’s all building works and temporary bollards and hoardings everywhere. The coach dropped us off way before the North terminal, so we started walking … to the Terminal, then up 2 floors to the ‘outside space’, then to the far left end of the Terminal for BA bag-drop [First obviously quick and efficient, thank you], then back to the far right end of the Terminal for the new Security [Premium Gatwick very quick and efficient, thank you], then back again through the shops to the far left of the Terminal for the Lounge. After that I’d had enough of walking through Gatwick for one day! However, the new 'Premium Gatwick' Security lanes were a great improvement, and it worked very well - only marred by the usual inability of people to stack their empty trays, which inevitably led to the conveyor belt coming to a halt [we stacked about a dozen before moving on].

We settled down in the ‘Clubrooms” lounge at around 0900 to wait for the last sector. A pleasant enough environment, I guess, although the food offering [which wasn’t offered] was fairly minimal. Roll on the new BA Lounge[s] in the South Terminal. The best part was that it was quiet and comfortable. And after a couple of hours of wishing we were actually in bed, and asleep, we wandered the last few yards to Gate 55F for the last sector.

The only amusement was the 'suit' with his black briefcase proudly adorned with the old-style BAEC Bronze luggage tag [the one with the white swoosh] … I wondered if he’d actually slipped down to Blue since then Boarding was vaguely well organised, and we collapsed into our usual seats. At this point, a different ’suit’ in 1K decides he needs to get into the aisle to greet and chat to the occupant of 3K, thereby largely blocking the aisle for the 100 passengers in Y who are trying, with their luggage, to get to their seats. He continues chatting for a good 2-3 minutes, completely oblivious to [or not caring about] the inconvenience he was causing. Eventually, his personal social needs satisfied, he waded through the throng against the flow back to his seat.

The usual high-speed delivery of Lunch started soon after we were airborne. With 8 rows of CE and 29 pax [the CC told me], the CSD joined the other 2 CC in distributing trays and beverages. A rather decent “Salmon on skewers over couscous”, which probably has a posh name. But soon we were home again - with a rather long, floating, landing followed by stern braking and a lot of reverse thrust!

Another trip done, TPs and Avios all seemed to credit promptly. That leaves us on 1,180 TPs each, and with a 700 TP trip booked for March renewal of BAEC Gold/OW Emerald for another year is assured

T8191

Perspectives.

Airlines.

This year has seen most of our l/h travel on AA [26,917 miles] instead of BA [9,370 miles], so it was ‘interesting’ to return to the fold, as it were, and see how we felt about it. I do accept that the A380 is a nice aircraft, but sadly the usual hard product deficiencies in CW were evident. Apart from the lack of anywhere to put anything except on the dining table, unless you have a window seat, I find the seat quite uncomfortable in both vertical and horizontal modes. The BA food was ‘acceptable’, but no more than that, and the abbreviated Dinner on the eastbound sector was particularly annoying. The CC were ‘OK’, if unmemorable. On balance, I still prefer AA Business for TATL. The CE seating for the X-Channel hop is survivable for the 40 minutes it usually takes, but the leg-room is minimal and the lack of the middle seat hardly compensates for a very 'Economy' product.

Airports.

LHR was working very well on the 2 occasions we used it [outbound and inbound]. We had the expected good First bag-drop: Security and Immigration were also quick and easy, and even the shuttle train to and from T5C was largely uncrowded. BA FLounge perfectly acceptable in all respects.

LGW was in another traditional mess due to the imminent re-arrangements of airlines, but apart from layout inconveniences worked fairly well [with the notable exception of the baggage delays on our outbound leg]. BA "FLounge" not very impressive, but that will hopefully change next year with the move to the new facilities in South..

IAD remains one of my favourite airports, despite the fairly poor TSA experience, and most BA aspects were well up to standard. BA Lounge very good.

JER is still a nice little airport, and generally runs smoothly [weather permitting]. Lounge adequate for a short stay.

Ground Transportation.

National Express is now our favoured way of getting between LGW and LHR. £87 for 2 pax, round trip on a Flex ticket is good value, the seats are comfortable, the service frequent and the journey time is effectively the same as if you booked a taxi. Pick-up and Drop-off points are convenient, although the LGW drop-off a little less so: I’m sure it was right by the Terminal the last time we used it.

Avis/BA for US car rental is now my first choice, based on cost, convenience, reliability and standard of vehicles - and of course more Avios! Joining Avis Preferred offers several advantages, especially quick collection - I noticed later that I had been sent an email telling me the details of the vehicle and where it was located: I assume I could have just got in and driven away?

Hotels.

Sofitel LHR. Only for the convenience of being attached to T5, and the “Top Secret” deal we got. Otherwise it’s just another box with box-like rooms in it.

Embassy Suites. I have staggered to Hilton Honors Gold, but I’m not sure why I bother. Two free bottles of water are still given to Silver members anyway! We probably don’t stay often enough to derive benefit from “Free Nights” using Points. The only reason we stay fairly loyal is that many Hilton properties in the USA have smoking suites.

Old Town Alexandria.

This was our 21st visit there, which must say something! Over the years we have acquired a circle of friends, which helps makes it seem very much like home. It’s a good base if you have a car, with good road links in all directions, and equally sits right on the Metro if you want to go into D.C. YMMV, but it certainly suits us. And they do take Public Safety very seriously …





Reason for Editing:









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Last edited by T8191; Oct 3, 16 at 1:39 pm


Reason: typos







































Sep 19, 16, 1:24 pm





#4


bafan





Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver

Posts: 2,019



That curry on the outbound looked good. Think I've had it before myself - far preferable to nuked beef.


You didn't fancy the tapas plate instead of the afternoon tea tho ?

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Sep 19, 16, 1:24 pm





#5


crazy8534





Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, BA Amex Prem, Fairmont Premier

Posts: 2,033



Another enjoyable TR, T8191.


Your IAD arrival guidance has previously saved me a considerable time in immigration queues so I am grateful for that!

The BA lounge there is a real gem, especially the shower room with 'rain shower'.

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Sep 19, 16, 1:38 pm





#6


stu1985





Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: BA Gold, AF Gold, IHG Spire Ambassador, Hilton Honors Diamond, Mucci de buveur de gin

Posts: 2,843



Another great report Uncle T. Those salad starters look very lame indeed! The lounge at IAD looks nice though - I would like being able to people watch from up above

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Sep 19, 16, 1:45 pm





#7


Hilde





Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Oslo
Programs: BAEC

Posts: 184



Thanks for an interesting and well-written trip report!

I really like the IAD lounge too.

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Sep 19, 16, 2:22 pm





#8


T8191



FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster


Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!

Posts: 27,598

Quote:

Originally Posted by bafan


That curry on the outbound looked good. Think I've had it before myself - far preferable to nuked beef.


You didn't fancy the tapas plate instead of the afternoon tea tho ?
I would have gone for Tapas if it had been an option! Perhaps on other US routes? From what I read here on FT, IAD seems to very 2nd Division on the catering aspects compared with, say, NYC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazy8534


Another enjoyable TR, T8191.


Your IAD arrival guidance has previously saved me a considerable time in immigration queues so I am grateful for that!

The BA lounge there is a real gem, especially the shower room with 'rain shower'.
Glad to have helped, Sir! That's what TRs are supposed to be, at least in part. I think, over the years, we have managed to micro-manage IAD Arrival to the nth degree


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Sep 19, 16, 2:55 pm





#9


flatlander





Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA EP 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon

Posts: 5,163



Thanks for the well-written trip report.

Quote:


and the pillow was [as always] barely adequate for head support


Did you inflate the seat's headrest under the pillow? Personally I have found this makes a big difference as the pillow is indeed, on its own, quite insufficient. This action is not documented anywhere I can see, other than some comments on FT.

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Sep 19, 16, 2:57 pm





#10


martin102





Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BA Gold. Flying Blue, Radisson, Accor

Posts: 190



The salad does not really look that appetising at all. Looks like it's stick to AA

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Sep 19, 16, 2:59 pm





#11


BahrainLad





Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, LH Sen, MUCCI, Junior Jet Club.

Posts: 7,864



BA Club catering is pathetic.

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Sep 19, 16, 3:01 pm





#12


offerendum










Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some

Posts: 6,995

Quote:

Originally Posted by BahrainLad


BA Club catering is pathetic.
Not always, but many times.....

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Sep 19, 16, 3:08 pm





#13


KeaneJohn









Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London Stratford, E7
Programs: BAEC Gold! Thanks to FT

Posts: 1,777



Welcome back Uncle T, great trip report as usual. I always love your reports and wait with anticipation for your reviews.


I get the impression that this jouney was a bit meh compared to your last one. The salads don't look that great.


I do remember with fondness my 2 years in Jersey and guessing what are they going to be doing with chicken today for the in flight meal and how many bottles of monopole could I consume in flight.. The airport teams there were usually great though.


What do you think of Embassy Suites ? I tend to like them due to the managers reception and breakfasts and the larger rooms.


Its my turn this weekend flying to JFK then down to CUN and back via MIA in a couple of weeks. Had a bit of a nightmare with the hotel and BA Holidays but that is now sorted and looking forward to it a lot as it will be my first Club World experience for 15 years.


Glad you are home and wait with anticipation for your next TR.

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Sep 19, 16, 3:50 pm





#14


T8191



FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster


Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!

Posts: 27,598

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatlander


Thanks for the well-written trip report.

Did you inflate the seat's headrest under the pillow? Personally I have found this makes a big difference as the pillow is indeed, on its own, quite insufficient. This action is not documented anywhere I can see, other than some comments on FT.
Good point, should have mentioned that ... and indeed, on this occasion I forgot to do it! Aren't those various buttons difficult to operate, let alone see [without glasses] what they're supposed to do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeaneJohn


Welcome back Uncle T, great trip report as usual. I always love your reports and wait with anticipation for your reviews.

I get the impression that this jouney was a bit meh compared to your last one.


The salads don't look that great. ...


What do you think of Embassy Suites ? I tend to like them due to the managers reception and breakfasts and the larger rooms.


Glad you are home and wait with anticipation for your next TR.
Thanks for your support!!


As my PHX/ANC also observed, I am getting heartily sick of Salad + Salad no matter how well one/both might be executed, so BA and AA are equally meh in that respect! As to BA CW, I guess I've got a bit jaded with the overall experience, which always seems less than it should be from almost every angle on every holiday.

[Hotel Review bit]

Manager's Receptions and Breakfasts can be very variable depending on location and Hilton brand. The ANC Homewood Suites Reception was outstanding - essentially a free 3-course meal most days and a perfectly acceptable self-serve Breakfast offer. PHX Homewood Suites Breakfasts were OK too, but with a lesser evening Reception offer.


On this occasion the Embassy Suites Breakfast was definitely good ... self-serve Egg/Sauté Spuds/Hash/Sausage and Bacon/Waffles AND a short order cook station as well. OTOH, their Reception food offering was pathetic: a free Bar 1730-1930 was nice, but nothing to eat except Crisps/Chips or Crudités and dips, except one day when they added some 'US cheese' cubes to the equation. Our Suite was fine in most respects - good soundproofing, large bed and general furnishings, but only a small under-counter fridge, a microwave and a coffee machine [with paper cups!]. Any form of self-catering, apart from Pot Noodle, was off the agenda
[/Hotel review ]


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Sep 21, 16, 12:42 pm





#15


Calchas



FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club


Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London

Posts: 16,626



Nice report as always.


You might want to copy and paste your "Perspectives" into a ba.com complaint ...

https://www.britishairways.com/trave...m/public/en_gb


The choiceless tomato salad starter is really a disgrace. I thought they had restored the starter options at the beginning of September, they did for me.

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bafan

That curry on the outbound looked good. Think I've had it before myself - far preferable to nuked beef.

You didn't fancy the tapas plate instead of the afternoon tea tho ?

crazy8534

Another enjoyable TR, T8191.

Your IAD arrival guidance has previously saved me a considerable time in immigration queues so I am grateful for that!
The BA lounge there is a real gem, especially the shower room with 'rain shower'.

stu1985

Another great report Uncle T. Those salad starters look very lame indeed! The lounge at IAD looks nice though - I would like being able to people watch from up above

Hilde

Thanks for an interesting and well-written trip report!
I really like the IAD lounge too.

T8191

I would have gone for Tapas if it had been an option! Perhaps on other US routes? From what I read here on FT, IAD seems to very 2nd Division on the catering aspects compared with, say, NYC.

Glad to have helped, Sir! That's what TRs are supposed to be, at least in part. I think, over the years, we have managed to micro-manage IAD Arrival to the nth degree

flatlander

Thanks for the well-written trip report.

Did you inflate the seat's headrest under the pillow? Personally I have found this makes a big difference as the pillow is indeed, on its own, quite insufficient. This action is not documented anywhere I can see, other than some comments on FT.

martin102

The salad does not really look that appetising at all. Looks like it's stick to AA

BahrainLad

BA Club catering is pathetic.

offerendum

Not always, but many times.....

KeaneJohn

Welcome back Uncle T, great trip report as usual. I always love your reports and wait with anticipation for your reviews.

I get the impression that this jouney was a bit meh compared to your last one. The salads don't look that great.

I do remember with fondness my 2 years in Jersey and guessing what are they going to be doing with chicken today for the in flight meal and how many bottles of monopole could I consume in flight.. The airport teams there were usually great though.

What do you think of Embassy Suites ? I tend to like them due to the managers reception and breakfasts and the larger rooms.

Its my turn this weekend flying to JFK then down to CUN and back via MIA in a couple of weeks. Had a bit of a nightmare with the hotel and BA Holidays but that is now sorted and looking forward to it a lot as it will be my first Club World experience for 15 years.

Glad you are home and wait with anticipation for your next TR.

T8191

Good point, should have mentioned that ... and indeed, on this occasion I forgot to do it! Aren't those various buttons difficult to operate, let alone see [without glasses] what they're supposed to do?

Thanks for your support!!

As my PHX/ANC also observed, I am getting heartily sick of Salad + Salad no matter how well one/both might be executed, so BA and AA are equally meh in that respect! As to BA CW, I guess I've got a bit jaded with the overall experience, which always seems less than it should be from almost every angle on every holiday.

[Hotel Review bit]
Manager's Receptions and Breakfasts can be very variable depending on location and Hilton brand. The ANC Homewood Suites Reception was outstanding - essentially a free 3-course meal most days and a perfectly acceptable self-serve Breakfast offer. PHX Homewood Suites Breakfasts were OK too, but with a lesser evening Reception offer.

On this occasion the Embassy Suites Breakfast was definitely good ... self-serve Egg/Sauté Spuds/Hash/Sausage and Bacon/Waffles AND a short order cook station as well. OTOH, their Reception food offering was pathetic: a free Bar 1730-1930 was nice, but nothing to eat except Crisps/Chips or Crudités and dips, except one day when they added some 'US cheese' cubes to the equation. Our Suite was fine in most respects - good soundproofing, large bed and general furnishings, but only a small under-counter fridge, a microwave and a coffee machine [with paper cups!]. Any form of self-catering, apart from Pot Noodle, was off the agenda
[/Hotel review ]

Calchas

Nice report as always. ^

You might want to copy and paste your "Perspectives" into a ba.com complaint ...

https://www.britishairways.com/trave...m/public/en_gb

The choiceless tomato salad starter is really a disgrace. I thought they had restored the starter options at the beginning of September, they did for me.