BD705 J MAN-ORD 12JUN01
Jun 13, 2001 | 4:59 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: PIK, Scotland
Posts: 8
BD705 J MAN-ORD 12JUN01
bmi British Midland (the 'i' doesn't stand for anything, according to British Midland) started their services to ORD less than a week ago, but given the experience of this trip, I'm sure it will be successful.
The aircraft is outfitted in a three class configuration - 'the business' with 24 J seats in a 60 inch pitch; 'new economy' with 38 inch pitch seats and 'economy' with 32 inch pitch.
I was travelling with a colleague, and we were in 4H and 4K in J.
Machester Airport (MAN) has to be one of the worst designed airports I've ever encountered - definitely not passenger friendly, it requires pax to navigate up and down escalators and stairs which if you're carting lots of baggage is impractical. The check-in area in Terminal 1 isn't easy to spot either - you have to double back on yourself. Confusingly, Terminal 1 is next to Terminal 3 ... with Terminal 2 on its own.
My tickets were waiting for me at the ticket desk - my colleague, who had arrived before me, had not been permitted to collect them - and we checked in at the J class area, which had two desks open. From there, we were invited to use the bmi 'fly through' fast track security check and relax in the GlobeGround CIP lounge. Compared to BA's Terraces lounges - or VS' Clubhouse - this was nothing special and quickly filled with pax on other flights.
However, service was friendly and we relaxed until assembled by a bmi customer services rep who escorted us all to the gate, where we were the last to board.
On board, we were offered a glass of champagne as an attendant collected jackets. bmi's A330s are equipped with two cameras, offering both a forward view and a 'birds eye' view. Whilst the inflight magazine says that you can watch the take-off and landings on your personal screens, in J class of course the screens have to be stowed for takeoff and landing which somewhat detracts from that! Unless, of course, you're prepared to break the rules...
The video screen is the same size as that found in BA's First service. The seats were not especially comfortable, with the cushion only coming 2/3 of the way down my thighs leading to a feeling that I was literally on the edge of my seat. The controls are also easily operated by one's legs which can be dangerous especially if one has one's arm between the seats at the time the back starts to rise!
The A330s are equipped with Matsu****a 2000A IFE systems, although the seat boxes are from the 3000 (VOD) system, to which bmi intend to upgrade within the next year. The touch sensitive screens caused many problems; and the wide assortment of games were both difficult to access and - unless you're 6 years old - hard to play. On this flight, an MASC technician was being carried to both train the cabin crew and rectify any problems. There are 16 channels of video, and it was obvious that teething problems were indeed being encountered!
About 90 minutes into the flight, a 'mad hatter tea party' service was provided - this consisted of a large glass bowl in the shape of n inverted hat - with a flat outside and cup in the inside, which was filled with strawberry slices and blueberries. Arrayed round the outside was a warm leek and onion tarlet; watercress with cream cheese on white bread; smoked salmon and lemon butter sandwich on brown bread; a raspberry cream slice; chocolate eclair; and scones, with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
About 45 minutes later, passengers were offered a couce of Dundee cake or 'home style lemon drizzle' cake. The Dundee cake is highly recommended!
About two hours out of ORD, passengers were offered dinner. A qualified chef is carried on board - in full chef's uniform - who has also been trained as a member of the cabin crew. Strangely, passengers were only provided with menus at this time - which was rather nonsensical as it detailed the 'tea party' and should really have been handed out at the same time as the passenger amenity packs, in common with most other carriers. Interestingly, the wine list was distributed at that time!
Dinner offered the following personally prepared and presented choices:
Starters
Curried spring vegetable soup, sour cream, root vegetable crisp
Oak smoked Scottish salmon, horseraddish cream
Rosemary chargrilled vegetables, goats cheese, virgin olive oil
Pancetta and Stilton brulee, red onion marmalade on endive
Main course
Braised lamb shank, garlic mash, seasonal vegetables
Pan fried chcken breast stuffed with feta and wild mushrooms, french beans in a bacon wrap
Grilled cod fillet, chunky chips, pea mint mash, sunblushed tomato ketchup
Leek, potato and sharp cheddar tart, spinich chard and spicy mustard dressing
Dessert
Zesty lime tart
Strawberry and pink champagne trifle
Warm sticky toffee pudding with Devonshire cream or organic ice cream
Individual cheddar and ale truckle, Shropshire blue wedge, raisin bread, fresh fig, roast fruit kebab
We both selected the salmon, lamb and sticky toffee pudding; but when told that there was only one salmon starter I changed my order to the Pancetta and stilton brulee.
My colleague was disappointed with the near-microscopic portions of the smoked salmon provided - as indeed I was with the tiny (and somewhat overcooked) brulee - but we were both delighted with the lamb which could be cut with a fork and which was entirely delicious! The sticky toffee pudding was also a delight.
On this flight, there were 7 passengers - including two children - in J class; with three cabin crew (plus the chef) to look after them. A total of 11 cabin crew are normally carried; though there were an additional two trainers on board this flight. There were only two pax in the 'new business' class; although economy looked as if it was pretty full.
Passenger amenities in J are satisfactory. Bose ANR headseats are provided, in a rather tacky metallic bronze colour. Don't bother trying to nick them - like the far superior Sennheiser ones offered by SQ in their First Class, these have the three pronged connector. Each seat is equipped with a laptop powerpoint, which I used. This is located in the side of the centre armrest, and although is on a level with one's hip is recessed enough that the plug isn't uncomfortable.
A large - and somewhat impressive - amenity pack from de Ster is offered to pax. Equipped with a hook - which I assume means it can have a future life in one's shower or wardrobe - the three pocketed bag contains slippers and an eyeshade together with a hot/cold compress eye pack; toothbrush, toothpaste, Plax mouthwash, hand and body lotion, ear plugs, refreshing facial spray, night gel (whatever that might be!) and lip balm; and finally a (surprisingly unbranded) cheap blue plastic pen and small spiral notebook with hard light blue plastic covers. It's interesting to spot that many of the passenger service items - cutlery, china, glassware etc - have 'bm' rather than 'bmi' branding ... it's obvious that this was to be the original logo.
We arrived into ORD some 25 minutes ahead of schedule - which was promptly spoilt by having to wait over 45 minutes for our stand to be freed up.
Despite long queues at immigration - for US nationals and green card holders! - visitors queues were very short indeed; we were through and our bags were amongst the first dozen off the belt. Agricultural Inspectors wanted to know of we had been on any farms in the UK, but other than that we were unimpeded and through the whole process within 20 minutes from arriving on stand.
All in all an excellent flight; and I look forward to my return trip on Saturday evening.
8.5/10
The aircraft is outfitted in a three class configuration - 'the business' with 24 J seats in a 60 inch pitch; 'new economy' with 38 inch pitch seats and 'economy' with 32 inch pitch.
I was travelling with a colleague, and we were in 4H and 4K in J.
Machester Airport (MAN) has to be one of the worst designed airports I've ever encountered - definitely not passenger friendly, it requires pax to navigate up and down escalators and stairs which if you're carting lots of baggage is impractical. The check-in area in Terminal 1 isn't easy to spot either - you have to double back on yourself. Confusingly, Terminal 1 is next to Terminal 3 ... with Terminal 2 on its own.
My tickets were waiting for me at the ticket desk - my colleague, who had arrived before me, had not been permitted to collect them - and we checked in at the J class area, which had two desks open. From there, we were invited to use the bmi 'fly through' fast track security check and relax in the GlobeGround CIP lounge. Compared to BA's Terraces lounges - or VS' Clubhouse - this was nothing special and quickly filled with pax on other flights.
However, service was friendly and we relaxed until assembled by a bmi customer services rep who escorted us all to the gate, where we were the last to board.
On board, we were offered a glass of champagne as an attendant collected jackets. bmi's A330s are equipped with two cameras, offering both a forward view and a 'birds eye' view. Whilst the inflight magazine says that you can watch the take-off and landings on your personal screens, in J class of course the screens have to be stowed for takeoff and landing which somewhat detracts from that! Unless, of course, you're prepared to break the rules...
The video screen is the same size as that found in BA's First service. The seats were not especially comfortable, with the cushion only coming 2/3 of the way down my thighs leading to a feeling that I was literally on the edge of my seat. The controls are also easily operated by one's legs which can be dangerous especially if one has one's arm between the seats at the time the back starts to rise!
The A330s are equipped with Matsu****a 2000A IFE systems, although the seat boxes are from the 3000 (VOD) system, to which bmi intend to upgrade within the next year. The touch sensitive screens caused many problems; and the wide assortment of games were both difficult to access and - unless you're 6 years old - hard to play. On this flight, an MASC technician was being carried to both train the cabin crew and rectify any problems. There are 16 channels of video, and it was obvious that teething problems were indeed being encountered!
About 90 minutes into the flight, a 'mad hatter tea party' service was provided - this consisted of a large glass bowl in the shape of n inverted hat - with a flat outside and cup in the inside, which was filled with strawberry slices and blueberries. Arrayed round the outside was a warm leek and onion tarlet; watercress with cream cheese on white bread; smoked salmon and lemon butter sandwich on brown bread; a raspberry cream slice; chocolate eclair; and scones, with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
About 45 minutes later, passengers were offered a couce of Dundee cake or 'home style lemon drizzle' cake. The Dundee cake is highly recommended!
About two hours out of ORD, passengers were offered dinner. A qualified chef is carried on board - in full chef's uniform - who has also been trained as a member of the cabin crew. Strangely, passengers were only provided with menus at this time - which was rather nonsensical as it detailed the 'tea party' and should really have been handed out at the same time as the passenger amenity packs, in common with most other carriers. Interestingly, the wine list was distributed at that time!
Dinner offered the following personally prepared and presented choices:
Starters
Curried spring vegetable soup, sour cream, root vegetable crisp
Oak smoked Scottish salmon, horseraddish cream
Rosemary chargrilled vegetables, goats cheese, virgin olive oil
Pancetta and Stilton brulee, red onion marmalade on endive
Main course
Braised lamb shank, garlic mash, seasonal vegetables
Pan fried chcken breast stuffed with feta and wild mushrooms, french beans in a bacon wrap
Grilled cod fillet, chunky chips, pea mint mash, sunblushed tomato ketchup
Leek, potato and sharp cheddar tart, spinich chard and spicy mustard dressing
Dessert
Zesty lime tart
Strawberry and pink champagne trifle
Warm sticky toffee pudding with Devonshire cream or organic ice cream
Individual cheddar and ale truckle, Shropshire blue wedge, raisin bread, fresh fig, roast fruit kebab
We both selected the salmon, lamb and sticky toffee pudding; but when told that there was only one salmon starter I changed my order to the Pancetta and stilton brulee.
My colleague was disappointed with the near-microscopic portions of the smoked salmon provided - as indeed I was with the tiny (and somewhat overcooked) brulee - but we were both delighted with the lamb which could be cut with a fork and which was entirely delicious! The sticky toffee pudding was also a delight.
On this flight, there were 7 passengers - including two children - in J class; with three cabin crew (plus the chef) to look after them. A total of 11 cabin crew are normally carried; though there were an additional two trainers on board this flight. There were only two pax in the 'new business' class; although economy looked as if it was pretty full.
Passenger amenities in J are satisfactory. Bose ANR headseats are provided, in a rather tacky metallic bronze colour. Don't bother trying to nick them - like the far superior Sennheiser ones offered by SQ in their First Class, these have the three pronged connector. Each seat is equipped with a laptop powerpoint, which I used. This is located in the side of the centre armrest, and although is on a level with one's hip is recessed enough that the plug isn't uncomfortable.
A large - and somewhat impressive - amenity pack from de Ster is offered to pax. Equipped with a hook - which I assume means it can have a future life in one's shower or wardrobe - the three pocketed bag contains slippers and an eyeshade together with a hot/cold compress eye pack; toothbrush, toothpaste, Plax mouthwash, hand and body lotion, ear plugs, refreshing facial spray, night gel (whatever that might be!) and lip balm; and finally a (surprisingly unbranded) cheap blue plastic pen and small spiral notebook with hard light blue plastic covers. It's interesting to spot that many of the passenger service items - cutlery, china, glassware etc - have 'bm' rather than 'bmi' branding ... it's obvious that this was to be the original logo.
We arrived into ORD some 25 minutes ahead of schedule - which was promptly spoilt by having to wait over 45 minutes for our stand to be freed up.
Despite long queues at immigration - for US nationals and green card holders! - visitors queues were very short indeed; we were through and our bags were amongst the first dozen off the belt. Agricultural Inspectors wanted to know of we had been on any farms in the UK, but other than that we were unimpeded and through the whole process within 20 minutes from arriving on stand.
All in all an excellent flight; and I look forward to my return trip on Saturday evening.
8.5/10
Jun 13, 2001 | 7:36 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: BA, AA, DL, KLM, UA
Posts: 37,489
(copied from :http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum16/HTML/000071.html)
wine list
champagnes
Tattinger Brut Millesime 1995
Reims, France
Gardet Brut Cruvee 1995
Chigny les Roses, Motagne de Reims
white wines
Wairau River - 1998 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
Pascal Bouchard - 1997 Chablis Viellies Vignes
Chablis, France
red wines
Chateau le Caillou - 1997 Pomerol
Bordeaux, France
Sagrantino di Montefalco - 1995 Castello Monte Vibiano
Umbria, Italy
Chateau Reynella - 1998 Shiraz
M'Claren vale, South Australia
Sanderman 20 year old Tawny port
Glet Livet 18 years
Courvoisier XO
Chivas Regal
wine list
champagnes
Tattinger Brut Millesime 1995
Reims, France
Gardet Brut Cruvee 1995
Chigny les Roses, Motagne de Reims
white wines
Wairau River - 1998 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
Pascal Bouchard - 1997 Chablis Viellies Vignes
Chablis, France
red wines
Chateau le Caillou - 1997 Pomerol
Bordeaux, France
Sagrantino di Montefalco - 1995 Castello Monte Vibiano
Umbria, Italy
Chateau Reynella - 1998 Shiraz
M'Claren vale, South Australia
Sanderman 20 year old Tawny port
Glet Livet 18 years
Courvoisier XO
Chivas Regal
Jun 13, 2001 | 7:42 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: BA, AA, DL, KLM, UA
Posts: 37,489
Ceilidh, thanks for that! I was waiting for someone to post one as I was planning on flying that route, best to let someone else suffer first, although I understand it was pretty good!
I guess you were "checking out the competition", I'll have to wait till 4/2001 to check out your's, good chance to visit my grandparents again in Prestwick
I guess you were "checking out the competition", I'll have to wait till 4/2001 to check out your's, good chance to visit my grandparents again in Prestwick