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A Quick Trip to London on AA in F, Part 1 (Long)

A Quick Trip to London on AA in F, Part 1 (Long)

Old Jan 18, 2002, 8:58 am
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: BOS AA EXP
Posts: 83
A Quick Trip to London on AA in F, Part 1 (Long)

I have enjoyed the trip reports on this board for a long time, and I have been feeling guilty for not contributing my own, so here it goes! Comments, suggestions, etc. will be appreciated.

This trip was short notice, even for me. Friday morning I decided that what I needed to get done on Saturday would be best accomplished by a face-to-face meeting in London. It was already too late to make the morning flight from BOS (which would have been my normal preference), so I called the EXP desk and requested an evening flight out via JFK so I could take a 777 equipped with a suite. I was assured that this was available (not so, it turned out!). I had to be in BOS for a curling match at 4:00 pm Sunday afternoon, so my only option was taking the direct morning flight back.

AA 4798 BOS-JFK 11JAN 3:40 PM Saab 340B Y 8A

I drove to Logan, had no trouble parking right by the walkway from Terminal E so I would have a shorter walk on my return through customs. Long walk to Terminal B for the departure. I needed to be ticketed, so I had to go to the main check-in before going to the lounge. About 10 people were ahead of me in the first/business line. An agent came over and asked each of us our destination. When I said that I was going via JFK, he told me to go down to the American Eagle check-in at the other end. I told him that I would be using the lounge and did not want to walk down & back, but he insisted.

There was no line at American Eagle, so I was quickly ticketed & got my boarding passes. I walked back and waited about 5 minutes at the security check point. They saw something when my laptop case was x-rayed, and it turned out I had forgotten about the tiny swiss army knife on my key chain. Away that went, and they took the opportunity to use the explosives detector on my laptop case and shoes.

I went into the AC, and Terry escorted me into the Flagship lounge. It was the quiet part of the day for them, and I was the only passenger there. The only food out was the remains of a cheese platter, which I finished off for lunch. They were doing a photo shoot that I had to navigate around during my stay. Terry left, and her successor introduced herself, and told me that she would come & let me out the back door 30 minutes before departure time. She did, and I walked out past the security checkpoint and down to the one at the other end of Terminal B. There was not a big line, but they were moving very, very slowly. As I was putting my stuff on the belt, I heard them paging me to the gate. I looked around to see if there were any AA staff who could tell the gate I was on my way, but there were none. As I waited for them to finish with the people ahead of me, I was paged 3 more times and they started calling standbys, but had no trouble when I finally got to the gate.

The plane was a Saab 340B propjet, and the flight was uneventful. We left on time, arrived on time. My only minor complaint was the limited selection of soft drinks, which did not include club soda. If all lifes problems were that insignificant!

AA 132 JFK-LHR 11JAN 9:30 PM B777 F 3J

No Flagship lounge at JFK (I assume they are waiting for the new terminal to be completed), so I killed a few hours at the Admirals Club instead. Fearing a long line at security I headed for the gate an hour before departure. No line, was at the gate in five minutes.

Before boarding time two uniformed INS agents escorted a man who appeared to be middle-eastern to the gate along with a cart full of luggage. A long conversation with the gate agent ensued, and eventually the INS agents walked him onto the plane. They then called for the first and business class passengers to board, without any explanation of how the process would proceed. As a result, a crowd rushed the gate. Despite several 1st & business only PA announcements, everyone who tried was let aboard. All in all it was very unprofessional.

I eventually got on, and immediately noticed that the seating was old style. So much for trying out the suites, but at least it was a 777. I took my seat (3J), and noticed that a young woman who I had not seen at the gate was already in seat 4J behind me (more on her later). The load in first was 6/18. I never walked back to see how full the rest of the plane was.

Menus were distributed before takeoff. The Fast Track pass and UK landing card were included with the menu. After take-off the Bose headsets and movie selections were distributed. Instead of front-to-back, meal orders were taken starting with the women in 4J, then me, and then down the other aisle front-to-back to get the 3 middle section and 1 left section passengers. No caviar of course, but the rest of the menu was as usual. The full menu is below. I had the Chateaubriand, which was cooked to a perfect medium-rare. Very good! A card was included with the menu for your breakfast choice none, express (juice & breads) 30 minutes before landing, or continental (juice, fruit, cereal, yogurt, breads) 1 hour before landing. You were supposed to fill out & turn in the card before going to sleep. I decided to sleep as long as I could and take my chances on breakfast.

Again, the flight was uneventful. I watched Ghost World on tape during the meal service, and went to sleep afterwards. I woke up about 90 minutes before arrival, and quickly received a cup of coffee, and the breakfast followed. The pilot came on and announced that we were being put into a holding pattern for 30 minutes, making up for the time we had gained enroute.

We landed about 5 minutes late and taxied to a stand instead of a gate. I normally hate this, but the walk from the American gates at LHR to immigration is so long that I think it is a wash time wise. The stairs arrived. Two women came up the stairs to escort the passenger in 4J off the plane. They were wearing dark blue business dress, with Heathrow florescent yellow vests. They knew the passenger, and chatted about the current term being quite long, lasting until Easter. At that point I realized that she was Chelsea Clinton (her hair was shorter than I remembered), on her way back to Oxford.

They appeared to hold the coach passengers on the plane while the first bus took first & business passengers to immigration & customs. No queues, was out of the airport in 5 minutes.

I will post the return later.

-----Menu-----

Champagne

Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Vintage Champagne

White Wines

Zaca Mesa Santa Barbara County Zaca Vineyard Chardonnay 1998
Vincent Sauvestre Chablis Premier Cru Beauroy 1999
Alderbrook Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc 1998

Red Wines

Wynn Australian Shiraz 1998
Chateau Batailley 1997
King Estate Oregon Pinot Noir 1997

Sherry
Osborne Amontillado Sherry

Dessert Wines
Grahams Vintage Port 1983
Royal Tokaji Blue Label Tokaji Aszu 1996

To Start

To Accompany your preferred Cocktail or Beverage:
An assortment of warm roasted nuts
Or
Fresh Vegetables served in a Ranch Dressing

Appetizer

Smoked Salmon accompanied by Capers, Red Onion and Sour Cream garnished with Lemon wedges and served with Toast Points

The Salad Cart

Please seclect any combination of the following served with Unos Focaccia Bread:
Fresh seasonal Greens offered with creamy Basil Dressing or Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
Lobster Tail and Claw with Lemon wedges
Your choice of fresh vegetables including Tomato wedges, Olives, Onions, and Yellow Bell Peppers

Bread Basket

Assorted warm Breads

Entrees

The following a la carte vegetable options are available with your entre: Wilted Spinach, Balsamic Grilled Tomatoes and Whipped Potatoes

Chateaubriand
Roasted Tenderloin of Beef marinated with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar, complemented by a Portobello Mushroom and Red Wine Demi-Glace, presented with oven-roasted Carrot Slices and Lemon Mashed Potatoes

Grilled Salmon
Grilled Salmon accented by a Leek Garlic Sauce, served on a bed of roasted sliced Potatoes and a fresh Sauce of Asparagus with Cherry Tomatoes

Cannelloni
Spinach and Cheese filled Pasta accompanied by a Tomato Sauce and a light Cream Sauce

Evening Feature: Chicken Spinach Soup
A hearty Soup prepared with Spinach, diced Carrots, White Beans and Onions, and strips of smoked Chicken Breast garnished with grated Parmesan Cheese

Lighter Fare

Presented as an alternative, your Lighter Fare entre may be created from our Salad Cart
Or
From our selection of a la carte vegetables.

Dine Upon Request

You may choose one of the following entrees to be served with a Salmon Tartare Appetizer and a specially prepared Dessert, presented all at once, at any time you wish.

Grilled Salmon
Cannelloni
Chicken Spinach Soup

Desserts

The Cheese Cart
Red Leicester, Camembert and Roquefort Cheese served with selected Crackers and offered with Port and other fine Wines

The Desert Cart
Ice Cream Sundae
Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream with a choice of Hot Fudge, Butterscotch or seasonal Berry Toppings, Whipped Cream and Pecans
Or
Grand Marnier Fruit Salad
Presented with Haagen-Dazs Mango Sorbet

Godiva Chocolates

Breakfast

Continental Breakfast
Chilled freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Seasonal Fruit
Yogurt
Cereal
Assorted Breakfast Breads


[This message has been edited by rbarbour (edited 01-18-2002).]
rbarbour is offline  
Old Jan 18, 2002, 9:24 am
  #2  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: SYD
Posts: 1,363
Great report!

Did you notice if the FAs were making any particular fuss over the "young woman" sitting behind you? Wonder if she is EXP as well

MilesDependent is offline  
Old Jan 18, 2002, 12:19 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MilesDependent:
Great report!

Did you notice if the FAs were making any particular fuss over the "young woman" sitting behind you? Wonder if she is EXP as well

</font>
I was wondering this also. Was Chelsea flying incognito or was it pretty obvious who she was. I would imagine that someone who really disliked her dad (and maybe had a bit to drink?) may go up to her and start ranting and raving about why her dad was a terrible president etc.

I would bet that she gets all the benefits of EXP and whatever other benefits she needs/wants. She obviously was able to pre-board well before the rest of the masses! I'm surprised that dad & mom couldn't find a corporate jet or two belonging to "friends" that just happened to be flying to the UK that Chelsea could squeeze into?

onedog is offline  
Old Jan 18, 2002, 5:46 pm
  #4  
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
Thank you for the interesting report. The desert on AA F to me at least is not very original. Anybody can get this desert at home! Reminds me of TWA F in the 1970s when on every transatlantic trip they served only Vanilla ice cream with whipped cream from a Ready Whip Spray Can. I laughed the first time I experienced this. "Whipped cream sir with your Sunday?" "Yes please". Then the can would come out and you would hear WOOSH WOOSH WOOSH. I wonder whether AA uses real cream?

I am a bit nervous about the Saab planes. A year ago when a Crossair Saab crashed on takeoff from Zurich I read some bad press on the Saab. Have you heard anything about this plane? I now try to avoid this plane.
Bretteee is offline  
Old Jan 18, 2002, 6:52 pm
  #5  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by onedog:
I was wondering this also. Was Chelsea flying incognito or was it pretty obvious who she was. I would imagine that someone who really disliked her dad (and maybe had a bit to drink?) may go up to her and start ranting and raving about why her dad was a terrible president etc.

I would bet that she gets all the benefits of EXP and whatever other benefits she needs/wants. She obviously was able to pre-board well before the rest of the masses! I'm surprised that dad & mom couldn't find a corporate jet or two belonging to "friends" that just happened to be flying to the UK that Chelsea could squeeze into?

</font>
Maybe she paid full fare F?
daniellam is offline  
Old Jan 18, 2002, 7:25 pm
  #6  
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: BOS AA EXP
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MilesDependant, onedog, I was not paying a lot of attention. I did notice that a couple of AA crew stopped to chat with her while we were still on the ground. During the flight I never had the impression that she was being treated any differently than the rest of us, and I certainly never saw any indication that she was expecting special treatment.

Bretteee I agree that the sundae is not very original. On the other hand, unlike a lot of other airline food, its prettry hard to mess it up! And thank you for reminding me of those Ready Whip cans ... I had forgotten all about them.
rbarbour is offline  
Old Jan 18, 2002, 8:51 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Newport Beach - UA Premier
Posts: 94
As opposed to someone coming up to the "special passenger" and telling her what a terrible President her father was, I'm sure there were MANY onboard who were also wanting to tell her what a FABULOUS President her father was. It goes both ways!!!
WilliamTheTraveler is offline  

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