Confessions and Reflections.....Part 1
Mar 3, 2003 | 1:38 pm
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Maine
Posts: 634
Confessions and Reflections.....Part 1
After starting many trip reports over the last few months and never finishing them (one could call it laziness!) I thought I’d try again, this time highlighting certain things from different trips and combining them into one report. The catalyst is a desire to contribute something to these boards after having learned so much from them! I’ll start in a time far, far away where one of the first things I can remember was having to go to the hospital to have a tooth pulled when I was 3…..ooops….let’s fast forward to July of last year!
AA #146, BOS-CDG
767-300
My first experience flying anything other than coach was on this flight last July, we (my partner and I) were going to visit his cousin and her husband in Paris for a couple of days then all of us were going to Corsica to visit more family for a week. We used miles to upgrade to Business Class on this trip and were looking forward to it.
Reflections:
-We had the bulkhead seats row 7A & B and my first thought upon seeing them was that there couldn’t possibly be 60” of pitch! Even with the cutout in the lower part of the bulkhead I could barely stretch my legs out fully, however they were nice seats and much better than coach so I wasn’t complaining! Luckily Business wasn’t full on this flight and we were able to move to the middle section of row 8 where we found loads of legroom, it was a big difference from the bulkhead seats.
-The service was great, warm nuts, champagne, wine, wonderful meal, attentive flight attendants, personal DVD player. It was an incredible first time experience, we enjoyed it very much and were now completely spoiled, and didn’t know if we would ever be able to go back to coach again!
Paris-Marseilles, TGV
After two days wining and dining in Paris (I love the cafes where one can sit and have a leisurely drink or two and watch the world go by!) we were off to Corsica via the TGV to Marseilles and then ferry boat to the island. This was our 3rd visit to Corsica. The other times we had flown from Paris to BIA (Bastia) so this was going to be a different experience (one way though, we were flying back!)
Reflections:
-My first time on the TGV, an incredible train, so fast and smooth, if I closed my eyes I felt I was barely moving! Not much room for a lot of luggage if one has it, luckily I was traveling light, however the others were not and had a struggle to find space for it ( the train was full). Seats were comfortable enough, about 33-34” pitch. Brought our own food as food on the train is expensive. 3 hours to Marseilles!
Ferryboat to Bastia, Corsica,
This was an overnight boat to the island and we all shared one cabin for the trip. Our cabin was compact but nicely laid out with 2 bunks on each side and a surprisingly good sized bathroom (meaning one could turn around in it without banging into a wall or falling into the shower!, although after a few drinks this could change!)
Reflections:
- Dinner in one of 3 main restaurants on the ship was quite expensive but quite good. There was also a disco/bar, small pool, and a café type area. Settling into our bunks for the night it took us a while to go to sleep, mainly due to the fact that a couple of us couldn’t settle down and kept cracking jokes etc. making us all laugh and act like 4 adolescents who were away from the parents for the first time!
-It was wonderful going out on deck first thing the next morning and watching the island appear from a dissipating coastal cloudbank. Huge mountains peaking out from the clouds and then, after about an hour, sunshine and the port of Bastia coming into view.
-My partner’s family is a lot of fun to be with. Family get together’s/parties every night, good food, lots of wine. One of the highlights of the trip was driving over the mountains on some very narrow twisty roads to Ajaccio (Napolean’s birthplace) . Two very small cars full of people crawling over these huge mountains, stopping half way at a small mountain village for coffee, then on down to Ajaccio for lunch at a restaurant right on the beach and afterwards sunning on said beach and swimming. A lot of laughter, a lot of talking and of course more wine!
AF, BIA-ORY
A321
It was time to leave and after bidding our farewells to the family boarded our A321 for the 1.5 hour flight to Paris Orly. This was my first flight in an A321 and we were in row 3 seats D and E. Since F was empty my partner moved over to that seat after which we were surprised to find that my right armrest and his left armrest could be adjusted over about an inch or two making our seats wider. This must be the adjustment for first/business class configuration I assume. After taking off, the FA served drinks and passed out sandwiches (this being a noon flight). This was the first time we had been offered anything to eat on one of these flights. The previous times we had flown to/from BIA the only thing offered was juice, coffee, or water, however these were morning flights so that might be the reason.
Spent a nice afternoon/evening in Paris with a walk through Montmartre, drinks and crepes at a nice little café near Sacre Coeur and then back to the apartment for a nights rest before catching our flight back to BOS the next afternoon.
In October we decided to go to London. This would be a birthday present for me and a couple of firsts, first time to London and first time flying in a 777. We each had enough miles for a one-way upgrade to Business so decided to upgrade on the way over. We were also going to be meeting up with Flyertalkers MIKESILV and his wife, and Sarawest.
AA #108, BOS-LHR
777-200
Business Class
I like the 777, the interior is spacious and relatively quiet, and the power of those huge engines, wow! We were in seats 13 HJ, the last row in Business, and were quite content. Had an excellent FA who was very friendly and personable. We each ended up giving her an SOS (and no not because she couldn’t believe it was my 50th birthday, honestly!!). She told us that it was unusual to see SOS’s being handed out on an international trip.
I also found it better to have a personal monitor in the armrest in Business on the 777 as opposed to the individual DVD players they hand out in Business on the 767’s, less mess IMHO.
Reflections:
-Having only 2 days in London we saw as much as possible. Purchasing a weekend bus/tube pass which allowed us to hop on and off the various modes of public transportation within a defined area very easily and quickly. Carnaby Street, Westminster Abbey (closed when we got there), Big Ben, Parliament Building, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace are a few of the places we went to.
-My first taste of Indian food! Love it!
-Everyone was friendly, from the bus drivers to people on the street when asking for
directions.
-Met up with MIKESILV, his wife and Sarawest at Waterloo Station and from there went to the Cork and Bottle for drinks and dinner. It was nice seeing Mike and his wife again and meeting Sara for the first time. We had a great time!
AA #109, LHR-BOS
777-200
Coach
Using one of the many great bits of information I’ve gleaned from Flyertalk I had reserved seats 31 H and J for our trip back to BOS and was not disappointed. These are great coach seats on AA’s 777 with lots of legroom. People do tend to stand in front of you when waiting for the lavatory but that is really the only drawback that I can see. Again we had some very personable and friendly FA’s, making the trip home very enjoyable. And the food wasn’t bad either!
[This message has been edited by DEK (edited 03-03-2003).]
AA #146, BOS-CDG
767-300
My first experience flying anything other than coach was on this flight last July, we (my partner and I) were going to visit his cousin and her husband in Paris for a couple of days then all of us were going to Corsica to visit more family for a week. We used miles to upgrade to Business Class on this trip and were looking forward to it.
Reflections:
-We had the bulkhead seats row 7A & B and my first thought upon seeing them was that there couldn’t possibly be 60” of pitch! Even with the cutout in the lower part of the bulkhead I could barely stretch my legs out fully, however they were nice seats and much better than coach so I wasn’t complaining! Luckily Business wasn’t full on this flight and we were able to move to the middle section of row 8 where we found loads of legroom, it was a big difference from the bulkhead seats.
-The service was great, warm nuts, champagne, wine, wonderful meal, attentive flight attendants, personal DVD player. It was an incredible first time experience, we enjoyed it very much and were now completely spoiled, and didn’t know if we would ever be able to go back to coach again!
Paris-Marseilles, TGV
After two days wining and dining in Paris (I love the cafes where one can sit and have a leisurely drink or two and watch the world go by!) we were off to Corsica via the TGV to Marseilles and then ferry boat to the island. This was our 3rd visit to Corsica. The other times we had flown from Paris to BIA (Bastia) so this was going to be a different experience (one way though, we were flying back!)
Reflections:
-My first time on the TGV, an incredible train, so fast and smooth, if I closed my eyes I felt I was barely moving! Not much room for a lot of luggage if one has it, luckily I was traveling light, however the others were not and had a struggle to find space for it ( the train was full). Seats were comfortable enough, about 33-34” pitch. Brought our own food as food on the train is expensive. 3 hours to Marseilles!
Ferryboat to Bastia, Corsica,
This was an overnight boat to the island and we all shared one cabin for the trip. Our cabin was compact but nicely laid out with 2 bunks on each side and a surprisingly good sized bathroom (meaning one could turn around in it without banging into a wall or falling into the shower!, although after a few drinks this could change!)
Reflections:
- Dinner in one of 3 main restaurants on the ship was quite expensive but quite good. There was also a disco/bar, small pool, and a café type area. Settling into our bunks for the night it took us a while to go to sleep, mainly due to the fact that a couple of us couldn’t settle down and kept cracking jokes etc. making us all laugh and act like 4 adolescents who were away from the parents for the first time!
-It was wonderful going out on deck first thing the next morning and watching the island appear from a dissipating coastal cloudbank. Huge mountains peaking out from the clouds and then, after about an hour, sunshine and the port of Bastia coming into view.
-My partner’s family is a lot of fun to be with. Family get together’s/parties every night, good food, lots of wine. One of the highlights of the trip was driving over the mountains on some very narrow twisty roads to Ajaccio (Napolean’s birthplace) . Two very small cars full of people crawling over these huge mountains, stopping half way at a small mountain village for coffee, then on down to Ajaccio for lunch at a restaurant right on the beach and afterwards sunning on said beach and swimming. A lot of laughter, a lot of talking and of course more wine!
AF, BIA-ORY
A321
It was time to leave and after bidding our farewells to the family boarded our A321 for the 1.5 hour flight to Paris Orly. This was my first flight in an A321 and we were in row 3 seats D and E. Since F was empty my partner moved over to that seat after which we were surprised to find that my right armrest and his left armrest could be adjusted over about an inch or two making our seats wider. This must be the adjustment for first/business class configuration I assume. After taking off, the FA served drinks and passed out sandwiches (this being a noon flight). This was the first time we had been offered anything to eat on one of these flights. The previous times we had flown to/from BIA the only thing offered was juice, coffee, or water, however these were morning flights so that might be the reason.
Spent a nice afternoon/evening in Paris with a walk through Montmartre, drinks and crepes at a nice little café near Sacre Coeur and then back to the apartment for a nights rest before catching our flight back to BOS the next afternoon.
In October we decided to go to London. This would be a birthday present for me and a couple of firsts, first time to London and first time flying in a 777. We each had enough miles for a one-way upgrade to Business so decided to upgrade on the way over. We were also going to be meeting up with Flyertalkers MIKESILV and his wife, and Sarawest.
AA #108, BOS-LHR
777-200
Business Class
I like the 777, the interior is spacious and relatively quiet, and the power of those huge engines, wow! We were in seats 13 HJ, the last row in Business, and were quite content. Had an excellent FA who was very friendly and personable. We each ended up giving her an SOS (and no not because she couldn’t believe it was my 50th birthday, honestly!!). She told us that it was unusual to see SOS’s being handed out on an international trip.
I also found it better to have a personal monitor in the armrest in Business on the 777 as opposed to the individual DVD players they hand out in Business on the 767’s, less mess IMHO.
Reflections:
-Having only 2 days in London we saw as much as possible. Purchasing a weekend bus/tube pass which allowed us to hop on and off the various modes of public transportation within a defined area very easily and quickly. Carnaby Street, Westminster Abbey (closed when we got there), Big Ben, Parliament Building, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace are a few of the places we went to.
-My first taste of Indian food! Love it!
-Everyone was friendly, from the bus drivers to people on the street when asking for
directions.
-Met up with MIKESILV, his wife and Sarawest at Waterloo Station and from there went to the Cork and Bottle for drinks and dinner. It was nice seeing Mike and his wife again and meeting Sara for the first time. We had a great time!
AA #109, LHR-BOS
777-200
Coach
Using one of the many great bits of information I’ve gleaned from Flyertalk I had reserved seats 31 H and J for our trip back to BOS and was not disappointed. These are great coach seats on AA’s 777 with lots of legroom. People do tend to stand in front of you when waiting for the lavatory but that is really the only drawback that I can see. Again we had some very personable and friendly FA’s, making the trip home very enjoyable. And the food wasn’t bad either!
[This message has been edited by DEK (edited 03-03-2003).]
