Malta, Four Sectors, Three Airlines and all BA??
Sep 15, 2018, 2:47 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,140
Malta, Four Sectors, Three Airlines
and all BA??
It was time to dig out the T8191 ‘Buckets and Spades’ again … or more accurately, fly somewhere warm and sunny, from London (Gatwick) Airport (LGW), BA’s ‘Holiday Hub’. We do NOT do ‘bucket and spade’, for the record 
Back in January we booked Club Europe (CE to the initiated!) for some September warmth in Malta (MLA), staying at the lovely little Guest house we used last year - tucked away in the glorious old City of Valletta. Previous TR is HERE
The flights, JER-LGW-MLA in CE, were £736 … but throwing 73,000 Avios back at BA reduced the price to £450. Not the greatest value, but we’re Avios-rich so don’t really care a lot! Of interest to some (not least, to T8191+1) this racks up 40+80 TP e/w and 4,453 Avios e/w for a Goldie, which were all posted within a couple of days.
As always, the MLA schedules are somewhat random, depending on the day of the week, and we didn’t really fancy taking our chances of getting the 0705 out of JER in the hopes of connecting to an early LGW departure … we’ve done a ~45-minute connection in the past [with the same Captain on both legs!] but it’s a bit too risky with JER’s tendency to fog! We thus consigned ourselves to a night stop at LGW, at the Hilton (£103), to get the 0745 departure in the morning … thus maximising ‘time on the ground’ at our destination. All sorted!!
Or not! Having booked on 12 Jan, the first BA change came in on 22 Feb with some re-timing of the return leg. Worse was the re-timing of the outbound to MLA, from 0745 to 0615!! The overnight stay at LGW was now fully justified, but that sort of start to a day is beyond my ken.
Further changes followed in the subsequent months. Regulars on the BA Forum will be familiar with the wet-lease issue affecting BA, after they slightly overstretched themselves when grabbing the Monarch slots at LGW, which led to a shortage of aircraft and crews to operate the schedules. As a result ... LGW-JER now operated by PrivatAir (at one stage it was op by Eastern Airways!). LGW-MLA and return now operated by Titan Airways. Well, it all makes a change from the usual drudge of BA’s CE … let’s see how it went.
At OLCI time, it was clear that BA’s IT was recreating one of the glitches that I’d met in the past … the BPs that came up on screen were blank!
Fortunately I remembered the work-around I’d discovered. Ignore the blank screen, just email the BP to yourself and - voila! You have just received your BP!
Tue 4 Sep 18
1350-1455
JER-LGW, BA2773, A 319
CE seats 1A/C
A nice leisurely start to the trip - we seem to have used the 0705 Red-Eye far too often of late! The Airport processes passed in the blink of an eye: 2 mins for bag-drop (case checked through to MLA) and maybe 4 mins for Security caused by a dozen folks in front of us! JER is a very quick and efficient airport most of the time. We loitered in the lounge, and were a bit surprised to note the lack of refilling of the trays.
On the positive side, the new (?) Wine Cooler seemed to be very effective. I was pleased to find it contained a bottle of “The Doctor’s” NZ Sauvignon Blanc … a refreshing and light 9.5%, ideal for avoiding excess on the journey. £8.99 at your local Waitrose, and worth a try!
Boarding was from Gate 10, where the priority pax were as usual segregated into our own holding lounge. Unfortunately, when boarding started, both holding lounges were released at the same time … with both front and rear steps being used, this meant both streams having to cross over. Not very efficient, but at least Door 1L had the ramp this time.
We settled into 1A/C, with me in 1C leaning hard left to avoid being battered by other peoples’ bags as they boarded. The First Officer was on good form, as he apologised for the slightly late departure “… caused by the late arrival of the inbound aircraft. I don’t know why, and I’m not going to insult your intelligence by making something up.” Later on he apologised for “… not speaking to you earlier, as we were busy negotiating with ATC.” It clearly worked, because they made up the 15 min delay and arrived on time!
Oh, I nearly forgot. Food picture time! Chicken Caesar Salad. It was edible, although the chicken was severely dehydrated. A glass of Castelnau helped it down.
Our arrival was facilitated by having finally decided to night-stop in HBO mode, leaving our case to spend the night somewhere in the bowels of the airport. C-W-S would be pleased! So off through Arrivals, across the airport road and down through the car park to the Hilton for our overnight stop. A fairly unimpressive facility, with very expensive food options … we hopped back to Departures and raided M&S for some sandwiches and G&T/Pimms for dinner! We paused at the Public smoking area outside Departures, which is extremely well signed, and noted that as usual the No Smoking part was full of smokers!
The Hilton is a fairly scruffy establishment these days, especially externally, although at least it had a Smokers Shelter by the main entrance.
And so to bed, with alarms set for <shudder> 0430.
Wed 5 Sep 18
0615-1030
BA2644, LGW-MLA, A320
CE seats 1A/C
Operated by Titan Airways for BA, G-POWK.
Stumbling slowly into life, re-packing obviously only took a few moments, and by 0500 we were grabbing the first smoke of the day <cough> Briskly through Security (Premium Gatwick for the entitled), at 0515 we exited the lift to the BA Lounges to discover that’s where the queue for entry started! Well, in fairness, the Lounges don’t open until 0515, and in any case we were inside within 5 minutes or so.
Not long to wait, as Gate 35 was declared at 0529 precisely and is almost as far from the Lounge as you can be at LGW(S)! Off we trotted! Priority Boarding was indeed being enforced, and commenced on time at 0535, so with the winning combination of Group 1, Seq 001 and seat 1A, we headed off down the stairs at the front of the pack to board via steps at Door 1L. Except that we didn’t. It seems they weren’t quite ready for us yet, so a long line of passengers stood on the ramp in a steady drizzle for several minutes before actually being allowed to board!
“Welcome to Titan Airways”. Nothing dramatically different … its another A320, with no wardrobe at the front allowing 1A/C unlimited legroom and a panoramic view of the door, the jump seats and the galley. The overhead lockers were allocated to Crew, so our [small] carry-ons had to go over 1D/F.
What was obvious, though, was that 1D/F had noticeably less legroom than in the BA iteration. I did ask permission from the gentleman in 1D before photographing his legs!
Pushback on the dot of 0615, airborne at 0630, and eventually at 0710 our drinks orders were taken. It seemed clear that one of the CC looking after the 9 rows of CE was either fairly new, or unfamiliar with BA’s service procedures. He took our orders, went back to the galley where his colleague placed them on a tray, and then delivered them to us. He then went to 1D/F, took their order, back to the Galley … and rinse and repeat for a total of 18 journeys back and forth. After 15 minutes he had completed half of Row 3!!
Meanwhile, the BoB trolley working ET was obviously blocking the aisle, so the ET pax formed a queue in my foot-space for the single front lavatory, as they couldn’t access the 2 at the rear.
At 0745, my notes tell me, we received our Breakfast trays. Row 2 got theirs at 0800. It seems that all 9 rows were served by 0845. Standard BA ‘great British Breakfast’ … no further comment needed!
No second drinks run either, although we could have asked, and instead we just directed our attention to our Kindles as usual. Oh, and took a quick snap of an Alp somewhere …
Overall, our first Titan experience was essentially just like BA with an inefficient crew. Only the paint scheme differentiated from our POV, although of course we knew nothing about what it was like further back in CE and ET.
We have arrived in MLA, a few minutes early I believe. Unsurprisingly we were first off the aircraft, walked across the Ramp and the Service Road and seamlessly passed through Immigration to Reclaim. As could be expected our case was close to being the last one on the belt, but at least it had completed the journey with us. My fears of leaving it overnight were offset against the even earlier and stressed start to the day if we’d decided to keep it with us at the Hilton.
And finally, there in the Arrivals concourse, is our driver bearing a translation of “T8191” on a nice clear board. Off we go, Merc-limo style, into Valletta and our home for the next week.
Back in January we booked Club Europe (CE to the initiated!) for some September warmth in Malta (MLA), staying at the lovely little Guest house we used last year - tucked away in the glorious old City of Valletta. Previous TR is HERE
The flights, JER-LGW-MLA in CE, were £736 … but throwing 73,000 Avios back at BA reduced the price to £450. Not the greatest value, but we’re Avios-rich so don’t really care a lot! Of interest to some (not least, to T8191+1) this racks up 40+80 TP e/w and 4,453 Avios e/w for a Goldie, which were all posted within a couple of days.
As always, the MLA schedules are somewhat random, depending on the day of the week, and we didn’t really fancy taking our chances of getting the 0705 out of JER in the hopes of connecting to an early LGW departure … we’ve done a ~45-minute connection in the past [with the same Captain on both legs!] but it’s a bit too risky with JER’s tendency to fog! We thus consigned ourselves to a night stop at LGW, at the Hilton (£103), to get the 0745 departure in the morning … thus maximising ‘time on the ground’ at our destination. All sorted!!
Or not! Having booked on 12 Jan, the first BA change came in on 22 Feb with some re-timing of the return leg. Worse was the re-timing of the outbound to MLA, from 0745 to 0615!! The overnight stay at LGW was now fully justified, but that sort of start to a day is beyond my ken.
Further changes followed in the subsequent months. Regulars on the BA Forum will be familiar with the wet-lease issue affecting BA, after they slightly overstretched themselves when grabbing the Monarch slots at LGW, which led to a shortage of aircraft and crews to operate the schedules. As a result ... LGW-JER now operated by PrivatAir (at one stage it was op by Eastern Airways!). LGW-MLA and return now operated by Titan Airways. Well, it all makes a change from the usual drudge of BA’s CE … let’s see how it went.
At OLCI time, it was clear that BA’s IT was recreating one of the glitches that I’d met in the past … the BPs that came up on screen were blank!
Fortunately I remembered the work-around I’d discovered. Ignore the blank screen, just email the BP to yourself and - voila! You have just received your BP!
Tue 4 Sep 18
1350-1455
JER-LGW, BA2773, A 319
CE seats 1A/C
A nice leisurely start to the trip - we seem to have used the 0705 Red-Eye far too often of late! The Airport processes passed in the blink of an eye: 2 mins for bag-drop (case checked through to MLA) and maybe 4 mins for Security caused by a dozen folks in front of us! JER is a very quick and efficient airport most of the time. We loitered in the lounge, and were a bit surprised to note the lack of refilling of the trays.
On the positive side, the new (?) Wine Cooler seemed to be very effective. I was pleased to find it contained a bottle of “The Doctor’s” NZ Sauvignon Blanc … a refreshing and light 9.5%, ideal for avoiding excess on the journey. £8.99 at your local Waitrose, and worth a try!
Boarding was from Gate 10, where the priority pax were as usual segregated into our own holding lounge. Unfortunately, when boarding started, both holding lounges were released at the same time … with both front and rear steps being used, this meant both streams having to cross over. Not very efficient, but at least Door 1L had the ramp this time.
We settled into 1A/C, with me in 1C leaning hard left to avoid being battered by other peoples’ bags as they boarded. The First Officer was on good form, as he apologised for the slightly late departure “… caused by the late arrival of the inbound aircraft. I don’t know why, and I’m not going to insult your intelligence by making something up.”
Later on he apologised for “… not speaking to you earlier, as we were busy negotiating with ATC.” It clearly worked, because they made up the 15 min delay and arrived on time!Oh, I nearly forgot. Food picture time! Chicken Caesar Salad. It was edible, although the chicken was severely dehydrated. A glass of Castelnau helped it down.
Our arrival was facilitated by having finally decided to night-stop in HBO mode, leaving our case to spend the night somewhere in the bowels of the airport. C-W-S would be pleased! So off through Arrivals, across the airport road and down through the car park to the Hilton for our overnight stop. A fairly unimpressive facility, with very expensive food options … we hopped back to Departures and raided M&S for some sandwiches and G&T/Pimms for dinner! We paused at the Public smoking area outside Departures, which is extremely well signed, and noted that as usual the No Smoking part was full of smokers!
The Hilton is a fairly scruffy establishment these days, especially externally, although at least it had a Smokers Shelter by the main entrance.
And so to bed, with alarms set for <shudder> 0430.
Wed 5 Sep 18
0615-1030
BA2644, LGW-MLA, A320
CE seats 1A/C
Operated by Titan Airways for BA, G-POWK.
Stumbling slowly into life, re-packing obviously only took a few moments, and by 0500 we were grabbing the first smoke of the day <cough>
Briskly through Security (Premium Gatwick for the entitled), at 0515 we exited the lift to the BA Lounges to discover that’s where the queue for entry started! Well, in fairness, the Lounges don’t open until 0515, and in any case we were inside within 5 minutes or so.Not long to wait, as Gate 35 was declared at 0529 precisely and is almost as far from the Lounge as you can be at LGW(S)! Off we trotted! Priority Boarding was indeed being enforced, and commenced on time at 0535, so with the winning combination of Group 1, Seq 001 and seat 1A, we headed off down the stairs at the front of the pack to board via steps at Door 1L. Except that we didn’t. It seems they weren’t quite ready for us yet, so a long line of passengers stood on the ramp in a steady drizzle for several minutes before actually being allowed to board!
“Welcome to Titan Airways”. Nothing dramatically different … its another A320, with no wardrobe at the front allowing 1A/C unlimited legroom and a panoramic view of the door, the jump seats and the galley. The overhead lockers were allocated to Crew, so our [small] carry-ons had to go over 1D/F.
What was obvious, though, was that 1D/F had noticeably less legroom than in the BA iteration. I did ask permission from the gentleman in 1D before photographing his legs!
Pushback on the dot of 0615, airborne at 0630, and eventually at 0710 our drinks orders were taken. It seemed clear that one of the CC looking after the 9 rows of CE was either fairly new, or unfamiliar with BA’s service procedures. He took our orders, went back to the galley where his colleague placed them on a tray, and then delivered them to us. He then went to 1D/F, took their order, back to the Galley … and rinse and repeat for a total of 18 journeys back and forth. After 15 minutes he had completed half of Row 3!!
Meanwhile, the BoB trolley working ET was obviously blocking the aisle, so the ET pax formed a queue in my foot-space for the single front lavatory, as they couldn’t access the 2 at the rear.
At 0745, my notes tell me, we received our Breakfast trays. Row 2 got theirs at 0800. It seems that all 9 rows were served by 0845. Standard BA ‘great British Breakfast’ … no further comment needed!
No second drinks run either, although we could have asked, and instead we just directed our attention to our Kindles as usual. Oh, and took a quick snap of an Alp somewhere …
Overall, our first Titan experience was essentially just like BA with an inefficient crew. Only the paint scheme differentiated from our POV, although of course we knew nothing about what it was like further back in CE and ET.
We have arrived in MLA, a few minutes early I believe. Unsurprisingly we were first off the aircraft, walked across the Ramp and the Service Road and seamlessly passed through Immigration to Reclaim. As could be expected our case was close to being the last one on the belt, but at least it had completed the journey with us. My fears of leaving it overnight were offset against the even earlier and stressed start to the day if we’d decided to keep it with us at the Hilton.
And finally, there in the Arrivals concourse, is our driver bearing a translation of “T8191” on a nice clear board. Off we go, Merc-limo style, into Valletta and our home for the next week.
Last edited by T8191; Jan 30, 2019 at 8:25 am Reason: typooz
Sep 15, 2018, 2:47 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,140
Boutique Hotel Bit!
We discovered our destination last year, and were so impressed we booked a return visit within a few months of getting home. Indeed, we’ve already booked for next April as well, but that will be another story [possibly].
Take a Baroque town house built in 1622, restore with care and furnish with style and imagination. Create 5 guest rooms/suites, with 'our' Penthouse Terrace up there at the top! Add superb breakfasts, and a wonderful Owner/Host and an efficient and charming young Manager.
As before, we booked the ‘Deluxe Penthouse Suite’ with its private roof-top terrace. It had been remodelled since last September with a new bathroom, as the plan is to turn it into 2 separate guest rooms and build a further storey to create a new penthouse suite. Rates are in the region of £200/night, depending on room of course. One thing that draws us back is that it is as far from being a cookie-cutter hotel as its possible to get!
Lobby. In the early days, this was where the carriage and stable were located, with the grand staircase on the side leading up to the Piano nobile.
Sitting Room
Bedroom
Private Terrace
Guest Lounge and Terrace
And the breakfasts were amazing. They included REAL fresh-squeezed Orange Juice and a Fruit Salad with Yoghurt. "Breakfast like a King, Dine like a Pauper" ...we hardly needed to eat for the rest of the day!
Proper Coffee, served with style!
Full English
Something lighter?
The Owner's home-made Rabbit Pie?
There are now numerous Boutique Hotels/B&Bs/Rental Apartments in Valletta. If it takes your fancy, it’s worth having an explore on the Web. AirBnB seems to have some interesting and cheap options in the City, if that's your thing.
The City of Valletta.
As befits a World Heritage Site, much of the City is as it always has been! OK, a lot of rebuilding and repair was needed after the bombing in WW2, but it’s all been done with sensitivity. So walking around feels as if you’ve slipped through a time-warp. Old shop fronts often lead to modernity inside, and the faded front doors of houses can also lead to magnificent interiors. And some shops are stuck in a time-warp somewhere in the early 20th Century! And of course cafes and street restaurants abound, particularly in Merchants Street (Triq il-Merkanti) … the choice is enormous.
Our view of Grand Harbour showed the usual procession of Cruise Ships and what may have been a private visit by rapidex (if it was him, he didn’t invite us on board for cocktails).
Fireworks.
The Maltese are VERY keen on fireworks - the noisier the better. Various Saints’ Days and other notable dates are marked with a barrage of explosions. Our stay coincided with 3 festivities celebrating: The Siege of Malta (1565), the end of the bombing in WW2 (1943), and the [assumed] birthday of The Virgin Mary. As a result, two barges were moored in the harbour opposite our accommodation as the launch-pads for immense explosions at any hour of the day or night! An early night was NOT an option for the 3 days that was going on.
Video >>>
We discovered our destination last year, and were so impressed we booked a return visit within a few months of getting home. Indeed, we’ve already booked for next April as well, but that will be another story [possibly].
Take a Baroque town house built in 1622, restore with care and furnish with style and imagination. Create 5 guest rooms/suites, with 'our' Penthouse Terrace up there at the top! Add superb breakfasts, and a wonderful Owner/Host and an efficient and charming young Manager.
As before, we booked the ‘Deluxe Penthouse Suite’ with its private roof-top terrace. It had been remodelled since last September with a new bathroom, as the plan is to turn it into 2 separate guest rooms and build a further storey to create a new penthouse suite. Rates are in the region of £200/night, depending on room of course. One thing that draws us back is that it is as far from being a cookie-cutter hotel as its possible to get!
Lobby. In the early days, this was where the carriage and stable were located, with the grand staircase on the side leading up to the Piano nobile.
Sitting Room
Bedroom
Private Terrace
Guest Lounge and Terrace
And the breakfasts were amazing. They included REAL fresh-squeezed Orange Juice and a Fruit Salad with Yoghurt. "Breakfast like a King, Dine like a Pauper" ...we hardly needed to eat for the rest of the day!
Proper Coffee, served with style!
Full English
Something lighter?
The Owner's home-made Rabbit Pie?
There are now numerous Boutique Hotels/B&Bs/Rental Apartments in Valletta. If it takes your fancy, it’s worth having an explore on the Web. AirBnB seems to have some interesting and cheap options in the City, if that's your thing.
The City of Valletta.
As befits a World Heritage Site, much of the City is as it always has been! OK, a lot of rebuilding and repair was needed after the bombing in WW2, but it’s all been done with sensitivity. So walking around feels as if you’ve slipped through a time-warp. Old shop fronts often lead to modernity inside, and the faded front doors of houses can also lead to magnificent interiors. And some shops are stuck in a time-warp somewhere in the early 20th Century! And of course cafes and street restaurants abound, particularly in Merchants Street (Triq il-Merkanti) … the choice is enormous.
Our view of Grand Harbour showed the usual procession of Cruise Ships and what may have been a private visit by rapidex (if it was him, he didn’t invite us on board for cocktails).
Fireworks.
The Maltese are VERY keen on fireworks - the noisier the better. Various Saints’ Days and other notable dates are marked with a barrage of explosions. Our stay coincided with 3 festivities celebrating: The Siege of Malta (1565), the end of the bombing in WW2 (1943), and the [assumed] birthday of The Virgin Mary. As a result, two barges were moored in the harbour opposite our accommodation as the launch-pads for immense explosions at any hour of the day or night! An early night was NOT an option for the 3 days that was going on.
Video >>>
Last edited by T8191; Sep 15, 2018 at 7:21 am Reason: Details, details!
Sep 15, 2018, 2:48 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,140
Time to go Home.
Good morning, Malta!
Wed 12 Sep 18. Having settled the bill the afternoon before, it was a fairly simple start to the day. We were offered an early breakfast (0810 instead of 0830) which included the owner’s own homemade Liver Patι and Lampuki and Spinach Pie! (Lampuki = Dorado = Mahi-Mahi). Delish! Taxi was ordered for 0900, but it was soon discovered that the reservation wasn’t properly recorded and no Limo had been booked. The owner thus prepared to drive us to the airport himself, when he managed to flag down a local taxi, negotiate the fare (€20) and get us on our way.
Check-in at Luqa International Airport was as slow as the previous year. Three lines: for CE/Gold/Silver/Bronze, Bag-Drop and Full Check-in. All moved at about the same speed, and it took the best part of 30 minutes before we had our La Vallette Lounge Access and Fast Track Security cards, and were on our way upstairs for Security [painless].
It’s about 1000 now. The lounge is really nice. Clean and spacious, and with a decent range of ‘small bites’ No fizzy wine, though, and the local Medina wines offered are drinkable but unexceptional. But we just LOVE the outside Terrace, as it allows smoking and also has a Departures Board
Wed 12 Sep 18
1250-1510
BA2645, MLA-LGW, A320
CE seats 1A/C
Operated by Titan Airways for BA, G-POWK.
OK, Titan II, here we go! Gate 18 (the furthest Gate) is called at 1050. So, being obedient people, off we wander with the confidence of Group 1 boarding! After passing through the Passport Control barrier we assemble with the multitude at Gate 18. No seats handy, so we play the “entitled Gate Lice” game and loiter tactically! It was nice to see one pax being intercepted for a ludicrously oversized carry-on, which was then consigned to the hold. I gave the Agent a ^.
About 1100 we were released, in the proper sequence, to walk across the service road and board via the [covered] steps at 1L, from where we claimed 1A/C again [stowing our bags above 1D/F … sorry!]. My usual battering of backpacks in 1C ensued, exacerbated by the number of backpacks some people were carrying … like THREE???? And they got away with it? If there’s one rule BA doesn’t enforce with any sense of consistency, it’s the carry-on allowances!
Nine rows of CE again … how will the Titan CC cope this time? Oh, we were blessed. I think I may praise and name Emma and Samantha in public for their charm, humour and efficiency, and I forgive Samantha for her gentle and playful lashing with the cords of the lifejacket after completing her demo! Meanwhile, Emma recited all the various scripts without referring to notes at all … I wonder if she wakes up at night muttering “… as the nearest exit may be behind you.”
Anyway, the real excitement came when the menus were handed out … the NEW Menus! No, it’s not just LHR, LGW flights get them too! Our CC were surprised when they discovered they had the new menus too! Read all about it here >>> Club Europe catering | menus, reviews and photos
Whilst enjoying our Fizz & Nuts …
… we both chose the “Massaman Beef Curry”, and jolly nice it was too!
I saved some of my Antipasti to go with the decent Cheese offering. Overall, a most surprisingly enjoyable BA CE meal … please keep up this new standard!
As on the outbound, my feet were plagued by pax from ET coming forward to use the adjacent lavatory … and several regular incontinents from CE as well! In conversation with the CC, it seems that BA declined to pay £20k to have the dividing curtain installed
The rest of the journey was pleasantly unmemorable, and there we were at LGW again … looking forward to another NEW experience.
It was a long layover at LGW (nearly 4 hours) so we popped landslide for a ciggie or two, re-entered and called in on Duty Free, before settling in to the Lounge to wait for the last leg. The view revealed our Titan A320 (G-POWK), and then later, lurking in between a BA and an EI, was our next sector … PrivatAir’s 737-700, configured 20+66.
Wed 12 Sep 18
1800-1900
BA2776, LGW-JER, B737
CE seats 1A/C
Operated by PrivatAir for BA, D-AWBC.
Sadly the full-flat seats were disabled. But the rest of it was simply excellent! A curtain separated the CE cabin at Row 6 from ET. And the legroom, with the flat-beds deactivated but still with retractable leg-rests, was simply hilarious! And 4 [yes, four] windows in Row 1! Ah, if only this aircraft had operated the MLA leg!
Amazingly there were only 50 pax on board - were people scared of flying not-BA? The LGW-JER flights are usually rammed on the BA A319! We were offered the High Speed dinner (Chicken Pasta Salad) but declined … it’s too easy to get indigestion on the quick hop to JER, and we had snacked adequately in the Lounge anyway. And at 1900, with Swiss punctuality, we were on the chocks at JER
Given the quantity of carry-on luggage, it was no surprise that hold bags came out quickly … we were kerb-side at 1910! The steady light drizzle emphasised that this holiday was over. And we, and a dozen other pax, discovered an empty Taxi rank*. In true Jersey fashion, a driver for a local tour company asked where we were going … he then found another ‘abandoned’ couple heading to the same part of St Helier, loaded us on to his mini-bus, and drove us home. He was obviously well tipped for his kindness.
*The problem was night roadworks on the main road to the Airport … on our way down Beaumont Hill we saw several taxis unable to reach the Airport, stuck in a long traffic queue.
_____________
And in conclusion ….
Well, you either like staying in old Cities or you don’t. It suits us a treat, and we’re so happy to have found a ‘home from home’ that we have already booked again for next April! But there’s more to Malta than just Valletta, so we do suggest you give it a try sometime. Careful research is recommended, though … there are Pearls and there are Lumps of Coal over there! AirBnB seems to have some interesting optiona, if that’s your thing.
The substituted flights were interesting. Titan I barely coped, Titan II was better than the average BA, and PrivatAir was simply surreal! There is absolutely ZERO reason to worry about either of these substitutions in the schedules … we just had fairly inefficient CC on Titan I, as you can get on BA from time to time.
Next trip is a repeat of the Western Cape on a 2-4-1 in December: Hermanus, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. At least there will be one new hotel to report on!!
Happy travels, and thanks for reading. Cheers!
Good morning, Malta!
Wed 12 Sep 18. Having settled the bill the afternoon before, it was a fairly simple start to the day. We were offered an early breakfast (0810 instead of 0830) which included the owner’s own homemade Liver Patι and Lampuki and Spinach Pie! (Lampuki = Dorado = Mahi-Mahi). Delish! Taxi was ordered for 0900, but it was soon discovered that the reservation wasn’t properly recorded and no Limo had been booked. The owner thus prepared to drive us to the airport himself, when he managed to flag down a local taxi, negotiate the fare (€20) and get us on our way.
Check-in at Luqa International Airport was as slow as the previous year. Three lines: for CE/Gold/Silver/Bronze, Bag-Drop and Full Check-in. All moved at about the same speed, and it took the best part of 30 minutes before we had our La Vallette Lounge Access and Fast Track Security cards, and were on our way upstairs for Security [painless].
It’s about 1000 now. The lounge is really nice. Clean and spacious, and with a decent range of ‘small bites’ No fizzy wine, though, and the local Medina wines offered are drinkable but unexceptional. But we just LOVE the outside Terrace, as it allows smoking and also has a Departures Board
Wed 12 Sep 18
1250-1510
BA2645, MLA-LGW, A320
CE seats 1A/C
Operated by Titan Airways for BA, G-POWK.
OK, Titan II, here we go! Gate 18 (the furthest Gate) is called at 1050. So, being obedient people, off we wander with the confidence of Group 1 boarding! After passing through the Passport Control barrier we assemble with the multitude at Gate 18. No seats handy, so we play the “entitled Gate Lice” game and loiter tactically! It was nice to see one pax being intercepted for a ludicrously oversized carry-on, which was then consigned to the hold. I gave the Agent a ^.
About 1100 we were released, in the proper sequence, to walk across the service road and board via the [covered] steps at 1L, from where we claimed 1A/C again [stowing our bags above 1D/F … sorry!]. My usual battering of backpacks in 1C ensued, exacerbated by the number of backpacks some people were carrying … like THREE???? And they got away with it? If there’s one rule BA doesn’t enforce with any sense of consistency, it’s the carry-on allowances!
Nine rows of CE again … how will the Titan CC cope this time? Oh, we were blessed. I think I may praise and name Emma and Samantha in public for their charm, humour and efficiency, and I forgive Samantha for her gentle and playful lashing with the cords of the lifejacket after completing her demo! Meanwhile, Emma recited all the various scripts without referring to notes at all … I wonder if she wakes up at night muttering “… as the nearest exit may be behind you.”
Anyway, the real excitement came when the menus were handed out … the NEW Menus! No, it’s not just LHR, LGW flights get them too! Our CC were surprised when they discovered they had the new menus too! Read all about it here >>> Club Europe catering | menus, reviews and photos
Whilst enjoying our Fizz & Nuts …
… we both chose the “Massaman Beef Curry”, and jolly nice it was too!
I saved some of my Antipasti to go with the decent Cheese offering. Overall, a most surprisingly enjoyable BA CE meal … please keep up this new standard!
As on the outbound, my feet were plagued by pax from ET coming forward to use the adjacent lavatory … and several regular incontinents from CE as well! In conversation with the CC, it seems that BA declined to pay £20k to have the dividing curtain installed
The rest of the journey was pleasantly unmemorable, and there we were at LGW again … looking forward to another NEW experience.
It was a long layover at LGW (nearly 4 hours) so we popped landslide for a ciggie or two, re-entered and called in on Duty Free, before settling in to the Lounge to wait for the last leg. The view revealed our Titan A320 (G-POWK), and then later, lurking in between a BA and an EI, was our next sector … PrivatAir’s 737-700, configured 20+66.
Wed 12 Sep 18
1800-1900
BA2776, LGW-JER, B737
CE seats 1A/C
Operated by PrivatAir for BA, D-AWBC.
Sadly the full-flat seats were disabled. But the rest of it was simply excellent! A curtain separated the CE cabin at Row 6 from ET. And the legroom, with the flat-beds deactivated but still with retractable leg-rests, was simply hilarious! And 4 [yes, four] windows in Row 1! Ah, if only this aircraft had operated the MLA leg!
Amazingly there were only 50 pax on board - were people scared of flying not-BA? The LGW-JER flights are usually rammed on the BA A319! We were offered the High Speed dinner (Chicken Pasta Salad) but declined … it’s too easy to get indigestion on the quick hop to JER, and we had snacked adequately in the Lounge anyway. And at 1900, with Swiss punctuality, we were on the chocks at JER
Given the quantity of carry-on luggage, it was no surprise that hold bags came out quickly … we were kerb-side at 1910! The steady light drizzle emphasised that this holiday was over. And we, and a dozen other pax, discovered an empty Taxi rank*. In true Jersey fashion, a driver for a local tour company asked where we were going … he then found another ‘abandoned’ couple heading to the same part of St Helier, loaded us on to his mini-bus, and drove us home. He was obviously well tipped for his kindness.
*The problem was night roadworks on the main road to the Airport … on our way down Beaumont Hill we saw several taxis unable to reach the Airport, stuck in a long traffic queue.
_____________
And in conclusion ….
Well, you either like staying in old Cities or you don’t. It suits us a treat, and we’re so happy to have found a ‘home from home’ that we have already booked again for next April! But there’s more to Malta than just Valletta, so we do suggest you give it a try sometime. Careful research is recommended, though … there are Pearls and there are Lumps of Coal over there! AirBnB seems to have some interesting optiona, if that’s your thing.
The substituted flights were interesting. Titan I barely coped, Titan II was better than the average BA, and PrivatAir was simply surreal! There is absolutely ZERO reason to worry about either of these substitutions in the schedules … we just had fairly inefficient CC on Titan I, as you can get on BA from time to time.
Next trip is a repeat of the Western Cape on a 2-4-1 in December: Hermanus, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. At least there will be one new hotel to report on!!
Happy travels, and thanks for reading. Cheers!
Last edited by T8191; Sep 17, 2018 at 3:18 am Reason: typos, more typos!
Sep 15, 2018, 9:56 am
#5
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Sep 15, 2018, 12:27 pm
#8
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Uncle T, great trip report. I sent my driver to collect you and Iwife, for drinks, but you were out. We had decent stuff not that 9.5 white
As you like old towns with a British feel why aren't you coming to GIB. We can go to KARFA's yacht for drinks^
As you like old towns with a British feel why aren't you coming to GIB. We can go to KARFA's yacht for drinks^
Sep 15, 2018, 12:31 pm
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Sep 15, 2018, 12:37 pm
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Sep 15, 2018, 12:39 pm
#11
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Sep 16, 2018, 3:55 am
#13
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Sep 16, 2018, 4:22 am
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And another great TR!!!!
Thank you kind Sir, for some pre Sunday lunch reading.
Glad that you enjoyed PrivatAir - I had a flight some years ago - it was great!! Was on a Geneva - Brussels route and Swiss swopped out, so at least I got my miles and had a great flight.
Thank you kind Sir, for some pre Sunday lunch reading.
Glad that you enjoyed PrivatAir - I had a flight some years ago - it was great!! Was on a Geneva - Brussels route and Swiss swopped out, so at least I got my miles and had a great flight.