98% OK … BA in Business, JER-LGW-LHR-PHX
Mar 2, 2019, 6:33 am
#1
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Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,146
98% OK … BA in Business, JER-LGW-LHR-PHX
Just a short TR this time. 
It was a random decision, in a way. iWife spotted a cheap fare to PHX, with BA in Club World, back in April 2018. £3282 for the 2 of us, Business classes all the way [of course] and an included Avis/BA SUV rental for 2 weeks. Ideal plan, we decided, as we could visit our friends in Phoenix and do some serious/useful shopping in the process.
How would any of us have guessed that they would both change appointments and move back to the D.C. area? However, they took a week off and came to Phoenix anyway [their house there is rented to friends], so the plot actually worked out!
Anywaaaay, this TR is about some agreeably surprising positives from the trip, so I’ll do it in stages. Mainly about the travel aspects, rather than the destination, because I’ve dribbled about that previously on a few occasions ... and who else wants to see my holiday snaps anyway?
12 Feb 19, BA2769 JER-LGW, 0705-0805, A319, CE seats 1A/C
Damn … the RedEye again! For us that means getting up at 0430, taxi at 0530 and hit JER airport at 0545 as they unlock the doors.
A minor glitch at bag-drop, as the conveyors weren’t working, so after tagging we schlep to the far end of Departures to the outsize bag area to release our 2 [large, shopping] cases into the unknown. Security was a bit busy too, with only one arch operating, but by 0615 we were in the Lounge for some quick Coffee and Pastries. At 0630, Boarding was called, unusually at Gate 11 which is rather cramped for an A319 load! However, having taken our seats, we discovered there were just 2 rows of Club Europe (CE) and just 5 pax! Our excellent CSM sent the rest of the CC down the back to cope with the Buy on Board hordes, and looked after the 5 of us admirably on his own. A decent omelette filled the spaces during a brisk flight, and we arrived early at LGW at a remote stand (143?) to be bussed to Arrivals. Where we found our cases already on the belt at Reclaim!!
YoYo Cars
And so to Arrivals, to meet up with our driver. YoYo Cars is a [new to us] inter-airport operator, but they had invested in leafleting Jersey residents, so we gave them a try. Oh, how good a service! Not just a functioning website, but confirmation emails for both legs of the return trip … and on arrival a text and an email providing the driver details and confirmation he’s there! We indulged in the £70 e/w Estate car option, in view of our luggage … a smaller car option exists at £61.
And so we met Jey, positioned in the right place and with the inevitable name-board. Hauling one of our cases, it was off to the Car Park and his nice, clean VW Touran. What a very nice chap, and more importantly what a very safe and sensible driver. It was a pleasure to be in his company as we chatted all the way to LHR Terminal 3.
LHR Terminal 3
Wow, we haven’t been there since 2004 when we used [please excuse me] VS in PE to IAD. So, frankly, we hadn’t got much of an idea where to go. The smoking area outside gave us a chance to read signs and orientate ourselves, and then into T3 … and the BA desks. As BA Golds we wanted to find the First check-in, and there it was at the far end, quite discreetly located!
A delightful young lady, with “Job Experience” on her lanyard, took our cases [under supervision] and we were given directions to Security and the Lounges [up that escalator right behind us!] … I mentioned that the CX Lounge seemed the favourite, and the supervisor agreed!
Up to a perfectly normal fast-track Security process, And we found the CX Lounge! We were sent, as BA Golds, to the First lounge. Much praised by the Flyertalk community, we found it ‘OK’. Calm, for sure, but much less than we had expected from the hyperbole! A nice Dim Sum in the dining room but apart from that … just ‘nice’
We had a look at the ‘ordinary’ lounge, but apart from the Sushi Bar nothing to get excited about either.
Anyway, we were there to FLY!.
12 Feb 19, BA289 LHR-PHX, 1435-1801, B744, CW seats 63A/B
Our favourite long-haul seats … iWife smiled constantly!!
Ah, Gate 36. Is there a longer walk at LGW(S)? Anyway, Boarding was well managed, and as Group 1 [only] was called we wafted gently on board and up the staircase to heaven [BA version!].
G-CIVN was one of the ‘old birds’ with the ancient clockwork IFE. Apart from the awful screen resolution and questionable sound, the film collection comprised 30 new releases [in various languages] and 4 in the Library. I have a Kindle, am I bovvered? Anyway, the Captain said it would be a 10h28m trip, so i suspect I might sleep for some of that! Push-back on time, airborne at c. 1500, IFE crash at 1520 …
The cabin experience was VERY good. I’m not sure if the difference between doing l/h from LGW or LHR is significant, but everything seemed better! For a start, the CSD made his way to the u/d to greet us Goldies! The CC were charming and efficient. And the food was significantly better than that we encounter on our usual ex-LGW l/h trips ... we were seriously impressed by both the presentation and the offerings.
Drink and Nuts ... nice presentation, and infinitely better than the bag of nuts usually encountered ex-LGW.
The Menu ... now an extremely large 12" x 5" 4-fold card!
I went pescatarian on this occasion, starting with a nicely plated Prawn Cocktail ...
... followed by the excellent Sea Trout ...
... and finished with a nice Cheese Board, aka Slate.
And 5,264 miles droned by, during which I managed a 6-hour nap … I don’t like early starts!! While I slept, wife didn't [as usual] and found the CC doing regular patrols of the cabin. Noticing she was awake, she was asked if she wanted anything ... not needed, but nice to be asked and, again, a novel experience!
And now it’s the for the 2nd Meal!! Yum-yum again. And seafood again!! The food on this route really hit the spot for me! I like BA CW ex-LHR!
Absolutely superb Smoked Salmon - some of the best I've encountered.
... and piri-piri Prawns ...
... with the refreshing Lemon Mascarpone tart to finish.
12 Feb 19, Phoenix Sky Harbor.
Oh, I do like the title! It’s just SOOO American!!
We’re now fairly familiar with PHX, but this was our first International Arrival [the others were ex-DUB with AA via PHL or CLT, arriving as domestic pax after pre-clearance at DUB]. Always interesting to encounter something new, and in this case it was very pleasant. Having arrived 30 minutes early, we were close to the front of the pack as we headed to the fairly quiet Immigration area. Sadly the first agent’s fingerprint scanner wouldn’t cooperate, so we were directed to the next available desk. Vary straightforward, quick and polite, and so to Reclaim where our 2 cases emerged on the belt as we arrived! Customs were completely disinterested, despite several lurking Agents, and no attempt was made to recover our Customs declaration card that I had carefully completed. And then a long walk to the general Arrivals area, which was familiar. Kerbside for a couple of cigarettes, of course.
Phoenix Airport Rental Car Center
Outside T4 are the Shuttle Buses that deliver you to the Rental Centre … frequent and efficient, and with helpful Airport staffers to assist in loading the cases. I tip $1/bag on these occasions, especially as our cases tend to be a bit heavy! A 5-minute ride to the Rental Center ... Down to the lowest level for Avis, where our Preferred ‘status’ meant minimal delay in processing. “Your vehicle in in bay Q4, sir.” And way over there was ‘Clive’, our Toyota RAV4 for the fortnight … shiny and clean and with only 360 miles on the clock!
Oh, a little side-note on driving. Phoenix is the test-bed for what was called Google self-driving cars. It's now called Waymo and their vehicles are on public trial ... they're everywhere on the roads! I guess the fairly tidy grid system of Greater Phoenix helps matters in these early days.
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
A fairly down-market establishment by any standard, but about the only place on Phoenix that offers smoking rooms! Perfectly adequate facility for our purposes … visiting friends in the area, and doing a lot of shopping! A good bed, friendly staff, everything in the suite worked and the WiFi delivered 50-70 mbps! And the fully-equipped kitchen allows us to self-cater to an extent. Cost was $151.25/day incl T&F.
Weather generally grey and damp! Hotel breakfast offering fairly dire - we stopped bothering after the first few days, and self-catered in our suite instead.
Breakfast Room ...
... and 'Breakfast' ...
It would be hard to get further down-market! But, hey, we're here for practical reasons, not having a 5* holiday!
16/17 Feb, weekend ... saw WiFi issues and a flood on the 1st floor corridor. The only serviceable dryer in the Laundry chose to fail as iWife was handling a load of washing: the hotel put the stuff in Housekeeping's dryer for her. Just one staffer on the front desk, no Management anywhere!
21 Feb … no water! Issue had been the main supply into the site! Hole dug, pipe fixed, water back on by 1530. Service recovery achieved by giving us late check-out at 1800 on the last day - flight was 2040, so most welcome.
23 Feb … skies brightened at last! Temperatures throughout have been around 12ºc instead of the average 22ºc, while at home Jersey enjoyed it’s warmest February for years!
26 Feb 19 - Homeward Bound
Cases suitably filled with shopping, supplemented by the 30” sports bag we take on such trips. All is well! We left the hotel at 1700 - an easy drive up I-10 for the 10 miles to the airport. Nearly got stuck in the wrong lane of 7 [!] as I-17 branches off I-10! Leave I-10 at Exit 149, right near the Rental Centre and return ‘Clive’ to Avis. Then Shuttle to T4, drop the bags, collect BPs, decline the offer of a $800 AUP each to F, and notice with pleasure that we have “TSA Pre” as usual! All completely painless, and by 1800 we were settled in The Club lounge (First section!) at the T4 B-Gates. A served Bar and assorted nibbles on offer ...
interestingly, only 14 seats provided in the First section of the lounge ... just enough for the F cabin, but what about we Gold interlopers from J? As it was, there were fewer than 10 occupants all the time we were there.
26 Feb 19, BA288 PHX—LHR, 2040–1335, B744, CW seats 63A/B
Boarding at Gate B25 was a bit muddled, largely due to the layout.
However, we again had a good Mixed Fleet crew on the upper deck, including a CSD who was doing a 744 ‘refresher’ after an 8-week gap on the type. Again greeted by the main CSD from downstairs, which was nice! And happily G-CIVT is one of the refurbished 744s with the shiny new IFE!
All the usual services provided, albeit a bit slowly due to the hand-serving processes.
Smoked Salmon poke ...
... Pollock [check for typo, that's OK] ...
... and Cheese again to finish.
The main course of Pollock was ‘nice’ but sadly a bit dried-out. At 2320 the lights were dimmed after the CC checked if there were any more orders. And ‘some sleep’ ensued, comfortably thanks to the new bedding.
For Breakfast I tried the Belgian Waffle with caramelised figs and pecans. Not quite as nice as I had expected, but it provided a bit of nourishment!
27 Feb 18
An on-time arrival at LHR [c. 1330] was marred by a 30-min wait on the taxiway as ‘our’ stand was blocked by another aircraft which was having problems with a hold door. Eventually we were directed to Gate 31 … which seemed to be as far from Arrivals as it’s possible to get! A bit of exercise after a 10+ hour flight does no harm, and led to a quick pass through the e-passport gates and the happy sight of our 3 bags arriving on the Reclaim belt as we got there! Yay!
YoYo again
The same efficient Meet and Greet with our driver (Jey again, we were pleased to discover) at 1430, and after a quick ciggie at kerb-side we successfully navigated the M25/M23 back to LGW(S). throughly convinced by YoYo Cars now, and will definitely use them again in the future.
And then it was the usual painless bag-drop and Security before flopping in the FLounge for an hour or two. I want to be home now - it’s been a long day!
27 Feb 19, BA2776 LGW-JER, 1830-1930, A319, CE seats 1A/C
Ah, Gate 10 … at least that’s quite close. The usual afternoon horde of suits, many of which looked to be cheap off-the-peg! Much hovering by the door to the airbridge, clearly planning to get overhead locker space. One BAEC Silver looked particularly determined! And then they called boarding for Groups 1 and 2 together … CHARGE!
Happily the majority were headed to the rear of the aircraft, leaving Rows 1 and 2 for we CE pax. Yes, just 2 rows of CE again … is this a new phenomenon? We’re accustomed to 6-8 rows on the numerous legs on this route, at all times of day, over the recent years.
Anyway, we flew as advertised, and were offered a THREE course dinner for the 45 minute sector!! Prawn Cocktail, Chicken Salad, and a little Berry Pudding! Indigestion on a tray!!
And then we landed, waited briefly for bags before getting the taxi home … where we arrived at 2000, travel-battered and weary!
In summary …
On this occasion, BA did well on all 4 sectors, with 3-course meals all the way! Likewise all 4 airports provided a comfortable and almost seamless passenger experience. OK, it helps to be BAEC Gold and have TSA Pre on your BP, but this time it was all better than usual. YoTo Cars got a big tick from us. And the Hawthorn Suites broadly delivered what we expected - nothing special!
That’s it for now - next trip is Malta again in April, which neatly takes us to 1560 TP and Gold renewal
It was a random decision, in a way. iWife spotted a cheap fare to PHX, with BA in Club World, back in April 2018. £3282 for the 2 of us, Business classes all the way [of course] and an included Avis/BA SUV rental for 2 weeks. Ideal plan, we decided, as we could visit our friends in Phoenix and do some serious/useful shopping in the process.
How would any of us have guessed that they would both change appointments and move back to the D.C. area? However, they took a week off and came to Phoenix anyway [their house there is rented to friends], so the plot actually worked out!
Anywaaaay, this TR is about some agreeably surprising positives from the trip, so I’ll do it in stages. Mainly about the travel aspects, rather than the destination, because I’ve dribbled about that previously on a few occasions ... and who else wants to see my holiday snaps anyway?
12 Feb 19, BA2769 JER-LGW, 0705-0805, A319, CE seats 1A/C
Damn … the RedEye again! For us that means getting up at 0430, taxi at 0530 and hit JER airport at 0545 as they unlock the doors.
A minor glitch at bag-drop, as the conveyors weren’t working, so after tagging we schlep to the far end of Departures to the outsize bag area to release our 2 [large, shopping] cases into the unknown. Security was a bit busy too, with only one arch operating, but by 0615 we were in the Lounge for some quick Coffee and Pastries. At 0630, Boarding was called, unusually at Gate 11 which is rather cramped for an A319 load! However, having taken our seats, we discovered there were just 2 rows of Club Europe (CE) and just 5 pax! Our excellent CSM sent the rest of the CC down the back to cope with the Buy on Board hordes, and looked after the 5 of us admirably on his own. A decent omelette filled the spaces during a brisk flight, and we arrived early at LGW at a remote stand (143?) to be bussed to Arrivals. Where we found our cases already on the belt at Reclaim!!
YoYo Cars
And so to Arrivals, to meet up with our driver. YoYo Cars is a [new to us] inter-airport operator, but they had invested in leafleting Jersey residents, so we gave them a try. Oh, how good a service! Not just a functioning website, but confirmation emails for both legs of the return trip … and on arrival a text and an email providing the driver details and confirmation he’s there! We indulged in the £70 e/w Estate car option, in view of our luggage … a smaller car option exists at £61.
And so we met Jey, positioned in the right place and with the inevitable name-board. Hauling one of our cases, it was off to the Car Park and his nice, clean VW Touran. What a very nice chap, and more importantly what a very safe and sensible driver. It was a pleasure to be in his company as we chatted all the way to LHR Terminal 3.
LHR Terminal 3
Wow, we haven’t been there since 2004 when we used [please excuse me] VS in PE to IAD. So, frankly, we hadn’t got much of an idea where to go. The smoking area outside gave us a chance to read signs and orientate ourselves, and then into T3 … and the BA desks. As BA Golds we wanted to find the First check-in, and there it was at the far end, quite discreetly located!
A delightful young lady, with “Job Experience” on her lanyard, took our cases [under supervision] and we were given directions to Security and the Lounges [up that escalator right behind us!] … I mentioned that the CX Lounge seemed the favourite, and the supervisor agreed!
Up to a perfectly normal fast-track Security process, And we found the CX Lounge! We were sent, as BA Golds, to the First lounge. Much praised by the Flyertalk community, we found it ‘OK’. Calm, for sure, but much less than we had expected from the hyperbole! A nice Dim Sum in the dining room but apart from that … just ‘nice’
We had a look at the ‘ordinary’ lounge, but apart from the Sushi Bar nothing to get excited about either.Anyway, we were there to FLY!.
12 Feb 19, BA289 LHR-PHX, 1435-1801, B744, CW seats 63A/B
Our favourite long-haul seats … iWife smiled constantly!!
Ah, Gate 36. Is there a longer walk at LGW(S)? Anyway, Boarding was well managed, and as Group 1 [only] was called we wafted gently on board and up the staircase to heaven [BA version!].
G-CIVN was one of the ‘old birds’ with the ancient clockwork IFE. Apart from the awful screen resolution and questionable sound, the film collection comprised 30 new releases [in various languages] and 4 in the Library. I have a Kindle, am I bovvered? Anyway, the Captain said it would be a 10h28m trip, so i suspect I might sleep for some of that! Push-back on time, airborne at c. 1500, IFE crash at 1520 …
The cabin experience was VERY good. I’m not sure if the difference between doing l/h from LGW or LHR is significant, but everything seemed better! For a start, the CSD made his way to the u/d to greet us Goldies! The CC were charming and efficient. And the food was significantly better than that we encounter on our usual ex-LGW l/h trips ... we were seriously impressed by both the presentation and the offerings.
Drink and Nuts ... nice presentation, and infinitely better than the bag of nuts usually encountered ex-LGW.
The Menu ... now an extremely large 12" x 5" 4-fold card!
I went pescatarian on this occasion, starting with a nicely plated Prawn Cocktail ...
... followed by the excellent Sea Trout ...
... and finished with a nice Cheese Board, aka Slate.
And 5,264 miles droned by, during which I managed a 6-hour nap … I don’t like early starts!! While I slept, wife didn't [as usual] and found the CC doing regular patrols of the cabin. Noticing she was awake, she was asked if she wanted anything ... not needed, but nice to be asked and, again, a novel experience!
And now it’s the for the 2nd Meal!! Yum-yum again. And seafood again!! The food on this route really hit the spot for me! I like BA CW ex-LHR!
Absolutely superb Smoked Salmon - some of the best I've encountered.
... and piri-piri Prawns ...
... with the refreshing Lemon Mascarpone tart to finish.
12 Feb 19, Phoenix Sky Harbor.
Oh, I do like the title! It’s just SOOO American!!
We’re now fairly familiar with PHX, but this was our first International Arrival [the others were ex-DUB with AA via PHL or CLT, arriving as domestic pax after pre-clearance at DUB]. Always interesting to encounter something new, and in this case it was very pleasant. Having arrived 30 minutes early, we were close to the front of the pack as we headed to the fairly quiet Immigration area. Sadly the first agent’s fingerprint scanner wouldn’t cooperate, so we were directed to the next available desk. Vary straightforward, quick and polite, and so to Reclaim where our 2 cases emerged on the belt as we arrived! Customs were completely disinterested, despite several lurking Agents, and no attempt was made to recover our Customs declaration card that I had carefully completed. And then a long walk to the general Arrivals area, which was familiar. Kerbside for a couple of cigarettes, of course.
Phoenix Airport Rental Car Center
Outside T4 are the Shuttle Buses that deliver you to the Rental Centre … frequent and efficient, and with helpful Airport staffers to assist in loading the cases. I tip $1/bag on these occasions, especially as our cases tend to be a bit heavy! A 5-minute ride to the Rental Center ... Down to the lowest level for Avis, where our Preferred ‘status’ meant minimal delay in processing. “Your vehicle in in bay Q4, sir.” And way over there was ‘Clive’, our Toyota RAV4 for the fortnight … shiny and clean and with only 360 miles on the clock!
Oh, a little side-note on driving. Phoenix is the test-bed for what was called Google self-driving cars. It's now called Waymo and their vehicles are on public trial ... they're everywhere on the roads! I guess the fairly tidy grid system of Greater Phoenix helps matters in these early days.
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
A fairly down-market establishment by any standard, but about the only place on Phoenix that offers smoking rooms! Perfectly adequate facility for our purposes … visiting friends in the area, and doing a lot of shopping! A good bed, friendly staff, everything in the suite worked and the WiFi delivered 50-70 mbps! And the fully-equipped kitchen allows us to self-cater to an extent. Cost was $151.25/day incl T&F.
Weather generally grey and damp! Hotel breakfast offering fairly dire - we stopped bothering after the first few days, and self-catered in our suite instead.
Breakfast Room ...
... and 'Breakfast' ...
It would be hard to get further down-market! But, hey, we're here for practical reasons, not having a 5* holiday!
16/17 Feb, weekend ... saw WiFi issues and a flood on the 1st floor corridor. The only serviceable dryer in the Laundry chose to fail as iWife was handling a load of washing: the hotel put the stuff in Housekeeping's dryer for her. Just one staffer on the front desk, no Management anywhere!
21 Feb … no water! Issue had been the main supply into the site! Hole dug, pipe fixed, water back on by 1530. Service recovery achieved by giving us late check-out at 1800 on the last day - flight was 2040, so most welcome.
23 Feb … skies brightened at last! Temperatures throughout have been around 12ºc instead of the average 22ºc, while at home Jersey enjoyed it’s warmest February for years!
26 Feb 19 - Homeward Bound
Cases suitably filled with shopping, supplemented by the 30” sports bag we take on such trips. All is well! We left the hotel at 1700 - an easy drive up I-10 for the 10 miles to the airport. Nearly got stuck in the wrong lane of 7 [!] as I-17 branches off I-10! Leave I-10 at Exit 149, right near the Rental Centre and return ‘Clive’ to Avis. Then Shuttle to T4, drop the bags, collect BPs, decline the offer of a $800 AUP each to F, and notice with pleasure that we have “TSA Pre” as usual! All completely painless, and by 1800 we were settled in The Club lounge (First section!) at the T4 B-Gates. A served Bar and assorted nibbles on offer ...
interestingly, only 14 seats provided in the First section of the lounge ... just enough for the F cabin, but what about we Gold interlopers from J? As it was, there were fewer than 10 occupants all the time we were there.
26 Feb 19, BA288 PHX—LHR, 2040–1335, B744, CW seats 63A/B
Boarding at Gate B25 was a bit muddled, largely due to the layout.
However, we again had a good Mixed Fleet crew on the upper deck, including a CSD who was doing a 744 ‘refresher’ after an 8-week gap on the type. Again greeted by the main CSD from downstairs, which was nice! And happily G-CIVT is one of the refurbished 744s with the shiny new IFE!
All the usual services provided, albeit a bit slowly due to the hand-serving processes.
Smoked Salmon poke ...
... Pollock [check for typo, that's OK] ...
... and Cheese again to finish.
The main course of Pollock was ‘nice’ but sadly a bit dried-out. At 2320 the lights were dimmed after the CC checked if there were any more orders. And ‘some sleep’ ensued, comfortably thanks to the new bedding.
For Breakfast I tried the Belgian Waffle with caramelised figs and pecans. Not quite as nice as I had expected, but it provided a bit of nourishment!
27 Feb 18
An on-time arrival at LHR [c. 1330] was marred by a 30-min wait on the taxiway as ‘our’ stand was blocked by another aircraft which was having problems with a hold door. Eventually we were directed to Gate 31 … which seemed to be as far from Arrivals as it’s possible to get! A bit of exercise after a 10+ hour flight does no harm, and led to a quick pass through the e-passport gates and the happy sight of our 3 bags arriving on the Reclaim belt as we got there! Yay!
YoYo again
The same efficient Meet and Greet with our driver (Jey again, we were pleased to discover) at 1430, and after a quick ciggie at kerb-side we successfully navigated the M25/M23 back to LGW(S). throughly convinced by YoYo Cars now, and will definitely use them again in the future.
And then it was the usual painless bag-drop and Security before flopping in the FLounge for an hour or two. I want to be home now - it’s been a long day!
27 Feb 19, BA2776 LGW-JER, 1830-1930, A319, CE seats 1A/C
Ah, Gate 10 … at least that’s quite close. The usual afternoon horde of suits, many of which looked to be cheap off-the-peg! Much hovering by the door to the airbridge, clearly planning to get overhead locker space. One BAEC Silver looked particularly determined! And then they called boarding for Groups 1 and 2 together … CHARGE!
Happily the majority were headed to the rear of the aircraft, leaving Rows 1 and 2 for we CE pax. Yes, just 2 rows of CE again … is this a new phenomenon? We’re accustomed to 6-8 rows on the numerous legs on this route, at all times of day, over the recent years.
Anyway, we flew as advertised, and were offered a THREE course dinner for the 45 minute sector!! Prawn Cocktail, Chicken Salad, and a little Berry Pudding! Indigestion on a tray!!
And then we landed, waited briefly for bags before getting the taxi home … where we arrived at 2000, travel-battered and weary!
In summary …
On this occasion, BA did well on all 4 sectors, with 3-course meals all the way! Likewise all 4 airports provided a comfortable and almost seamless passenger experience. OK, it helps to be BAEC Gold and have TSA Pre on your BP, but this time it was all better than usual. YoTo Cars got a big tick from us. And the Hawthorn Suites broadly delivered what we expected - nothing special!
That’s it for now - next trip is Malta again in April, which neatly takes us to 1560 TP and Gold renewal
Last edited by T8191; Mar 3, 2019 at 3:57 am Reason: typos, of course, and a few afterthoughts.
Mar 2, 2019, 9:24 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 159
I really like your TRs, T8191. I also have a slightly creepy habit of unintentionally following your seat choices (like 5A/B on your ‘Western Cape’ report), as we have recently booked 63A/B for our first 744 UD experience back from Cape Town in November. Cheers for the tips!
Mar 2, 2019, 9:58 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,146
I really like your TRs, T8191. I also have a slightly creepy habit of unintentionally following your seat choices (like 5A/B on your ‘Western Cape’ report), as we have recently booked 63A/B for our first 744 UD experience back from Cape Town in November. Cheers for the tips!
Mar 2, 2019, 10:46 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,146
We place a high value on comfort and convenience at our ages.
Mar 2, 2019, 11:19 am
#7
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Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,146
Frankly we’re not ‘moved’ about flying F. Nice, but not worth the $800 each we were offered at PHX! On a 2-4-1, yes, I will keep my eyes open for options, as we have plently of Avios to burn. I need to pluck one out of the system in the next week to take the OH somewhere nice for our 40th wedding anniversary next March ... Caribbean or South Africa, and if there’s an F option I will go for it.
But paying actual money for F? ... no way! We manage 5-6 holidays a year in Business - paying for First would damage the annual holiday budget for little real benefit. We live, and travel, very well on our pensions, but there’s no point in overcooking it!
Mar 2, 2019, 11:29 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Lewes
Programs: HiltonH. Gold Starwood Gold BA BLUES! Mucci.
Posts: 4,833
Thank you for the prompt reply, it might be worth setting up seat alerts to see if / when BA release F seats to assist burning that pile of avios..... The new F on the 787 is very nice .....
Mar 2, 2019, 11:43 am
#9
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T-355 days and checking!!
Mar 2, 2019, 12:05 pm
#11
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Agreed 100% on the catering! It was actually rather impressive!
But that was ex-LHR! I will be interested to see how the poor cousin at LGW does on our next l/h from there in June!
Mar 2, 2019, 12:31 pm
#12
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,211
Very enjoyable report Sir. Straight to the point and without hyperbole....positive or negative. ^
Your accommodation looked fine to me. I do like rooms/suites especially on longer stays that have kitchen facilities in them.
Your accommodation looked fine to me. I do like rooms/suites especially on longer stays that have kitchen facilities in them.
Mar 2, 2019, 12:36 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,146
Cheers, Hiddster,
Unlike many here, we are grounded in reality, and the suite ticked all the boxes. Horses for courses ... this was a ‘practical’ trip for 2 weeks. At other times it will be ‘holiday’ somewhere nice!
Unlike many here, we are grounded in reality, and the suite ticked all the boxes. Horses for courses ... this was a ‘practical’ trip for 2 weeks. At other times it will be ‘holiday’ somewhere nice!
Mar 2, 2019, 6:38 pm
#14
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Charlottesville, Va. USA
Posts: 1,752
thanks T8191 for another terrific tr, Particularly since we have a cw trip iad/lhr/lin in early May. Glad to hear the food and service was so good. I have a question about your seat choice. I had read on ft many years ago that the best 744 ud seats were 62ab. When looking at the seat map seems they are the same as 63ab? Am I missing something?
Mar 3, 2019, 12:32 am
#15
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Programs: BA Bronze, Emirates Silver, Virgin Silver, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,403
Definitely know what you mean and yes, for the small car the wee bit extra is worth it.