BA296 8 Sept ORD-LHR A380 business class upper deck front half.
Sep 9, 2023, 4:19 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Berkshire / London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Nandos
Posts: 1,011
BA296 8 Sept ORD-LHR A380 business class upper deck front half.
First thoughts:
This lounge sucks 👎
‘BA Terraces’, aka anyone travelling in business/first or with any status (a lot of American!) can use the lounge. In an A380, that’s a lot of people. Finding 2 seats together was fun…… 🪑🚫 🪑
A guard of alcohol posing as a “Barman” 🤨 let me decide how big I want my G&T to be (spoiler alert: even bigger than American free pour, thank you! I want double G and a lowercase t really!) 🫗
There is one lady on the ground working for BA who is magical. Funny but firm. She did check in, then moved to the gate area to control that & then drove the walkway away from the plane. She waved when I looked out the window. I waved back. I’ll never forget her 🥲
Boarding… late. This holiday has been my first with BA A380s & a frequent flier friend of mine here told me A380s are notoriously late. Just like my outbound to Washington last Thursday (feels like ages ago!), it was late coming in so going to be late going out. Luckily, my flight was not as late as I expected. ETA 11am - which is exactly the time BA have us down for 🕚
Boarding is a little messy for my liking: By group but by seat but by deck but by starsign ✡️?! Once I figured out the Da Vinci code, I boarded. Turns out I was first for UD J 🤣
Seat 53A. First thoughts:
Hello old-fashioned Club BA should have thrown out a few years ago.
Sure there’s lots of storage. I put one trainer in each of the wall bina & still had one left over 👟👟.
I decided to put my bedding in there 🛌. The bins are very dirty though…
My crew member swiftly came to introduce themselves & offer a glass of champagne 🥂(or orange juice, whatever that is…).
I’ve settled in, I’ve got all my devices on charge, I’ve made awkward eye contact with the nearest crew as a weird way of saying hello👩✈️🧑✈️… How else do I kill some time up here? I know! A visit to the famous giant toilet 🚽Here are some photos (second spoiler alert: I’m not using it at the same time).
A top up later 🍾 and crew noted my food choices 🍆🍽️. we finally started pushing back. 40 mins late. We’ve been told we have to go to a far runway, so I watch an episode of Modern Family (again) and wonder what rows 1-4 are doing in their fancy first paradise 🎩 (not much different to me, I’d imagine!).
1 hour after stepping foot onto the aircraft, we are airborne ✈️. ORD uses multiple runways & for me it’s always a wonderful sight watching another aircraft take off/land with you on side 🛫🛫
Is anyone still reading?
Straight after take off, excellent drinks service. I opted for the sauv blanc. Crew member brings the bottle over, gave me a taste & then poured. IIRC that didn’t happen on my J to/fromIndia flight. It did happen on the F to Washington where I had a wine tasting going on (scroll up for that drunken story!). 🍷(but white).
Starter came: I had the Balik Salmon. Pretty sure there was no edamame. It was tasty but I forgot to take a pic! Maybe you’ll see it elsewhere: the menu is the same as 112, 116, 174, 176, 294, 296 & 2272. Topped up white wine.
Main course: chicken malai korma. Basically Indian butter chicken. This time I took photos. Swapped to the other white (I tried the French red, but it just didn’t work). Seat mate had cannelloni 🍝 Both were tasty (both shown here).
Very attentive service - especially on the alcohol… but had to ask for a water top up (but I forgive them as it could strongly seem like I only drink liquid with a %).
Dessert: crepe & cheeses. Stuck with the white wine. 🥞🧀
By time it’s all over it’s 23:45 Chicago time / 05:44 UK - and only 5:15 left of the flight! So far; I think this J crew member is better than my F crew member on my way in.
As I was putting the menu away I spotted the Balfour rose de noirs brut NV, normally it would mean nothing to me but it spoke out as, in 3 days time, my team and I are going to the Balfour estate for a wine tasting! Why not start early, I thought to myself? Don’t think I’ll get much sleep: someone in 52 snores like a tractor! 💤
Off I trod to the galley, where the many lovely crew were happy to pour me a glass. Not bad. 1 crew member was happy to have a good chat - Then there was an offer to try the English champagne from F. Down they went, popped back up with a glass of it (I Didn’t like that one!). Same Crew went down again & came back with an LPGS - bottle! 🍾 Continued our great chat about their ambition but then it was their break time, so I decided to take a break from annoying them too… 💺 3:45 left of flight.
BBC Sounds on the IFE next, hoping listening to The Killers & Coldplay live concerts will put me to sleep. I think I managed around an hour in broken bits, mainly because it’s warm on here (and let’s not forget The Snorer!)
1:00 left of the flight & breakfast begins. I opt for the egg bacon cheese panini (who doesn’t like a Maccy D’s breakfast??). As this meal draws my US holiday to a close, I opt for soft drinks rather than anything stronger.
We touched down at 11:02; BA had us down at 11:00 so not bad. No circling and straight to the gate, even the crew were surprised! Great trip & I can’t wait for my next one 🙂
This lounge sucks 👎
‘BA Terraces’, aka anyone travelling in business/first or with any status (a lot of American!) can use the lounge. In an A380, that’s a lot of people. Finding 2 seats together was fun…… 🪑🚫 🪑
A guard of alcohol posing as a “Barman” 🤨 let me decide how big I want my G&T to be (spoiler alert: even bigger than American free pour, thank you! I want double G and a lowercase t really!) 🫗
There is one lady on the ground working for BA who is magical. Funny but firm. She did check in, then moved to the gate area to control that & then drove the walkway away from the plane. She waved when I looked out the window. I waved back. I’ll never forget her 🥲
Boarding… late. This holiday has been my first with BA A380s & a frequent flier friend of mine here told me A380s are notoriously late. Just like my outbound to Washington last Thursday (feels like ages ago!), it was late coming in so going to be late going out. Luckily, my flight was not as late as I expected. ETA 11am - which is exactly the time BA have us down for 🕚
Boarding is a little messy for my liking: By group but by seat but by deck but by starsign ✡️?! Once I figured out the Da Vinci code, I boarded. Turns out I was first for UD J 🤣
Seat 53A. First thoughts:
Hello old-fashioned Club BA should have thrown out a few years ago.
Sure there’s lots of storage. I put one trainer in each of the wall bina & still had one left over 👟👟.
I decided to put my bedding in there 🛌. The bins are very dirty though…
My crew member swiftly came to introduce themselves & offer a glass of champagne 🥂(or orange juice, whatever that is…).
I’ve settled in, I’ve got all my devices on charge, I’ve made awkward eye contact with the nearest crew as a weird way of saying hello👩✈️🧑✈️… How else do I kill some time up here? I know! A visit to the famous giant toilet 🚽Here are some photos (second spoiler alert: I’m not using it at the same time).
A top up later 🍾 and crew noted my food choices 🍆🍽️. we finally started pushing back. 40 mins late. We’ve been told we have to go to a far runway, so I watch an episode of Modern Family (again) and wonder what rows 1-4 are doing in their fancy first paradise 🎩 (not much different to me, I’d imagine!).
1 hour after stepping foot onto the aircraft, we are airborne ✈️. ORD uses multiple runways & for me it’s always a wonderful sight watching another aircraft take off/land with you on side 🛫🛫
Is anyone still reading?
Straight after take off, excellent drinks service. I opted for the sauv blanc. Crew member brings the bottle over, gave me a taste & then poured. IIRC that didn’t happen on my J to/fromIndia flight. It did happen on the F to Washington where I had a wine tasting going on (scroll up for that drunken story!). 🍷(but white).
Starter came: I had the Balik Salmon. Pretty sure there was no edamame. It was tasty but I forgot to take a pic! Maybe you’ll see it elsewhere: the menu is the same as 112, 116, 174, 176, 294, 296 & 2272. Topped up white wine.
Main course: chicken malai korma. Basically Indian butter chicken. This time I took photos. Swapped to the other white (I tried the French red, but it just didn’t work). Seat mate had cannelloni 🍝 Both were tasty (both shown here).
Very attentive service - especially on the alcohol… but had to ask for a water top up (but I forgive them as it could strongly seem like I only drink liquid with a %).
Dessert: crepe & cheeses. Stuck with the white wine. 🥞🧀
By time it’s all over it’s 23:45 Chicago time / 05:44 UK - and only 5:15 left of the flight! So far; I think this J crew member is better than my F crew member on my way in.
As I was putting the menu away I spotted the Balfour rose de noirs brut NV, normally it would mean nothing to me but it spoke out as, in 3 days time, my team and I are going to the Balfour estate for a wine tasting! Why not start early, I thought to myself? Don’t think I’ll get much sleep: someone in 52 snores like a tractor! 💤
Off I trod to the galley, where the many lovely crew were happy to pour me a glass. Not bad. 1 crew member was happy to have a good chat - Then there was an offer to try the English champagne from F. Down they went, popped back up with a glass of it (I Didn’t like that one!). Same Crew went down again & came back with an LPGS - bottle! 🍾 Continued our great chat about their ambition but then it was their break time, so I decided to take a break from annoying them too… 💺 3:45 left of flight.
BBC Sounds on the IFE next, hoping listening to The Killers & Coldplay live concerts will put me to sleep. I think I managed around an hour in broken bits, mainly because it’s warm on here (and let’s not forget The Snorer!)
1:00 left of the flight & breakfast begins. I opt for the egg bacon cheese panini (who doesn’t like a Maccy D’s breakfast??). As this meal draws my US holiday to a close, I opt for soft drinks rather than anything stronger.
We touched down at 11:02; BA had us down at 11:00 so not bad. No circling and straight to the gate, even the crew were surprised! Great trip & I can’t wait for my next one 🙂
Last edited by TPRun; Sep 9, 2023 at 12:30 pm
Sep 9, 2023, 6:20 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: PERTH
Programs: QF P1 LTG SQ PPS IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 227
Like your witty astute writing style - you must practice mindfulness 👍
The BA curry reminds me of plating in a maximum security mens prison during the line up for dinner
As for not liking LPGC you must attend one of my champagne tutorials if you are ever in Oz😂
The BA curry reminds me of plating in a maximum security mens prison during the line up for dinner
As for not liking LPGC you must attend one of my champagne tutorials if you are ever in Oz😂
Sep 9, 2023, 7:09 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Berkshire / London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Nandos
Posts: 1,011
thank you! To be clear, I liked the LPGS (there’s the bottle as proof lol). I didn’t like the English sparkling wine Hattingley valley.
Sep 9, 2023, 11:04 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: NYC/DC
Programs: AA,SPG, Delta, Amtrak, JB
Posts: 875
