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  • British Airways – Return to Free Drink and Snack in Short-Haul

    British Airways – Return to Free Drink and Snack in Short-Haul

    I received a missive from BA’s press office today and it contained details about the new collection from Tom Kerridge, which are primarily sandwiches, for the Euro Traveller (or economy) cabin.

    The delights are:

    Warm Steak & Ale Pie – £4.50
    The Ham Hock & Smoked Cheddar Sandwich – £4.10
    The Spiced Cauliflower Tortilla Wrap (Vegan) – £4.20
    The Chicken, Bacon and Celery Brioche – £4.50
    The Brie Ploughman’s Sandwich (Vegetarian) – £4.20

    These prices aren’t too bad, although now customers have to pre-order to ensure availability. And this is a very good idea (well, it is for organised customers who manage to work that element out) as it ensures that anyone relying on buying food in Euro Traveller won’t be let down. The food also looks to be of a decent quality and although I’m suspicious of that cauliflower wrap, the rest sound rather lovely.

    But, and at last, there is a return to free food and drink for all passengers in Euro Traveller. This was knocked out a few years ago and replaced by Buy on Board, which I always thought was chaotic. The crew couldn’t get through the whole cabin, there were stock issues and it often seemed badly managed. The necessities of 2020 saw British Airways give every customer a snack (such as crisps) and a bottle of water, and this looks like it’s set to remain. It’s not as generous as it once was, as all drinks used to be free, but it’s a step in the right direction. It ensures customers get free water, something to eat and they can order something more substantial if they require it.

    And, also announced is Brewdog Jet Stream, following up from Brewdog Speedbird, which I very much liked. Some cans have been released already and it’s not doing brilliantly on Untappd, but I look forwards to trying it in a BA lounge sometime. I also like that BA have continued with their Brewdog partnership, it’s a nice tie-up I think.

    Hopefully it won’t be long before I can board a plane again….

  • British Airways – G-BNLY and G-BYGC

    British Airways – G-BNLY and G-BYGC

    [not my photo, supplied from British Airways]
    Some good news about the 747s, I’ve pinched the below text from a press release that BA have just sent out. It’s nice to know that these aircraft have been saved, although I’m not sure if the one at Dunsfold will just be used as a part of a film set. I’m not actually sure what eCube are doing with theirs either, since they are usually a dismantler of aircraft (and G-CIVD caught fire last week). If I had a large amount of land, I’d quite fancy a 747 to be parked up on it. But, fortunately, I don’t have a large amount of land and I’m not sure what I’d do with my aircraft anyway.

    “The aircraft, registrations G-BNLY and G-BYGC, are this month due to depart from British Airways’ engineering base in Cardiff, where they will be waved off by the British Airways engineers who for many years have proudly maintained the 747 fleet. The pair were among several aircraft painted in heritage liveries to mark the airline’s centenary last year.

    Adorned in the iconic Landor livery, used between 1984 and 1997, G-BNLY has been given a new lease of life as a permanent exhibit at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey. It will join its sister 747, G-CIVW, which was retired in late October and features the current Chatham Dockyard livery.

    G-BYGC, painted in the BOAC ‘Gold Speedbird’ livery used between 1963 and 1974, will make the short journey from Cardiff Airport to the Bro Tathan business park in the Vale of Glamorgan. It will be maintained as a heritage piece by aviation specialists eCube Solutions to showcase the pre-eminent contribution British Airways’ 747 fleet made to UK aviation.”

  • An Even Sadder End to British Airways G-CIVD

    An Even Sadder End to British Airways G-CIVD

    Not that long ago, in August 2020, the final BA 747 departed London Heathrow, aircraft G-CIVD. Unfortunately, as reported on Flyertalk, the aircraft has now caught fire and it’s a rather sad sight. I suppose it doesn’t much matter as it was going to be scrapped anyway, but it’s an unfortunate end to this beautiful aircraft.

    Here’s a newspaper article about the fire, which took place where the aircraft was being stored in Spain.

  • British Airways – Buy Aircraft Stuff

    British Airways – Buy Aircraft Stuff

    I quite like this press release that British Airways have just sent:

    “For the first time in its history, British Airways has decided to unlock the doors to its warehouse this Christmas to give customers and aviation fans the unique opportunity to get their hands on items from British Airways aircraft which have circled the globe hundreds of times. Although an at-home experience is no match for the real thing, customers and collectors can order bespoke British Airways inflight dining items such as William Edwards plates, soup bowls, cups, saucers and even a butter dish for reasonable prices, allowing them to create an authentic First Class flying experience at home over the festive period.

    Those who want to take it a step further can pick up bread baskets, hot towels (which naturally arrive cold), hot towel plates, champagne flutes, coasters and even the Club World casserole dish. After they’ve dined in style, customers can relax in slippers and a day blanket which are also on sale, as they settle down to watch their favourite film or TV show on their at-home inflight entertainment system (their TV).

    And for anybody looking for the ultimate Christmas gift, for a limited time there is the opportunity to purchase a piece of history with items such as aircraft trolleys and canisters taken from the Boeing 747, which British Airways has now fully retired.”

    I quite like the idea of having an aircraft trolley, although it’s not really an ideal purchase in terms of the space and I can’t say that it’s an essential buy. I suspect that this will be a popular idea and lots of items seem to have already sold. Not sure on who will buy the hot towels, but there we go….

    For anyone who wants to buy BA stuff, the web-site is at www.whatabuy.co.uk/british-airways…..

  • Berlin – Berlin Tegel Closes

    Berlin – Berlin Tegel Closes

    I’ve only just noticed on Flyertalk that Berlin Tegel Airport has finally closed, which I’m moderately sad to hear. I’m not sure that I should feel slightly saddened at a shut airport given everything else going on in the world, but there we go…. Tegel was too small, but it was in many ways beautiful and it was possible to reach the departure gate and go through security within minutes as they’re only a few metres from the entrance.

    I last visited in late 2019 and I did hope that I’d get one more chance to visit the BA lounge there again. I did note that the airport was uncomfortable, but I still sort of liked it. Lots of people wanted this airport to remain, but it was too near the city centre and so the amount of real estate was just worth too much. The new airport is Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which has been a national humiliation and been seen as one of the most mismanaged construction projects in Europe. It’s opened nine years late, hugely over-budget and there have been political scandals, corruption issues and pure incompetence.

    Anyway, the reason for this post is to mention the Flyertalk post with some photos of the airport in its final days. I think it’s polite for those who will miss the airport to note ‘Danke Tegel’.

  • British Airways (Warsaw to Heathrow T5)

    British Airways (Warsaw to Heathrow T5)

    This was the British Airways aircraft in Warsaw, G-NEOY, one of the new Airbus A321-Neo aircraft and this was only delivered to BA on 15 June 2020. It wasn’t the aircraft that they expected to use, but the UK Government announced an end to the travel corridor from Poland and this was one of the last flights back to the UK that avoided this issue. So, the aircraft was entirely full.

    The gate was busy and the announcements were hard to hear as the tannoy wasn’t very loud. There was boarding via seat row and this seemed sufficiently well managed.

    The free snacks provided en route, although three customers near to me tried to order food and drink from the Buy on Board service which has been suspended for some months. The crew explained that it was unsafe to serve customers food at the moment, and one customer asked why they were serving food then. It isn’t an unreasonable question (and the crew member couldn’t answer it), although I’m happy with the current set-up.

    This was one of the tensest flights that I’ve been on with British Airways and it’s clear that some passengers were on edge throughout. A passenger opposite me who reclined his seated immediately and then hugged the seat in front of him was one of the more selfish I’ve seen, but I was pleased he wasn’t near to me. This same customer also irritated a member of cabin crew who ordered him over the tannoy to sit down after we had landed otherwise he’d suspend the disembarkation process. It was the same customer who talked over the safety announcements and ignored the crew throughout, then seemed confused why he was being called out for standing up whilst taxiing to the gate. I quite liked the drama to be fair.

    Overall, this wasn’t an expensive flight as I booked early, although the last few seats were costing hundreds of pounds each for those who needed to return home before 4am on Saturday when the travel corridor option was slammed shut. The problem with this new aircraft is that it’s not very comfortable when it’s at this capacity. There’s not enough space and things such as the at-seat power didn’t work, which it really should have done given how new the aircraft was.

    But, having written that, I was just pleased to get back out of Poland given the travel corridor issue, and British Airways didn’t let me down there. The flight was around thirty minutes late in departing due to a delayed outbound flight to Warsaw, but our aircraft arrived just one minute later than timetabled as they were able to make the time up. It was a slight shame that the aircraft landed at C-gates, as that’s a bit of a trek back, but the airport wasn’t particularly busy. So, all sufficiently pleasant, but not my best flight with BA.

  • Warsaw – Chopin Airport Preludium Lounge

    Warsaw – Chopin Airport Preludium Lounge

    The Bolero Lounge at Warsaw Airport is currently closed, with British Airways customers being asked to use this lounge instead. It’s at the other end of the terminal, but it’s not a particularly onerous walk back to the Schengen area. I had a five-minute wait or so to enter the lounge as it was at capacity, but it seemed to stay a little quieter for the rest of my visit. There might be a few extra customers at the lounge today from the BA flight, now that Poland has been removed from the travel corridor, and perhaps a few paying or Priority Pass customers from the WizzAir flight to Luton.

    Everything in the lounge is now handed over by staff, rather than being self-service. It’s not perhaps ideal, but there wasn’t ever much of a wait to ask for anything. The lounge was clean and comfortable, although it doesn’t have any windows which always makes these places feel just a little forlorn. Staffing was efficient if not always entirely engaging, but I imagine the staff are growing just as tired of this situation as everyone else.

    The food and drinks menus, I thought that this was quite a reasonable choice.

    I couldn’t resist the chocolate and beer….. Incidentally, it’s not craft beer, but it’ll do as it’s free. Amazing how less picky I get when things are free.

    The Greek salad and tuna wrap, the former of which seemed fresh and was sufficiently tasty, the latter was just a bit moist and I’m not a huge tuna fan. But, it was perfectly edible and I had no cause to complain about it.

    So, it’s positive that the lounge is open and in operation, with pretty much the full food and drinks options that they had before the health crisis. I think I preferred the system at the BA lounge at Heathrow, but it’s a comfortable enough place to wait for a flight. Perhaps next time I fly from Warsaw the Bolero lounge will be open again and fully self-service, but that feels a long way off at the moment.

  • British Airways (Heathrow T5 to Warsaw)

    British Airways (Heathrow T5 to Warsaw)

    This is BA A320 G-EUYR after arriving into Warsaw Chopin Airport, an aircraft which has been in the BA fleet since 2013 and one I’ve not been on before. The boarding process at Heathrow T5 C Gates was well managed and customers were boarded from the rear seats to the front, which was efficient and has replaced the previous priority boarding system.

    The aircraft, which was probably around 40% occupied.

    I had a row of emergency exit row seats to myself and the overhead lockers were only lightly filled, so there was no problem in finding a space.

    Power was available in the form of plug sockets and USB sockets.

    When boarding, every customer received a hand gel and disinfecting wipe in a larger plastic bag, which the crew collected later on during the flight. The aircraft was as clean as I’ve seen BA manage before, so I’m confident that their new cleaning regime is working for them.

    The Buy on Board (BOB) system, which I always hated, has been scrapped for the moment and customers were given this bag free of charge. It contains a packet of crisps, a packet of shortbread and a bottled water. The crew members were visible throughout the flight, giving clear announcements about what customers could do. This was important as I was unsure of the process, so customers had to wear masks throughout and could only go to the washrooms when the green light was on. Anyone who wasn’t going to wear a mask had to explain this situation to the staff at the gate and the crew reminded a few customers to put their mask up over their nose during the flight.

    High Life Magazine is no longer offered in the seat backs, but it can be read on-line. There’s wi-fi which costs £2.99 for a flight, but I wasn’t that desperate to check e-mails during the journey.

    This flight was reasonably priced at £30.52 for a single journey, which I consider to be excellent value bearing in mind BA also supplied me with lunch and drinks in the lounge, as well as on-board snacks. All told, I remain very impressed that British Airways have managed to deliver such a positive experience given the ridiculous limitations that they’re operating within. And, this is why I don’t feel the need to switch to another airline.

  • Heathrow T5 (BA Galleries South Lounge)

    Heathrow T5 (BA Galleries South Lounge)

    Although I’ve been to this lounge many times before, I usually go straight to the B Gates lounge as it’s quieter. I wasn’t sure if that one was open at the moment, as Galleries North is closed, so I went to the large Galleries South complex. The lounge was spotless, there’s a real effort to ensure that there are sufficient staff available and everything looked ordered and well managed. I didn’t meander around the lounge this time, but it was quiet and easy to socially distance.

    The usual food and drink counters have been shut down, meaning that table service is offered. This has made the lounge a rather more upmarket affair, more akin to the First Class lounge on the floor below. There are a number of breakfast options available until 12:00 and I went for the club breakfast.

    The beer options, which are Heineken for those who don’t like beer, as well as two more interesting choices, namely Brewdog Speedbird and St Austell Tribute. I’m a huge fan of the Brewdog beer and it’s good to have it again after several months of not flying.

    The club breakfast of a bacon roll and potato rosti. OK, it’s not spectacular in its appearance, but the bacon wasn’t too fatty so it didn’t take me long to remove that fat. The roll is soft and it’s all perfectly adequate.

    Here’s the beer….. The food and drink was brought over within a few minutes each time and is ordered via a QR code. There were a couple of customers struggling with the concept, but the staff members were pro-active in helping them. There is a range of different seating types in the lounge, but I went with my preferred high seating and was able to plug my devices in.

    At 12:00 the menu switches to lunch and these are the hot options. There are also salads and cake options available for those who want that. As usual with British Airways, everything is free of charge, nothing is surcharged or limited.

    And here’s the Thai green chicken curry, which I think is way above what someone could expect in an airport lounge. Tender chicken and a richness to the sauce, it’s a perfectly acceptable dish.

    I was very controlled in the lounge, limiting myself to just ordering the breakfast and lunch options, as well as two Speedbirds. I haven’t seen the lounge in this good a state before, perhaps it’s just because it’s quieter. British Airways have done a quite marvellous job here in what are clearly trying times.

  • British Airways – Future of Gatwick

    British Airways – Future of Gatwick

    It’s not looking great for London Gatwick Airport, my flight from there to Faro in March 2021 with British Airways has been switched to London Heathrow. Although this is quite handy as BA have let me switch to a better timed return for no extra charge, it’s a little sad to think that there are no plans for the South Terminal to re-open in the near future. Seems a long time ago since I was in the South Terminal ready to fly to Malta, but it was only March 2020.