Day 3 LCY-JFK 09.45
Airbus A318
Club World
Tier Points: 210
I’ve been reading on flyertalk recently about technical
problems with one of the A318’s (there are only 2 fitted out with all business
seats from city) causing all sorts of problems with passengers being
transferred to 744’s from LHR. Thankfully there was no hint of this today and
BA001 was on time.
I left the Travelodge at 8.50 and walked to the terminal, I
was ticketed and at the gate 24 lounge by 9.15. Just time for a quick yoghurt
and water and it’s time to board.
The flight seems quite full, I’ve got seat 8A (back row
window seat, all the cool kids sit on the back seat innit) which is my
favourite seat on this plane. The purser tells me there are 28 passengers (32
seats is a full plane) and luckily I’ve got a spare seat next to me. I really
do like this service better than a seat in First if you have a seat pair to
yourself, it feels incredibly spacious.
The purser comes down and says that because I’m on the back
row he’d like to make sure I get my first meal choice (assume because I’m now
gold, if that’s the case it was a nice touch). I order the prawn curry on his
recommendation, he’s a Scot and insists I can blame him if I don’t like it – I
guess they are not all bad north of the border (that’s tongue in cheek to all
the PC police out there).
Stop for immigration in Shannon, it’s a bit of a wait as
there are other flights clearing at the same time, the BA flight is offered a
shortcut to the scanners by the attendant.
We board and are off again on time, dinner is served and it
was fantastic. A nice salad, prawn curry and then sticky toffee pudding. A
great cabin crew on this fight, and probably the best in flight meal I’ve had.
I recline to bed position and get a couple of hours sleep.
I wake up and before too long it’s time for afternoon tea –
sandwiches and a scone. We hit some turbulence just as they are serving and as
I’m trying to make sure I don’t spill my tea while chatting to the flight crew the
sandwich tray slides down the side of the seat, toast butter side down style.
I scrape the sandwiches from the floor one by one and the
tray is swiftly replaced. Afternoon tea on a plane is one of those
quinticentially British things which when BA do them well gives the airline a
real sense of identity. It’s the type of thing that a traveller from another
part of the world would be able to identify as ‘BA’.
A quick trip to the toilet before landing and as I open the
door I walk in on a chap in full flow having forgotten to lock the door. I of
course apologise and we both have a chuckle as he leaves the ‘cubicle’.
We land in JFK on time, I’ve got a 6 hour layover now until
my LAX connection.
All in all this flight was another great experience, it
feels really special and is an example of BA being pretty excellent when they
get things right. The return flight was not as special last time, mainly
because I just slept through it. I think a good option would be to take ba001
out and get a 744 upper deck back to LHR for the return as a
redemption/holiday.
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