BABY: LCY till JFK med BA all biz A318

[Petrus]

Hej igen alla norrbaggar!

Rapporten är på Engelska, men det har inte hindrat er tidigare

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My previous reports:

BA First to NY

BA Club to Vancouver part 1

BA Club to Vancouver part 2



I shall try to keep the text brief and let the pictures tell the story.


For Mrs Petrus 30th birthday I gave her a trip. We had discussed going to NYC in December for all the fun this city offers
during this time of year. Also, Mrs Petrus had not been since February 2008. My last visit was a few months back. Dollar had tanked considerably during the autumn so shopping was high on the list.

A perfect opportunity to try BA's new flagship service from LCY to JFK. As we are currently ARN based this would mean
a schlepp across London from LHR to LCY. Not an issue as explained later.
Mrs Petrus had no idea we would fly on the BAby. She suspected New York was the destination.


Sector 1:
British Airways
ARN - LHR 09.10 AM
Club Europe
767-300

BA and OW have switched Terminals at ARN; from the horrid T2 (will become all LCC) to the new wing of T5.
Check-in was quick and the premium desk was empty. We headed for security and made use of the new "Premium" channel
for OW elites and J class PAX. They've arranged for a dedicated line to show your BP prior to security, however you still
use the same scanners as Y pax? Amazing...

After security we headed for the new Menzies Lounge at T5:



It's slighlty nicer interior wise however there's no Emerald/Gold section longer? Muppets.
Food/drinks offering is rubbish.



We boarded early for the 2.5 hour jump over the North Sea and sat in row 3.
We were held at ARN for a considerable time due to ATC restrictions.
This was a breakfast service so apparently no drinks trolley before the food trolley?
Regardless, English breakfast was served which went down without protest.
We had some Pommery to celebrate the start of our week long holiday. Finally some extended time together

Arrived a bit after schedule, and of course we had a busing gate. Behind the not completed C satellite!
So bus it was... not too bad however once we cleared immigration it became clear one bag had not made it from ARN.
I went down to the BA customer service desk and was told to go back to the belt since another load would arrive in 10 minutes.
The flight was less than half full so I had strong doubts about this. Obviously, there was no second load
Went back to the CS desk to confirm bag was MIA. Paperwork completed and off we went towards LCY.

I had pre-arranged with a group friends in London to have Sunday brunch at the Pigs Ear. We opted for a Cab from LHR.
That was a mistake: Traffic was terrible and the total ended at 72GBP.
While there I joked with a friend who did the CWLCY recently that Mrs Petrus and I are going to Ireland. Which in fact was the case. She was very confused.

Sector 2:
British Airways
LCY - SNN 4 PM
Club World
A318

Cab to Westminster, Jubilee to Canning Town, DLR (eer we hoped....bus replacement on sundays... grrr) for a 1 hour
pre-departure arrival at LCY. Nice touch with a dedicated valet desk before you enter. All very swish and personal.
Bags taken care of and we set off to security.


CWLCY check-in desks.


LCY check-in and arrivals area.


Walking towards the gate, view from the East bar. BAby seen last.


The lounge. It has exactly 32 seats. Flight was full and people had spread out so no seats.


Boarding seen from gate. Note the hats on BA crew. Unique for CWLCY


Boarding.


7J+7K. We opted for these seats based on previous comments. There was a total plonker in 7A.
As we reached our row, he had spread out his stuff in 7J. He reluctantly cleared his items,
pulled a silly/annoyed face and did not even apologise...
We where not expecting one, but still, show some courtesy.


Airborne towards Shannon for the Shuffle.

Menus where handed out and orders where taken for the lunch served after leaving Shannon.
An appetizer was also served on this short 1 hour hop:


Bubbly: Choice of Ayala and Monpole. Ayala it was.

Arrival to Shannon was smooth. All Pax are required to collect all their belongings before leaving the aircraft.
Hold luggage is also off-loaded for inspection.


All PAX with checked bags need to wait in a dedicated holding pen.
The rest continue to a security check and US Pre-clearance.



Once the formalities where completed we waited breifly in another CWLCY dedicated area for boarding.

End of Part 1

[Petrus]

Continued

Sector 3:
British Airways
SNN - JFK 6 PM
Club World
A318

Back on board the portable IFE was handed out by the crew, to be secured on the huge supporting arms:


Slightly messy in row 7 by this point Also, we did not make use of the On-Air internet system.
The performance was constant since the early issues of disconnecting appeared to be fixed.
They switch off the Mobile sign, next to the seat belt sign, when it is available.
It was off the entire journey once airborne from SNN, until 20 minutes prior to JFK arrival.

Food was served. I opted for a salmon with potato salad. Wife went for something warm, which was much better.
If flying to The US, and NY in particular, I fail to see the point in having meat on board.


Bland. Tiny. BA you need to do this better. This flight comes at a premium compared to LHR/LGW Cw.

An hour before arrival at JFK afternoon tea was served:


Again BA, this just does not cut it. You also serve this in F.

It must be emphasized that 3 crew is not enough on this service. We waited 1h and 30 minutes from leaving
Shannon before our meal was served. It took another 30 minutes for drinks to be topped up.
I politely mentioned this to the crew, who said they are doing their best.
I believed them since they appeared to be working their socks off.

Once on the ground after 7 hours it was a real pleasure to arrive as a domestic PAX!
If we had not had bags or had to visit the baggage office we'd be in a cab in 5 minutes.
Brilliant. This is worth the Shannon Shuffle.
As for the missing bag at LHR I had to visit the Baggage center.
I know this place quite well by now
I was duly handed a 200USD BA Visa as compensation for flying CW in order to shop the necessary items for survival.
Of course, it was the suitcase with toiletries missing.

We had borrowed an apartment from a friend. The view was stunning. Even I, who has lived in NY was impressed:



42nd & 11th view at dawn.



Oh hello what have we got here!



A day packed with shopping and good food ensued. We fell in love with the local diner on 43rd and 11th.


Evening rush after a long day in Manhattan. Glad I'm not doing this daily.

I had told Mrs Petrus we would be going on a road trip. NY for a week can be long if you spent enough time there.
She knew we where heading to Niagara Falls, but she did not know we would then continue to Toronto.
It is just over an hour and a half drive from the Falls.

After some excellent advice from fellow FT'er hammythehammer the journey would start by train.


Old versus new.


Very convenient cab ride to Grand Central Terminal on 42nd, same as our apartment.

Hammythehammer adviced me to take the MTA North to North White Plains, and pick up the rental there.
This was good advice. We avoided NYC rush and had a pleasant trip on the train on a gorgeous morning.


Our ride. A corolla. YUK. It was the only car available with Neverlost, Hertz's GPS, for a one way rental.


Approaching Niagara river after a very pleasant car journey through the entire Empire State.


Falls seens from US side. We now know the view is much better from the Canadian side.


It's... an optical trick!


Wooho, amazing falls. Shame about the Disney Land opposite

Continued

[Petrus]

In Toronto I had found a great rate at the Fairmont Royal York.
I had reserved a Signature on a high floor. At registration we where upgraded to a suite.
In hindsight, not sure if it was a better room however who am I to complain.
The bed was outstanding and the room was decent.


That's a serious cake.


Lobby area.


Work of art, next door to the CN Tower. I have been before, however Mrs P. has not.
The view is spectacular.


Toronto Down Town airport. Had I only known Porter fly from here to EWR before booking with AC from YYZ...


Freaky.


Those are some hard men.


Coffe break.

We caught the Vanity Fair Portraits Exhibition at the Royal Ontarion Museum. Highly recommended.
After two fantastic days in Toronto it was back to NY. No driving thanks. The weather had gone cold and windy.

Sector 4:
Air Canada
YYZ - EWR 09.05 PM
Tango Plus
E170

*Gold ensured a very smoonth experience at Pearson T1. We headed for the very nice Maple Leaf lounge for a drink.
The Embraer 170 I liked very much. Good seat pitch, fresh cabin, AVOD. Well done AC.
The approach to EWR was nasty. I liked it, but Mrs Petrus was a little freaked out.
Plenty of drops and bumps


Good night.


Good morning.

It would be a crime not to visit the Intrepid considering she was on our doorstep.


Guess what... it's a rocket.


Flying in on BA003 a hommage to the original BA003 was in order.


Real pilots.








The Elite. The Best of The Best. Top Gun!




Concorde will have to excuse. That's a real rocket.


Maverick.

Continued

[Petrus]

It was time to fly back to Stockholm after an excellent week together.
JFK as a Premium outstation impressed me once again. Mrs Petrus had not been to JFK T7 before,
however she agreed this is very good.

Sector 5:
British Airways
JFK - LCY 22.30 PM
Club World
A318

T7 was a dream. Very quiet. Previous years in December have been mayhem.
Ignored the First/Gold lounge entirely this time. The Terraces is better imo.
We grabbed a pair in the TV room. NBC Sunday night Football was on with the Giants.
After NYG screwed up badly early in the game we headed for the pre-flight dining as we where on a sleeper service.
BA offers this to all Club World passengers flying on the evening flights.
It's a nice buffe. I'm always happy with the offerings.

Mrs Petrus was embarassed by the camera so I had to comply and keep the snapping to a minimum.
She could not understand why I was keen on photos having done this many times before.


Clam Chowder soup. Yummy. Pardon the blatant product placement



Boarding was at Gate 3. Same as my last trip. I went straight to bed
Arrived early at LCY to a pretty day in London.
Our connection at LHR was 14.20 so we there was no rush.
We discussed and calculated our options for transport and decided public was the winner.
BA hand out free Oyster cards (similar to the MTA pre-paid cards in NY) which allows you to travel to central London.
They also work to Heathrow. In total the transfer took 1h and 15 minutes and cost us nothing.
I don't like the Underground in general, however I would recommend this transfer.

Sector 6:
British Airways
LHR- ARN 14.20 PM
Club Europe
A321

T5 was fairly busy so we headed to F check-in. Agent was not very friendly.
I should add this day was the day the result of the Ballot would be announced.

Security was quick, with Fast Track functioning. Slow Track was very slow and crowded.
We headed straight for Galleries First for a fresh up and Lunch.


On every trip since a year back from T5 I've caught an A380


Sing-sling whalejet as usual.


Those 777's are big.

Boarding was from A23 just under the lounge. Galleries First was a pleasure as always.
One glass of Bolly 2000 for the sake of it. We order food from the menu.
The tomato soup was good, the anchovy pasta not.

As we approached the gate, lots of BA staff had gathered around the TV's in the main departure lounge.
The news had broken: the ballot said to strike. Credit to all BA crew visible in T5 this day.
All very professional and not displaying any sort of allegiance.

This was a post 2pm departure which meant afternoon tea. Another reason to lunch in the lounge.
I much prefer the CE cabin in the single aisle machines compared to the 767.
However, the 767 is great as long-haul.

The purser was outstanding. A good CE flight. Arrived on schedule and priority tags worked!


To conclude:
The LCY Service is excellent for those based in The City or Canary Wharf.
Likewise for NYC based people doing business here. On board internet is a great service.

If you are EU based, it is also worthwile if you can connect directly with Cityflier services to LCY.
For the rest, like ourselves, getting into LHR, I would say it's not worth it unless you combine with meetings in London.

The meal service needs improving for sure. A cabin crew of 4 is needed.
The 32 seat cabin is nice. It has a private jet feeling over it.
The seats are good, perhaps a little short for a 6'1. The magazine shelf is obstructing your feel while reclined.
I prefer the seats on regular Club World. The upper deck on a 747 is a nicer cabin.

BA are onto something here. Unless we get a double dip in the economy this should become a hit.

Many thanks to Hammythehammer for the advice on the car journey. Thanks for Fairmont for their NFAF promo.
Special thanks to BA for running promos while travelling this period. I banked 50.000+ miles and 440TP in one trip!


Thanks for looking. Please excuse any spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I write this while decked by flu.

[Discus]

Tusen takk for en flott rapport. Og afternoon tea hos engelskmenn er ikke til å ta feil av, nei.

[Eirik]

Herlig !
En god rapport fra NY får meg alltid til å ville dra dit, snarest !!
´Intrepid´var stengt da jeg var der for noen år siden, trøstet meg med at jeg har opplevd Concorde i luften
Men neste gang flyr du helst widebody, hvis jeg skjønner deg rett ?

[Martin]

Herlig rapport! Får meg til å glede meg til min neste tur med BA, selv om det blir i WT, og i et større fly.

Jeg klarte forresten ikke å la være å legge merke til registreringen på 777-maskinen i site bildet: "MMB"

(MMB er BA Flyertalkspråk for "Manage My Booking", om noen lurte)

[Bizflyer]

Fin rapport, mange gode bilder, moro lesning!

Supert! Takk for det!

BF

[Concorde]

Kanon-rapport! Virker som om LCY-JFK med Airbus har tatt over prestisjen etter Concorde selv om det tar noe lenger tid.

[ILS2]

Kun tre i crewet på en slik prestisjeflight? Det er jo like mange som på en vanlig SK-avgang mellom Oslo og Bergen. Hvilken tulling er det som har kommet opp med den ideen? Hadde vært rimelig skuffet hvis jeg hadde blitt sittende 90 minutter uten mat og 30 minutter uten drikke på det flyet.

[Concorde]

De gjør så godt de kan: http://www.ba001.com/ Heldigvis fikk jeg en runde med Concorde så jeg har god erfaring.