OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24929 posts, RR: 60 Posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 9433 times:
Well I normally fly from Dublin but on this occasion I thought I would try Belfast City for a change. It has been a long time since I flew from BHD.
Date: 9th June 2007
Dep time: 0700
A/C : A320
Reg: G - MIDY
Seat: 2C
Route: BHD-LHR
I checked in at 0530 for a 0700 departure. It was a lovely warm morning.
I checked myself in using the BMI self service machine. I already had reserved my favourite seat at the time of booking so the process only took 2-3 minutes. It automatically gave me my boarding card for returning that evening also.
Check In hall and shops
Ticket desks including AB who fly BHD to STN.
Upstairs there are restaurants and bars
After security duty free shop and cafe.
I went to the lounges after security.
On the way to the BMI Diamond Club lounges I passed the FlyBe lounge .
When you first enter the BMI lounge you are in the Business class area and reception.
At the end of this lounge you come to the Gold members lounge which is accessed by swiping your BMI Diamond Club Gold card.
A good selection of pastries and beverages. There were only 3 people in the lounge at this time in the morning and it was nice and quiet.
Some leaflets advertising BMI Diamond club and also the fact that Blue Plus / Silver and Gold card members get free catering in Y class upon presentation to the crew of your card. I wasn't affected by this as I was in J class.
My aircraft .
Some photos of FlyBe which is BHD's largest operator.
At 0640 a boarding announcement was made and the cool thing about BHD and BMI is that you can board directly from the lounge by air bridge to the aircraft.
J class cabin . Configuration is 2-3
A view of Y cabin. Behind the curtain.
After we pushed back a view of our air bridge that we boarded from.
A view of the old BHD terminal .
Bombardier factory
As we took off a view of Belfast Port
Passing over Carrickfergus
After take off we did a sharp right turn and flew over the Ards peninsula
A rather empty J class cabin
After 15 minutes the meal service began. The photo on the ''bentobox'' was of Dublin's Halpenny Bridge.
Nice English breakfast
After the meal service i slept for a bit before starting our decent to LHR.
Twickenham Rugby ground
Thames river
View of Terminal 5 works.
Nice CY A330
After arriving I went for my appointment on London.
Date: 9th June 2007
Dep time: 1945
A/C : A319
Reg: G - DBCA
Seat: 3C
Route: LHR-BHD
I arrived to LHR Terminal 1 around 1800. I already had my boarding card so I took a few photos.
BMI check in areas and self service check in Machines
Aer Lingus ticket desk and self service check in
After that I went through security which only took 5 minutes. It was fairly quiet. Time to hit the BMI lounge.
Free internet area with laptops supplied sponsored by BT
The BMI business lounge is down stairs and the Gold lounge is upstairs. The above photos are of the BMI Gold lounge.
Some views from the lounge. Good for spotting.
Thai Airways 747-400
SQ 747-400
Air India 777
Jet Airways A340
Star Alliance livery
Eva Air 777-300ER
At about 1920 a boarding call was made so it was time to head to gate 8C .
View of Y class cabin.
I took some photos as we taxied to the runway.
TAM Parked at Terminal 4
RJ A310 Cargo
Aer Lingus A320
Taking off over an Air Astana B767
Good old Concorde
The new Wembly Stadium
After take off, time for the meal service. Two guys in J class doing the service and were extremely efficient and friendly.
Poached Salmon and Duchess potatoes.
After that it was time to descend into Belfast over the lough.
The HSS between Stranraer and Belfast making its was up the lough.
FlyBe's new ''Eco'' livery. ''low cost but not at any cost''!!!
Sometimes even the shortest trips can be the most enjoyable. I have been loyal to BMI for over 5 years now and when I fly them I remember why. The service was excellent and I dont know what it is about the Irish crew on the Belfast flights but they are the best in the BMI network. You can have the ''craic'' with them and they are always making the trip more enjoyable and personal. BHD airport is a dream to fly though with no real ques but plenty of facilities. I love the fact that BMI have retained their J class product on this and the Dublin route and I hope they never change it.
I look forward to your comments and suggestions and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.
Thanks
OA260
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
Contact Air From Germany, joined Apr 2001, 1154 posts, RR: 14 Reply 2, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 9394 times:
Hi OA 260,
really great report with lots of pics - I enjoyed reading and watching a lot.
Quoting OA260 (Thread starter): On the way to the BMI Diamond Club lounges I passed the FlyBe lounge .
Wow, a FlyBe lounge? I didn't know that such a thing exists. I thought FlyBE was a low cost carrier, so who is allowed to use this lounge? Frequent travellers?
Quoting OA260 (Thread starter): Some leaflets advertising BMI Diamond club and also the fact that Blue Plus / Silver and Gold card members get free catering in Y class upon presentation to the crew of your card. I wasn't affected by this as I was in J class.
So again a change in BMI's catering concept. It somehow gets more and more difficult - also for the cabin crews.
Anyway, it's nice to hear that you enjoyed your flights on BMI. Their Business Class product seems to be very good.
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24929 posts, RR: 60 Reply 3, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 9373 times:
Quoting Contact Air (Reply 2): Wow, a FlyBe lounge? I didn't know that such a thing exists. I thought FlyBE was a low cost carrier, so who is allowed to use this lounge? Frequent travellers?
Thanks guys. FlyBe is a low cost carrier but if you buy their full Y class they call it Economy plus and you get vouchers. One for a drink and another for a snack/sandwich on board. The other voucher is for the lounge. I did a TR back in April from DUB to SOU and it shows the SOU lounge etc... Its a good idea for people that still want these benefits.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
B747forever From United States of America, joined May 2007, 16575 posts, RR: 11 Reply 4, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 9343 times:
Great TR. Really nice to see some LHR traffic.
Jet Airways A340
....................
That was a A330, or it is a A340 losing its 1st and 4th engine
Rineanna From Ireland, joined Jan 2007, 879 posts, RR: 13 Reply 5, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 9322 times:
OA260, you excel once again with your fantastic TRs!
The pics really are great.
It's funny 'coz I was at Belfast Harbour just the day before you departed except I was coming in aboard the HSS that you took the picture of above! It wasn't so much a fast ferry, however, as one of the turbines wasn't functioning, but anyway! As we were entering the port, I saw a plane take off from BHD but never actually saw the airport as I'm not too familiar with that area.
Was the A320 payload restricted or could it have taken off with a full load?
I see that BMI have a plentiful supply of oranges not like their banana-loving alliance partners, SAS, in CPH!
EK20 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 9260 times:
I would love to know what the difference is between an economy ticket and a business ticket (price wise) on that route. The flight is so short I can hardly see a difference, especially on the legroom. Did you pay for that trip yourself or was it a company thing?
FLIEGER67 From Turkey, joined Sep 2003, 4391 posts, RR: 57 Reply 8, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 9154 times:
Hello, OA260,
lots of great pix and an interesting story.
Belfast is on my to-do-list, now it´s much closer to the top!.
Till know I was on BMI services only "behind the curtain", nothing special from my point of view.
Best regards,
Markus (FLIEGER67)
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24929 posts, RR: 60 Reply 10, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 9062 times:
Quoting BMIFlyer (Reply 7): Great report there, I may have to fly BD domestic again soon
Thanks Lee, yeah they are a great wee airline and I always enjoy my flights on them.
Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 8): Belfast is on my to-do-list, now it´s much closer to the top!.
Yes Belfast is a cool city, if you dont want the hassle of the crowds in Dublin then Belfast is a good alternative.
Quoting Rineanna (Reply 5): Was the A320 payload restricted or could it have taken off with a full load?
I see that BMI have a plentiful supply of oranges not like their banana-loving alliance partners, SAS, in CPH!
Not too sure to be honest maybe someone else knows.
Hey Oranges in Belfast , Bananas in Copenhagen!!! What do we have in Dublin ??? LOL.....
Quoting B747forever (Reply 4): That was a A330, or it is a A340 losing its 1st and 4th engine
Haha you caught me LOL....
Quoting EK20 (Reply 6): I would love to know what the difference is between an economy ticket and a business ticket (price wise) on that route.
Well you can buy ''Tiny'' fares for around GBP 20-30 oneway incl taxes and then the C class is around GBP186 oneway incl taxes. I guess if you want the extra space and lounge access,air miles and some sort of flexibility then its worth it. I cashed in 9,000 miles and the taxes were GBP 85 taxes!!! The taxes are totally crazy as you pay extra tax in the UK for flying J class!! Thats socialism for ya !!! If I had have flown from Dublin the taxes would have been GBP 30 cheaper because the Republic does not have such high air taxes. I only get charged Y class miles but get seated in J class as a Gold card holder which is a great perk. This is only when going on BD flights. For the USA you get put in PE.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
Sketty222 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2006, 1772 posts, RR: 4 Reply 12, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 8891 times:
A cracking trip report. Theres nothing like a short flight to try out an airlines service.
I fly with BA quite regularly between NCL and LHR and they always put on a good service( the LGW service used to be better). I have never flown with BD but after your little report I may have to try a flight with them, even taking in BE to see what their like. NCL-BHD BE, BHD-LHR BD, LHR-NCL BA sounds good
Boarding from the lounge directly into the aero-bridge? How did the YCL pax board then? This is a very interesting way of boarding and surely very distinctive for business travellers using the facility.
Welcome to my starry one world alliance, a team in the sky!
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24929 posts, RR: 60 Reply 16, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 8301 times:
Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 14): Boarding from the lounge directly into the aero-bridge? How did the YCL pax board then?
As I walked out of the door of the BMI lounge you walk down a ramp which links you to the air bridge and on the left side there is an entrance where the Y class passengers board from .It is a very good idea but would only work in smaller airports unless you happen to have a lounge directly by the gate. When BMI started to fly from the new BHD they had this all pre planned in the design stage so they were lucky to be able to choose what they wanted.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
BA319-131 From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2001, 8267 posts, RR: 56 Reply 18, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 7906 times:
Great report and photo's, I won't comment on the aircraft errors as It's already been covered.
I've had a few BMI flights myself over the past month or so, though always down back - can't claim Business Class fares on work travel. Whilst I don't like the 'Y' concept that BMI have, I will pay more to fly them than EZY, however would take BA over BMI if paying myself,ie, I'd pay more myself.
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24929 posts, RR: 60 Reply 20, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 7645 times:
Quoting SOBHI51 (Reply 19): Nice report.That model plane in the lounge is missing both engines and a tail wing.Hope will never have to fly the real one in that condition
Haha congratulations!!! I actually took that one deliberately to see who would comment!!!!!LOL....
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
SASDC8 From Norway, joined Mar 2006, 663 posts, RR: 1 Reply 21, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 7597 times:
Nice report and good pictures How many miles do you get from such a trip? Think BM j class service looks quite good, as well as their lounges. Is there a big difference between their gold lounge and their business lounge?
ManchesterMAN From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2003, 1192 posts, RR: 1 Reply 23, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 7471 times:
Quoting OA260 (Thread starter): Some leaflets advertising BMI Diamond club and also the fact that Blue Plus / Silver and Gold card members get free catering in Y class upon presentation to the crew of your card. I wasn't affected by this as I was in J class.
I think the new Y class catering is a pretty good concept and the food is pretty good too. I don't have too much experience of BD biz class now it is such a rarity but did fly it last week to BRU for the first time in years using an upgrade voucher and ended up requesting a cheese toastie from Y instead of what they were offering in the bento box which I didn't fancy.
Quoting OA260 (Reply 22): Quoting SASDC8 (Reply 21):
Is there a big difference between their gold lounge and their business lounge?
Thanks . To be honest there is not much difference. Just there is alot less people in the Gold lounge.
There is a slightly better snack/drink selection in the Diamond Club lounge but its hardly noticeable. And as you say there are usually fewer people. In fact I've been the only person in the MAN DC lounge on my last few visits which means you get to control the TV!
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24929 posts, RR: 60 Reply 24, posted (5 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 7445 times:
Quoting ManchesterMAN (Reply 23): upgrade voucher and ended up requesting a cheese toastie from Y instead of what they were offering in the bento box which I didn't fancy.
31 Airbuseric: Hi OA260 Again a good report. Nice complimentary pics too! BD C class has always been great indeed. I've flown in BD C about 5 times on the AMS-LHR se
32 ManchesterMAN: Too right they did. If its free in Y I sure as hell ain't paying for it in C!
34 Vasu: As long as the planes don't fall apart like the model A320 on display in the lounge!
35 OA260: I thought it was buy on board in Y class??? I saw a menu with prices on it or maybe you had your Gold card??? Im only kidding .....lol Yes they reall
36 N272WA: LOL so much at the engine-less A320 in the lounge!!
37 ManchesterMAN: It is BOB but as you know free for Blue plus, silver, gold diamond club members. I did have my gold card but didn't need to show it. The actual story
38 UK_Dispatcher: Very nice and interesting report. I have to say I don't like the dark blue leather seats that BD seem to have retro-fitted into G-MIDY. I used to like
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