Airline: British Airways
Flight Number: BA293
Aircraft: Boeing 777-236/ER
Registration: G-YMMH
Seat: 10A (Club World) / 04A (First)
Distance: 3667 miles
Duration: 6hrs 40mins
 Photo © Mike Moores |  Photo © Mark H |
Our time in the UK was up, that annual Xmas holiday had been and gone and we were to head “home”. For anyone who has lived in a small British village you’ll be aware that the Xmas and New Year period is usually marked by a near continuous barrage of drinks parties so my Mother found a slot to drop us off at Heathrow before one of her afternoon events. It was rather early, 1.30pm, some three and half hours before our flight but with the new security measures in place it seemed almost logical. We found a spot at the very south end of the departure ramp, a handy set down point for the First and Club World check-in areas and said our goodbyes.
As we approached the entrance to First check-in a BA staff member left her post and asked if we were Gold or First. She showed us round the side of her podium and escorted us to one of the free agents manning his flat screen TV and baggage belt.
I reluctantly handed over my 20” rollerbag for its first trip in the hold. In a scramble to make it look distinctive from all the other Tumi bags I’d created a large ‘F’ on the outside using duct tape and taped down all the zippers to avoid them being ripped off by the fierce behind the scenes baggage handling equipment. It was quite a sight! Lets just say I was happy I wasn’t wheeling it through the airport looking like that!
The agent informed us that all US bound flights were departing from T5B where some of the gates had been cordoned off to create the secondary security check.
With boarding passes for 10A and 10B in hand we went over to the South Security checkpoint where all seemed in good order. No wait for Fast Track (or SlowTrack for that matter) so it was straight to the front of the line where even with just one passenger in front of me the stupid T5 security tray melarkee showed itself up! With accoutrements gathered and placed in the correct bags we took the backwards way to the lounge; along the corridor, down the escalator, past more shops and up another escalator
I’m thankful BA paid extra to have the quick entrance into the Concorde Room but it shows how contrived the rest of thing is!
Once up to the Galleries First level we chose to get Elemis spa appointments arranged before checking into the lounge itself. Even on a light afternoon three hours before flying getting an appointment proved difficult. We did however get appointments in the T5B Spa around an hour before scheduled departure but they were not for our preferred treatments. Maybe it is just me but getting an appointment since Elemis took the reins at the travel spas it has been so spotty being able to find something.
Oh for the Molton Brown days with nice half hour full body massages and plenty of availability…
Anyways, we checked into the Galleries First lounge next door and found ourselves a spot out on the terrace. Perched at the southeast corner of T5 it is a great place for viewing the activities going on outside. Runway 09R/27L is just outside the window and you can see a decent amount of 09L/27R too.
1) Looking “north” from the terrace
2) The departures from runway 09R
3) Terraces and view together
We situated ourselves each with a glass of the ‘99 Lanson Noble Cuvee and ordered some food from one of the roving waiters. You can sit down in the ‘Refectory’ but I prefer the terrace outside for the airy feeling it provides.
Lunch in the Galleries First: Caesar salad with crème brulee
The salad was rather nice, with a nice chunk of anchovy on the top. The crème brulee was a little different from what most people would think of when they think of a crème brulee but it was actually rather delicious with some very tasty fruit elements.
On the television in the corner of the terrace an FA Cup match was being shown and as the game neared its end a quite large group of people had migrated towards it, including some of the lounge staff
I took some time to explore the Galleries First and get some pictures for the report….
Galleries First in Terminal 5:
1) & 2) Terrace
3) Champagne Bar
4) Main lounge area
5) Gold Bar
6) Whisky selection; note the Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Ahead of our 3.40pm appointments at the T5B spa we left the lounge just after 3.30pm We were the only passengers in the lifts down the transit, the transit itself or the lift back up which felt a little eerie but it wasn’t long until we emerged into the main T5B concourse where things were a little more lively. By this time we were running a couple of minutes behind schedule so rushed up to the Galleries lounge. There was some more than necessary keyboard strokes for a simple lounge entry and then I heard the printer fire up and I then saw a boarding pass for 4E come out followed by one for 4F. Upgraded to First again. Result!
Smiling we rushed down to the reception where we were told that my appointment would be a little short as we had arrived a couple of minutes late.
I took my spot in the massage chair facing the concourse and apron below me and laid back, enjoying the smells and having my head massaged as my feet were ground into a pulp by the over eager chair! Two very different sensations!
I occasionally chuckled and groaned and the masseuse (if you can classify them as that) asked if I wanted it to be made a little less vigorous but in a rather British way I told her it was a ‘no pain, no gain’ situation! After fifteen minutes or so I was told to get ready in my own time as she slipped back to the reception desk. I played around on the internet as my wife had her own treatment take care of.
T5B Galleries, down by the spa
When my wife was done we went and found, or tried to find a quiet spot in the main lounge area. The T5B lounge used to be exceptionally quiet when it first opened but this time around it was very busy, if that had anything to do with the new US security regulations and passengers being told to hole up in T5B I’m not sure. We did manage to find a little booth area that was clean and free so took that. I grabbed a glass of water, some Kettle Chips and as one of the roving waiters came around I requested some bubbles. When they were delivered a few more people grabbed the guy and asked for some too! That waiter probably didn’t like me a whole lot after that!
T5B Galleries
I kept a keen eye on the departure boards but judging by the other US bound flights and the occasional PAs it looked like we’d be leaving around an hour or two late. To get some confirmation I went to the information desk tucked into a corner and asked. They said they’d announce each US bound flight within the lounge when there were 60 passengers left to board. Nice little system
A little earlier than expected, around 5.20pm the call went out for us and I thanked the staff and went down to the southern end of T5B where the gates had been cordoned off for the US bound flights. Expecting chaos it couldn’t have been further from the truth. A separate line had been set up for Fast Track eligible passengers but my wife and I were two of the three passengers at the entire checkpoint! At our disposal were about 10 G4S security agents each standing by a table. I was called forward and the thorough check consisted of opening the zip on my bag, peering in and then closing it again.
If I hadn’t been enjoying myself for the previous four hours I’d unnecessarily spent at the airport I’d have been enraged! G4S also handle security at Jersey airport where, as some of you who read my reports may know, is somewhere I travel to quite regularly and they do a very thorough job there.
With so few passengers about, not only at our gate but the rest of them, it goes without saying that getting on the aircraft was extremely quick. We were one of the last to board in First but were greeted as though we were the first; coats were taken right off us, washbags and drinks followed right after although strangely the macadamia nuts didn’t make it this time round. I slipped off to the little boys’ room to change into my sleeper suit and returned to my seat, well almost my seat. Despite it getting dark outside I prefer to have a window view for the takeoff and climb so moved from 4E to 4A, my wife making a similar manoeuvre going from 4F to 3K (as this aircraft had crew rest in lieu of seat 4K), the lightly loaded First cabin aiding us and our unusual travel habits!
As we settled in our seats on opposite sides of the cabin we heard from the flight deck for the first time. Despite being due to leave around an hour late we would be scheduled to arrive in Washington early due to tailwinds! Traditionally the winter tailwinds that usually assist eastbound transatlantic traffic are light but I’ve never heard of them going the other way before!!
The safety video was played and I despite not paying 100% attention (
– I almost know the BA ones word for word!) something piqued my interest. The line, ‘on the main deck there are two exits at the rear of the first class cabin and two at the front and rear of each other section’ sounded wrong and I looked up to notice the cutaway of the 747 was on the screen. Oopsie. When the video came to an end it was announced the wrong video had been played and it rolled again for the Boeing twin. The captain came on at the end and said we’d be on our way shortly and that we were just waiting for a tug, it being only a short taxi out to runway 09R. Has something changed at Heathrow lately? I thought at 3pm the departing and arriving runways swapped to give the locals a break but 09R had been used for departures since we’d arrived at 1.30pm…
For some obscure reason, probably consumption of alcohol
, my wife began hiccoughing almost uncontrollably. In the front cabin section with basically no engine noise it was pretty apparent and one of the flight attendants dashed through from the forward galley with a bottle of water for her
After waiting for an SAS MD80 to clear the runway we turned onto 09R and headed up into the nightsky, turning south after departure and out to the west sandwiched between the M3 and the M4 motorways.
Rolling onto runway 09R
It was a very clear night and the ribbons of headlights and brakelights showed the full extent of British road network helping distinguish those familiar and otherwise. As we passed over Bristol I tired of the scenery and fired up the inflight entertainment, the BA AVOD usually has something to keep me busy and this flight was no different. There was an interesting biography of Peter Jones, one of Britain’s most well known entrepreneurs and as a keen viewer of ‘Dragons’ Den’ it seemed a good place to start.
The meal service was quite slow to get going and it wasn’t until we were over Ireland before the menu orders were taken. As is usually the case with dayflights in First I asked about ordering a couple of dishes in lieu of the afternoon tea for the latter portion of the flight. Usually this is not a problem but this time around I was told that I’d have to wait until after the rest of the cabin had ordered (and probably the crew as well) before I could pick out my choices. Given the circumstances of how I came to end in the cabin it seemed fair!
Once the Peter Jones biography ended I looked to see what was on in terms of proper films, something I could slouch down into my seat and enjoy…’The Hangover’ seemed to fit the bill nicely as when I saw it the first time I was a little ‘under the influence’ so the story was a bit hazy!
It was almost 2hrs into the flight before the meal service proper got going. Flights out of Heathrow now offer an amuse bouche in lieu of the canapés. This was fine by me and by happenchance I’d had this amuse bouche as a full size starter in First on my flight back to the US following Xmas the previous year too!
Smoked duck with celeriac remoulade and a watercress and pomegranate salad – note the red water glass
The meal service then continued as usual:
1) Seared scallops on a Jerusalem artichoke puree with sweetcorn and tomato dressing
2) Butternut squash and sweet potato soup
3) Fresh winter salad with balsamic vinaigrette
4) Chicken and ham hock pudding with roast root vegetables and parsley mash
5) Trio of Christmas desserts
The scallops were really rather good, as was the ever dependable soup. The salad was a little dull but then I usually find that to be the case with winter salads. The pie was a little different and the Xmas desserts were an interesting way to finish although I do wonder when such things get subbed off the menu…after the twelve days of Christmas have ended perhaps?
With ‘The Hangover’ ending I switched to ‘The Ugly Truth’, a film a good friend had recommended because, well the title says it all…A few hours after the meal service had ended it seemed a good time to have a British cup of tea. The fruity Twinings flavours that BA offer in First are very enjoyable, particularly when lazing around, the footrest up in a comfortable position watching a film.
This time around I opted for peppermint…
Twinings Pure Peppermint tea
As the flight attendant was bringing the teapot towards me I could smell the aroma wafting through the cabin. Love the smell of peppermint
But when she placed the tea pot and associated paraphernalia out on the tray a load of static electricity discharged, enough to switch my overhead light out! 
By the time I was done with the tea and my third dose of inflight entertainment we were well over Newfoundland and closing in on US airspace. Indeed once we entered US airspace the cabin lights were brought up, very early in my experience on this route and flight, possibly related to the new security regulations, however my wife was still soundly asleep. The immigration and customs forms were brought round and I collected and filled out the customs form on behalf of my wife and myself.
The afternoon tea service kicked off and the tray of sandwiches were brought round to me and the flight attendant then remembered I had a King Prawn Biryani and a steak sandwich selected from earlier. She asked if I still wanted both and by this time I felt a little hungry so said I would. The steak sandwich came out first and it was a little larger than expected, and once I started devouring it the five and a half courses from earlier started to fight back! A decent slug of turbulence kept us in our seats for some time over Maine which gave the flight attendants trying to serve the afternoon tea a little trouble.
Minute steak sandwich with shallot and tomato confit on Manoucher fokachio
The sandwich was actually really rather good, an interesting take on the steak sandwich staple and a worthy successor to the ever favourite bacon baguette
. The forty minutes to landing announcement was made as I was polishing off the sandwich and I felt too full to attempt the biryani so passed on it. Usually I’m game for the full two courses so suspected it was partly the fact the first meal service wasn’t served right after takeoff and that because of the tailwind we we reached the Boston/Maine area (where the second meal service is done) much faster…
First cabin nearing Washington
Unlike the British end the American side of the pond was shrouded in cloud so the views of Boston and New York City that are often enjoyed were not to be the case this time around…Once the seatbelt sign went out I gathered my clothes and washbag and headed to the bathroom to freshen up in anticipation of the final leg of the journey. Upon my return it was apparent my wife was still sleeping like a baby with only about twenty minutes to go until landing so I gave her a series of nudges until she reluctantly awoke.
As is usually the case on my flights into Dulles we descended over southern Pennsylvania and flew east of the airfield. Thanks to some 35mph winds it was rather choppy at the lower altitudes and this caused the engines to throttle up in what appeared to be a rather inconsistent manner, quite wildly at times, although I’m fairly sure some smart computer, or smart member of the flight crew was behind it! The winds did create the effect that the streetlights were almost twinkling as foliage that was moving back and forth blocked them at times.
Below the thick clouds that had obscured most of our view it was a clear night and we seemed to be flying much further south than is usually the case on this routing, we went almost to Fredericksburg, some 45miles south of the airfield before turning back into a northerly direction towards the airfield. From the orientation of other aircraft, and our position crossing I-66 I could tell we were due in on runway 01R and we touched down just fifteen minutes late. Not bad considering our late departure and trip half way to North Carolina
Arrivals procedures for BA passengers at Dulles have changed a little since the airline’s home at the airport moved. Previously the aircraft would hold a little off stand and the mobile lounges would attach themselves to the aircraft. Now passengers walk up the jetbridge, into the concourse itself and then down into a small holding area where the mobile lounges are waiting. The downside to this is that before the shuttles attached to the First/Business cabin would depart when those cabins were empty but now all passengers are combined it doesn’t work as well. The one slightly annoying thing I noticed was that several passengers had the usual two carry on bags with them. Didn’t know if they were connecting passengers that managed to get a bye on the rules somehow but given that I had to check my rollerbag I was a little annoyed, whether that was with them or myself I’m not sure
. Once full our driver entered the cab for the drive to the new immigration hall. Opened a few montsh back the hall looks newer than the previous one but that’s about it. We were in line for about fifteen minutes waiting to get to the front (in the US Citizens/Permanent Residents line) despite it not being very busy, just not enough CBP officials out. We did have a bit of a scare as my wife asked me for her passport, something I did not have, and as we neared the front of the line the bag was strewn apart. It couldn’t have gone far as she needed it at the gate at Heathrow…a did breathe a sigh of relief as the blue book was sighted at the bottom of her bag!
Then it was to tackle the last piece of the puzzle…baggage reclaim. The new immigration hall feeds into the old baggage reclaim hall so nothing new to report here…I really do loathe the Dulles system as there are about three or four airport workers that grab some of the bags that come off the belt and line them up in rows beside the belt. It infuriates me because it makes getting yours all the more difficult as you don’t know if it is on the belt, in the row or somewhere in between
Additionally as my roller bag (that I had to check because of the one carry on rule) was like one of many I didn’t want someone to walk off with it thinking it was theirs. Fortunately I saw mine arrive on the belt (bereft off all the duct tape I’d decorated it with!) but it was still rather annoying. They’re also not the most intelligent of creatures either, on several occasions I’ve seen the handlers basically throw and smash bags off the belt. OK, so well all know that baggage handlers aren’t the most timid of creatures and things go on behind the scenes but to do it in front of passengers who might own those bags is just stupid
Customs was the usual formality that it is and then it was outside into the bitterly cold wind to catch the shuttle back to the hotel where we left the car…Brr!
Verdict: Another solid flight from BA with another very welcome upgrade to First
They seem to be handling the rather dumb US security regulations extremely well, especially for those with lounge access or flying premium cabins The crew were the usually friendly, warm team that you come to expect when flying BA, couldn’t fault them on that.
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