Drove down to LHR Saturday morning and parked at the T4 Hilton. Bit of a pokey car park especially when trying to park one of Solihulls finest. We made our way through the aerial walkway that connects to T4, about a 5 minute walk. Terminal 4 was packed ended up in the ET snake instead of CE but both lines were busy. I asked for the return BPs as we were only due to be in CDG for 2 hours. Oh dear sir your return flight is cancelled. After a few minutes the extremely helpful agent found that BA had booked us on the 7.30pm Air France return. Normally I wouldnt have been fussed good opportunity to check-out the AF European J product. However our plotted TP strategy required 70 of the 80 tps from this trip. The Agent said go to the ticket desk in the pavilion terraces lounge as the landside desk was very busy. We were then issued 3x 10 vouchers because of the catering shambles. Straight through fast track and onto Caviar house a bottle of fizz and some rather nice smoked salmon in exchange for the vouchers.
After getting past the pre lounge dragon we checked in upstairs. The ticket agent was fantastic but the only BA flight (BA323) he could get us on was the flight we were going out on so we would have about 20 minutes turn round. Junior and mrs were very pleased as it meant they would be back in the room to see x factor, I was ecstatic at the news.
Lounge was packed, took 3 seats by the bar at the bottom end. There were 2 chillers full of the deli boxes and a continuous service of cold cuts and salad plus various sticky pudding pie things on the end of the bar.
Spotted Tim Spall wandering around no one else seemed to recognize him a lot shorter than I though he would be. Loaded up with a couple of the deli boxes and quite a few cans of stella and Newcastle brown for the flight. Flight was delayed 30 minutes, at least this would mean missing most of x factor.
As we were making our way out of the lounge I noticed who was sitting with Mr Spall none other than Queeny herself Miranda Richardson, she really does have that high pitched voice. At the gate (10 just outside the BA lounge makes a change)I spotted a VS crew bag the lady who was pulling it was a VS FA who has been on one of our flights as we all recognized her.
Not a lot to say about the flight apart from the aircraft was a brand new airbus A341 crew said the ovens had never been fired up yet. Only tea and coffee and a biscuit, but we had our cans the flight was a swift 40 minutes.
Headed to the AF/BA lounge airside so no need to bother with immigration refilled our can supply made a quick phone call and the flight was called after only 15 minutes from landing.
Crew were somewhat surprised to see us reboard, we had the same seats 1 DEF and same non service,crew were very apologetic.Flight time was 45 minutes but we ended up in a stack then when we landed no parking space so its not only VS this happens to.
Anyhow an enjoyable day out, all the points posted Monday, Hilton was very good and we missed all of X factor yeah.
