NZ1 LHR-LAX 3 APR 10 (BUSINESS PREMIER)
Posted: 03 May 2010, 12:03After watching Saints suffer an ignominious defeat at the hands of the pie eaters it was time to head off to Heathrow for our flight the next day. I was driving – the first time in very many years I’ve not used the shuttle from Manchester. In the end it was a combination of baggage allowances, poor connection times and economics that won the day for the drive. The main flight was a reward ticket using Virgin miles on Air New Zealand flights, so I had been unable to add connecting flights on the same PNR. It would have meant a meagre 20kgs allowance with BMI, or 23kgs with BA. Then there would have been about five hours lurking around at Heathrow on our return, and once home I would have had to set off again to return the Daught to university in Loughborough.
In the end I booked the Sheraton Skyline with 21 days parking included for £138. Add in a tank of diesel at £60 for less than £200 all in. I could also drop the Daught off with a relatively minor detour on the way home. By comparison, the BA flights were never less than £300 for the two of us, plus my normal car to MAN would have been another £90. The downside would be the drive, but we were going on good Friday and returning three weeks later on a Sunday, so guessed that wouldn’t be too bad. Upside would be I would still be home before the shuttle would get me there.
And it wasn’t. We left the north west at just before six and checked in at just after eight. I was upgraded due to having platinum status to what is probably their “suite” with club lounge access – good enough for breakfast in the morning. We headed off to the sports bar for some reasonable fast food and a few drinks . it was absolutely packed when we got there – some important football game on (?) but service was good, and off to bed at around 10.30.
I had been granted a late check out so we went for breakfast late-ish and read the papers until about 11 in the lounge. We could just see the tail of a 380 parked up from the windows of the club lounge – which got the Daught a bit more excited. She’s in her second year of an Aerospace Engineering degree and the 380 is probably the only commercial aircraft that grabs her imagination. It’s usually the typhoons, hawks, nimrods, etc that rock her boat.
At around 1 p.m. we got a taxi over to T1 for £10. Much better value than hotel hoppa tickets if you take out the inconvenience of lugging your own luggage and stopping every few minutes.
Check in for Air New Zealand business is easily identifiable. But yet another airline who start off by giving a bad impression at the podium “Are you flying economy today, Madam?”. “No, I’m flying business that’s why I’ve come to this section”. I don’t think it’s what they say, it’s the snotty way in which it’s delivered. But I’m pleased to say things were mostly better after that. Pleasant, chatty check in staff who gave all the right information and engaged at a personal level.
The lounge is the shared Star Alliance one. Clubhouse it’s not, but it was comfortable for the hour and a half we were there. Daught managed to watch footy on one of several TV’s (think it was Chelski - she was pleased she got to see it so it might have been a big game but she sometimes mistakes me for someone who might be interested). I settled down with the papers and a few glasses of a quite decent sauvignon. The food wasn’t bad – all buffet style, Indian hot items like samosas and bahjis, good salads, soup and a big pot of chilli that seemed to be going down well.
We were called for boarding at 3.45 for the 4.30 departure. Secondary screening was in place at the gate. There is a separate channel for business and NZ status holders, but there was only one guy working the “system” for diverting people to secondary screening or straight through. He concentrated on the economy line for a good five minutes. When we arrived we were the only ones in the business queue, but this probably grew to about 20 people before he started waiving us through. It was obvious by his demeanour he was enjoying holding us waiting – think he saw himself as some sort of modern day Robin Hood.
It was less clear where the business line was at the actual gate, as there was no sign at the top of the tensa barriers. I spotted it by the desk, but was followed by quite a few people who just though it was another desk. I thought it a bit poor the way they were shouted at.
So if this was a Virgin trip report, the ground staff would overall get a 1 – they managed to p off both business and economy passengers – no mean feat! Check in staff were the only redeeming feature.
Onto the plane and upstairs to 20 A and K, which would be 5A and 5K on the Virgin 747s. No great detail here as everyone knows they are the same suites as Virgin. Slight difference in that the screen to the rear of 20 A and K is not as tall as on the Virgin planes, so slightly less privacy. Additionally, there is a flat area on top used to put out the “help yourself” drinks and snacks, which are served both to the front seats (business) and the rear half of the deck which is premium economy. PE is set out as a 3 – 2 and I would say is crying out for the new seats currently on the way – it looked drab and crowded. Every seat in PE on the top deck was taken, there were 2 empty seats in business.
There are only 2 loos up here, both at the rear near the galley. There were quite often PAX from downstairs using these loos too, and the FAs didn’t say they couldn’t – so quite often there was a congregation at the top of the stairs. I’m glad I wasn’t in the last 2 rows of PE.
The suites are showing wear and tear in exactly the same places (edges of the table housing, on the monitors) and are grimy in the same places too (around the base of the ottoman,). But the immediate suite surroundings seemed reasonably clean, no crumbs and none of the mysterious red pen marks. The only difference is that there is an overhead light as well as the spotlight in the suite.
Boarding drinks were served from the middle by one FA, who took my coat without needing prompting. She was excellent throughout the flight. I found out later that the FA who looks after the front of the upper deck also does half the service in the PE section and the crew deck too. It looked as though the fizz (Piper) was served to every one on the top deck, not just business.
As I think others have noted recently, the full range on the IFE is on from the minute boarding starts. We were wheels up about 20 minutes late, and orders for pre-dinner drinks were taken. My spicy bloody mary was well put together and topped off with a celery stick, not a plastic twizzler.
I was trying not to be obviously looking but the three guys in 17,18 and 19 A were hugely entertaining. They were all as gay as Christmas and were delighted by everything. I think back to my first “suite” experience and being similarly giddy – now although I still appreciate the room and service I’m less excited. But these three brought some of it back for me and I had a big smile on my face for much of the time. I think they managed a couple of bottles of the Piper between them. My immediate neighbour in 19K was so Kevin he would have out Kevined Kevin. I do have to give him credit though for getting on with some serious physics revision for a good part of the flight. As usual the Daught went into solitary confinement for most the flight.
The food was a huge disappointment (sorry Mike-Smashing – I know you’re a fan). There is no choice of starter, I can’t remember what it was but I declined. From the three mains (one beef, one chicken and one veggie), I went for the chicken thighs which were soggy and pretty tasteless and which had the appearance of coming from the legs of pallid, dimpled, middle aged thighs that had never seen the sun – yuk. The meals are served in those little dishes with the turned out ends (BA were using these too at one stage) – and it’s just not the same as having it plated. The food is delivered from a trolley rather than direct from the galley. None of the deserts appealed, so, like Wallace, I went for a nice bit of cheese.
Other aspects of the meal service are identical to Virgin – the table cloths, bread basket, etc. The wines looked good and there is a booklet on your seat along with the menu – but not all of the ones on the menu were on our flight. I stuck with sauvignon which was excellent. The FA is assisted during the meal service by two other FAs, service starts at the front in business and then works back to PE, but the wine and water tops ups were plentiful.
After dinner I settled back to watch Sherlock Holmes, listened to the Heroin Diaries by SIXX AM (the musical interpretation of Nikki Sixx’s book) and read a bit of my new Jasper FForde book, Shades of Grey.
Afternoon tea again was almost identical to Virgin, but preceded by a trolley round of fruit juices or smoothies. Sandwiches were finger cut but as I didn’t have any I can’t tell if they were any fresher than the norm. Scones, jam and cream were also on offer.
We struggled against the winds a bit and were about half an hour late on stand. As we were waiting for the airbridge I saw with dismay an Air France 747 disembarking and feared the worst. But the arrivals hall wasn’t too bad, our luggage was off within the first few bags and we were in a taxi pretty quick. By 8.30 we had checked in to the Beverly Hills Hilton, got a great suite upgrade (yes I know, I’m a points tart in that scheme as well), and were ensconced in Trader Vics eating beef cho cho and coconut shrimp to make up for the food on the plane. Couple of cosmos for me (Daught still not quite legal in the US for alcohol yet) and off to a great nights sleep.
Back to LAX the next day for our Alamo car and off to our base in Lake Forest for three weeks. Great stay – fantastic Dodgers win in the 10th against the Diamondbacks, George Thoroughgood in great form at the House of Blues and a chance to indulge my inner petrol head at the Long Beach grand prix. Oh, and a 7.2 earthquake just across the border in Baja California, Mexicali – but that’s another story.
Will post a slightly shorter report about the return (given I was asleep for most of it) with slightly more details about the menu (alright – I forgot to write it down going out – OK
)Regards
RedVee
Perhaps it has something to do with the great British malaise.