V-Flyer

After a few days enjoying the heat and sun in Dubai it was time to head home. We had had a nice relaxing day in the water park at Atlantis - well worth a visit. One of the reasons for choosing BA over VS was that there is a late night flight from DXB that leaves at 01:55, meaning you get the whole day there and are still back in the UK by 06:00 in the morning and am to get to work.

We got the hotel limo out to Terminal 1 which was the usual busy place thast DXB airport is. There was a longish queue at Area C where BA check-in, and everyone else seemed to be non-BA and have lots and lots of bags to be pre-screened. Once through, there were some further delays at check-in as people were trying to check in more than their allowances. Once we got to the desk, we were quickly given our boarding passes, told were the lounge was located and the bag disappeared off on the luggage belt.

Immigration was very quick, as was security (laptops left in bags here) and then it was the long old walk from Terminal 1 to the actual departure gates. The terminal itself was relatively busy - a quick shop to spend the last of the local currency and then off to the Terraces lounge. This was actually quite a nice place, although not huge given that the flight was a high-load J Boeing 747, so lots of people who could use it.

The flight is designated a "sleeper service", although on the website they don't offer a "dine before you board option" in DXB or the Middle East. However, there was a lot of food available, with a mixture of hot and cold options and local / Western food. We had eaten earlier and weren't hungry, but it all looked good.

The flight was eventually called around 01:00 and it was a long walk back along the Terminal to the gate (one of the few that can do "secondary gate screening" as BA and VS require. As soon as we were screened, boarding started and so we almost walked straight onto the plane. We had managed to get 62A and 62K - upstairs back facing by the emergency exit. I have not flown on a BA 747 before, and was impressed with Club World upstairs - much more room and lots of extra side-luggage bins. The seats we had were great, as no-one to cross over to get out and private - good for sleeping.

Menus were distributed before take-off, along with amenity kits.

Options tonight were:

Salad with crumbed stilton

Sandwiches (salmon with red onion jam, cheddar with chutney)

Hot chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies

Fruit

Full bar service, tea/coffee and soft drinks.

We departed the gate on time and it was a long taxi to the runway. Once in the air, after all the annoucements, I put my seat into bed mode, heard the trolley come out the galley and then drifted off to sleep. I woke about 5.5 hours later as breakfast was almost finished and we were crossing the North Sea / English Channel. What a perfect flight!! Great sleep and meant I woke feeling really refreshed.

There was a breakfast service consisting of smoothies/juice/cereal/pastries/breads and then scrambled egg tartlet with cheese, hash browns, tueky, roast tomato and mushroom or chive omlette with spinach potato cake, tomato and mushrooms or crepe with chocolate cream, banana and cinnamon vanilla sauce. I opted for a smoothie and a diet coke as was going to eat in the lounge.

Arrived a little early to a very grey and overcast LHR. Taxied to T5B and then off on the transit to the main terminal, immigration and baggage reclaim (this took a long time and there was no priority to it!). Headed off to arrivals for a shower and breakfast before time for work (there was someone there getting very upset as they were Silver and wanted a shower and didn't want to understand/believe that only BA gold got into Arrivals).

This was a very good flight - I had a great sleep and still feel refreshed this evening. Maximised the time in DXB with friends and the upper deck of a BA 747 is great for a lovely sleep!

And that was the menu, salad with cheese or sandwiches ... and we criticise VA .

Thanks for the TR and the detail .

But it was 01:55 in the morning - I am surprised that they had anything really! And there was a very good selection in the lounge and breakfast also seemed to be a good selection.

Thank you for the return TR.

slinky09 wrote:And that was the menu, salad with cheese or sandwiches ... and we criticise VA .

.

Hi slinky this is a good night flight where food is not offered and pre flight dining is required, so i am quite suprised that there was any food as i assumed there would be none

Great TR GF really enjoyed it, welcome home.

cheers

alex