This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
OLCI was smooth, although you don't seem to get the option to print your boarding pass when leaving JFK. No big deal as we had luggage to check in anyway.
We didn't want to take any chances with New York rush hour and arrived at JFK shortly after 6pm, well ahead of our 9.25 departure. Check-in was quick and easy, and after dropping our cases off we went down to the shopping area, and around 8.15 through to security.
We got to the gate around 8.30, but it was announced that boarding would be delayed as the aircraft cleaning was running late due to a staff shortage. We eventually were on board around 9.30, and push back was at about 9.45. We were in 61A and C, which are great seats for couples on the 747, although I wouldn't use them on flights into the US as you'd be at the back of the queue for immigration.
We were in the air shortly after 10 and I was ready for the meal so I could go to sleep. However it was around 2 hours into the flight before the meal was served, not great on with a flight time of only 5 hrs 50 mins as it didn't leave much time left to sleep afterwards! In the meantime I tried to watch a film, but I am quite tall and with the man in front of me full reclined, I couldn't see the screen properly so gave up and switched to music while watching i-map. His seat was further reclined than the others in his row, so I wonder if it was broken slightly and was reclining too far.
After the food (I had beef again, which was good for economy food), I slept off and on until waking up as it got light, which coincided with the breakfast muffin service.
Soon enough we were decending into London, and after 20 mins circling at Ockam (I think it's Okham - the holding point directly south of LHR), we landed at 9.15, 10 mins ahead of schedule. And this is where it started to go wrong.....
We came off the runway and started taxiing away from T3, eventually to park at a T5 stand. Fine I thought, a remote stand, but that probably means there'll be steps at the rear doors as well as the front and we'll be off quicker. How wrong could I be. There were no steps. For 45 mins. They had to drive them over from T3, which seems ridiculous, as there were plenty of other aircraft parking remotely around so they must expect aircraft to arrive there. Even a Kuwait Airways plane departed, but it's steps were driven off back to the terminal (presumably a different ground handler). Eventually one set did arrive, but as we were at the back of the plane, it was around 15-20 mins before we were off, and on our way to the terminal.
Now when I have been at a remote stand before, there is usually one major advantage, and that is when you eventually get to the terminal, you are at least close to passport control. Not so at T3. Up 2 broken escalators, along a corridor and down another escalator took us to the back of a long queue (we still haven't registered for IRIS). Eventually into the baggage hall, and the belt was stopped as there were too many uncollected cases on it. Eventually they restarted it, and our cases came round.
Once outside, we got a taxi back to the Renaissance (Taxi driver was none too pleased with such a short trip!), and a drive round the M25 home (I won't bore you with the traffic problems on the way home, but suffice to say we landed at 9.15, got home at 13.45 and we only live around 20 mils from LHR!).
Overall, the outbound was better than the return, largely because of the slow meal service and inability to see IFE on the return, and I prefer the 346 over the 744!
Mark
