This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
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Cabin Crew
The icing on the cake was going to see the 1st day of the WI/AUS test match at the Kensington Oval. I was in a stand completely dominated by tour parties from down under (complete with yellow/green shirts and inflatable kangaroos), and there I am with my WI hat from the 2007 World Cup, which I was very lucky to have got signed by the entire team, which just happened to be staying at the same hotel as us in Grenada. Plus England had just wrapped up their win against Sri Lanka to maintain their world number 1 ranking, so I was spared any of the good natured sledging that the Australians are so fond of.
Even better though - the beers were the princely sum of about £1.30 each. Certainly a bit less expensive than a day out at Lord's...
That said, there was considerable sadness in the RC family when we left for the airport the next day, as we had learned that the resort (Almond Beach Village) was to close at the end of April, due to the financial dire straits of its parent company. This was about our 10th visit to the different Almond resorts, and the Village in Speightstown was definitely our favourite as a family friendly option. There was no doubt that the decor was getting a bit tired in places, and the reviews on Tripadvisor had been getting steadily more negative (in fact, one major tour operator had downgraded it to a 3.5*
), so the writing had been on the wall for a while. But, like my pair of old boat shoes that I will never willingly give up until they fall apart on my feet; we had grown very fond of, and comfortable with the place and its people. My own take on the Caribbean is that you don't go there for grand opulence (Dubai does that so much better!) but for a week of chilling out with plenty of rum. Almond always did that admirably for us, and for that reason, I will be very sad if this was our last visit there.
Because we were regulars at the place, they managed our airport transfers directly, and we ended up getting their white strech limo to take us back to BGI. This was much to the delight of the cherubs who had been in it 4 years previously, and although I personally see limos as slightly tacky, it was nonetheless a nice touch.
We got there with about 2 hours to spare - I'd already done OLCI - the seating was pre-allocated as I'd invested £20 each in the extra legroom seats for the overnight part of the flight. What however annoyed me was that, when I originally booked them, I was told that I'd be able to select from the different legroom seats on the seatmap at OLCI. I was dubious, and of course, it didn't work. I got what I got. And what I got was the 62/63 H/K combination. In of themselves, these are good seats, and especially if you are a couple travelling alone. But when you've got 2 small kids on a night flight, what you really want is a row of 4, and there are a lot more options for them sleeping flat. So not an ideal configuration, and no chance of changing them at the bag drop desk.
I also wonder what would have happened if I hadn't specifically asked for directions to the lounge (1st time in BGI as an AU...), because the check in agent suddenly realised that I needed to have an invitation written if we were going to get in. And despite the fact that he happily took our bags and printed our Y boarding passes from the UC desk, it was only at that point he wanted to see my FC card.
Anyway, happy to report that they were happy to issue a pass for the whole family - once again, it seems that it's just in London (or maybe it's 'only in the official CHs') that they stick to the one guest only rule.
Security was swamped - think there was a Thompson flight leaving just before us. That took a good 30 minutes to get through, and then we headed for the lounge. As I said, I hadn't been there before, so didn't know what to expect.
Two words... Oh Dear. Yes, it was bigger than the one at UVF we were in last year, but it was very crowded, very limited drink options (by which of course I mean alcoholic!). The food offering... well, that's where it really came into its own. Appalling. A few sandwiches (Tuna, Cheese or Corned Beef), a 'selection' of biscuits of the sort that are left over from a church coffee morning once the chocolate ones and pink wafers have been snaffled. And some sad looking crudites and dip that I did not want to go anywhere near. That was it.
I may be playing devils advocate here, as I had already had a good lunch, and I was fine with a Banks beer from the fridge. But in lounge terms, it really wasn't that great, especially as BGI has had a lot of redevelopment in recent years. Or maybe it's just that I'm so spoiled by the LHR clubhouse that I now have unrealistic expectations when I travel...
We only got about 45 minutes there anyway before our flight was called. My AU card was scrutinised closely again before they let us into the priority boarding lane, and we were off onto the tarmac for one last breath of warm air. I love going up the steps of the 744s the old fashioned way, it really brings home what monsters these aircraft are. No wonder the fuel surcharge is so bloody huge
No AU recognition on boarding or any other time. Ho Hum, business as usual
As previously mentioned, we were right down the back. We had the usual fight from the cherubs around who gets to be the one that sits with mummy (charming...), and then we were ready to go. I just have to stress again though, in normal circumstances, these really are very good seats indeed for economy. I'm a big 6-footer, and there was plenty of legroom in the K seats, even more when you consider the extra space between the seat and the window. The H is a bit more restrictive because of the IFE box underneath, but still an improvement on a regular Y seat. Quite surprised that they only charge £20 for these - even more so when you think that it is £30 if you want the same thing for DXB which is a shorter flight. Supply and demand I guess?
There was no video safety briefing, all done manually. And boy, did the FSM sound unenthusiastic. If anyone has seen the film Hot Fuzz - think of the supermarket tannoy announcements from that, and you're getting close. And it was the same throughout the flight - the CSS was positively effervescent by comparison when she got hold of the microphone! I don't want to be too unfair, for all I know, she was an otherwise stellar leader of the team (not that I caught a glimpse of her at any point), but I do assume that VS include staff training on how to make announcements? Having watched The Iron Lady on the way out, I can understand the importance of tone and inflection when trying to engage with an audience.
Once in the air, there was more good news. Apparently the first dozen channels on the Odyssey system had conked out. In theory that would mean no films, but fortunately they had managed to reprogram it so that the remaining 10 channels could be used for some films, and they would switch them around after the first loop. Not a big deal to me, but it did at least sound like a good attempt to manage an issue with this flaky old system, so worth a brownie point from me there, even if just to prove that I'm not always trying to find fault!
The other good thing about our seats was that we got quick food and drink service. The red wine was middling to poor, but the beef was actually pretty good, as was the apple crumble thingy - although this time there was no separate handing out of puddings, it was all on one tray.
So having got done fairly quickly, it gave the cherubs more time for trying to sleep - and this was where the logistical challenge of 2x2 seats kicked in. On a row of 4, they can usually lay out side by side and still leave enough room for us to perch, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. With the seats we had, one of them ended up lying scrunched up across 2 of the seats, while the other decided she was going to sleep on the floor with lots of pillows and blankets. Probably against the rules, but there was certainly room, and noone commented on it. Luckily, although there were a few bumps along the way, the pilot didn't have an itchy trigger finger with the seatbelt sign.
My usual period of sleepless dozing followed (not helped by a lot of restless pax around me) until the lights came on for breakfast. And I have to say that I like the little takeaway style boxes that they give you - definitely better presented than a single foil wrapped bacon roll I've got on other flights. Content was pretty good as well: fruit, yoghurt and muffin. Not quite so sure about the muffin, but it was a low fat one, and they never work IMHO
We landed on time, and in the sort of weather that reminds me why I go on holiday in the 1st place. It didn't stop raining all the way home in fact.
So, a very reasonable flight, just a shame about the lack of choice around seating. Now... onwards to Dubai in under 8 weeks time
RC
