Flying home with British Airways

At the end of my Contiki tour through England and Scotland I flew home from Edinburgh to New York via London Heathrow, sadly in Coach (I flew out in Business Class).

I had previously paid to choose my seat with British Airways for the international flight, I had chosen an aisle seat in the 3rd row. When I did my online check-in the day before my flights I noticed that the first row was available. I was confused as to why I wouldn't have chosen it initially, and then decided to move myself up. At that time I also picked an aisle seat for my flight from Edinburgh to London.



I had an early morning flight from Edinburgh to London and decided to take the 10-15 minute walk from my hotel to the Airlink shuttle at the train station instead of taking a taxi. While I don't regret this decision, the walk from the hotel to the shuttle was a bit of a pain so early in the morning with all my luggage. But once on the shuttle it was a pretty quick ride to the airport with only 2 or 3 stops along the way. It is a great way to get to the airport if you don't mind the walk to the shuttle, and it has free wifi.

I arrived at the airport just over 2 hours before my flight and could not print out my boarding pass. Because I had done my on-line check in at an internet cafe I did not print out my boarding pass, so I had to do this at the airport. First, the kiosk would not allow me into the system since my flight was so far away (a whole 2 hours), then when it finally did let me into the system it told me I already had a boarding pass. So I went online to check my suitcase and at the counter they were more then happy to print out my boarding pass. I was finally able to go through security and do a bit of shopping and have a little breakfast before my flight.

Flight number: BA1439 - EDI to LHR

This flight was just under an hour and a half from gate to gate so it didn't bother me that there wasn't any entertainment on board, or was there? They actually had a full breakfast service on this flight. It was just an average airline breakfast, if you're not from the US. They served a hot egg and bacon thing, my memory is a little fuzzy about what exactly was served, but I remeber it was just ok. But it was hot food, on a short flight, that was amazing in and of itself.

Other then the food the flight was uneventful, though the plane was comfortable and only offered coach service. Being a British airline, they also offered hot tea service.

After disembarking the plane I followed the signs to connect, which lead me to a checkpoint to enter the Terminal 5 area, at this point they scan tickets to ensure that people entering Terminal 5 are departing the airport on another flight. I would have about 3 hours here to explore before my flight home.

Terminal 5 at Heathrow has only been open a few years, it is quite modern and has A LOT of services. There is a wide offering of food and shops. I did my last minute shopping here, I got myself a London 2012 Olympic shirt. I spent some of the last of my pounds and exchanged the rest of it. I also stopped at the restaurant Giraffe and had an excellent smoothie. Let me just say that it's much more fun to wander around an airport when you don't have the maximum allowed carry-on baggage. It was finally time to board my flight home.

Flight number: BA0177 - LHR to JFK

Boarding was done via bus. So you had to take an escalator down to your gate, board a bus then transfer to the plane. This is a serious pain in the ass! No wonder it takes an hour to board the plane! But I was on the first or second bus so when I got on the plane it was empty, which made settling in much easier.

I found out why I originally had not booked the first row of coach for this flight, it's the bulk head seat. I am a short person so I don't need the room that a bulk head seat offers, and I like to have my stuff handy under the seat in front of me. I quickly had to figure out what I needed and wanted and where the heck I could put it. I ended up going back into my bags two or three times during the flight. BUT, because I was the first person in my row I was able to take up all the space in the overhead above my seat (it was a small compartment, I didn't have THAT much stuff).

I have to rant for a moment. While I was sitting in my seat reading the newspaper I noticed someone stop next to me and put his stuff in the overhead for the seat opposite me, I didn't think anything of it at first, until the people seated near me came and couldn't put their stuff in the compartment. So some ass sitting in the back of the plane came and filled the overhead compartment of the bulk head seats (the seats without under the seat space) and then went to his seat in the back of the plane. This was early in the boarding process and I can assure you the overhead at his seat was not full, he was just an ass hole. If you're the guy who did this, you are an ass hole and if I knew what you were doing at the time I would have called you out then and there!

Back to the flight...

As boarding progressed the middle row of seats were filled with 2 families with small children. One lap baby and one toddler. I almost cried when I saw them and take-off did not go well, I was afraid of how long this flight was going to feel. But after take-off both kids settled in they were fine, they were even kinda cute. After we were given the ok to "move about the cabin" the flight attendants set up basinet thingys for both kids, which struck me as a god send to parents with lap children. I also noticed that British Airways offered the parents special seat belts with a loop for their child. For those of you who are unaware you cannot put your lap child under your own seat belt on a plane. But some airlines have special seat belt loops where the child is strapped into your seat belt, but in a seperate loop to keep them safe. This keeps the child from becoming a projectile and from them getting crushed under your seat belt (if you were to try to put your child under your seat belt).

What did end up being annoying was the kid behind me, I would guess he was about 2 and while he didn't cry he was apparently quite attached to his mother and her legs, which happened to be behind me. That kid bumped my seat the whole flight, and drove me crazy. Thank god this was a day flight and I wasn't trying to sleep or god only knows what I would have done to this kid.

The movie selection was good, I got to watch 2 movies I had wanted to see - Sex and the City 2 and Valentines Day. They were playing some other movies I had wanted to see too, so I was very happy with the selection. The movies helped make the flight go by quickly!

Good and Bad of my bulk head seat:

*Getting bumped by every person boarding the plane, yet the flight attendant managed to never bump my seat
*Half way through the flight the bathroom started to smell
*Not having to wait in line for the bathroom, except when the movies ended and everyone was going before the next round of movies started
*Lots of leg room
*Lots of people stopping by to use the bathroom
*Getting your food and drinks first
*The TV was in the arm rest so it was a little easier to adjust
*The tray table was in the arm rest and was a pain to take out and put back away, but it did fold in half
*No place to put my stuff - no seatback compartment or under the seat storage area and I forgot a couple things in my bag.
*No one climbing over me to get out of their seat
*A misaligned window with a poor view

Overall the flight was good.  The flight attendants were very nice, the food was good (for airline food), the movie selection was good.  We landed on time in NY and I was quickly reunited with my family.

British Airways Business Class - In Flight

Boarding for Club World had it's own line, so it was quick boarding.  I was in seat number 19A, a rear facing window seat.  My first problem was that there is no under the seat storage, all that seat, but no storage.  Actually there is a little drawer under my neighbors seat for me, I was able to fit a few things in there.  But it took me a few minutes to figure out what I wanted and needed for the flight - like my camera ;).  Then to get all my complaints out of the way, I realized I was facing my neighbor.  By the window there are 2 seats next to each other, one facing forward, one facing backwards.  The leg area is more narrow then the seat area and you end up facing the person you're sitting next to, it's a little weird.  Once the flight takes off though you can raise a little window and get your privacy.  

Once boarded I settled in and the FA brought me a glass of water - yes, I did mean a glass.  The glasses were collected before departing.  The pilot did come on the PA to announce we were having a delayed departure due to a sick passenger, but that we would make up the time in the air.  Hello, I want sleep, take your time!  After take off I set myself up for sleeping.  I put down my foot stool and put my seat in the  lay flat position.  I will say it's not terribly comfortable - the foot stool doesn't line up quite right, and the seat does have a stiff seat feel - it was not soft like a bed would be.  I suspect the difference between first and business class is the width and length of the seat and the comfort of the seat/bed.  Ahhh, I guess I was complaining again.  I don't mean to because the lay flat seat was FANTASTIC, but I don't want anyone thinking that the seat is comfortable like a bed.  But shortly after laying down I was out cold.  I slept a solid 4 hours, I did sleep through dinner though to do that.  

I woke up around the time that breakfast was served, which was good, but not great.  A smoothie, fruit and a gross bacon roll.  And of course tea, after all it is British Airways.  

After landing I got delayed by having to repack the few items I had taken out of my bag and the passengers in "steerage" got off the plane ahead of me.  I was appropriately disgusted as someone who was never in a class above economy and isn't counting on every being in a class above economy again.  But I was able to go to an express line that's for First and Business class passengers so it didn't take too long to get into England.

After the flight I certainly saw the value in upgrading to business and first class, I did sleep very well.  Is it worth the money and the points for it?  At the time I thought, maybe.  Then I heard the horror stories of the other people on my tour who flew in Economy and I really think I need a better job so I can afford to pay and guarantee flying in the better classes!  

British Airways Business Class - The Concorde Lounge

Through a bit of luck I was able to get myself into British Airways Business Class on my flight over to London.  I was hoping to get into First (who isn't), but Business Class it was.  I actually started this post while sitting in the Terrace Lounge on the BA wifi, life is good.  I'll be finishing it once I get home.

I was a little thrown off by this lounge thing.  I didn't get to wander around the airport and spend money on magazines and stuff, I was here extra early too.  So, I had a drink, went on the internet to work on my blog.  Then I did one of the things I love to do, I scheduled a message!  But there was a wait so I went and had dinner.  One of the frustrating things about flying to London is that you fly overnight, but since the flight is only 7 hours you can barely get a good nights sleep, let alone eat on the flight too.  Having dinner in the lounge before was a great advantage.  And the food was good too.  You could get a salad, bread, chicken, beef tenderloins, fish, and dessert.  It was good food and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

After dinner I got myself a 15 minute scalp and neck message.  It was in a really cool chair that messaged most of my body.  I need one of those chairs!  I think I need a job that pays more.  It was a nice way to relax while at the airport stressed out about flying.  The spa is an Elemis Spa and my therapist did try to sell me some products, but it was stuff that I actually had a home already.

After that I only had a few minutes to go to the bathroom and make sure everything was together before boarding my flight.





Once I adjusted to lounge life I really liked it.  The environment is quite relaxed, a good opportunity to relax instead of wandering around the airport finding a way to kill time.  And dinner and a message just topped off the experience!

British Airways, you just don't make sense...

I booked my flights to the UK for September with British Airways and am considering upgrading my ticket.  However, when I view my tickets on the website it says that I can't upgrade online that I have to call.  I called, they said that I purchased too cheap of a ticket to upgrade and that I can only upgrade to economy plus (or whatever BA calls it.)  I asked what the cost of upgrading the ticket to be upgradable, but from what he said I think he told me how much it was with the upgrade - $600 and change, but there were no upgrades available.  That would bring my ticket price to the range of $1500

Interesting...  I checked online and you can purchase economy plus on that route for $1600 or you could purchase the flexible economy ticket for $2000.

What I don't like about the BA.com website is that it doesn't tell you what fare bucket your ticket is, and doesn't give you the option when you book.  Basically, it doesn't let you make a choice between a cheap ticket and a slightly more flexible ticket.

Copenhagen and back home

Day 33: Copenhagen: Farewell to Copenhagen, as our tour ends after breakfast. (Breakfast included)

Today I fly out of Copenhagen to London on British Airways at 2pm, then out of London at 4:20pm for home, arriving at 6:45.
Breakfast: 7:30

I got up at 7:15, threw on some clothes and headed to breakfast. Everyone had a nice breakfast and then it was time to say goodbye to more people. Ash was doing 2 shuttles today to the airport, the first was after breakfast the other was in the afternoon, isn't that nice of him. Tania, my roommate from the Russian half of the trip was leaving and although we didn't spend a lot of time together we did have some nice chats at night in the room. James, who was a a really nice guy and was sometimes off the beaten track, was also leaving. Marie and Kearan, who I had spent a lot of time with during the trip, were leaving. They were continuing on there adventure around the world, I was jealous. Marie was like the mom of the trip, and also the trip nurse - she took care of everyone.

After breakfast I waited in line to use the internet, I wanted to do on-line check in, which would make my check-in at the airport easier. Last night I had made arrangements to take a Taxi with Jilly, AJ and Ben since our flights were all around the same time. While waiting I found out that AJ was actually on my flight, cool. After that I showered and packed up since we had to be out of our rooms by 10am. After 10am everyone just hung around the hostel spending our last bit of time together. At 11am our Taxi showed up and it was time to say goodbye to Lis, Renae, Caroline, Leah, Patrick, Eliza and the rest. I was going to miss Lis, who I had spent so many nights playing Uno with, days in cities, nights gossiping. She's a cool girl and now I have an excuse to go to the really big mall in Canada.

After checking in at the airport AJ, Ben, Jilly and I had lunch together. This was much nicer, having people to spend the time in the airport with. After lunch we did some shopping, we all seemed to have money left over. Ben was the first to leave our little group for his flight, bye Ben! We often sat together on the bus and he always put up with me and all my stuff, I think he deserves a medal. After that we ran into James, who had gotten bumped to a later flight and was looking for ways to spend the money the airline gave him.
Then they called Jilly's flight, bye Jilly! Shortly after that they called mine and AJ's flight. While waiting to board the flight we ran Corey (who had taken the early bus to the airport), apparently he was on our flight too. We had a little chat until we boarded. AJ and I had gotten seats together so I had a buddy for the flight. At flight connections I said my final goodbyes of the trip to AJ and Corey. I was sad, it meant that the trip was officially over for me, and I was on my own the rest of the way home.  This is the worst part of a trip, the first time you're alone, it's the lonliest feeling in the world.  Then I got on my last flight home, it was uneventful and eventually got me back to JFK. When I got off the plane I got my luggage and went through customs. With all the people who looked at my passport today no one noticed it was my birthday, hmmm, I guess they didn't look that closely. That's sad.  When I got though customs my Dad was waiting for me, Yea, I was home! But I knew I was also ready to go back and start all over again, tours always end like that.

The End

Scandi and Russia - Getting to Copenhagen

Here is the start of my travelogue for my Scandi and Russia tour. I will try to sprinkle in some posts about other stuff since this was a 33 day trip.


Day 1: Depart the Europe. This evening I depart from JFK airport at 8:30pm on a British Airways flight bound for London, England.

I did some last minute packing today (well most of my packing), found out I had too much stuff and had to dump some of it, who needs jeans anyway?

I got to the airport early, and everything ran smoothly, so I ended up sitting around for a while waiting for the flight. On the flight I end up sitting next to a little bit of a strange guy... at one point I hit the button on the screen, and he opened my tray table for me. I still don't get it, but he must of thought I didn't know how to open the tray table. He also seemed to have missed the airplane etiquette lesson, he was leaning onto me to look out the window when we were landing. Otherwise the flight was fine. I watched Casanova and some of Walk the Line, got about 3 hours of sleep and got to eat my dinner and breakfast, which were pretty good.

Day 2: Arrive Copenhagen: After checking into your youth hotel, the remainder of the day is at leisure. Join your Tour Manager and fellow travelers for an important meeting at 6pm followed by an included dinner. (Dinner included)
Hotel: Belaegningen Youth Hostel

The plane landed in London around 8:25am (local time) and then I walked for what felt like forever to my connecting flight to Copenhagen at 9:55am. This flight had no entertainment and the lunch they served wasn't very good, so I only ate the fruit. I managed to doze off for most of this flight, which was good since there wasn't anything else to do and I needed sleep if I was going to make it through the day. When I got off the plane I got my passport stamped (yea!) and was on my way. I followed the directions I had, which were NOT to the hostel. I had to ask a random person on the street how to get where I was supposed to be. Fortunately, English is widely spoken in Copenhagen and I was sent to a bus that would take me to Central Station, naturally it started raining once I realized I was lost. I wanted to sit on my suitcase and cry at my predicament, but realized that wasn't going to get my anywhere. At Central Station I decided I had had enough with finding my way around on mass transit and took a cab. I finally got to the hostel at 3:45 and was the first one to check into my room. The hostel seemed nice enough, with 2 bunk beds, but only 2 showers for the girls in the building, the mornings would be interesting.

After settling in I headed over to the TV room and found a bunch of people from the tour. I introduced myself and was promptly asked how old I was, and was asked if I was from America, it was a little bit of a strange introduction to the group. I grabbed a chair, had a seat and everyone else introduced themselves. At the time I don't think I really retained anyone's names, but I now know I met Chris, Jacqui, Ben, Lis, Jilly, Nancy, Renae, Ted, and a couple of other people. Most people were from Australia, a couple from Canada, one from South Africa and they thought there was another American. I would have preferred more Americans, but you can't have it all.

After a little while I headed back to my room to get myself together for our 6:00 meeting and dinner. At my room I met my roomies, Kellie, Wendy and Stephanie. At the meeting Che introduced himself, Andy (the driver) and Dion (our Super Cook), and took us over to dinner - Tacos. After dinner we had a pre-tour meeting. Che told us that it was different up here (Scandinavia), and the function of the tour manager was more organizational. He also told us that it would get colder, that there was usually hot water, and after we visit the cities we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere, he didn't really paint the nicest picture, but it wasn't anything I wasn't expecting. Then he collected our information and sent us on our way. Some of us hung out for a bit getting to know each other, then I sent a quick email home and was in bed a little after 10.