Top Deck on a 747
The boarding call was finally made and I was allowed to leave the lounge. A long queue had formed for boarding, but the First/Business queue was virtually empty so I was on board in no time.
Then it was upstairs and into the secluded Business cabin. Even once boarding had been completed there were many vacant seats. I found this a little surprising since upper deck is usually favoured by those in Business Class. I have no idea how many were in the lower deck Business cabin, but I'm assuming it would also have had many empty seats. The bonus was that it meant I would not have to climb over anyone to access the aisle. Even with all the space in Business Class, if your neighbour is lying down you have to climb over his or her legs to get to the aisle. I had a rear-facing seat, which surprisingly does not feel at all odd. To give you some idea of the space, I had three windows to myself.
Soon after takeoff dinner was served and at its conclusion I gratefully changed my seat into a bed and fell asleep. I'm not sure how long I got, but I think it was close to a six-hour stretch - not bad for sleeping on a plane.
The unadvertised benefits of being in Business Class can still surprise me. We were the first aircraft to arrive in Terminal 1 on that day, and I reached the immigration area to discover it empty! I've been anything up to an hour in the queue in the past, and getting a head-start on the 300 Economy Class passengers made a real difference. Of course some of that benefit evaporated thanks to the usual Heathrow delay in delivering the luggage, but once the carousel started mine was one of the first bags out, thanks to the "First Class" tag on it (a benefit of top-tier oneworld status).
Although reasonably well sign-posted, BA make you work for it to get to the Arrivals Lounge. From the immigration exit it is up one level in the lift, then right across to the other end of the terminal, then down a long corridor, past the premium check-in area, and finally into the lounge. Maybe they reason that if you make it you must really, really want to be there.
I went for a shower in the lounge and discovered that they have a free valet service. While you are having your shower they will iron your clothes for you. It's a great idea, and meant that I emerged soon after in a clean, freshly-ironed suit, ready for the day. In case you are wondering, there is a small closet in the door of the shower room. You hang your clothes to be ironed in there, lock the closet door and push a button which alerts the desk that your crushed clothes are ready to be uncrushed. The valet then opens the closet from the other side and takes the clothes away. Soon after the clothes are returned, and when you are ready you unlock the closet to discover that the ironing fairies have visited. Then it was time for the full English breakfast on offer (free of course). I relaxed for a while, and then decided to take advantage of a complimentary back massage in the Molton Brown spa. I'd been lugging my carry-on bag around for three days, so it was good to have some of the muscles loosened.
Another random incident: Just after sitting down in the lounge after the massage, "Anita from the Royal Suite" from the TV documentary series "Airport" walked in with someone who sounded like they are a BA big knob. They grabbed some coffee and then sat down at one of the tables for a meeting. OK, so she's not Madonna-famous, but it was still fun to see someone from TV. In fact I found it more interesting than seeing actors because in this case I was seeing her doing part of a job that I'd seen her do many times on "Airport". On the other hand when you see an actor, you generally don't know them as themselves, only in the context of the roles they play.
Finally the driver arrived, and it was time to leave the airport and head off to work. Thanks to the comfort of the flight and lounges I was actually able to achieve things during the day, which was a refreshing change from my normal arrival days.
Then it was upstairs and into the secluded Business cabin. Even once boarding had been completed there were many vacant seats. I found this a little surprising since upper deck is usually favoured by those in Business Class. I have no idea how many were in the lower deck Business cabin, but I'm assuming it would also have had many empty seats. The bonus was that it meant I would not have to climb over anyone to access the aisle. Even with all the space in Business Class, if your neighbour is lying down you have to climb over his or her legs to get to the aisle. I had a rear-facing seat, which surprisingly does not feel at all odd. To give you some idea of the space, I had three windows to myself.
Soon after takeoff dinner was served and at its conclusion I gratefully changed my seat into a bed and fell asleep. I'm not sure how long I got, but I think it was close to a six-hour stretch - not bad for sleeping on a plane.
The unadvertised benefits of being in Business Class can still surprise me. We were the first aircraft to arrive in Terminal 1 on that day, and I reached the immigration area to discover it empty! I've been anything up to an hour in the queue in the past, and getting a head-start on the 300 Economy Class passengers made a real difference. Of course some of that benefit evaporated thanks to the usual Heathrow delay in delivering the luggage, but once the carousel started mine was one of the first bags out, thanks to the "First Class" tag on it (a benefit of top-tier oneworld status).
Although reasonably well sign-posted, BA make you work for it to get to the Arrivals Lounge. From the immigration exit it is up one level in the lift, then right across to the other end of the terminal, then down a long corridor, past the premium check-in area, and finally into the lounge. Maybe they reason that if you make it you must really, really want to be there.
I went for a shower in the lounge and discovered that they have a free valet service. While you are having your shower they will iron your clothes for you. It's a great idea, and meant that I emerged soon after in a clean, freshly-ironed suit, ready for the day. In case you are wondering, there is a small closet in the door of the shower room. You hang your clothes to be ironed in there, lock the closet door and push a button which alerts the desk that your crushed clothes are ready to be uncrushed. The valet then opens the closet from the other side and takes the clothes away. Soon after the clothes are returned, and when you are ready you unlock the closet to discover that the ironing fairies have visited. Then it was time for the full English breakfast on offer (free of course). I relaxed for a while, and then decided to take advantage of a complimentary back massage in the Molton Brown spa. I'd been lugging my carry-on bag around for three days, so it was good to have some of the muscles loosened.
Another random incident: Just after sitting down in the lounge after the massage, "Anita from the Royal Suite" from the TV documentary series "Airport" walked in with someone who sounded like they are a BA big knob. They grabbed some coffee and then sat down at one of the tables for a meeting. OK, so she's not Madonna-famous, but it was still fun to see someone from TV. In fact I found it more interesting than seeing actors because in this case I was seeing her doing part of a job that I'd seen her do many times on "Airport". On the other hand when you see an actor, you generally don't know them as themselves, only in the context of the roles they play.
Finally the driver arrived, and it was time to leave the airport and head off to work. Thanks to the comfort of the flight and lounges I was actually able to achieve things during the day, which was a refreshing change from my normal arrival days.
posted by Alan at 3:14 AM
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