As part of a trip to Boston in preparation for my move, I have to fly British Airways in Premium Economy, the class of travel approved by my wife’s employer.
Here’s the itinerary we’ll be following:
| # | Type | Review |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lounge | British Airways Concorde Room, Londres Heathrow T5 (unreported, see report here) |
| 2 | Flight | British Airways World Traveller Plus, London Heathrow – Boston Logan, Boeing 777-200 |
| 3 | Hotel | The Langham Boston (unreported – see report here) |
| 4 | Hotel | British Airways Galleries Lounge, Boston Logan |
| 5 | Hotel | British Airways World Traveller Plus, Boston Logan – London Heathrow, Boeing 787-800 |
Check-In and ground experience
48 hours before departure, we will receive an e-mail inviting us to send our COVID certificates and the attestations (still) required by the US federal authorities. I could do it for myself, but not for my wife, probably because of the mismatch between her first name on the vaccination certificate and on the booking.
No matter, we’ll be able to check-in anyway at H-24, although our boarding pass will indicate that we need to stop by the counter for a document check.
On the day of departure, we will leave our home in Chelsea about 3 hours before our flight to Boston, and arrive at Heathrow about 2.5 hours before departure.
Thanks to my Gold Guest List status, I can access the First check-in area, and we’ll be taken care of immediately. My wife’s vaccination is not checked, and after a fast passport check, our luggage is checked-in to Boston and our boarding passes handed over.
We then continue to the security checkpoint dedicated to The First Wing.
Salon : British Airways Concorde Room, LHR Terminal 5
Before our flight, and thanks to my status, we spend an hour in the Concorde Room, the most exclusive lounge of the British airline.
Arriving from the dedicated First security checkpoint, you have to cross the Galleries First lounge, exit it, then head across to the Concorde Room reception desk.
We settle into a square of armchairs and sofas near the fireplace, then head for the Dining Roomwhere we’ll be taking a light lunch (the service is a little too long for my taste), then we’ll head for our lounging area where my wife will enjoy a few scones before we head for our gate.
Boarding
Boarding of our flight to Boston will take place at Gate C of Terminal 5. This involves an automatic shuttle that will take us there in just a few minutes.
When we arrive at Concourse C, boarding has begun in a cheerful mess, with only one person in charge of checking the documentary concordance.
Being in group 1, we try to make our way to the boarding area.
Cabin and welcome
The World Traveller Plus cabin is already packed when we board the plane. A few minutes after we’ve settled in, welcome drinks are brought in, and I choose a glass of still water. Menus will be brought during taxiing to the runway. The helmet and the slim World Traveller Plus kit are placed on the seat, along with a cushion (not very comfortable) and a blanket.
Service and catering
Service will be fairly mechanical on this flight.
The latter will begin with an aperitif service. I’ll choose a Virgin Mary while hot nuts are handed out.
For the main course, I’ll choose the minced beef, which will be very good, and leave out the rest of the platter, which looked okay, but incompatible with the diet I have to follow prior to my upcoming surgery.
We’ll be waiting for ages before they clear away, which isn’t cool when you’re short on space and want to work or simply use your iPad comfortably.
No service will be offered during the flight, and I’ll get up to get a coffee at the Galley.
The meal served just before arrival was pathetic, with a long-life meat puff pastry that could be eaten almost a year and a half later!
Arrival and disembarkation
We’ll arrive at the gate almost on time, but immigration will take almost an hour for me… Not good!
Bottom line
A decent flight, but a service that could be much improved. Premium Economy? Yeah, I can’t see what is so Premium, the seat isn’t all that comfortable.
Articles similaires
British Airways First Class, London Heathrow – New-York JFK, Boeing 777-300
British Airways Club World Suite, Londres Heathrow – New-York JFK, Boeing 777 : Disappointing crew
