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BA Y to Europe - Runs, Floods, War and Wine

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  • #46
    Originally posted by CarbonMan View Post
    Thanks, yflyer, great TR with great pics!

    Was in Italy for a couple of weeks in May - a great place to chill and eat.
    Thanks, CarbonMan! Italy in May would have been great! Did you go around various places in Italy? What amazes me about Italy is that, apart from all the history around you, that there is still so much untouched scenery and greenery. Food is wonderful too.

    Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
    yflyer,

    Lovely report again.

    Am envious that your coverage is global. Earning status is a much quicker process. I''m limited to APAC, with the occasional long haul back to headquarters... retaining Gold status is near impossible unless I travel every week... which I avoid.
    Thanks, icn.sg! A job with global scope has pro's and con's. The downside is having to work really odd hours with conference calls at all hours of the night and early morning. I don't mind the travel, and do try to make the most of it.

    Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
    Equally envious that you've learned the art of putting aside work and finding time to slow down, take in the sights, experience the cities you travel to.
    In Rome, I had exactly 3 and a half hours of free time during my visit! That run through Rome was essentially all the spare time I had! So it was good to be able to exercise and take in all the sights. It would have been very sad to visit Rome and not catch a glimpse of the Colosseum etc.

    In Paris, only the evenings were free -- all my runs took place after office hours. Thankfully in summer, daylight extended well past 9pm, so I could still enjoy the scenery on these evening runs.

    But yes, these were very welcome breaks, and if at all possible, I will try to include a little down time at the end of these trips, in order to retain some semblance of sanity.

    Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
    How are the loads on BA's SIN-LHR-SIN flights?
    The BA SIN-LHR and LHR-SIN flights were completely full! Loads on this sector have been very good for BA. Lots of folks from Australia apparently still want to travel to Europe via SIN, rather than transiting through what can sometimes seem like a gigantic bus station in the desert...

    Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
    You've some nice shots of the touch-down in SIN even though you were originally seated in the center block of seats. Were there many empty seats?
    Super observant, as usual, icn.sg!

    Yes, I was sitting in a center block in the rear of the plane.

    The plane was completely full in Y. There was one empty seat in Y (It could have been the only empty seat in the cabin). This was the middle seat next to me. But the person in the center seat in the row ahead of me had defective IFE, so he shifted to the empty seat. Darn! So much for some additional space. This is the 2nd time in recent months that my carefully chosen seat with an empty neighbour has been annexed by another passenger after take-off.

    Remember the pair of last row seats that were used for crew rest during the flight? Those seats were empty at take-off and landing. So for the last 30 min of the flight (After they removed the curtains), I moved to the last row window seat to enjoy the views of the east coast of Malaysia, and the landing in SIN.

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    • #47
      Originally posted by yflyer View Post
      Thanks, Mlee888!

      Yes, just amazing how much higher the water levels are this month.

      Here are a couple of pictures of the Seine I took several years ago, showing the water at a more normal level...





      If there were any cars parked along the lower banks of the Seine this month, they would all be under water now!
      Thanks for sharing. That's how I remember the Seine. Great report here. Have you tried AF Premium Economy before? I wonder how this compares to SQ PE.

      I certainly wish I was back in the UK now too after seeing your photos. Good job.

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      • #48
        Originally posted by Mlee888 View Post
        Thanks for sharing. That's how I remember the Seine. Great report here. Have you tried AF Premium Economy before? I wonder how this compares to SQ PE.

        I certainly wish I was back in the UK now too after seeing your photos. Good job.
        Thanks, Mlee888! I haven't tried AF's PEY, but I flew AF A380 Y when they were still operating the A380 on the SIN-CDG sector, and I did walk through their A380 PEY cabin in Dec 2012 (Time flies...TR here). The PEY seat looked decent, and quite large (Fixed shell design, I believe), although I think I would prefer the SQ PEY seat to the AF A380 PEY seat if they are still using that model of seat.

        At that time, though, the PEY food was very close to Y food, with just the starter and dessert slightly different. Wonder if that is the same now.

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        • #49
          Originally posted by yflyer View Post
          Thanks, Mlee888! I haven't tried AF's PEY, but I flew AF A380 Y when they were still operating the A380 on the SIN-CDG sector, and I did walk through their A380 PEY cabin in Dec 2012 (Time flies...TR here). The PEY seat looked decent, and quite large (Fixed shell design, I believe), although I think I would prefer the SQ PEY seat to the AF A380 PEY seat if they are still using that model of seat.

          At that time, though, the PEY food was very close to Y food, with just the starter and dessert slightly different. Wonder if that is the same now.
          Thanks again for sharing, becoming a habit!

          I was fortunate to try PE on AF in December to Paris and return on J from CDG to SIN. The PE was a new seat but still shell style where the seat slopes when reclining. I was thinking of using PE on SQ to London later this year but unsure if I should stick to AF. AF takes me to my home town with transit in Paris where going to London equals a 2 hour drive.

          Assuming you have experienced both here but how's the Queens terminal for duty free shopping as compared to Terminal 3?

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          • #50
            Originally posted by yflyer View Post

            Thanks, icn.sg! A job with global scope has pro's and con's. The downside is having to work really odd hours with conference calls at all hours of the night and early morning. I don't mind the travel, and do try to make the most of it.
            I will agree with you on that. But when you need to deal with teams spanning more than 12 time zones, conference calls at odd hours are still very common for those of us traveling around Asia.

            Originally posted by yflyer View Post

            Lots of folks from Australia apparently still want to travel to Europe via SIN, rather than transiting through what can sometimes seem like a gigantic bus station in the desert...
            Bus station is an understatement. I've not seen so many tired looking faces desperately hunting for seats in my life.


            Originally posted by yflyer View Post
            Super observant, as usual, icn.sg!

            This was the middle seat next to me. But the person in the center seat in the row ahead of me had defective IFE, so he shifted to the empty seat. Darn! So much for some additional space. This is the 2nd time in recent months that my carefully chosen seat with an empty neighbour has been annexed by another passenger after take-off.
            I am sure those of us who travel in Y only can totally identify with that!
            The last time I had an unwelcomed neighbor was on a SIN-ZRH flight. I had 52G while another passenger took 52D seat. 2 empty seats between us. Cabin door closed, and I was congratulating myself on a well executed seating strategy when the last passenger comes along and parks himself in 52F. I could almost feel 52D's joy.
            Last edited by icn.sg; 20 June 2016, 05:25 PM.

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            • #51
              Originally posted by yflyer View Post
              Thanks, CarbonMan! Italy in May would have been great! Did you go around various places in Italy? What amazes me about Italy is that, apart from all the history around you, that there is still so much untouched scenery and greenery. Food is wonderful too.
              We touched down at MXP, got a rental car and drove straight off to Parma. We did a food tour there - prosciuoto ham, parmagiano cheese are excellent. Then we headed to Cinque Terre and stayed at Vernazza for a few days. Did some trekking and photography. A long drive follows through the Tuscan countryside before we reached Orvieto where we stayed for 3 days in a farm, doing day trips to hill towns around there. Then it was off to Assisi another hill town and finally to Rome.

              Yes, the food was great. Subtle differences in each region. Key was to eat where the locals go i.e. no menu, definitely no English ones!

              I could've saved 10-15% if Brexit happened earlier!

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              • #52
                Originally posted by icn.sg View Post
                Bus station is an understatement. I've not seen so many tired looking faces desperately hunting for seats in my life.
                Yes...can be chaotic. The transit experience in DXB is a lot better with EK Lounge access. Changi is one of the few airports where you can really have a pleasant transit stop without the need for frequent flyer perks.


                Originally posted by CarbonMan View Post
                We touched down at MXP, got a rental car and drove straight off to Parma. We did a food tour there - prosciuoto ham, parmagiano cheese are excellent. Then we headed to Cinque Terre and stayed at Vernazza for a few days. Did some trekking and photography. A long drive follows through the Tuscan countryside before we reached Orvieto where we stayed for 3 days in a farm, doing day trips to hill towns around there. Then it was off to Assisi another hill town and finally to Rome.

                Yes, the food was great. Subtle differences in each region. Key was to eat where the locals go i.e. no menu, definitely no English ones!
                Very nice, CarbonMan! Sounds like a wonderful food tour...

                Originally posted by CarbonMan View Post
                I could've saved 10-15% if Brexit happened earlier!
                Brexit is a real shock

                That said, I have a few hours transit in London on Saturday again...looking forward to an automatic 10% discount on everything...
                Last edited by yflyer; 24 June 2016, 04:00 PM.

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                • #53
                  I was just in Europe and London earlier this month, and once again, I flew BA15 in Y from London to Singapore.

                  Just a few updates on the meal service and IFE on this flight.

                  Once again, I ordered the enhanced economy class meal, which is available for many BA flights out of LHR.

                  I paid SGD29 for this meal, which I ordered online from the BA website. (You need to order this at least 24 hrs prior to departure.)

                  On previous occasions, I had ordered the "gourmet" - Braised Beef Cheek (Covered in another TR here), and "Taste of Britain" - Roast Pork - option (Covered earlier in this TR here), but this time I ordered the "Taste of the Far East".

                  As before, this was served at the start of meal service, together with all the special meals.

                  This was the meal tray as served. Large main course ceramic casserole (Same as J) as well as a real glass, metal cutlery, cloth napkin, and ceramic tea/coffee cup.



                  The beverage cart for meal service only comes later, so during the initial drink service they usually ask if you want a bottle of wine to go with your meal later, and on this occasion I asked for a bottle of white wine.

                  This is the meal tray with covers off. A pretty impressive looking spread (For Y!).



                  Vegetarian sushi...which is more a fusion dish than anything Asian or Japanese. The veggy toppings tasted good, however the rice was a little dry. It came with soy and wasabi powder.



                  The main course was chicken with egg fried rice. This tasted good, although I found the sauce on the chicken a little saltier than I would have liked. The chicken was tender, and the vegetables had decent flavour. The fried rice has good texture too.



                  The dessert was green tea tiramisu, which was quite good.



                  Overall a good meal, with Asian flavours, although it still seems like a dish conceived with Western tastebuds in mind.

                  Having tried 3 of BA's enhanced Y meals, my favourite would be the braised beef cheek, with the roast pork 2nd, and this Asian-style chicken/rice combo 3rd.

                  If anyone is flying BA, I highly recommend ordering one of these enhanced meals for your ex-LHR sectors. It certainly does enhance the whole Y experience.

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                  • #54
                    On my flight, I watched "Apprentice". This is not to be confused with the US TV series "The Apprentice"...this is actually a movie by talented Singaporean film director Boo Junfeng which has Singapore's death penalty and the role of the hangman/executioner as it's theme.



                    This movie was screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival (Here is press coverage in the ST and a review). I found it to be a powerful, thought provoking movie with a well crafted story line and strong performances from the cast.

                    I haven't flown SQ this month and don't know what is on Krisworld, but I hope SQ is either screening, or will plan to screen, this movie from a very promising Singaporean film maker.
                    Last edited by yflyer; 18 February 2017, 05:14 PM.

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                    • #55
                      Other notable programs on BA's IFE this month were...

                      Westworld...a fascinating sci-fi series where the human-like robots in a Western/Cowboy theme park start to behave in ways their creators did not predict...



                      And BBC's Planet Earth 2...



                      In the case of Planet Earth 2, where the nature/wildlife photography is stnning, I would rather watch this on a large widescreen TV at home instead of a small IFE screen on the seat in front of me. Maybe the viewing experience would be better in the premium cabins with larger screens, or even on SQ's large Y widescreens...

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                      • #56
                        Apart from that, BA hasn't messed with their 77W seating plan, which still has a 3-3-3 layout, and a very good Y seat, which made for a very comfortable 12 and a half hour flight back to SIN.



                        *** end of update ***
                        Last edited by yflyer; 19 February 2017, 01:06 PM.

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