The real holiday begins - next stop London

I’ve always considered that my real holiday doesn’t start until this flight to London, as from this point every step I take will be on new ground. I’ve not had the privilege of visiting any of the cities on my itinerary, save for Hong Kong. My tangible excitement mixed uneasily with a queasy stomach as I walked down the aerobridge to another Boeing 747-400.

My first impression of the cabin was how much classier it felt compared to the Qantas cabin – the finish and tones were warmer, the cabins seemed much better maintained, and subtle touches like fresh flowers gave this an unmistakeable first class feel. Clearly, if James Bond is happy with this cabin, who am I to complain?

No, James Bond wasn't really there - that's an image from the film "Die Another Day". My seat was the one in front of the lady in yellow on the right, who looks a bit fearful of how much closer the flight attendant's derriere will get to her nose.

After settling into my seat, the ritual of gift giving commenced again – pre-flight drinks, amenities bag (or BAg, as BA like to call it) another set of black PJs. For this 14 hour journey, it was a very light flight with just three passengers in First Class, and three crew to attend to us.

A nice point of difference with Qantas was that the Cabin Services Director also walked around to individually greet the passengers by name, and to introduce himself.

I’ve always assumed that the cabin crew would know who are the passengers that have paid for their flights, been upgraded, or are on freebies. At no point though, did the CSD treat me any differently than to a paid passenger, and seemed to assume I was. That's class.

Then again, he also assumed that I was flying on business, and that I was returning home to London.

I guess that BA must have a lot of British Super-Spies returning home in disguise, so it’s only natural that I’m confused with one, what with the incredibly suave and debonair way I sip my iced water (shaken, not stirred). Especially coming straight from that den of exotic Far Eastness crime and intrigue that is Hong Kong. Oh, and that bag of gadgets I carry on board that is on the verge of gaining sentience. I can see why it’s an obvious mistake to make.

If only they knew how easily I managed to poison myself with a fishy appetiser, they would have seen through my clever disguise and bumped me down to the rear of the plane with the failed private investigators and bumbling police inspectors.

Interrupting these thoughts, I was offered the menu for the flight:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DINNER
Welcome to the FIRST dining experience, where you are in control of when and what you eat. Please create your own menu combination, from a light snack to a complete meal.


STARTERS
King Prawns with roast baba ghanoush on fresh salad leaves
Chiva-Som’s baked Ricotta cheese parcel, grilled courgette, baked tomato, enoki mushrooms and red pepper coulis
Chicken soup
Fresh salad leaves with your choice of Balsamic vinaigrette or roast red pepper crème fraiche.

MAIN
Chiva-Som’s rich beef curry with lime and lemon grass brown rice
Slow-roasted pork loin on crab colcannon with coarse apple puree and seasonal vegetables
Pan fried fillet of sea bass with Shanghai noodles served with sweet and sour sauce
Warm smoked salmon on a fresh potato salad with dill dressing

DESSERT
Caramelised pineapple tart served with star anise custard
Champagne lime brulee

SNACKS
Bacon roll served with tomato ketchup
Fresh pasta with your choice of spicy ratatouille or spinach and cheese sauce
Ice cream
A selection of sweet biscuits
A selection of cheese and fruit

CHEESE PLATE
A selection of cheese
A basket of fresh fruit
Your choice of:
Expresso, cappuccino, coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea or herbal tea


BREAKFAST

STARTERS
Chilled fruit juice
An energizing fruit smoothie
A selection of fruit or plain yoghurts and cereals featuring Chiva-Som’s muesli
Fresh seasonal fruit plate

BAKERY
A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls

MAIN
Scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomato, sausage and bacon
Chiva-Som’s stuffed Thai omelette
Egg noodles with shredded duck and turnip cake

CHAMPAGNE
Piper Heidsieck Cuvee Brut
Alfred Gratien Cuvee Paradis

WINES
Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignieres 2003, Domaine Roux Pere et Fils
Three Choirs Estate Reserve Bacchus 2004
Tyrell’s Hunter Semillon Vat 1, 1999
Chateau Beychevelle 1995, Grand Cru Classe Saint-Julien
Errazuriz Don Maximiano Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, Aconcagua Valley
Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz 2001, Barossa Valley

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As tempting as some of the items looked, all I felt like was some soup and to curl up in bed (macho-super spy I am). I duly ordered the non-descript chicken soup, which arrived very promptly after a complete set-up of the table. What might have been a more accurate way to describe this would have been “light chicken broth with mushrooms and tofu” – it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but was deliciously fragrant anyway.

The best way I can describe the BA First service is that it’s like being cocooned and mothered simultaneously, which was exactly what I needed. The slightly matronly cabin staff kept offering me more food (which I would have gladly accepted if I didn’t feel like I’d regurgitate it a few minutes later), and then efficiently cleared my table so I could get some sleep.

Feature wise, the seats between BA and QF are virtually identical – same buttons to press, same features, same TV screen, yet the BA seat seemed more comfortable. The high-walls around each seat at first seemed claustrophobic compared to the open QF setting, but this contributed greatly to a sense of privacy. BA also provided a thick duvet sheet to lay over the seat, which made it a very soft and comfortable cocoon to sleep in.

Except for the bright light shining in my eyes. Did I accidentally turn them on while I dozed? I pressed the button to turn them off. A few minutes later, the lights were back.

I began to wonder if I was hallucinating. I turned the lights off again, and stayed awake for a few moments. The lights turned back on again. Have I been captured by Dr. Evil while I was drugged kidnapped, and now in some nefarious interrogation chamber?

Squinting, I turned the lights off again. They turned on again.

No, I just have a malfunctioning light, and the other passengers must be thinking I’m some loony who is amused by the light button (light goes on, light goes off, light goes on, light goes off…).

Grabbing the pillow and putting it over my head, I managed to get some deep sleep at last. Six hours flew by before I woke up, thinking I was back in my hotel room in HK. I was slightly disoriented when I opened my eyes and found myself on board a plane, which must be a good sign as to how good the sleeper beds are. Or that Dr. Evil realised I wasn’t the spy he was looking for, and returned me to my seat.

I stumbled to the bathroom to be very sick for a very long time, then stumbled out and asked for some water. A glass of iced water was quickly brought to my seat, along with an extra bottle of still water. A basket of fruit was also thoughtfully placed in the centre of the cabin (right next to my seat), so I helped myself to some pears and plums before going back to bed.

By the time I woke up again, there was just 2 hours to touch-down, so I took the opportunity to play with the inflight entertainment. This is one area that the Qantas offering is superior to BA, and after about 15 minutes, I fixed it to the Flight map and left it there for the rest of the journey.

Once all the passengers had woken up, the crew came around to take breakfast orders. Still not feeling 100%, I ordered the muesli, a side of fresh fruit, and the energizer drink. Unlike Qantas, BA provided the full linen service, and breakfast was served within five minutes.

The energizer drink was basically a thickened yoghurt, which was more solid than liquid. I managed to finish about half of it. The muesli was ok – texture was good, but taste needed a bit of a lift.

Traveller’s tip for the day: combine muesli with honey (especially the fancy stuff you get in first class) and fresh fruit, and you lift the ordinary into the sublime.

Finishing that, no less than two of the cabing crew asked if I would like a warm breakfast as well. The scrambled eggs looked awfully tempting, but I couldn't bring myself to fit any more in. I figured that since I’ll be going to the Arrivals Lounge at Heathrow soon anyway, I could get a warm breakfast there, so I passed.

I felt like going back to sleep again, and was hoping that this flight would last a bit longer – but with London approaching, I changed out of my very comfortable BA PJs, and back into thick winter clothing, ready for my first step into London.