BA Nice-Glasgow via Heathrow
Checked in online but no printer so chose ‘collect at airport’ … the machines in Nice T1 processed my passport and booking ref and produced my boarding passes. Security not too bad and on to ‘B’ gates.
Boarding announcements were not clear, and the gate arrangement resulted in two separate crowds, one group making it awkward for ‘priority’ boarders (not
me!).
Splashed-out £4.75 for the M&S bacon butty, plus £2.30 for the coffee and noted that when the cabin steward taking orders for hot food reached me in row 32 of this A321 she already had one order from row 18 … don’t think they are doing big business on hot food though the trolley did seem to be doing marginally better than my outbound flight earlier in the week.
The bacon roll wasn’t exactly overfilled, but it wasn’t bad … wouldn’t put it yards ahead of EasyJet’s bacon baguette…The Java Republic coffee was, well, coffee. Didn’t find myself over impressed by either offering. Departed and arrived on schedule.- but then 40 minutes to get thru passport check and security (including almost 20 mins to get thru pp check – 3 desks manned alongside the 7 manned international departures area – and we all end up in the same place?).
Went directly to (bus) boarding gate and onto the bus … and sat in ‘plane at 1442 …
To summarise – arrived at air bridge on schedule 1335 … pp control … security … went immediately to (downstairs) boarding gate … bus … sat on plane 1442 for 1455 departure. No time to visit the ‘grumpy old men’ lounge even if such existed.
I think I’m realising that the thing that kept BA different from some other carriers was the complimentary drinks and wee snack, and that they’ve been living on borrowed time in other respects (Terminal 5 included) . We’re booked BA again next month to Naples (using what was left of hard earned BA Avios) but then I guess I’ll invariably be looking elsewhere whenever there’s a choice.
The mid-range mark for catering is as much to do with the change, as the quality.
