There are some very drastic ways not to go to work.

On Sunday 12th February,a British Airways flight en route between  Tokyo and London with 150 passenegrs, a note  was reportedly found scrawled on one of the  toilet doors:  “The bomb on board will explode at 16.00 GMT unless our demands are met.”

Terrorist? Disgruntled passenger? Flight Attendant?

Well on touchdown, Flight attendant Mathew Davis was arrested when the Boeing 777 landed safely at Heathrow after its 10,000-kilomtre (7 000 mile) journey. His DNA,  mugshot and fingerprints were taken at the Heathrow Airport Police station. The next day  Davis of Crawley, West Sussex was charged with communicating a bomb threat. He appeared  at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Oh – and he was  suspended by British Airways.

This is the fourth time I have flown British Airways on this sector- and my last. BA will cease flying this route from this Friday March 3rd.  Qantas will terminate its Bangkok to London services on March 26th and its planes will turn around in Bangkok. Instead both airlines will “swap” passengers at Bangkok. The same thing is happening with their Hong Kong flights. Both airlines will maintain their services via Singapore (the “Kangaroo Route”). This shorter “hop” will be where all through Australia-London passengers will be fed. Passengers going via Hong K and Bangkok will be choosing to stop. I have some disquiet about how these reductions in service will help “sell” Qantas as a carrier which I have blogged about previously.

Competitors on the non stop Bangkok to Sydney sector are now Thai and Emirates. Air Asia, Malaysian, Singapore all offer one stop service.

This was the 22nd British Airways flight in my life.  I also flew their predecessors BEA and BOAC a lot. I have flown them in total enough miles to go around the world four times.

Booking: 10 out of 10

The British Airways website is very clear and very easy to use, It loads quickly. Booking and paying is a breeze.  Entering my frequent flyer number, and choosing my seat was simple. I chose an exit row aisle seat. Love it!

Check In: 10 out of 10

I checked in online and was really disappointed to find that I had lost my emergency exit seat. Worse I now had a middle seat almost at the back of the plane. I looked for seats near the front of the cabin and could not see anything that a 185cm 6’1 frequent flyer would find comfortable so row 51 it was.

On arrival at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, I made my way to the clearly signposted British Airways Gold/Business Check in counter where a very friendly check in attendant greeted me.  I mentioned politely to her how disappointed I was to have been relegated from exit row to back. She said “Let me have a look. Well sir, the plane is very full. We have moved you to  another class of srevice. You are in row 18.” In other words, the magic words: “you have an upgrade”. Row 18 on this 747 is in British Airways call “Club World” *Business Class) . Thank you BA!

Lounge: 8 out of 10

Bangkok Airport’s British Airways/ Qantas Business lounge is airy, pleasant and comfortable. The showers were very nice. Food included little mini lamingtons  which made this Australian  very happy.  The lounge could not be faulted.  

Boarding: 8 out of 10

Finding a gate at Bangkok airport always seems a challenge for me. I have been there so many times and I still manage to lose Boarding gates! So I arrived a little stressed at the gate. After that, Boarding was pretty smooth but on the plane itself, the pace felt very frantic. It was a clearly a fully laden flight and passengers and crew seemed to be everywhere. I was glad to be offered a welcome drink! I asked for Sparkling wine but was told I could have champagne instead. (When I last flew Business with Air New Zealand, I asked for a champagne but was told on the ground they could only serve me Sparkling Wine!).

Unlike Business Class on Air New Zealand, Virgin and Qantas, no cabin crew member welcomed passengers on board individually. Crew on these carriers show passengers the ins and outs of the cabin. Not sure if BA don’t do it or if the heavy passenger load precluded it.

On Board: 8 out of 10

The 747 felt old. The interior fittings in Club World (Business) looked dated. My seat was great, however. There were a total of 52 seats in the Club World cabins, all 180-degree fully flat sleeper seats. The window seats all face the rear, as do the E & F seats. The seat has a 20″ width and 73″ pitch. On Qantas 747 on the same route you get 21.5″ and 60″ . Thai gives you 20″ and 55″ on their 747.

I chatted to my seat neighbour, before we raised the privacy screens. He was not convinced about flying backwards.

I initially found the BA service a little out of character. I could not place my finger on what i found jarring about the crew attitude. They won me over when I asked for a sparkling water, however. The cabin attendant leaned forward and said “we don’t have any.  It looks like they drank us out of it from London. It was a very full flight.” He said “I have looked“  Ten minutes later, he was back with a bottle from First Class. Very nice!

Safety: 10 out of 10

I feel I have seen the BA safety video many times now. Is it memorable or dated? Crew took safety briefing and checks carefully. 

Meals: 9 out of 10

Following my doctor’s noting my iron levels are low, I chose steak or my main course, Again, there was the slight jarring of service. Bizarrely, my flight attendant could nt recommend  a wine to accompany it. and even when prompted did not know the difference between the wines on this trolley. The steak with a  nice French red was perfect.

I found out later that British Airways have snacks available for club world passengers including sandwiches, smoothies and chocolates for access through the flight.  They didn’t mention it and I regret I didn’t check it out.

Entertainment: 8 out of 10

British Airways has  ”HighLife Entertainment’s Audio and Video On Demand (AVOD)”. In ClubWorld the flat TV screen is  26cm (10.4 inches). It rotates out in front of you and allowed lots of room to adjust it. noise canceling headphones are, of course, provided.  The 100 movies and TV programmes included lots of Downton Abbey, an excellent Mockmentray about Monty Python’s Life of Brian but one episode only of Mike and Molly, one of Modern family, one of Big Bang and one of Parks and Recreation! There were also 50 music CDs and audio books and 20 games which I didn’t play.

The Verdict:

My rating: 91% (5 out of 5)

Positives:   Meals, Lounge, Check in, Seat

Negatives:  Boarding, lack of Personal welcome

Would I fly them again?  Yes, especially if you upgrade me again- but alas it won’t  be on British Airways on this sector for a while

My last Trip Report: February 14: Malev – Rome (ROM to Budapest (BUD) Boeing 737

This week I fly from the Middle East to Paris where I will be competing in the Paris Half Marathon.  Then I have a quick train trip to see friends in Amsterdam! See map below.

Last week, I landed at my 195th airport in my life: Bahrain in the emptiest plane I have ever been on. It was an Etihad 777 from Abu Dhabi that I swear was 10 to 15% full. Crew said the large plane was used because it was transporting freight.

Arrival at Bahrain  was frustrating because of the “security situation” (petrol bombs, tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades were used in last week’s clash between police and demonstrators in the Gulf kingdom).  We had extra screening which meant that the usual 5 minute max processing became a frustrating 2 hours.

The political situation in Bahrain is really taking its toll on Gulf Air, the national carrier. The carier used to be owned by a series of gulf states but they  pulled out to start their own carriers so Gulf Air now belongs to Bahrain alone.

• In May 2002, the Government of Qatar withdrew from Gulf Air in favour of Qatar Airways  .
• Abu Dhabi started their own airline Etihad in 2003 and sold out of Gulf Air in 2005
• In March 2007, the Omani Government increaed its ownership of Oman Air from about 33 to 80 percent (it is now 99%). At the same time it pulled out of Gulf Air and Oman Air started long range services

The on going protests in Bahrain and the Arab spring have reduced Gulfair passenger numbers by 25 per cent. The airline is in an on-going contraction. In the last month, they have ended services to Athens,  Damascus, Entebbe, Geneva, Kuala Lumpur and Milan. The airline is pleading for government funds to keep going.

Will Gulfair be another carrier to go in 2012 or will the government bail them again?  We have already lost four in 2012: Spanair, Cirrus, Malev and Air Australia

China Southern  has been flying their first A380s on domestic routes within China. This means they have had the world’s largest number of passengers on a single domestic flight surely?

I have been advised they will start flying their A380 in March from Beijing to Hong Kong. The timetable says: Flight:  CZ310  will leave Beijing (PEK) at 0850 and arrive at 1220 into Hong Kong (HKG). It then returns as CZ 309 departing at 1440 and arriving 1750 back to Beijing.

I can’t wait to fly it – I have been on the other six airline’s flying 380s; Air France, Emirates, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore and am eager to compare. I have yet to work a Hong Kong or China trip into my schedule.

In the meantime,  Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders said he has ordered an internal investigation into the A380 wing cracks situation. Apparently the cracks are affecting  an average of five out of 2,000 aluminum alloy brackets per wing. Enders said at the Singapore air show recently:  We made a mistake here and we are repairing it as quickly as possible,” and “This plane is absolutely safe to fly.”

Airbus is still planning to deliver 30 A380s in 2012:

• Air France (their 7th and 8th Airbus 380s)
• China Southern (3rd and 4th for that carrier)
• Emirates (ten more planes taking them to 31 A380s)
• Lufthansa (9th and 10th for the German flag carrier)
• Malaysia Airlines (their 1st in June, 2012 followed by 3 more) – they will be the eighth A380 carrier
• Singapore (16th, 17th 18t and 19th)
• Thai Airways (their 1st in October, 2012 followed by 2 more)- they will be the ninth A380 carrier

At Auckland International Airport two years ago, I encountered a petty official at the security check point with a petty attitude. I placed my computer on the conveyor belt and waited for it to go through. She insisted that I proceed through the X ray machine before my laptop did but I would not leave my computer unwatched.

I see people throwing wallets, keys and watches into the open trays and then marching on through the metal detectors, leaving the stuff on then conveyor belt, ready to be pushed through – by anyone. I put those items into my carry on bag out of sight and zipped away. It amazes me that people will lock their bags or get their checked in luggage shrink wrapped and then leave their passports, cash, ipads, laptops etc unguarded.

I actually believe most travellers are honest. From time to time, there will be dishonest passengers, however, who may pocket a wallet, Ipad or watch that is not theirs. By chance a couple of years ago, a guy picked up my laptop by mistake.  By chance,  we both had identical machines at the same security point at the same time. He came back with my laptop, thankfully.

Last week, a passenger, at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, surreptitiously picked up a $6000 Rolex watch and bracelet at the airport security checkpoint and put it into his laptop.

The mistake he made was that he was filmed doing it on CCTV.  

Police  arrested the gentleman on Friday 17th wearing the Rolex watch (which was a woman’s watch).

Just thought you should know!

A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction.

Enjoy your 21st of Feb

I was initially excited that Etihad are offering wifi on board but it is only on three planes. Slim chance I will see it tomorrow when I fly to Abu Dhabi!

So how was last week?

This week I am back with Etihad up to the Middle East.  Am wondering what they will do with my Platinum card (last time I flew them I was Gold). In Melbourne (where I am starting my journey from), they use the Air New Zealand lounge which is a very nice one.

Safe travels to you!

In response to an 83 per cent fall in its first-half net profit to $A42 million to December 31 and as a part of a half a billion dollar cost cutting measure. Qantas is pulling out of two more routes in May and cutting 500 jobs in catering, engineering and heavy maintenance. The sectors being lost are:

• Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to Los Angeles, USA (LAX) QF25 and 26
• Singapore (SIN) to Mumbai (India) (BOM) QF 50 and 51

These cuts are in addition to the previously announced withdrawals in March from the Hong Kong-London and Bangkok-London routes.

The Singapore to Mumbai cancellation is not a total surprise. This route has had a checkered history over the last decade. Qantas planes used to fly non stop to Bombay.Then the Singapore stopover was added.

Then the flight went back to non-stop.

In 2009, the stop in Singapore was added again.The stop meant Qantas could pick up Indian passengers who fly between Singapore and India. The biggest disadvantage of the service was the passenger unfriendly 2am arrival time.

I suspect Jetstar will take up this route soon.

The Auckland to Los Angeles axing is more of a surprise. Qantas have been flying this sector for many decades.I have flown on this route ten times, evenly split between Qantas and Air New Zealand. Up to 2009, the service was operated by a 747 which started in Melbourne, flew to Auckland and then onto Los Angeles.

The 747 was phased out and the route was split into two parts. Today, the time table looks like this:

• QF 25 Dep MEL: 06:00am Arr: AKL 11:40am Boeing 737 (168 pax in 2 classes)
• QF 25 Dep AKL: 03:05pm Arr; LAX 06:40am (same day): Airbus 330 (307 pax in 2 classes)
• QF 26 Dep LAX 11:25pm Arr: AKL 09:55am (2 days later): A330
• QF 26 Dep MEL: 12:45pm Arr: AKL 2:45pm B737

The two aircraft basically turn around so the 737 is shuttling between Melbourne and Auckland and the 330 between Auckland and Los Angeles. There is now a more significant wait in Auckland than there used to be when the same aircraft went all the way through. Passengers can also fly from Sydney to Auckland on QF 55 which arrives at 2;25pm and connect on to the LAX bound A330.

The biggest advantage to me of this service was it allowed me to stop over in New Zealand on the way to or from the USA. This meant I could combine business in two markets in a time efficient cost effective way. I have also noticed that Qantas consistently prices flights on the MEL to lAX via AKL more cheaply than the direct MEL- LAX flights.

I have four concerns with the announced changes:

1. Market Loss

Qantas is effectively removing itself from potential travellers coming from North America, who may wish to combine Australia and New Zealand without backtracking and Australians who may want to combine the USA and New Zealand. I am not sure how big the market is or will be and I know Qantas can re enter the route.

2. Air New Zealand gains Monopoly status

I don’t believe Air New Zealand will go too crazy with fare increases but we will see some reduction in the number of discounted seats available. Air New Zealand still has to price the route at a rate the market will bear and one which is low enough to entice people to fly that distance. In addition Air NZ are still competing with Qantas on LA-SYD and must bear Qantas pricing in mind

3. One World Alliance impacted

There is now a gap for One World round the world tickets. Passengers wanting to include Nee Zealand in a one world round the world itinerary will have to go via Australia to fly a one word carrier to or from North America. We also lose the option of earning One world points on this sector. Every reduction in One world earning capacity pushes me further toward Virgin Australia and  partners and Star Alliance (Air New Zealand belongs to Star).

4. The Joyce Grand Plan

As I have blogged before, I am not a big fan of Alan Joyce’s (pictured) new plan for Qantas. The plan consists of trimming Qantas to a few key routes which feed int One World partner routes at key points (e.g. Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Dallas, London), the creation of a Premium Qantas Asian carrier and the expansion of low cost carrier Jetstar. I fear the trimming of Qantas will reach a point where Qantas is almost a skeleton only. It reminds me of the Uk railway system under Lord Beeching in the 1960s. He reduced the rail system to a few trunk lines by closing as many rural branches as possible. It was only a few years later that people realised that successful main lines gained their passengers from these branch lines. Chopping the branches pushed people into motor vehicles and they by passed the trains altogether. This is now being reversed in the 21st century but the damage to rail lasted almost five decades.

 Reaction

The announced changes have not been greeted with excitement by passengers or employees. Qantas is currently,  the subject of an Australian Parliamentary inquiry as a result of the grounding of the whole airline last October by Mr Joyce. The relationship with the Unions is already at the lowest ebb. That seems to have got even worse with the Transport Workers Union head Tony Sheldon today saying”. “It’s clear the Australian people have got one foul liar running a company and destroying the company,” Sheldon said of Joyce. “It’s become clearer and clearer from both statements within Qantas management privately, and from our politicians in Canberra on both sides of the house, that Qantas intends to strip the flying kangaroo and Jetstar in an operation to maximise profits for the executives.” He went on to demand Qantas be prosecuted as the union felt the job cuts violated Fair Work Australia’s requirements.

The skies will remain turbulent for the Australian Flag Carrier especially as it seeks to avoid a demise like Malev, the Hungarian Flag carrier.

In the meantime, thanks to the crews who have looked after me on the Auckland service. May see you one more time in April!

Photos from  my ATR 72 flight from Palmerston North to Auckland last Wednesday. Stunning day to fly.