Change of Plans
Sometimes, despite the best planning, a trip doesn’t pan out quite as expected. Some years ago, I was supposed to fly back from Athens on Swiss Airline, transiting through Zurich. I remembered I was really looking forward to flying with Swiss airline for the first time. Except it never happened.
Two days before scheduled departure, there was an announcement of a workers strike in Athens. The strike included air traffic controllers, and widespread flight cancellations were expected. My original flight was impacted. I switched to an early morning flight with British Airways and decided to upgrade myself to the F cabin, knowing that I won’t get much sleep the night before.
We got to the airport before the sun was even up. Once on-board, I greeted the flight attendants, snacked, and reclined my seat. I had dark circles under my eyes. I desperately needed some sleep.
BA First Cabin Crew Is Awesomely Attentive
Blanket Fairy
I knew the flight attendant could help me set up a quilted mattress, but sleep beckons. I grabbed a blanket and attempted to sleep. Somewhere along the way, the cabin’s temperature got colder so I wrapped the blanket tightly around me. Even in my light sleep state, I could hear the flight attendant walking around the cabin. Yet, I was most surprised when the footsteps stopped near my seat. Apparently, one of the flight attendants noticed that I must be getting cold and gently placed another layer of blanket on top of me (which I was grateful for). Even though I didn’t end up getting the best sleep, I was still amazed at how attentive she was.
Graceful Line Enforcer
Once the flight landed, I grabbed my things. Although I lined up to exit, someone from the business cabin rushed forward to the exit, which triggered everyone else behind him to start walking. I waited for a chance to merge into the flow of traffic, but no one paused. A flight attendant manning the first class cabin noticed that I was stuck. She gracefully stepped in and blocked the entrance, asking the next passenger to kindly hold for a second. She then turned and gestured me to go with her eyes. I thanked her and hurriedly exited.
Little Things Matter
When I was tired and far away from home, the cabin crew members brought along their warm smiles and made the experience feel a little more welcoming. The little touches really made all the difference. That is why, to this day, that flight is still one of best and most memorable flights I’ve ever taken.
If you’ve ever flown BA F, what did you like most and least about your experience?
I had a very poor experience with BA several years ago. I was due to fly from Toronto to Glasgow via Heathrow. I arrived at the airport with lots of time to spare. It had just started snowing. I saw the incoming flight arriving (on time). I was at the gate at the prescribed time (20:00 EST) waiting to board when there was an announcement saying that due to the incoming flight’s late arrival (1st lie), there would be a 1 hour delay in boarding for our 21:00 EST take off time. We eventually boarded and were told that due… Read more »
Those are nice little details that make the difference. Where did you fly to after ATH-LHR? Did you get a good amount of time in First?
For my flights, I appreciated the finer touches above the Club World service and seeing my wife’s reaction to her first First; that was special for us. I did find the 777 buddy seat narrow for dining though, and I’m ‘only’ a 34″ waist.
I flew back to the states, so I had enough time to enjoy the long-haul transatlantic flight on BA F.
That is plain awesome, re: “seeing my wife’s reaction to her first First”. Seeing someone’s reaction to flying the first “something” is always one of my favorite parts of traveling. It is indeed special.
Thanks for reading (and sharing!)