Notes on a few trips

So what's the deal with British Airways? Even if you wanted to fly this year, the chances of flying anywhere with British Airways seemed low with their last-minute cancellations and changing of flight schedules that made flying with them impractical.  Despite their attempts to get past customers flying with emails promising dream holidays, one suspects part of their poor summer performance is due to poor planning. With their endless reschedules and cancellations, it was as if they didn't want your money. It's a legacy carrier with not only planes and technology stuck in a time warp. Their attitudes to flying and getting people moving needs an update.  Terminal Five at Heathrow this summer was a vast empty chasm. The shop hoardings are promising a better future, replacing the hordes of tourists. But whether this future will be with British Airways remains a wonder. Flying in the UK now is a kafkaesque experience with the ever-changing and expensive tests and form-filling. A...

A recent flight to Nice has highlighted that not many people are flying. In the middle of August, on a Friday night, shops and restaurants were closed at Heathrow. You didn’t have to worry about finding a seat to relax. There were plenty of them, even with the social distancing boards in place. While it was lovely to have so much personal space, on the other hand, you couldn’t help but wonder about the future of travel, particularly when airports in Europe don’t seem to be as burdened by such rules. And when none of this “Covid theatre” prevented the delta variant from entering the UK in the first place. Perhaps people are voting with their feet due to the complex rules and scenarios. Leaving the UK for any trip seems to be determined to confuse the confound the most seasoned traveller.  Despite the pages and pages of guidance on the government website, nothing is straightforward. Perhaps there are so many scenarios they attempt to cover that anything is possible.  There are t...

A small bag of hand gel and a wipe can bring much joy in 2020... It seems to be almost socially unacceptable to be flying at the moment. Or at least sharing the experience that you've flown somewhere given many people are either unable to unwilling to do so in this twin economic and health crisis. Countries are closed without quarantine, flights are non-existent, airlines are going under. But if you are flying at the moment or want to know what it was like, here are two experiences. Flying may not be returning to 2019 levels for many years. But the disappearance of crowded airports, long flight delays and ever-changing rules about what could and couldn't get on board is a welcome change this summer.  Before 2020 a trip during the summer meant: Sardine lounges . Penned in crowded airports and terminals with poor ventilation and little room to sit.  There you would stand around gates with the hot, sweaty and slightly flustered hordes travelling with you.  Security theatre ....

Somewhere between London and Dubai around 1am Monday morning I found myself a little damp. The entire contents of a glass of champagne dropped into my lap after a flight attendant tripped on something or other (it might have been an aisle passenger's foot). It was a little bit alarming as I had successfully spent the last five months avoiding getting my Nudie jeans too dirty so I didn't need to wash them and now some clutzy flight attendant was going to force a premature wash... The whole flight crew seemed a little accident prone (well the ones providing the inflight service anyway), as they kept dropping things, running into each for the whole six hours as if they were Keystone Cops... Determined not to let a little champagne spoil the flight I suggested that if they gave me a towel and a glass of it then I wouldn't say anything further. Alcoholic drinks are complimentary on Emirates flights, except for their champagne which they charge some ludicrous price for... It mig...