We headed to terminal 1 at the airport and it was a hodge podge people from all different airlines trying to make their out of Dubai. The first section was security check where all bags were examined along with the typical metal detector screening. We gathered everything and went to the Delta counter. When we presented our travel documents, the agent said that the flight was weight restricted so they could not accommodate any stand-by customers. They said it was due to the smaller aircraft from Atlanta so there has been a backlog of people trying to head back to Atlanta. Since there was only 1 flight a day to/from Atlanta, we would be pushed back into the queue of people trying to go back. He said the earliest for us to go back would be in 2 days… space permitting. One of the stipulations on our stand by tickets is that we could be denied boarding and also, we had the lowest priority in stand by travel… after all the current/retired employees and their family were all ahead of us.
I thought the agent was kidding in stating that we could not get on the flight. So with little options, we could either stay in Dubai for a few more days or make other travel arrangements home. My party did not have conflicts with staying for a few extra days. I, however, had to be at work at 1 PM on Thursday so arriving back on Friday was not an option for me. We also did not have much money left (Drihams or $) so accommodations would be last minute. I immediately proceeded to the Cathay Pacific desk to see if they had any seats on their flight to Hong Kong and I would figure out my way home then. The agent told me the best way would be to call American Airlines from a pay phone to book a ticket as their local office was already closed. I went to an airport shop to buy some phone cards to make international calls back to the US. I bought just in case the phone calls would be long. Using the phone cards and figuring how to dial back to the US was a small problem that I encountered but was successful eventually.
I accidentally called the AAdvantage Executive Platinum Desk for Spanish speakers… luckily my agent was also agent in English. I explained the situation that I was in and how I needed to book an award ticket back to Dallas. I asked if I could get routed through Hong Kong as I wanted to experience Cathay Pacific airlines in style. She could not find any award seats on Cathay but after playing around, she got me a routing back home the next afternoon… 5 hours later than the Delta flights. She booked me Club World (Business) seats on British Airways flight 106 from Dubai to London leaving at 1:45AM and arriving at Heathrow at 6:20AM the same morning. Then I would fly business class on American Airlines flight 51 departing at 12:25AM arriving at 2:20PM in Dallas. I was overjoyed that she found me (business) seats at the last minute. The only charges I had in regards to booking the ticket was the taxes that I would have to pay. An one-way economy ticket would have costs $900 or a possible $3000 for business class. I got disconnected from the agent after I gave her my credit card info so I called back immediately where another agent confirmed that my tickets were being ticketed and it would take about 20 minutes for it to show up in the computer systems.
I went to the British Airway counter (which housed Delta counter only an hour before) to check in. I decided to check my duffel bag in and got both boarding passes for my journey. I bid farewell to the rest of my party and wished them luck in getting back to the US. I gave them my extra phone card and all the cash that I had left before departing to the boarding terminal. We had another routine security check before passport control and the it was off to the departure area. I headed towards gate 126 where it housed the British Airways galleries lounge. There were passengers from British Airways and Cathay Pacific so it got a bit crowded at times.
I proceed to get some soup, appetizers, chili/rice, and sandwiches before getting settled into a desk. I stayed for about 2 & ½ hours checking email, blogging, uploading pictures, and pigging out. There was a large window area where we could look out into the tarmac area. Given that it was at night, there was not much to see out there. I enjoyed the lounge area as it provided a perfect place to relax before my flight. When the boarding call was made to head down to gate 111 for our flight, I used the rest of the money on the phone card leaving messages to family members and calling work to check up on matters. We had another security check before heading on the plane.
The flight bridge had 2 separate doors, one for first/business and the other for economy. I proceeded to the first entrance, found my way to my seat of 10G… a front-facing sleep suite. The seats were fully 180 degrees flat and were very comfortable. The flight was very full and I grabbed a pre-departure beverage of orange juice. The only thing missing was the hot nuts which I always get on American Airlines after departure. We were served a light snack after departure with the choices being a salad, cold cuts, or hot chocolate/cookies. I went with the sweets and it came with a chocolate chip cookie, chocolate macadamia cookie, and hot chocolate. I only are about half of each cookie as I was still stuffed from the food I obtained in the lounge. I brushed my teeth afterward using my amenity kit and then slept for about 3 hours. I got up to use the bathroom and drink some water and went back to sleep for another 2 hours. The sleep bed was very comfortable but I was seated towards the front of the cabin so there was foot traffic sometimes. I did manage to sleep without earplugs. I had the flight path displayed so I could check on where I was when I woke up. There were movies available but it was not on demand so I did not bother with watching anything and settled for sleeping instead.
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BA 106 Club World Dining Menu
NightCap - Settle down with a NightCap to help you sleep
Emmenthal Salad
or
An individual selection of sandwiches featuring beef pastrami with gherkin and Mature Cheddar with chutney
or
Hot chocolate with warm chocolate chip cookies
A selection of fresh fruit
Your choice or coffee, tea, or selection of herbal teas including green tea with jasmine, peppermint, blackcurrant and chamomile with honey
Breakfast in Bed
Chilled fruit juice
An energising fruit smoothie of skim milk, honey, banana, and mango
Fresh fruit
or
Birchermuesli and cereals with chilled milk
Scrambled eggs with Mozzarella, apply sausage, grilled tomato with parsley, herbed mushroom and hash-brown potatoes
or
Cheddar omelette with grilled potato, mushrooms in creamy sauce and hash-brown potatoes
or
American Pancake with mixed berry compote
Selection of warm breads and breakfast pastries
Your choice of coffee or tea
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Breakfast was served when I woke up and we had the option from several choices: pancakes, scrambled eggs/sausage, eggs/potatoes, and fresh fruit bowl/yoghurt with a side of muesli. I got pancakes, fruit/yoghurt, and coffee. I skipped on the pastries but there was a wide selection. When we landed, I grabbed my bags immediately and waited by the door. They made sure the have the first class passengers depart first and I made my way to the Terminal transfer on the ground floor. We had to take a 10 minute bus ride to Terminal 3 where American Airlines departed. Almost all the British Airways flights depart/land in Terminal 5 so transfer is almost always necessary. I had to go through security check one more time at Heathrow.
I first went to the Cathay Pacific First Class lounge since I did not have access to that section last time. It was nothing spectacular and I was the only passenger there for the 10 minutes that I was there grabbing a few bites/using the facilities. Next, I went to the Admiral’s Club to get my AA boarding pass and they checked to make sure that my bag was transferred correctly. I got access to the new renovated Flagship Lounge to check email and grab a few more bites to eat. I enjoyed the much talked about bacon rolls (bacon and tomato on a half roll) which was pretty good, although the roll was quite dry. A pair of annoying people came in so I left the lounge and proceeded to British Airways First Class lounge, which is the best one that I can access/enjoy at Heathrow. I got a quick/relaxing 15 minute shower. Nothing can compare to having a nice hot shower after a long flight. It was very comfortable and they only regret I have is not packing a fresh change of clothes.
Then afterwards, I went to the dining area to enjoy some more food, use my laptop, recharging it and looked around the large area. The lounge had a view of the tarmac as well and it was very nice. The bathrooms were large and private. There were several open bars for drinks and snacks. All the staff were very nice and I ordered a fried egg/bacon sandwich. With my last few minutes, I headed to the Elemis spa for my 15 minute complimentary massage in the chair. The service was limited to those traveling first or business class on BA longhaul flights or Executive Club Gold members.
I proceeded immediately to the gate with about 35 minutes before departure. I made my way to seat 13 G where I got stuck in the middle of 4 family members traveling together. I switched to seat 10 D so that the family could sit side-by-side (aisle-wise). We got pre-departure drinks and there was small snafu before we left. The flight was completely full and some people were still waiting for upgrades into first and business. We had to go back to the gate since a passenger did not make it to the flight even though their bag did. We had to get the passenger on the plane or take their bag off… the second option was exercised. We were only delayed for a little bit from London and the rest of the flight was smooth with no problems. The captain left the seatbelt sign on from the time we departed to and through the entire dinner service.
I talked to my seatmate, a man that changed jobs recently and is moving his family to Dallas. He has earned 2 million miles with flying 15 years on American Airlines… I am only ¼ of the way there so I need to catch up pretty soon. I got my first choice of beef/potato gnocci over chicken or scallops or pasta. The appetizer of smoked salmon/cucumber roll was ok. I manage to eat a large part of the salad served with blue cheese (my choice) dressing or oil/vinegar. I ate most of my beef but it was way too much food. Dessert was Ben & Jerry’s mint chocolate chip ice cream and I got my with decaffeinated coffee. I watched Clash of the Titans while enjoying my meal. The movie was not bad and it had a lot of action. I attempted to watch Valentine’s Day but had to turn if off after 10 minutes cause I knew that it would be a bad movie from the start.
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AA 51 Business Class Dining Service Menu
To Start: Warm mixed nuts
Appetizer: Smoked sesame salmon and cucumber roll, accented by a Thai sweet chili sauce
Salad: Fresh seasonal greens and an assortment of fresh vegetables offered with blue cheese dressing or Sapori d’Arte olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Bread Basket: Assorted gourmet breads
Main Course:
Beef Fillet with Shallot Sauce (Grilled fillet of beef offered with a shallot sauce, accompanied by potato gnocchi with truffles and a medley of sautéed vegetables
Chicken Provençal (Herbed breast of chicken provençal accented by a wild mushroom reduction, served with green beans and wild rice)
Scallops with Lime Champagne (Seared scallops flavored with a creamy lime champagne sauce, complemented by a mushroom and asparagus sauté and rice pilaf with leeks)
Rigatoni with Cream Sauce (Rigatoni pasta enhanced by a rich cream sauce garnished with pine nuts)
Dessert:
Ice Cream (A scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream)
Fruit and Cheese (A selection of gourmet cheeses offered with fresh seasonal fruit and assorted crackers)
Mid-Flight Snack
Fruit and Cheese (A selection of gourmet cheeses offered with fresh seasonal fruit and assorted crackers)
Snacks (Assorted snack items available: Cookies, Rice Crispy Treats, Nutrigrain bar, Cheese crackers mix, and other items)
Light Meal (offered prior to landing)
Select From:
Uno’s Four Cheese and Pesto Pizza (A traditional deep-dish pizza with mozzarella, Muenster, Romano and feta cheese blend, basil pesto and plum tomatoes accompanied by a green salad
Turkey Sandwich (Sliced turkey breast served warm on a Kalamata olive ciabatta roll topped with Swiss cheese and roasted eggplant coated in tomato sauce, accompanied by a green salad with olive oil vinaigrette.
Dessert: Blackberry currant mouse cake
Pre-Arrival Beverage
For Your Enjoyment: Chilled sparkling or still water with a fresh citrus garnish
Beverages
Spirits: ABSOLUT Vodka
Beefeater Gin
Bacardi Rum
Whiskeys: Canadian Club Reserve Blended Whisky
Dewar’s White Label Scotch Whisky
Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch
Jack Daniel’s Tennesee Whiskey
Jim Beam Black Bourbon
Beers: Amstel light, Heineken and select U.S. Beers
Brandy and Liqueurs: Baileys Irish Cream
Courvoisier V.S.O.P. Fine Champagne Cognac
DiSaronno Amaretto
Kahlúa
Other Beverages: Carbonated Beverages
Still and sparkling water
100% Arabica roasted coffee
Necafé decaffeinated coffee
Tea
Fruit Juices
Milk
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I took about a 2 hour nap after getting out ear plugs and the eye shades. We got some snacks to enjoy about mid-flight. I watched some episodes of Heroes on the rest of the flight since the movie and TV selections were not really enticing to me. One of the problems with American is that they do not really rotate that many movies on their entertainment system but I have learned to bring my own entertainment (ipod or laptop) to help pass the time. The pre-departure light meal was offered very late in the flight due to turbulence for a majority of the flight. I went with the turkey sandwich which was surprisingly good. The blackberry currant mouse cake was ok, did one bite on that one.
Landing was smooth and I had no issues with getting to Immigration. I had to wait 15 minutes for for my bags and they only had 2 people working customs desk so that took forever. I was happy to be home and glad I came back a day early. Not a bad trip overall, did a lot of stuff that I never would have dreamed of or will experience again.
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