RTW TP Run in Jan 2026: Day 1 – London Heathrow (LHR) to Oslo (OSL)

By Nige on January 18, 2026 at 8:40 pm
Type: Post
Story: Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026 Category: Travel
Tags: BA | Best Western | British Airways | LHR | London Heathrow | OSL | Oslo

The BA Lounge agent at Terminal 3 was perfectly polite, although she didn’t ask whether I wanted an invite into First Dining — supposedly one of the perks of being Gold Guest List.

Then again, with BA steadily trimming benefits from even its core services, perhaps this was just another perk that had quietly bitten the dust.

In any case, I was more than happy to sit back and relax for a while. I had just under three hours before my flight was due to depart, and the lounge itself felt fairly calm, with no great numbers loitering around.

After a while, I popped out for a short walk towards the Gate 40 area to stretch my legs, before wandering through the shops in search of a London postcard.

That, it turned out, was very much a thing of the past. I did, however, manage to grab a photo that I felt would be good enough for the collection of airport “snaps” I was planning to assemble along the way.

Dinner followed: a pie with carrots, roasted potatoes and gravy. The carrots were cold, but the rest of it was perfectly acceptable.

Still, I suspected this particular service offering would pale into insignificance once I reached Hong Kong ten days or so later.

My flight to Oslo was departing from Gate 24C, which meant — joy of joys — a bus gate. Another subtle indicator of the level at which BA now routinely operates out of Heathrow.

I had a brief chat with Vick while waiting to board the bus. There were going to be plenty of check-ins while I was away.

The bus itself was absolutely rammed, largely with what appeared to be workers connecting onward to Bergen the following morning. For some, it seemed to be their first week back after Christmas. Alright for some.

The aircraft was parked on remote stand 572, and to be fair to the driver, we weren’t kept waiting long before heading up the steps. I settled into seat 01F and was fortunate to have the adjacent seat blocked, giving me a bit of extra breathing space.

I noticed there were only five rows of Club Europe — perhaps an indication of declining premium bookings, or perhaps just another quiet midweek reality.

We pushed back on time and were rolling along Runway 09R around twenty minutes later. I had a great view of central London in the dark, albeit from a distance. It’s unusual for me to depart Heathrow in an easterly direction, which made the view all the more interesting.

Shortly after take-off, I received a personal welcome from the Cabin Services Manager, which was appreciated.

Drinks and nuts were served soon after. Standard fare, but I was quietly pleased to see that the nuts hadn’t yet been “enhanced away”.

I opted for the shepherd’s pie, which was a little on the salty side — the perennial debate about just how much seasoning is too much. The bread roll was warm and crusty, suggesting it had spent rather too long in the oven.

Dessert, however, redeemed things: an apple crumble with cold custard, which was genuinely lovely.

I dozed for much of the remainder of the flight. I was already tired — partly from the scale of what lay ahead, and partly from knowing that my beloved would be left at home negotiating lap rights between two competing cats.

Final approach into Oslo was fairly foggy, but as we broke through the cloud, a crisp blanket of snow came into view. The captain reported a temperature of zero degrees Celsius, which suggested the walk to the hotel was going to be bracing.

We arrived at Gate 48, where the ground crew were a little slow in attaching the airbridge. For once, though, time was very much on my side.

Next up: Late evening in Oslo on Day 1 of my Round The World trip of a lifetime.

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Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026