Tier Point Run to Hawaii in Nov 2022 – Day 5 – New York (JFK) to London (LHR)

After asking for a printed boarding card for my two BA flights back to Heathrow, then on to Budapest, I headed through to Fasttrack Security which was a farce as normal.

Firstly, the only benefit of TSA Pre-check at T7 is that I can keep my shoes on. Wow! Unfortunately some of the security staff have a major attitude problem, specifically those manning the TSA Pre-check metal detector. They made the Pre-check line wait for no reason avoiding eye contact, whilst they could find any other tasks they could do, rather than remove a barrier to allow the TSA Pre-check passengers through. Unbelievable. Glad we are saying goodbye to T7. T8 is a dream in comparison from a security perspective.

Into the CCR and I felt a little sad that this was going to be the last time I made use of the CCR in T7. I took a couple of photos to remind me of the place.

Into CCR Dining and the menu looked pretty good. I went for the scallops to start with (well done based on previous experience), the beets salad and then the fillet mignon, which was on the « hidden » menu. All washed down with another glass of LPGS.

My flight left from Gate 10 – my last ever (?) departure from T7. I said to the CCR staff that I looked forward to seeing them in T8 next month. Apparently not everyone is moving over (according to one of the waiting staff). Some are staying in T7 – perhaps they are going to be redeployed?

Boarding started early and I was one of the first onboard. I was pleased to see this aircraft had the new First Class suite installed, which is so much nicer than the old. Got my order in early for my LPGS and a menu was already waiting for me. The menu looked impressive and I was tempted, but I decided to stick to my plan: eat in the CCR (already done) and then sleep as much as possible on the flight.

I started watching Diego Maradona before we pushed back – a documentary about his time playing football, which was really interesting and very sad. He was clearly a gifted footballer, but he got caught up in the fame and some very bad characters in Italy. It was also interesting to understand the link between him helping Argentina beat Italy in the San Paulo stadium in the 1990 World Cup (hosted by Italy) and his subsequent demonisation by all Italians and ultimately his downfall.

I must have had a good 3 hours of kip which was only broken by violent turbulence. It was the worst I have experienced whilst lying down in a flatbed onboard a flight. It probably lasted about 10-15 mins. It was never a safety issue, but one of those risks of flying. The captain can’t always fly around these things.

We were ahead of schedule but I was advised by cabin crew there was a good chance of us ending up on a remote stand due to us being 45 mins early. Another sad indictment of the state of Heathrow right now. As it happens, we didn’t end up in that position, but the heads up was appreciated.

Irrespective of how we deplaned, I was looking forward to a shower, a change of clothes and a Starbucks! And of course seeing the Vickster and the moggies…

We arrived into Gate B45 and I managed to sneak through to door 2L behind the CSL who had to navigate her way from the front of the aircraft through to door 2L to hand over the manifest when the door was opened. So glad we didn’t end up at a remote stand plus having to take buses back to the terminal!

I was first off and I just missed a train back to arrivals, so for a change I decided to walk down to the Transit Walkway to walk back to Passport Control. My first time using the Transit Walkway heading in that direction. It was good to stretch my legs and I thought there was a chance I would make it to Arrivals before all those that decided to wait for the next train.

At the automated passport kiosks I decided to try kiosk number 23 (the furthest one to the left) and surprisingly it didn’t work but it asked me to try again. When I removed my passport to start the process again, my boarding pass fell out! No wonder it didn’t work!

Tried again. No luck. I then tried kiosk number 22. No luck. I went down the Seek Assistance line and the guy checking my passport confirmed that the failures were due to them looking for someone with the same name as me. When I asked whether I would ever be able to use the automated kiosks, he said no. I thanked him for his frankness. At least I know where I stand now.

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