Trip to Kathmandu flying on Etihad A380 First Apartment and Qatar Airways A380 First Class
Last month, Mike and I traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal for the first time to meet our travel partner Helena, owner of Helena India Travels. We are sending our first group to Nepal in autumn and it was a great opportunity to meet her as well as the owners of the hotels where our group would be staying at. We were offered complimentary five nights stay by Mingma, the Nepalese owner of Chhahari Retreat and needless to say, we enjoyed every single day of our stay not only because of the nice room and excellent food in the restaurant but moreso because each one of them treated us like their own family. As for our flight, Mike and I used our remaining American Airlines Advantage miles to fly in first class from Europe to the Indian Sub continent, just before the devaluation in March, which is 80K miles return per person. Here's the full trip report of our trip to Nepal and I hope that thru this, more people would consider traveling to this wonderful country in the future!
Review: British Airways Business Class, Stockholm-London
Review: Etihad A380 First Apartment, London-Abu Dhabi
Review: Al Dhabi Lounge, T1 Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
Review: Qatar Airways Business Class, Abu Dhabi-Doha
Review: Qatar Airways Business Class, Doha-Kathmandu
Review: Chhahari Resort, Kathmandu
Review: Yeti Airlines Everest Express
Top Attractions in Nepal
Review: Executive Lounge, Kathmandu International Airport (KTM)
Review: Qatar Airways Business Class, Kathmandu-Doha
Review: Qatar Airways A380 First Class, Doha-Paris
Review: Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Review: Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge, T2 (CDG)
Review: British Airways Business Class, Paris-London
Review: Hilton London Heathrow Airport
Review: British Airways Business Class, London-Stockholm
British Airways Airbus A320 at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Flight: BA 309
Departure time in Paris: 12:05 (actual 12:12)
Arrival time in London: 12:25 (actual 12:20)
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 8A
Duration: 1h 8m
Date of flight: June 2, 2016
*This is an award travel, Business Class flight #105
A day in Paris
We had the whole afternoon to explore Paris before our flight the following day to London so we did not waste anytime and took the metro to the town after checking in at the Hilton Paris CDG Airport. As usual, our first stop was the most visited place in Paris, the Eiffel Tower.
Then, we continued on to see the Arc de Triomphe.
The famous shopping street, Champs-Éllysées
And the Roland Garros shop
It was a short but fruitful stay in Paris and needless to say, we enjoyed it a lot.
Check in, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2A
Unlike most of the airlines oeprating at CDG Terminal 2A, the check in desks for passengers traveling on British Airways are located on the lower level. We actually missed the sign so we had to go back but eventually found it.
British Airways check in desk for business class passengers and those with status (right) and bag drop (left)
Lounge
After clearing passport and security controls, we headed to the Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge where we had an enjoyable time before our flight.
Aircraft
British Airways Airbus A320
Boarding
We left the lounge about 45 minutes before departure and found a long queue at gate A47. Nevertheless, there was priority boarding which helped a bit, as boarding started at 11:40am. Unfortunately, it took a long time to reach the aircraft.
Boarding which was moving very slow. Newspapers were also available on the trolley placed just outside the aircraft.
Cabin
The business class cabin has a 3-3 configuration with the middle seat being left vacant for privacy. It included rows 1-8 with a total of 32 seats, probably 40 percent of which was occupied. The economy cabin on the other hand was full.
View of the business class cabin from my seat.
My seat 8A, was a window. Moments after settling in, hot towels were offered. We were also informed by one of the flight attendants working in the business class cabin that we would not be needing landing forms incase we have EU passport.
British Airways business class blanket
Middle tray table
The not so spacious legroom.
Located behind the seat in front of me was the magazine rack.
Inflight magazines, duty free catalogue, safety card
There were no personal monitors but instead they have the usual overhead monitors.
View of British Airways planes from my seat.
Around 12:10, the captain came on the PA to welcome us and to apologize for the delay, adding that our flight time to London would be 45 minutes. Pushback started shortly where the safety video started to play as well.
Dining
As soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off, the meal service began. An announcement was also made stating that business class passengers would be offered chicken salad and a choice of drink, both of which are complimentary. I really loved the fact that they were serving a meal on this short flight, and that the chicken salad was actually very good.
A glass of apple juice and water.
Landing at London Heathrow Airport
View before landing.
We landed at London Heathrow Airport around 12:15pm which was a few minutes ahead of schedule.
CONCLUSION
I have flown several times on British Airways in business class within Europe although it was my first time to fly between Paris and London. I really liked the fact that they were serving a meal on this short flight and that it was actually very good. The staff were also very friendly and that we actually arrived ahead of schedule even if we had some delay from Paris CDG Airport. I believe there is really a big competition among airlines operating this route and based on this flight, British Airways is really doing their best to attract business class passengers. Overall, the flight was very nice and is one of the best I've had on British Airways.
Related Posts:
Cathay Pacific Business Class, Manila-Hongkong
EVA Air Business Class, Bangkok-Taipei
Last month, Mike and I traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal for the first time to meet our travel partner Helena, owner of Helena India Travels. We are sending our first group to Nepal in autumn and it was a great opportunity to meet her as well as the owners of the hotels where our group would be staying at. We were offered complimentary five nights stay by Mingma, the Nepalese owner of Chhahari Retreat and needless to say, we enjoyed every single day of our stay not only because of the nice room and excellent food in the restaurant but moreso because each one of them treated us like their own family. As for our flight, Mike and I used our remaining American Airlines Advantage miles to fly in first class from Europe to the Indian Sub continent, just before the devaluation in March, which is 80K miles return per person. Here's the full trip report of our trip to Nepal and I hope that thru this, more people would consider traveling to this wonderful country in the future!
Review: British Airways Business Class, Stockholm-London
Review: Etihad A380 First Apartment, London-Abu Dhabi
Review: Al Dhabi Lounge, T1 Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
Review: Qatar Airways Business Class, Abu Dhabi-Doha
Review: Qatar Airways Business Class, Doha-Kathmandu
Review: Chhahari Resort, Kathmandu
Review: Yeti Airlines Everest Express
Top Attractions in Nepal
Review: Executive Lounge, Kathmandu International Airport (KTM)
Review: Qatar Airways Business Class, Kathmandu-Doha
Review: Qatar Airways A380 First Class, Doha-Paris
Review: Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Review: Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge, T2 (CDG)
Review: British Airways Business Class, Paris-London
Review: Hilton London Heathrow Airport
Review: British Airways Business Class, London-Stockholm
Flight: BA 309
Departure time in Paris: 12:05 (actual 12:12)
Arrival time in London: 12:25 (actual 12:20)
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 8A
Duration: 1h 8m
Date of flight: June 2, 2016
*This is an award travel, Business Class flight #105
A day in Paris
It was a short but fruitful stay in Paris and needless to say, we enjoyed it a lot.
Check in, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2A
Lounge
Aircraft
Boarding
Cabin
Around 12:10, the captain came on the PA to welcome us and to apologize for the delay, adding that our flight time to London would be 45 minutes. Pushback started shortly where the safety video started to play as well.
Dining
Landing at London Heathrow Airport
CONCLUSION
I have flown several times on British Airways in business class within Europe although it was my first time to fly between Paris and London. I really liked the fact that they were serving a meal on this short flight and that it was actually very good. The staff were also very friendly and that we actually arrived ahead of schedule even if we had some delay from Paris CDG Airport. I believe there is really a big competition among airlines operating this route and based on this flight, British Airways is really doing their best to attract business class passengers. Overall, the flight was very nice and is one of the best I've had on British Airways.
Related Posts:
Cathay Pacific Business Class, Manila-Hongkong
EVA Air Business Class, Bangkok-Taipei