So, that moment hit me. You know the one: you fancy a trip away. The lure of the airport awaits. But in my world there are a few other things to consider:
- the flight needed to be late on a Friday and late home on Sunday - I had an idea of how much I wanted to spend - I was travelling alone so needed to ensure there was plenty to see and do
European destinations didn’t seem to work. Sure there were flights from Stansted (urgh) but none of them worked and the prices were approaching £300, which for Ryanair, I won’t pay.
I was about to give up when a flight from London City caught my eye. Leaving London City at 8pm, it was to the Isle of Man. Somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. Yes, really! It was a BA service, operated by Eastern Airways. I was sold.
Expedia had a holiday package that used BA flights which was lower than the BA fare. Basic hotel, but for a two night stay would be fine.
I was able to go home from work and change before heading to the airport. Getting to London City was painless.
On a Friday night, it was packed, and my trip was getting off to a stressy start. None of the self service ticket machines worked, and the escalators weren’t working. The queues for security were managed pretty well however, although people seemed confused by the queuing system. At London City rather than join a queue, you go to a ‘counter’ and the counter can manage four people at a time. It works really well.
Once I was through security, I wanted to charge my phone. London City Airport has chargers EVERYWHERE. Not one of them worked. I then went for a pint. £6! £6 for a poor pint. Where’s Wetherspoon’s when you want them?
I found a seat and nursed my pint, while ‘plane-spotting.
The flight was called, and we were bussed to the aircraft. BUSSED. At London City. Can you believe it?
Here was the ‘plane:
The seats were more comfortable that I expected, for such a small 'plane!
With great legroom, and how cool is that cupholder? Very clever, Saab!
The last flight from London to the Isle of Man and BA had no trouble filling the little aircraft…
Service was friendly (although two people had been allocated unsuitable seats, so the crew apologized profusely and asked another couple to swap seats.)
I ordered a Gin & Tonic and was presented with another.
“I thought youd like another one…” was the reason. I was happy!
The flight was a bit bumpy but the gin helped. Landing was on time and I was soon on my way to the hotel, by virtue of the islands superb transport.
The Isle of Man was great. The weather was superb. I will include more pics of the little island in the middle of the Irish Sea on my flight home report.
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Verdict
British Airways
10.0/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Meal/catering10.0
London - LCY
9.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services9.5
Cleanliness9.5
Isle of Man - IOM
10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
Conclusion
Eastern Airways operate this flight, but everything was branded British Airways. I'm sure most passengers would not have known! For us plane fans, these are important details! it was great to fly BA on a 'small scale'.
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Thanks for this unique report! The Saab looks really nice in the BA colors--then again, almost anything looks like in BA colors. A G&T is a perfect way to deal with a bumpy flight :-) Flying Y in the U.S. 2 G&Ts would cost $14! Looking forward to the bonus pics of Isle of Man. I've always wondered what it was like. Thanks for sharing!
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4 Comments
The type on the cover is not correct: you stated SF340 and it's a Saab 2000.
Looking forward to the bonus pics of Isle of Man. I've always wondered what it was like.
Thanks for sharing!
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