Foreword
I always promised myself that I will never ever fly or travel on a UK Bank Holiday - well guess what ?!!! Never say never ! We arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 around 20 minutes after leaving our hotel near Heathrow Airport.
The plan for tonight
Checkin
When we went up to Departures at 1615pm, I was bemused to see that the bag drop for our flight was opening at 1735pm, which was over an hour away and beginning at 3 hours before departure.
I went to a podium and a very friendly gentleman named Avula told me I am fine to drop my bags now. He issued boarding passes ( card type ) and directed us to an empty row of desks where Mr Nazran was equally as friendly and helpful. The self bag drop took a few seconds and I was issued with a proper receipt and a card boarding pass with coloured BA logo on the back.
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Security South took all of 5 minutes and we even had time to look at some shops ! A lady at Gucci was very nice to my Wife and even helped her with a photo arrangement !
Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T5 - next to gate A7
Yes you are reading correctly ! Despite the not so great experience at this lounge last year, I got gifted two vouchers for my birthday from a friend, to use at the PPL Heathrow T5. I was very curious as to what the experience would be like.
The Plaza Premium Lounge Reception Staff last year had a “computer says no” attitude.
The previous visit that you can read about under BA1389 from November 2023 , included data breach, some staff attitude, worn seating and poorly maintained washrooms.
We arrived at the lounge shortly before 1700pm for our 1700pm booking. There was a smiling lady sat at a podium who directed me into the Reception.
I gave my name to an equally friendly Miss Sanya who took my name and welcomed me and my Wife to the lounge and also gave me a PPL gift bag along with BA High Life magazines I had requested from the PPL team separately . Thanks for arranging this and to whoever got the magazines. By the way, High Life's print edition is now exclusively available in BA lounges and is no longer an inflight magazine but more a Travel and Lifestyle magazine.
Our Boarding Passes were shown but not photocopied or kept at the desk as per my 2023 visit.
Sanya personally escorted us to our reserved seats where two glasses of refreshing cold water were waiting for us (covered with serviettes for hygiene, a plus point ).
We had been seated not even 2 minutes when the Lounge Manager Mr Elves arrived with a smile and two refreshing Lime and Ginger drinks which tasted divine. He introduced himself by name and told us that Sunrise Mocktails were on the way too ! These were preceeded by luscious coleslaw sandwiches which were simply delicious and fresh. Mr Elves was on hand at all times and I really felt assured by his kindness.
Welcomed with a Lime and Ginger Ale mocktail :)
Followed by Egg Mayonnaise sandwiches and special Sunrise Mockails ! Wow what hospitality !
This is how we do it… Montell Jordan would be proud !
Mr Elridge was highly attentive and looked after us thoroughly during our visit as did Miss Mishal. Both brought us crisps on two different requests and both worked hard to keep the lounge clean at all times. This created an ambient feeling. The lounge background music was pleasant and comforting.
Elridge brought us any food and drinks on request, bearing in mind the lounge was fairly busy. He offered very personalised service and always had a smile. There was a funny moment just as Elridge brought me some ice. I was trying to photograph a departing Kenya Airways 787 when I missed the chance for a good shot. Elridge made me smile when he said not to worry as many more Aircraft will come !
Mr Elves and Miss Sanya helped with a flight enquiry as our flight got delayed.
The seating has been refurbished in high end Italian leather in an attractive blue and grey colour scheme and is a far cry from the worn and torn lounge seating last year. I am particularly happy about this aesthetics aspect as it enhances guest comfort highly.
Toilets were spotless and stocked with toilet rolls, albeit it is very difficult to enter the cubicle if you are of big build, this does need to be looked at, maybe PPL should have the cubicle doors open outward rather than inwards for extra comfort. The cleaning lady was well groomed and friendly.
Mr Wasim, the duty Chef, personally came to welcome me and explain that he is on hand for any assistance or requests. He told me all food is Halal friendly but the Jelly desserts are with gelatine,therefore not suitable for a Halal diet. He made us both a personalised fruit and custard dessert which was out of this world. Mr Wasim was exceptionally courteous and friendly. A very great Ambassador for PPL.
One thing that greatly continues to let the lounge down, is the rather loud announcements for flights departing from Gate A7, which is right next to the lounge. I almost felt I was personally flying to Zurich and then Glasgow (flights that went from A7 during our visit) , owing to how loud the announcements were.
Maybe the lounge can ask BA/LHR to have a dedicated announcement system at gate A7 whereby only passengers nearby hear the announcements. It is not comfortable to hear loud booming announcements when one is trying to relax in a lounge to get away from such noise in the first place.
There is no quiet area in the lounge and one must listen to constant talking as well as sound from devices being used where the user has no courtesy to not be noisy. I used two USB ports to power my mobile device but both were super slow and increased by 1 or 2 percent for the hour I tried to use these.
I noted that the dinner knives were very blunt. Mr Elves advised that sharp knives are not allowed and plastic ones are not an option due to sustainability reasons. I suggest having pre sliced bread rolls for guest ease. There were fruit flies buzzing around the bread rolls ( same as last year ) so I feel these rolls should be covered with a protective covering for hygiene reasons.
Dining
A look at the food and drinks offer at PPLT5 - no printed media is offered.
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The uncovered bread basket had fruit flies all over it the same as last year - definately needs a cover !
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The same area from last year has hade a beautiful makeover - the Italian leather seating really creates a very premium feel.
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A special custom made, off the menu dessert ! The fresh fruit in custard was divine !
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Not what you want to see !
The USP of Plaza Premium Lounge T5
I will let the photos do the talking - this is an absolutely beautiful,comfortable and stylish way to get the most out of Heathrow's departures !
KU102 heading back home to Kuwait.
G-VEII Queen of the Skies aka Virgin Atlantic A330-900 to Boston as VS11. As you see, this aircraft is named and registered after the late British Monarch Queen Elizabeth II. What an honour to see this aircraft at Heathrow.
Air India 777-300 AI 128 departing for Mumbai.
Registration VT-ALP and named " Madhya Pradesh ".
Madhya Pradesh – means " Central Province " and is a state in central India.
It's capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore.
Delta DL4, an A330-900 departing for JFK.
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I don' know if this is a late TK1986 or on time TK1972 !
IB720 heading home to Madrid.
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Royal Air Maroc AT807 heading home to Casablanca. Manchester saw the return of RAM this year after 4 years.
LO 280 of Lot Polish heading back home to Warsaw. Those Max scimitars still make me feel weird !
All Nippon Airways 777-300 JA785A on her way back home to Tokyo Haneda as NH212. I remember the days when this was a 747 flight.
Swiss A220 - HB-JCG heading back to Geneva as LX 357. Named Lenzerheide with 145 seats. Lenzerheide is a resort town in an alpine valley.
Korean Air 747-800 - one of the few scheduled 747 flights in the world - Bring back the Jumbo ! Here is KE708 about to dissappear out of shot to her homebase in Seoul.
I hope my mainly positive feedback indicates how much more superior the service inside this lounge is compared to last year. I look forward to our next visit and hope PPL open lounges at Manchester Airport too. After this photo a message started appearing that our flight would go from the A gates, meaning we awere a few minutes walk from wherever our gate would be.
Not long into our lounge visit, I had looked on flightradar24 and saw an ETD ( estimated time of departure ) of 2135pm. This would later change to 2118pm and then 2115pm. Whilst this wasn't a huge deal as we live within 15 minutes drive from Manchester Airport, I guess it would be more problematic for those travelling further afield.
The operating aircraft was operating a delayed flight from Zurich into Heathrow before continuing onto Manchester.
Around 2000pm, a warning flashed up onto the Flight Information Screen to say the flight would be departing from the A Gates. We stayed put as, the lounge being next to gate A7, meant we were within a few minutes walk of any A gate. I do feel Heathrow seriously need to improve this part of the passenger experience, as finding out your gate so close to boarding caises unnecessary stress and panic. At exactly 2031pm, gate A12 flashed up and we began walking there. It seemed to take forever as I had a heavy handluggage and was bursting for the washroom !
BA 1404 - first time on a BA A320neo
BA1404
LHR-MAN
26AUG24
A320neo
G-TTNT
Delivered Oct 2022
Mixed CY 180
The operating aircraft had only landed at 2020pm from Zurich.
We arrived just as preboarding passengers were being scanned into a waiting area and the aircraft was being cleaned and recatered. Mr Usman was really friendly and welcoming each passenger personally. I saw the Pakistani flag on his name badge and this was my first ever time seeing this. I still keep my name badge from my BA days but didn't have any flags on it as I was in an English speaking role.
At 2051pm, preboard passengers were told they may go down the escalator. There was a short wait in the airbridge and general boarding then commenced. Bear in mind that this aircraft and it's crew had operated the delayed Zurich to Heathrow service. We were welcomed onboard by a very friendly Inflight Manager Rebecca and an equally bubbly Airhostess Danielle. The caterers seemed to be stocking the galley during boarding.
The cabin ( bar one or two flipped headrest covers for Club Europe ) looked beautiful and very clean. But very obviously was missing a curtain divider between Club Europe and Eurotraveller. It's as if the powers that be at SAS/Swiss+ and Brussels Airlines had waved their budget wand over this cabin !
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On the way to our seats, a really energetic Airhostess Abby ( her Chinese name was a lot longer ! ) was looking very smart and smiling at passengers. She even asked how we were and where he had travelled to. This was a beautiful touch and not often seen on a Western Airline.
We took our seats and legroom was reasonably ok. It was fun watching passengers board as it seemed every nationality was boarding this flight. I could see many African,Arab,Asian and English origin passengers all boarding for this flight tonight.
Despite allowing massive handluggage onboard, BA are kind enough to allow you to checkin handluggage for free on busy flights.
The slighty smaller traytables opened very softly and looked cute !
Classical Boarding music played throughout the cabin and really helped create a peaceful experience as passengers began to pile into the cabin. Passengers continued boarding. When boarding was almost complete, my Wife felt a little parched. I asked an Airhostess Fiona for some water and she obliged and brought a mini Harrogate Spa bottle and gave this to my wife. We were fully boarded by 2110pm and pushed back at 2115pm. The engines began roaring at 2117pm and a manual safety demonstration was performed.
Row 30 - don't expect a view whilst you are sat ahead of the loo !
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Take Off
At 2130pm precise, the aircraft sped down the runway at great speed and lifted off into the night sky - one could see the whole of Heathrow Airport and the lights of the surrounding areas. Rebecca made a beautiful welcome announcement and not 5 minutes after take off turbulence started. As we were sat at the very back, it felt like the aircraft was hurtling through the night sky and I will admit, given the recent SQ incident, I felt afraid. The cabin crew who had begin the inflight service were all smiles and seemed unbothered about this turbulence !
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Inflight Service
The inflight service was a packet of lovercorn again and a small Harrogate water bottlebut no serviette. When I told Airhostess Fiona that I felt so assured watching her colleagues seamlessly providing service with a smile she she said " aww " and appreciated my feedback as this was a very short flight.
The Route - thank God for flightradar 24 as BA dont have drop down screens on most shorthaul aircraft.
Despite separate bookings, we got seats together and very lucky to do so as flight ended up being 99% full. A uniformed BA Airhostess with earpods on, sat on a window seat a few rows ahead with the middle seat free, made a passenger get up so she herself may use washroom.
Really BA ? If you are flying uniformed crew home, are you not able to sit them on an aisle so they do not disturb fare paying passengers ? It would be like going to a restaurant and the staff are sat eating meals.
Ludicrous. The rest of the flight was uneventful and we soon began descent and approach to land at Manchester.
At 2158pm, we landed at Manchester after a 28 minute flight ! I am always impressed at how inflight service can be delivered on this very short sector that I have been flying for over 2 decades and each time I am amazed !
Rebecca made a Welcome to Manchester announcement and we taxied to gate 143 at Manchester. Literally 5 seconds before the aircraft arrived on stand, the First Officer, in a comical mood clearly, made an announcement for doors to be crosschecked and followed it up with "Yaeeey" ? It sounded odd given that the flight was already late.
This would never have been allowed in covid19 - it seems people have long forgotten patience and social distancing where aircrafts are concerned.
There was a several minute wait for the airbridge to be attached. Airhostess Abby was asking the kids behind me where they had been to. They said they had been to Egypt. The Father said they had flown with Egyptair from Cairo to Heathrow and then connected on BA to Manchester as it was a cheaper option. Abby said she is from Newcastle and said she loved Lilo and Stitch from one of the girl's bags !
Passengers began to pile out of the Aircraft, Inflight Manager Rebecca welcomed my Wife to the UK, wished me a belated Happy Birthday and even offered us 4 mini cans of coke as a gift which was a beautiful gesture given that my happy moments were completely ignored on the flight down to Heathrow 2 days earlier.
Our aircraft would overnight at Manchester and then fly back to Heathrow the next morning before flying to Athens and Jersey.
