THE FLIGHT: British Airways' new London City to New York JFK service, operating via Shannon in an Airbus A318 with 32 seats,
all business class, configured 2-2.
THE CHECK-IN: Dedicated desk worked well and there are also bag drop desks and check-in kiosks right inside the airport doors. Security was swift and painless and Gate 24 was only a few minutes walk away, with a small seating and refreshment area. A one-hour delay stretched to almost two hours but staff rallied round with sandwiches and even a giveaway Frommer’s Guide to New York.
THE cabin: 2x2 configuration on eight rows of this brand new A318, with large white glossy moulded flat-bed seat units with all the regular business class gizmos, from two laptop and mobile phone power units to foot rests, privacy screen and a pretty nifty, touch screen personal media player with AVOD entertain-ment, albeit with a smaller screen than on BA's mainstream business class product.
THE SERVICE: There were no corkscrews on board so the crew member had to apologise that until we departed from Shannon, it would be champagne only on the first leg! Staff were proactive in hanging up coats and stowing away luggage but the service was too rushed and appetisers were served with 20 minutes to go before landing in Shannon. The second leg of the flight, seven hours to JFK, was more relaxed. Service was slow but this was only their second day. Lunch was good: I had a salmon and prawn salad followed by Eton Mess, tea and mini Green & Blacks chocolate bars. Not enough passes of drinks and my neighbour had difficulty getting the particular wine he wanted. Afternoon tea was served later into the flight with a choice of scones, sandwiches or salad.
THE ARRIVAL: The selling point is the re-fuelling stopover in Shannon to clear US customs and arrive in JFK as a domestic passenger, thus avoiding the ghastly queues, escaping the airport from baggage hall to kerbside in seven minutes. Happily, back in Shannon there were no queues and the 20 minutes it took to disembark with all our personal belongings, walk through the cavernous US pre-clearance hall and clear security was hassle-free. US Immigration has even sent over real human beings and the usual surly individuals we are accustomed to were nowhere to be seen. Through the double doors and into a small waiting area designated for BA passengers until a call for reboarding.
THE VERDICT: Perfect working flight for those from the financial fraternity in Canary Wharf that are being targeted by BA for this service. Some corporates whinged about the not-so-seamless return leg when taxis were the only solution to get over to the Marriott for a freshen-up before getting to the office, but
BA is promising to look into this, volumes permitting. Call charges in the air (between 99p and £1.99) probably won’t faze them either.
THE DETAILS: BA flies from London City to JFK Sunday to Friday, twice a day, at 12.50pm and 4pm. Prices are £4,056.60 return, a ten per cent premium on its LHR service. www.ba.com Gillian Upton
