TRIP REPORT: More Pleasure, More Business – Life is in many parts

Life is in many parts
More Pleasure, More Business

In this divided trip report

Part One: The Pleasure

• Part 1 – The Pleasure
• Two o’clock in the morning. I love this time of day. Honestly.
• The Cathay Pacific, American Airlines Lounges… and a five-hour delay
• AA87 London Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare International (Premium Economy)
• Crowne Plaza O’Hare
• A photographer’s paradise? The Central Camera Company
• Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• Airplane Art Extra: From the Balcony of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• Back to the Bunny, British Airways Lounge
• BA294 Chicago O’Hare to London Heathrow (World Traveller Plus)
• Wait. My Bag is Re-Flighted???

Part Two Onto Business

• Part Two – The Business
  
• British Airways Galleries South Lounge
• BA962 London Heathrow to Hamburg – Club Europe
• IBIS Budget St Pauli
• Crystal Cabin Awards Roundup
• Aircraft Interiors Expo – What you might have missed
• Back to Hamburg Airport, Hamburg Airport Lounge
• BA967 Hamburg Airport to London Heathrow – Club Europe
• Not going home in a hurry
• Compensation Fun, Games and Paperwork
• Life is in many parts

Life has many parts to it – some days good days, some bad days, and some days where you feel like the world has gone against you.

But things can always be worse. No situation this trip wasn’t resolvable by reaching into the pocket, or having patience. And whilst you can get angry – what does that achieve in real terms? Yes. It might make you feel better for a few minutes – but the problem remains, and you have to solve it, one way or another.

This trip has proved to be one of planning – and getting the planning on-point when needed, and enjoying the quiet moments when I could get them.

And sometimes those moments of peace, combined with non-chaotic moments helped.

With that, it’s time to move onto the oneliners for this trip report.

National Express – One part passable (apart from a broken toilet), and a complete meh on my return for wanting to make me buy a new ticket to go home.

American Airlines Ground Services at Heathrow – The check-in process was more chaotic than normal, but the lounge was more than passable… and dozeable in.

Cathay Pacific Lounge – Yes, it’s my preferred lounge at London Heathrow for many reasons – least of all the Noodle Bar.

AA87 London to Chicago – With their new premium economy product, there’s a lot to like on the hardware front. I’ll be interested in the soft product too when it rolls out on the 787-8.

Crowne Plaza O’Hare – for my Chicago crash-pad, I can’t go wrong.

Hyatt Regency O’Hare – It’s still example of a great airport hotel, with good service.

British Airways Terraces Chicago O’Hare – If there’s a lounge that needs ripping up and starting again at O’Hare, this is it.

BA294 Chicago to London – Adequate for the transatlantic flight. Not brilliant, not awful. But more than adequate.

British Airways Ground Services – Slow, but got there in the end.. even if the Chicago lot left my bag on a different flight.

British Airways Galleries South – Its good to see the catering offering changing, with some changes to the soft touches too.

BA962 London Heathrow to Hamburg – An improved service, with some tweaks have helped improve the product.

IBIS Budget St Pauli – Basic, but passable.

Hamburg Airport – If there’s an airport that needs to modernise, sort out capacity problems and its screening issues… this is one that could do with a kick.

BA967 Hamburg to London Heathrow – If there’s one moan of the Club Europe service, its the speed of service. And on short one-to-two hour segments, this is something that matters.

And with that… it’s time to close up “More Pleasure, More Business“. It’s been a rather long write-up, but as usual – a lot of different passenger experiences, ideas and sheer chaos in a trip.

Coming next: I’m grounded for a bit whilst I clear some of the credit card bill from this trip (as well as deal with life issues), but I suspect an Ireland is in the works.. as well a something mad for the summer holidays (and ideally when Mr Akbar of Qatar Airways gets his backside into gear and works out if he wants to leave Oneworld or not).

Or maybe something madder, sooner.

Meanwhile, I’ll be turning my focus back to Travel Technology… or rather travel tech at home.

Join me next week when I start exploring the world of Network Attached Storage and how I built my current storage cube.

Along with some of the fun that goes along with it.

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