Well. That’s a Little Different
Back in the Groove
- Something a little different? Maybe…
- Off to the Land of Milk and Honey. I mean Heathrow Terminal 5
- British Airways Galleries Lounge (South Lounge Complex)
- British Airways BA295 – London Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare (Club World)
- Into the USA, Crowne Plaza O’Hare
- Hyatt Regency O’Hare
- The Wonder of Micro Center
- More Food Adventures in Chicago
- Exploring China Town in Chicago
- Returning to the wonderful Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5
- British Airways Terraces Lounge, Chicago O’Hare T5
- British Airways BA296 – Chicago O’Hare to London Heathrow T5 (World Traveller Plus)
- Welcome back to the United Kingdom
- Well, that’s a bit different
Sometimes trips can be very much the same. Sometimes, they can be very different. This trip falls into the latter, thanks to odd ticket sales (with no American Airlines flights available for some reason) and a mixture of circumstances that pushed from plain old economy class, into the paid premium economy and into upgraded business class.
And I would never say no to a free upgrade.
But it shows that random chances can lead to totally different travel experiences, even on a back-and-forth long-haul route – and the fun and chaos that can bring, as well as what you can do to keep the trip fun
Onto the final wrap-up – the trip experiences, presented in single lines of text.
National Express – It got me back and forth, without a flat battery, and mostly on time.
Heathrow Terminal 5 – Well, it still looks pretty, even if security staff don’t seem to want to be there. Shame the luggage delivery still takes 45 minutes a time.
Galleries South Lounge – Busy as always, but the full buffet-style dining makes a welcome return.
BA295 to Chicago in Club World – An unexpected upgrade, but welcome with a high quality of service. It’s just a shame the plane was delayed.
Crowne Plaza O’Hare – More than passable, but there are some changes that might make me look for another IHG property in the future in the area – and there are a lot of them.
Hyatt Regency O’Hare – An almost welcome return to form.
O’Hare Terminal 5 – Whilst they’re modernising it, it’s become overloaded for the passenger load it has – and it is showing. Badly. It also doesn’t help that the TSA are their usual wonderful selves.
British Airways 296 to Heathrow – Premium Economy is always a good bet for a reasonable night’s sleep across the pond.
And that’s your lot for “Back in the Groove”. I hope you enjoyed the extended trip report – they take a little longer to write than our snapshots – but it gives you a little more insight into the world, as well as life beyond the cabin.
Up next
Our 2023 flying programme continues – did you doubt otherwise?
I am off to Hamburg in Germany next, as I catch up with the Aviation Interiors community at Aircraft Interiors Expo to see what is in store for the year ahead.
And it’s going to feature more things that may be familiar to this readership.
As to the hunt for Tier Points, that hunt has commenced with vigour for something entertaining for the summer, as well as some shorter adventures that might occur.
Well, you never know. There are some weekends when I just want to get up and go somewhere.
Until we meet in the trip reports section again (and there are plenty of previous adventures if you want to while a bottle of drink away), thank you for joining me and my rambles.
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