As we start to hope that we can travel again, we are all curious about what it is actually like to fly at the moment. Currently, the FCO advise against all but essential travel, so passenger numbers and flights are very limited.
My friend Michael Trager from Travelzork recently flew to the US on British Airways and he has kindly shared his experience with us. Michael is a US citizen which explains how he was allowed in! He also did manage to get travel insurance despite the FCO warning. Michael covered the reopening of Vegas with some fascinating articles and videos, and was even featured in the Daily Mail.
If you fancy catching up on his experiences in Vegas, here is where you can find them:
In this post:
Vegas is open again, but is it worth the visit? – TravelZork
I’m torn about Vegas I’m torn about the changes But, then. Covid. I’m worried, happy, sad, thrilled Nobody ever thought we would be saying the phrase “Vegas Is Open.” If you are a not true lover of all things Vegas, you might not understand what it means to return to Las Vegas.
Sin City in the coronavirus era: Inside the reopened Las Vegas
The images presented here come courtesy of writer, podcaster and Vegas expert Michael Trager He says: ‘Nobody ever thought we would be saying “Vegas is open”. Vegas is not supposed to close’ ‘The last time Vegas closed was the 25th of November, 1963. It was for John F.
I will be covering a few Vegas trip planning tips in the next couple of weeks if this has inspired you to visit.
BA281 London Heathrow to Los Angeles 4 June 2020 World Traveller Plus
Michael returned home in Club World which I will feature at a later date.
- No alcohol, no hot meal, heated pre-landing snack (main meal = pickle and cheese sandwich ?) This will change next week on 16 June to something much better – have a read about the new onboard service here.
- Juice, water, tea
- Same inflight service in all classes of service
- Fewer than 38 passengers, five in WTP
- Arrival at LAX seamless, and no issues with Global Entry
- Masks required at Heathrow and the entire flight (Heathrow provide them)
- B787-9 plane, one person in First
Check-in and security
The First Wing is closed but there is a dedicated First check-in.
Fast track security is closed.
Lounges
All lounges are closed. They should be allowed to reopen when the government allow hospitality to reopen on 4 July. Whether BA decide to reopen them then, is another matter. My guess is that they will not do it until the FCO warning is lifted.
Airside
This shows quite how much the airlines have been affected by the crisis:
In terms of shops, as of Sunday, only WHSmith and Boots remain open in all operating terminals. With the easing of restrictions on 15 June, I would expect more to reopen.
Boarding
Boarding is done by row number from the back of the aircraft. There is no priority boarding for status holders.
World Traveller Plus
Blankets and pillows are still provided.
World traveller
Food and drink
No alcohol and only cold food. The onboard service changes on 16 June.
Arrival
10 comments
Possibly the most depressing thing you’ve every posted. It’s like all the joy of flying sucked out of every single facet of what makes us TLFL ?. But hey, this is (hopefully) as grim as it can get and every step forward from here will be UP
Do you know who Michael managed to get insurance with?
I agree with Gordy. Just plain sad looking at a deserted airport and airplane. I’m flying to sfo in November (already cancelled a flight to sjc in July). Hope things are more or less back to normal but I’m not holding my breath on that either. Trying to be positive. Thanks to everyone at TLFL for keeping us up to date on any changes. Hope I don’t have to wear a mask in November! I get claustrophobic!
Anyone else noticed that BA9119 to DPS? That’s not right surely
Repatriation flight. Any that start with 9 I believe are repatriation
The no alcohol policy strikes me as merely mean rather than having any utility.
Why would anyone possibly fly WTP on an empty plane (with fixed arm rests) over WT?
Depressing yes. We should all spare a thought for the millions of people in this fantastic industry who have lost or are about to lose their jobs. I spent my entire career on in travel, working for airlines and tour operators and many of my friends are wrestling with zero revenues and high fixed costs. They are all frightened that there will be no industry at the end of this. BA’s response has been appalling towards its staff whom I have always found to be pretty good. A sandwich on a 10 hour flight from the West Coast is penny pinching especially when Qatar can serve a full meal in Business. Willie Walsh: this is NOT the way to behave towards your people or your customers.
I feel for all staff looking at possible redundancy.but spare a small thought to all of us that have saved for years doing without to save for that special one retirement trip weve dreamed of all our lives.its just as bad for us too. These holiday flights are not cheap so if we dont get fed do we get a partial refund of our ticket cost???? I bet we dont so we suffer too x
Meant to be going to Vegas in October (via New Orleans on the way out and Phoenix on the way home). No hotels booked or internal flights. Just the BA flights booked ages ago. Wonder should I look at locking in a booking for hotels or hold off a little longer?
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