First Impressions – AA First Class Lounge Terminal 3 LHR

The first thing I noticed was the candy bar to fill a bag (or two) of sugary treats (they have candy in the business class lounge too).  The second thing I noticed and probably more important was the Moet & Chandon Champagne on ice in both Brut and Rose. Many passengers would stop on their way in to fill a glass before going to find a seat. I like Moet champagne (I toured the Epernay France Moet cellars) but I don’t usually equate it with First Class travel to be honest. (#firstworldproblems)

The lounge isn’t fancy or massive but a nice size that it never felt crowded. Standing at the champagne, there are seats arranged two by two in groups of four on your left, straight ahead up a few stairs is an open platform of seating options, on the right behind the wall is all day breakfast in the dining area and in between all the areas is the kitchen with drinks and food.   The brown leather was definitely dated and didn’t quite have the feel or the allure of a first class lounge.

I decided to sit in the first group of seats to plug my phone into the outlet (there are outlets aplenty throughout the lounge).  A staff member stood behind me for most of the visit surveying the room to see what was needed. It was noon-ish on a Tuesday so not much was needed as there were about 15 people in the lounge at the time spread out. The wi-fi was fast and easy to use in the pin drop quiet room.

Food & Drink Options – American Airlines First Class Lounge at Heathrow

The kitchen area similar to your work lunchroom setup probably –  had two food setups – hot bar and cold bar – as well as a drinks and snack area. For lunch this day, there was chicken tiki masala, rice and a vegetarian pasta.  On the cold bar – salad and prepared sandwiches. The dessert included chocolate tart and cake cubes.

The drinks area was self-serve and I liked both the bottle water choices – one was UK local and the other was Evian. Soft drinks, beer and liquor were also available. Again similar to the champagne, I can’t say it was the best wine or premium liquor but hey it’s free!  There needs to be some barometer I guess, I think I expected more as this is the “International First Class” lounge.

The all-day dining area had a separate server to oversee guests.  The menu was American breakfast all day (eggs, avocado toast and pancakes, etc.) as well as a full English breakfast option and I will say I was tempted by the pancakes since I was away over two weeks eating eggs every day.  I did think it was a bit weird though to be in a First Class lounge and the menu was breakfast.  By comparison the British Airways Concorde Lounge has a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu available with various selections.

Given that I needed to go to gate early for additional security (ugh SSSS), I left the lounge before they told me to leave but not before filling a bag full of candy.  I was surprised that the trek to Gate 28 was really, really long even with moving sidewalks so wear good shoes and leave early to get to the gate.

Final Thoughts – American Airlines First Class Lounge Heathrow T3

The American Airlines First Class Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 was fine.  Nothing really stood out to me as being a premium experience or food/drink offering. Ok, maybe the champagne and candy was fun option.  The design is a bit dated to be honest and I would have liked the AA sundae, chocolate chip cookies or other American Airlines flair.  The fact that the sit down menu didn’t have a burger and fries was a surprise and quite disappointing as I would have liked that lunch option.

The lounge experience foreshadowed my flight experience – adequate but not premium.  That’s what the lounge was like for me – adequate as I could relax and eat before the flight but compared with the three other partner OneWorld lounges you can visit next door (Cathay, Qantas and British Airways) this would rank last. I had to laugh because when I checked in with AA and asked about lounge access, the staff member wrote on my boarding pass “Cathay Lounge” because even he knew a better lounge experience was available with One World partners rather than American.

Despite luggage space being at a premium, I’ve often sacrificed precious shoe space for my workout clothes, sneakers/trainers and good intentions (thinking I’ll find a cool yoga, barre or cardio class in my destination or at the hotel).  I’ve found that I rarely get to the local gym or boutique studio for travel workouts and instead tend to get my workout on the road with hours walking or through fun adventures (i.e. bike tour in Naples, hiking in Zion, kayaking, etc.).

Staying healthy on the road can be tough especially if you are a business travel road warrior.  On vacation, while I give myself some latitude, I do try my best to get in a workout each day. There’s a lot of wine and chocolate to negate as my “no calories on vacation” mantra can only go so far. When researching hotels, I do give extra points to those with free access to special gyms on/off site and will ask the concierge for a list of workout options in the area. So this is my list with travel workouts for everyone.

Note: If you have a local gym membership, ask if they have properties or affiliated clubs in the cities/town you are visiting. Some may allow free visits, others charge an additional fee.

Easy to Pack Items for Travel Workouts

My secret exercise equipment is small and easy to pack – stretch exercise bands and spiky massage balls.  Both fit in my suitcase, carry on or even my handbag.  Each are quick ways to recover from flights, trains and bus travel. I will tell you that I do get mileage out of these two items – the spiky ball for my sore feet does wonders and the stretch bands help my legs.  I have thought about travel TRX bands but those get a bit complicated in my experience with the hotel doors so you might need to go to the hotel gym and see if you can anchor them there (you may need to ask hotel and/or trainer).

Free Travel Workouts – Use Your Feet

The easiest (and cheapest) way to work out while traveling is to walk as much as you can in the new city/town (make sure you have comfortable travel shoes).  You can also say no to escalators and elevators for smaller distances and use the stairs.  While the aim is the elusive 10k steps per day, only you and your FitBit know if you succeed or fail.  As for me, I walk until I can’t walk anymore and need to call Uber.

When I sail on a cruise, I opt for the cheapest cabin (usually lowest deck) and use the stairs throughout the cruise.  There were many days where I regretted that decision – namely from deck 2 to 11 for the gym workouts where I arrived huffing/puffing with a red face to begin my workout.  You can also walk the outside deck for a great workout – on Holland America, they raise money for charity each cruise with their 5k charity walk.  A few spins around is quite the workout and you can meet new friends while enjoying the seaviews!

If you bring hiking shoes/boots with you, you can explore the trails near the city or more adventurous nature attractions. If you want to rent gear, then consider REI Rentals in the travel destination.  It seems that snow shoes, tents and sleeping bags are popular items to rent at REI.

With wellness travel exploding currently, it’s exciting to see an airport gym ROAM Fitness at BWI which includes workout gear and showers. If you need to wait in the airport anyway, you might as well make it count.

Travel Workouts Apps

Class Pass is an app that allows you to visit various types of workout locations for a set number of visits/credits per month per payment plan.  If you like to vary your travel workouts at boutique studios, Class Pass is a good option especially if you are keen to do yoga one day, barre the next and kickboxing another day.  Classes are available in 80+ cities including International cities.  There’s really no excuse with ClassPass to say you can’t find a workout option.  Now as for leaving the pub on time in London or pulling yourself away from work or leisure attraction, that’s another story.

The MindBody app is a great tool to find fitness, wellness and beauty options near you. The cool part of this app is that you can see if the fitness vendor offers a free first session, discounted new member trial or other promotion for first time visitors.  You need to register to use the app and then have access to the three main categories – fitness, wellness and beauty.

1. Fitness area will show you all of the options within a time period and location. You will see gym or boutique studio info, class name, instructor and pricing.
2. Wellness has a plethora of sub-categories – Massage, Acupunture, Meditation, Nutrition, Chiropractor, Naturopathic Medicine, PreNatal, Physical Therapy, Coaching/Healing, Cryotherapy (doesn’t sound fun being that cold), Heated Therapy, Reflexology, Water Treatment, Body Treatments and Wellness for Kids.
3. Beauty includes Hair Salon, Face Treatments, Nails, Hair Removal, Makeup/Lash/Brows, Med Spa, Tanning (who still does this?), Tattoo/Piercing

Free Yoga Classes while Traveling

Google “Free Yoga in x City” and you’ll be pleasantly surprised (or overwhelmed) by the number of free yoga events throughout the city in the morning and evening.  In Philadelphia, we have yoga on the river, at the Art Museum and on rooftops all for free – just bring your yoga mat (you can borrow/rent in some cities).

Workout fashion clothing stores, Lululemon and Athleta, offer free in store yoga classes during the week and will often offer free passes for a workout studio in the area (ask at the sales desk).

Airport Yoga – Travel Workout in the Airport

I’m sure many of you have found the quiet spots at the airport to do a bit of yoga before boarding the plane. I’ve even done some yoga on the plane (best on international flights in the small aisle between the restrooms). A few airports have added Yoga Rooms for travelers where yoga basics are supplied (mats and blocks). Some offer  music, videos, meditation and guided assistance depending on the airport. Many are free to passengers, a few require lounge access on eligible tickets/status and a new airport vendor, Yoga on the Fly, charges a fee. You can also bring your own travel yoga mat if you want.

Here are a few airports with yoga options for now (I would expect more to come online as companies expand and airports look for new vendors to manage the amenity).

Domestic U.S. Airport Yoga Rooms

Chicago O’Hare (ORD) Yoga – Terminal 3

Chicago Midway (MDW) Yoga – Concourse C

Dallas (DFW) Yoga – Terminal B (D40/B1) and Terminal E (E31)

Denver (DEN) Yoga – Concourse A – Yoga on the Fly (paid access)

San Francisco (SFO) Yoga

International Airport Yoga Rooms

Frankfurt (FRA) Yoga – Terminal 1 (gates C14-16) and Terminal 2 (gate D1)

London (LHR) – SkyTeam lounge access (paid)

Hong Kong (HKG)

Cathay Pacific just opened The Sanctuary by Pure Yoga Hong Kong in their lounge and it looks fabulous! With space for yoga and private meditation space, it’s a relaxing oasis before your long haul flight. Sky Team has yoga room in their HKG lounge for members and passengers flying on eligible tickets.

Travel Workout in the Hotel Gym

The place that gets no love is the hotel gym which has, in the past, been an afterthought by the hotel owner in terms of space and equipment.  Some will surprise you with the latest tech and equipment while others might just put a treadmill and weights.  The hotel gym is rarely crowded in my experience (except in Miami and Las Vegas).  The hotel may have its own gym or be associated with the gym onsite to offer hotel guests free or discounted access. The luxury hotels is where I’ve found the most interesting gym options.

Luxury Hotel Gym Workouts

My favorite hotel gym is at the Peninsula Hotel Chicago.  Hotel Guests are allowed to visit the private, member’s only gym on the top floor and attend the workout classes which are small group trainer led for free.  I was able to work out with eight people in a cardio strength class one day and a core class the next day. I neglected to pack a swimsuit to enjoy the stunning pool.  The Peninsula Chicago is the rare hotel that can keep you inside the entire visit with luxury options in food, drink, wellness and outdoor roof attractions (skating rink in winter, patio bar in summer).

In London, the Marylebone Hotel allows hotel guests access to the private members only gym, Third Space London, in the building.  I was so excited for this opportunity that I brought my gym clothes, a bathing suit for the sumptuous pool and my trainers (sneakers).  Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t gel with the workout times so my gym workouts were nil that trip.  It’s tough in London to go out to the pub at night and try to wake up early to workout.  I really tried but will need to go back and try again because seriously this place looks amazing!  The same with The Mondrian London gym.

Hotels with Travel Workout Essentials

The Westin hotel chain has a two wellness fitness programs – Run Westin and Gear Lending. Run Westin which provides running maps for 3 and 5 mile runs as well as options in some cities to join the Run Concierge small group runs.  Westin Gear Lending provides workout clothes, socks and sneakers. The socks are yours to keep as part of the rental fee (usually $5+).  You return everything but the socks once done. This helps keep your packing to a minimum because if you aren’t already traveling in your sneakers they can be problematic for carry on only packing.  I’ve not tried the Gear Lending program yet to see if they offer plus size workout clothes and size 11 sneakers so watch this space for future updates. As for running, I’ll be the first one eaten by the zombies because I’m not a runner.

Kimpton Hotels wellness provide in room yoga mats, bike rental at select hotels and jogging stations filled with granola and healthy drinks.  Some Kimpton hotels have affiliated local gyms on property, like the EPIC Hotel Miami which has Exhale Spa Miami  which offers fitness classes (barre, cardio, yoga) for an additional fee.

Hotel Gym Las Vegas

Las Vegas is notorious for the see and be seen atmosphere and the gym is no exception.  The dreaded “resort fee” includes access to the gym which you can’t remove if you don’t use. Rarely do I see women sans makeup or in unfashionable workout clothes.  I usually skip the gym because I can’t be bothered with the scene which is silly given that I workout 5-6 times a week at home and have my lululemon with me.  On a recent visit to The Wynn Las Vegas the gym charged an additional $30 per Yoga Class and I couldn’t hide my disgust with paying a resort fee to use the gym that didn’t include classes.  One cool Las Vegas experience yoga I did consider was Yoga on the High Roller ferris wheel at the LINQ Promenade but the cost was prohibitive and doing downward dog while the pod is moving was a bit too much for my clumsy self.

Cruise Ship Gym & Wellness Spa

You are stuck on a floating hotel with 24/7 food options and buffets that bring out your inner glutton so visiting the gym should be on your itinerary.  In my experiences sailing with various cruise lines around the world, the small gym has the latest equipment, personal training options and group classes with great views in the front of the ship.  You pay extra for personal training and group classes depending on the cruise line.  On one ship, I went to the boot camp class ($20) and was one of two passengers to show up so we essentially had a private training session (normally $100+) for less.  Another cruise had TRX classes for free and was limited to ten people (only five signed up).  Daily yoga is usually available for free to $10+ per class. Each cruise line and ship differs in their offerings and pricing. One funny coincidence – the trainer on the Celebrity Constellation (Turkey/Greek cruise) was the same on the Carnival Caribbean cruise – we laughed when we recognized each other.

The cruise ship usually has the spa connected to the gym with saunas, hydro pools and relaxing salt rooms and heated lounge chairs.  These are, of course, extra with varying prices.  Many spas will offer the special visit pass on the first day of sailing as they limit access.  If you are keen to wellness options in addition to your gym workout, then consider the spa pass.  Massage, acupuncture and other treatments are extra.  A few ships now offer spa cabins, special spa programs and wellness cuisines.

Wellness Spa and Spa Resort Adventures

If you are keen to focus exclusively on your health and wellness, then consider going to a destination resort to sort yourself out.  I’ve had fantastic wellness adventures at Red Mountain Resort & Spa in St. George, Utah and a luxury escape to Miraval in Tucson, Arizona.  Miraval, now owned by Hyatt, is expanding the Miraval concept to additional cities in the U.S.

The game changer in 2019 will be Equinox Hotels and Cruises.  The luxury Equinox gym is expanding the wellness concept to your travels full stop.  Your food, workout and lodging options will all be healthy options and products.  I wonder if the hotel is a gym or the gym is a hotel if I will manage to make it to a workout on time.

Travel Workouts – Don’t Sweat It

So I try my best to negate all the wine, chocolate and cheat day foods when I’m traveling by working out the best I can.  While I’d love to try all the new trends in workout classes around the world, I’m yet to accomplish that feat despite good intentions.  For now, I do my best to ensure wellness on the road and that my travel workouts fit my busy schedule.  I try to schedule a spa day when I travel to take the day off to recover and that’s what works for me.  When all else fails, I take the stairs and consider it a win!  What about you?  How do you workout on the road?

Note – this post contains Amazon affiliate links where I could potentially earn commission if you choose to make a purchase of the items listed.  

(Note: My backup option was using my Priority Pass at Gatwick for No1 Lounge (3 hour max visit) access or for a discount at the Grain Store Cafe & Bar in the main terminal. I was remiss not to visit either during my long layover – rookie layover mistake!)

Connecting at Gatwick

The connection at Gatwick could have been easier if I wasn’t flying on separate tickets (award in business class JFK-LGW + cash from LGW-AMS) in order to hit my required flight segments to maintain my elite status. I had to deplane, go through immigration (thankfully I have UK Registered Traveller for e-gate usage) which was quick through the e-gates and then collect and recheck my checked bag.  That gave me an opportunity to stretch my legs and experience the surprisingly small arrivals and departure terminal for British Airways.  Once my bag was checked, I proceeded to security before entering the terminal which looked like a two level shopping mall.

Finding the BA Gatwick Lounge

BA should really put a path on the floor as you zig and zag around the corridors, hallway and then use the lift (elevator).  I followed other travelers in search of the lounges (No1 and British Airways). Once I arrived at the end of the hallway, the BA lounge welcomed me.  There were staff at two desks to check me in.  First Class turns left of course while Business Class and elite members go right into the expansive lounge which has two levels, shower suites and a kids enclosed play area.

There is a closet area to leave your bigger bags or stuff (note: at your own risk as not supervised) and the shower suite door which has an attendant inside to assign you to a shower suite.

Shower at Gatwick at the BA Lounge

My review of the shower at Gatwick goes into more detail with photos but suffice it to say, a shower after a long haul flight really does wonders and I’m now a convert.  If only they had expanded this area to include a spa area with sleep pods I’d have really enjoyed the long layover.  As it was, it definitely is a nice option to have.  Much nicer than the showers at Heathrow in the BA Terminal 5 arrivals lounge.  I had no time limit and was provided plush towels and toiletries.

Décor at the BA Gatwick Lounge

Since this lounge was updated in the past few years, you can see the differences vs other lounges you may have experienced at Terminal 5 Heathrow (Galleries Lounge T5 or Concorde Room LHR) or in my hometown of Philly (BA Lounge Philly).  While there are many seating areas, this lounge included booths to work in or chat with a group, high top communal tables as well as couches, individual sunken chairs and a second level of options accessed via an elevator or stairs (one spiral, the other straight).  Televisions were on throughout the lounge.

Second Level (Mezzanine) Lounge at BA Gatwick

One nice feature of the BA Gatwick Lounge is the second level mezzanine seating area which overlooks the lounge and runway views below. I sought this quiet area out when I first arrived but surprisingly it was crowded and loud with business travelers and groups.  When I returned after breakfast, it was empty and quiet (for a short while anyway).  I found a seat and plugged in to recharge my phone and was quickly on the lounge internet to kill some time. There are several configurations – separate lounge chairs, sofas and a high top communal table – to relax and/or work with while in the lounge.  The lift can take you to the mezzanine level or you can use one of the two stairs (circular or straight).

Free Food at the BA Gatwick Lounge

For an airport lounge, I think British Airways does a nice job with food options considering they are free. Plus they have a good selection of alcohol, cookies (bring a Ziploc if you want more than a few for the flight or wrap in a napkin – yes I know I have a problem!) and snacks (crisps, pretzels, etc.). I’ve never gone hungry at a British Airways lounge. Since I was grounded in the lounge for three meal services, I was able to see what was on offer that day for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea time. The drinks area with liquor and other area for coffee/tea are available all day.

I arrived when the breakfast options abounded – baskets full of croissants and breads,  bowls of fruit, oatmeal, bacon sandwiches and an assortment of cereals and yogurts.

Lunch selections included salad, sandwiches, soup as well as hot options – pasta, beans and a curry. Lunch time was quite crowded so the food turned over quickly and was refreshed by staff.

I was still there……for cake! It was afternoon tea time. Selections included sandwiches and a table with cakes and scones with jam and creme.

Overall – BA Gatwick Lounge Review

The British Airways Gatwick lounge was a nice respite from the chaos and noise of the main terminal. I did leave the lounge to take a walk to break up my sitting time and was ok to leave my bag in the cloak room for the short time. Since I was in the lounge for a chunk of time, it was interesting to people watch as the lounge quiet in the morning, swelled during lunch time and then returned to quiet for the late afternoon.  I wished they had sleep pods/rooms for those of us waiting on the longer layover but otherwise, the lounge is a really nice option to wait it out. I can’t even believe I gave thought to transferring between Gatwick and Heathrow thinking it was easier?!

Take a Shower at Gatwick in the BA Lounge

The newly renovated lounge has five shower cabanas – each has a toilet, sink, seating area and walk in shower with Elemis products in environmentally friendly refillable containers in the shower. I was given Elemis conditioner, a toothbrush/toothpaste combo pack and a bundle of towels sealed in plastic. A washcloth is not provided so if you absolutely need one, pack your own.

The design was a massive step up from the Heathrow showers which are quite dated and sterile in design and feel. This contemporary shower had both a handheld option as well as the overhead rain shower feature.  It was easy to toggle between the two settings. Water pressure was good, temperature easy to set and no time limit on my stay, which after a long flight was perfect not to be rushed.  The hairdryer is not my favorite as my hair takes forever to dry so I did my best to be presentable (which means hair still somewhat wet after 10 minutes with the hairdryer, up in a ponytail) as I was going to forage for breakfast in the main terminal (the lounge had food but nothing I was hungry for at the time).

BA Lounge at Gatwick Shower Amenities

The Elemis products provided are wonderful.  Sadly, the recently renovated (last year) Gatwick BA lounge does not have an Elemis Spa on site like Heathrow and JFK which would have bookended my shower nicely.  Elemis products are no longer offered on the in-flight amenity kits – Club World has The White Company and First Class has amenities by Aromatherapy Associates in the Liberty London kits.  What this means is that I couldn’t take any Elemis toiletries with me from the shower suite.

Final Thoughts – Shower at Gatwick Airport (South Terminal)

I used to think “eww, yuck, who uses those showers at the airport” but now I am a convert!  I use those showers at the airport and am happy they are an option in the British Airways lounges especially for overnight flights when you can’t get into your hotel room early or, like me, are connecting to continue the long journey to my destination.  So if you need to Shower at Gatwick Airport and have access to the British Airways Lounge in South Terminal – go for it!  Relax and Enjoy!

Your Thoughts on Showers at the Airport?  Have you used one?  Would you?

I’ve been very spoiled over the years flying Club World (business class) on British Airways from Philadelphia to London return for work in my prior job.  Now that has ended, I’ve had to pay my own way to London (yes, I know cue the sad tiny violins) and have done it in a variety of ways to stay in Business Class, keep my status and earn Avios.  Examples include my $856 Business Class ticket hack on American Airlines via Manchester (BA codeshare), enrolling in AARP (I’m not that old – there’s is no age requirement) and jumping on the recent BA business/first class three day flash sale.  For my two days in London trip over Memorial Day weekend just to get my Silver elite status back, I couldn’t afford the $5k business class fare so was able to fly in World Traveller Plus and still qualify for status based on the tier points earned for the flights.

British Airways is one of a few international carriers to offer a four class cabin – First Class, Club World (Business Class), World Traveller Plus (Coach Plus) and World Traveller (Coach).  World Traveller always sounds so posh but in reality, coach is still coach (BA flies in a 3-3-3 configuration in coach). In the past when I’ve flown World Traveller Plus, my status allowed me to score the bulkhead row which is the key to survival with extra legroom.  I also had British Airways Philadelphia Lounge access as well as BA LHR T5 Lounge access due to status, however, flying World Traveller Plus does not afford lounge access without status. The downside in the cabin is that you are a curtain away from business class and at times, you want to sneak in as it’s just there.

BA PHL to LHR World Traveller Plus Cabin on the 777

The cabin is organized 2-4-2 with five rows accommodating 40 passengers with curtains closed to Club World in front and World Traveller in back.  When you first arrive at your seat in the cabin it seems private with such a small group.  The seat has a pillow, blanket and headsets.  There is an in seat charger as well as two USB ports in the seatback in front of you, below the entertainment screen.  Once you are seated, you can feel the different with the extra legroom and the open side of the seat (the middle armrest is hard seat with the remote, shared table and other functions set in).

World Traveller Plus does not have its own bathroom like Club World or First Class.  You need to go to the back of the cabin, pull back the curtain and it’s right there in front of the World Traveller (Coach) section along with a cabin stuffed with people all trying to survive the overnight flight.  If you want to stretch your legs then walk to the back of the lane where I was surprised to see the new configuration bathrooms on either side of the plane in a long rectangle space with the crew kitchen galley in between.  The bathroom was long and could fit three people in it which is good if you have kids or need extra room.

For the overnight flight from Philadelphia, I chose the last row in the cabin, window seat hoping to rest (not a change since I rarely sleep on planes) and while the legroom is lovely when seated, it disappears when the couple in front of me pushed their seats back as far as they could which practically pinned me in.  Thankfully no one sat next to me so I was able to angle my body to slide out of the row to go to the bathroom (I call it ninja yoga).  Once the seats were back it was hard to watch a movie as the screen was a bit close for me.

On the way home from London, BA changed my last row seat aisle to a middle section aisle bulkhead and I was pretty happy for that change.  To make it even better, the only empty seats in the World Traveller Plus section were both beside me as I was in the 2-4-2 configuration.  The woman on the aisle on the other side was also pleased by our seat lottery as we both used the tables of our empty seats to store our trays, drinks, food. The seat was only inches from business class where I saw children enjoying flat beds (yes, jealous) but I also had my individual in-flight entertainment (IFE) system at my armrest unlike others in the cabin with seatback screens.

The Service

The flight attendant played a cruel joke on me after I asked “is the seat next to me still empty?” He said there were less than ten seats open on the flight.  Before takeoff, he came by after I got sorted and said “Ma’am, we need to move a woman and her crying baby into this seat” and then laughed at my facial expression (obviously my poker face was cracking as it neared 11 pm).  I replied “if that was the case, you’d hear me cry until you moved me forward to business or first class”

The service is cordial and runs on the same serving clock as coach unlike the individual attentive multi-coursed service in Business or First.

The Food in World Traveller Plus

While normally, I’d order my special meal on British Airways (low calorie which practically ensures chicken and veg) and bring my own food as backup, this time hoping that full flights would bump me up a class, I decided to forgo my special meal as I’d read that they won’t upgrade you if they loaded a special meal (not sure if this is true or not).  Unfortunately, World Traveller Plus doesn’t get the variety of choice like you do upfront (Business and First Class usually have a menu with at least three entrée choices). I did get a printed menu with the food being served.  For the overnight flight to London, I skipped the food  (beef or pasta) and drinks as it was near 11:30 pm when they started service and I had indulged in Chickie’s & Pete’s (a Philly local favorite) at the airport.

On the flight home, the meal (starter, entrée, dessert) was served in one shot on one tray. I chose the chicken over the pasta in cream sauce.  Surprisingly the chicken was pretty good, not Chicken Shop amazing, but for airplane food good. The wine was also served as either red or white and in a little bottle.  No worries, I paired the red with the chocolate pot and did ok (I did miss the anytime Club Kitchen with the extra chocolates, desserts, wine refills, etc.).

British Airways In Flight Entertainment (IFE)

For the World Traveller Plus and Coach section, the IFE screen is in the seat back in front of you.  For those in the bulkhead rows, the unit is in the armrest and needs to be brought out and serves as a personal IFE you can adjust. The choices of movies, television, radio, British Favorites, etc. was quiet extensive and BA lets you watch until they land.

A new feature of the British Airways app lists all the IFE choices available on your flight before you fly.  So you can decide to sleep, read, listen or watch a program ahead of time. That’s good planning and a helpful feature in my opinion plus saves me renting a Netflix film if I can watch on the plane.

Overall – World Traveller Plus PHL-LHR-PHL

World Traveller Plus is a good choice on British Airways to give you just a bit more privacy and legroom on the flights.  It’s a definite improvement over U.S. Airlines coach options and just a tad better than BA’s World Traveller.  There is extra leg room and if you are a couple you can choose the two seats on either side of the plane with no one between.  No more worries about the middle seat issue and hoping you get the whole row (the older couple in front of me held hands the entire flight it was really cute).  The cabin is smaller and more private at only five rows.

With my AARP card, I was able to discount the World Traveller Plus fare by $150 and then I used my BA Chase credit card for 10% off the base fare essentially stacking the discounts. Is it worth the extra to pay more than coach?  Yes, I think it gives you just a bit more sanity.  Is it worth the savings over Club World (Business Class)?  On the way home from London in the bulkhead row, I survived fine and could see the value of saving the business class fare (or points redemption).  The overnight flight is where I missed having a flat bed and the club kitchen for snacks. But the cost of business is generally $4k+ (unless you get a sale at $2,500+). So for a points award, you may want to do one way redemptions to mix up the cabin classes.

How to Save Money on your British Airways Flight

1. Book at least 45 days ahead
2. Join AARP for online discounts with British Airways (must log into AARP to click through to BA)
3. Open a Chase British Airways Visa card (50,000 bonus + 3x BA Spend) to get 10% off online bookings
4. Follow British Airways Facebook page (learn about the discounts asap)
5. Follow British Airways Twitter account (a bit harder to see the sales unless you go to their page)
6. Read the Blogs for fare alerts – One Mile at a Time, The Points Guy, Travel is Free

Examples of Fares from Philadelphia to London (August 24-31)*

$1,025 Coach (World Traveller)

$1,281 Coach Plus (World Traveller Plus)

$4,015 Business Class (Club World)

$5,015 First Class

*before applying AARP and BA Chase Visa discounts

I’m not a fan of connecting flights and try my best to book a direct flight as often as possible. Unfortunately, my London deal included connecting in Manchester UK and I had fingers crossed that all would go well as I wasn’t familiar with the airport and had one hour and fifteen minutes to get from the international arrivals to domestic departures. I called British Airways before booking the ticket to confirm it was a legal and doable connection time as I had my doubts, especially as BA tend to close the gates 1/2 hour before departure. My guess was that I had about 45, maybe 50 minutes to do the connection. For me, too many things can go wrong trying to make a connection – delays at the airport (gate, equipment, FAA, weather), on the plane (equipment, FAA, weather, long runway waits, passengers) and when you try to deplane (seat in back, slow passengers exiting, no jet way, stairs to transfer busses, etc.).  All of these are before you deal with the new airport obstacles – long walks, bus shuttles or trains to change terminals, additional security lines or the immigration lines. Add the fact that it’s an overnight flight and jet lag is slowly seeping in as I didn’t sleep and stress levels run high. I was comforted (at first) because I was going from Terminal 3 to Terminal 3 (or so I thought) but disappointed by lack of online information on how to connect from AA to BA in MAN.

Arriving in Manchester, UK

My American Airlines flight from Philadelphia would arrive in Manchester (UK) at Terminal 3, ten minutes early, at 8:30 a.m.  I had already sorted my onward British Airways flight at 9:55 a.m. by checking in via the BA app for my boarding pass as I was traveling carry on (suitcase and backpack) only.  With tight connections, I won’t check bags. When we arrived, the business class passengers were let off first so I had a good head start into my ticking time clock.

Manchester Airport – The Transfer Lounge

It felt like a long walk just to get to the terminal before entering the airport arrivals toward immigration.   As I was connecting to a domestic flight, I had to look for the “connections” signs.  These were a bit confusing but then I saw the door on the right with the yellow sign.  Had I been preoccupied talking or not aware, I would have missed it as I was first off plane and not following anyone.  There were stairs and a lift (elevator).  With bags, I chose the lift to go down to Level 1 (I wasn’t in mood to carry suitcase down steps).

Once I arrived on the lower level, I found the waiting room (bussing lounge).  The connections terminal waiting room has big yellow signs with instructions as well as television monitors.  I didn’t care about any of that, I was looking for the bus to transfer us to the connections center in Terminal 1 despite the fact that I was in Terminal 3 and my flight was scheduled to leave from Terminal 3.  The bus was scheduled every ten minutes and it was a few minutes late so I was antsy.

The Manchester Airport Bus Ride

The driver arrived and the seven of us (two German couples and a couple of guys from Eastern Europe and me) showed our boarding passes for the connecting flights and were quickly on the bus and driven to the connections terminal. He was very nice to welcome us and answer my questions.  The bus drove for about five minutes airside to drop us off at the connections terminal.

The Connections Terminal

While the group with backpacks only used the stairs up, I used the lift and despite being first off the bus was last in the security line.  Lucky for us, we were the only people at security so no need to wait in the rope off queue area. Again you need to show your boarding pass so it’s key to have this before you leave the U.S. either the paper version or e-version.

Each person had a security issue that caused the screening to go slowly that I wanted to scream “seriously how do you not know to take off your belt?” and “are you kidding me, you are taking his toiletries out of the plastic bag to put into your UK plastic bag” with a dash of obscenities.  After ten plus minutes, it was my turn and I quickly put my bags up, laptop out, liquids out, etc. and breezed through only to get stopped by another security person.  He asked for my boarding pass and told me to wait on the right for immigration.  The rest of the group was ok to proceed as they held E.U. passports but I had to sit and wait.  The security officer called the Immigration officer to come to the desk.

Manchester Airport Immigration

At Heathrow, the immigration line is never fun as it seems unending groups of people teem in from all directions and queue up for the long wait.  In Manchester Airport, it was just me and the immigration officer once he arrived.  With just me,  had time to ask me more questions than normal. My answers: Holiday (Vacation) ….for my birthday…..Accountant….friend in the UK….I used to work for a city firm…..etc.  Once I answered the questions, I was free to exit into the terminal to go find my gate.  Surprisingly, the bus drove me from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1, yet I exited into Terminal 3?

Manchester to London on British Airways

I exited at 9:10 a.m. across from Gate 14 and wasn’t sure whether to turn right or left to Gate 18 so of course, I turned right only to realize I needed to go left.  I quickly found the bathroom first as I had skipped my normal off the plane stop so I didn’t lose connection time. I then found the gate nearby and bought water (for £2) from a vending machine (since I had to throw out my Smartwater I brought in Philly) and watched the plane arrive emptying its passengers.  I had made it just in time as the gate began to fill with passengers who had walked from the waiting lounge at Gate 150 (in the UK they don’t announce gates until close to departure).  British Airways now has lines (queues) set up so I was able to stand in the priority line as a BA Bronze member. BA started the boarding process at 9:23 a.m. for the 9:55 a.m. flight.

Connecting in Manchester from AA to BA

I was frantic with the connection and made it because all was on time.  It took less than an hour (about 40 minutes) to go from plane to gate but if I had been in coach waiting to deplane, encountered a crowded security line or waited longer for the immigration officer, I probably would have missed my connection.  One hour and fifteen minutes was wishful thinking and this time it worked, next time, I might connect with the later flight and relax in the lounge first.

My nieces have four cats so when I visit, Smoky tries to sit by my head when I’m on the couch while George attempts to get me to pay attention to him by walking over my lap (the other two gave up a long time ago).  The cats know I’m a dog person and yet still try to win me over to their side. They seem to enjoy the tag team because we’re all family.  I’m still not a cat person and yet, here I was with my assigned cat, Calista, as my carry-on bag waiting to board the flight at Philadelphia International Airport.  My friend was moving to San Diego (over Pope weekend) and rather than drive the distance which is more stressful for the cats, she decided to fly the cats which is more stressful, in my opinion, for the owner.  It was my first time flying with cats as you need one person for each pet so my friend’s sister and I were in on the “Carry on Cat” mission. I definitely learned a few things about traveling with cats as carry on and the overall experience was better than anticipated.

American Airlines pet policy allows up to seven carry on pets on the flight but it’s first come, first served based on check in time. As we were traveling with three pets, we arrived at the airport three hours before the flight and went to the Customer Service desk. We didn’t think they would hit the pet limit but you don’t know. My friend was charged $125 per cat for the one way trip!   You don’t get anything extra for that fee so I wonder why it’s charged at all if the pet bag is replacing my (free) carry-on bag.

It took an hour to check in before we moved to security.  My friend was quite concerned about security as her cats had a doctor’s note that they couldn’t be let out of the bag. We were told that the cats don’t get x-rayed (good to know PETA sleeps well now). You would normally take the pet out of the bag so the bag can go through x-ray and you and your pet walk through the metal detector.  In our case, we asked for a supervisor and explained the situation.  They carried each bag to a private room after we (and our bags) passed security.

My friend, her sister, the three cats and two security staff went into the private room.  Another security agent stayed outside the closed door until she was told to go do something.  The security person came out with one bag at a time for x-ray while my friend juggled the cat situation.  We were worried of a runaway cat (or two). After all bags were cleared, we made our way to the gate.

Boarding was easy as we had the second to last row of the plane. As I walked down the aisle, I held the bag up to ensure I didn’t bump the bag. All of the flight attendants eyes lit up with glee to see cats on the plane.  They asked where we were sitting, what the cats names were and offered up advice on flying with the cats on the flight (can provide ice cubes to hydrate them, etc.).  At our seats, the cats fit nicely under the seat in front of us (I was a bit surprised they fit) and still gave us a little room for our feet.

The cats were a bit too freaked out with the whole process that they stayed silent in their bags and rarely moved. You’d never know we had animals with us.  The flight was uneventful and I lucked out with an empty row behind me so I was able to move and my friend had extra space to care for her cats during the flight.  Overall, it was easy to transport the cats to their new home on the West Coast.

10 Tips for Flying with Cats (or Pets):

Before You Fly

1. Find the airline pet policy online. You will need to call to book your airline ticket direct to inform them of the animals you are bringing (generally cat or dog). The airline limits the number of pets on the plane and in first class. They also have restrictions on certain equipment types.
2. Talk to your vet to get a health certificate for your pet and understand any issues or medications your animal may need.
3. You should get your animal comfortable with the duffel bag in advance of the flight (my friend had the bags out two weeks in advance)
4. Allow time to get the cat in the bags (I don’t see an issue with dogs). This was a sight to see, my friend had one cat in the sunroom and was chasing her to pick it up.  The skittish cat actually climbed the walls to avoid her (it was a screened in porch so she could get traction as she jumped).  It took about an hour to get all three in their bags.
5. Bring pet food and a water bowl

At the Airport

6. Allow ample time for check in. Go to the Customer Service check in desk.
7. Let Security know you have a pet, it should be quite easy to take the pet out of the bag but I’ve read precautions to bring a leash, if necessary, to avoid a runaway pet who might be freaked out by the people, noise, etc.
8. You know your pet and what’s best so if staying in one spot (i.e. –the gate) is good do that rather than carrying them around everywhere.

On the Plane

9. Let the flight attendants know you have a carry on pet (chances are after dealing with people all day this will make their day)
10. You can’t remove your pet from the bag but can open the top to feed and water your animal as needed.

Have you flown with your pet?  What was your experience like?