I had arrived for my 13.20 flight from Heathrow’s Terminal One to Belfast City Airport more than three hours earlier on a BA flight to Terminal Five so I had a bit of time on my hands.
First I went to the BA arrivals lounge for a shower but before I could get to the lounge I found a man.
He was in the arrivals area of the massive terminal, clutching a boarding pass while looking helpless and lost.
He would take couple of steps one way towards the lifts to his right, pause, change his mind, head for the stairs behind him, pause again and return to the spot where he was most comfortable being lost.
I offered my services.
“I want to get to Terminal Five,” said the lost man.
“You are at Terminal Five,” I replied.
“Oh,” he offered.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Toronto…from Terminal Five.”
“Which gate?”
He shrugged and showed me his boarding pass. He was indeed flying to Toronto and had 20 minutes to be at his gate. Rather unhelpfully the gate number was left blank.
Time to send him on his way to departures. No use looking lost at arrivals when you are leaving the country.
I looked around for helpful signage – there was none.
I looked around for helpful staff members – there were none.
Any staff members? None.
Anyone at all in a uniform of any description? No.
‘Follow me,’ I said as I headed for the lift heading up to international arrivals and passport control.
The doors open we get out. Lost Toronto man spotted a sign marked ‘Transfer passengers’, smiled and walked away without a word.
I found my lounge and arrive at the rather futuristic shower suite – dozens of individual shower cubicles around a number of circular central hubs.
You are given a colour and a number – blue seven for example – and you first find the blue shower hub and then look for the pod with seven on the door.
It is one of those posh contraptions which directs water down from a huge shower head above you and has a series of nozzles built into the wall which directs horizontal jets of water at your body.
Anybody who has ever used these showers will know that they all have one other feature in common – the noisy underfloor drainage pump which helps take the used water away and sounds not dissimilar to a trio of hungry pigs feeding.
Elemis at British Airways Terminal 5 arrivals lounge.
After an English Breakfast Tea and glass of chilled orange juice, I took the free Heathrow Express to Terminal One, checked in using the machine, dropped off my bag, and headed for the boarding gate.
Everything went rather smoothly. There was a queue at the bag drop area, just half a dozen or so people ahead of me, the flight was showing ‘on time’, it took about 20 minutes to pass through security and I headed for Gate 8 – British Midland’s domestic departures area.
This has been recently refurbished and it is nice, clean, bright and modern with views out across at one the runways.
Their domestic business lounge is nearby but I’ve not been flying enough with BMI in recent months to qualify for access rights.
Boarding begins by seat row number. The passengers do as they are told and the process is rather quick and efficient. I’m somewhere right of centre in the first third of the plane, next to a window. That will suit me just fine.
The Heathrow to Belfast service used to offer two classes of travel up until the end of January 2010 – business and economy – now it is an all-economy service.
The aircraft has three seats abreast either side of a central aisle and if you opt for the most expensive fully-flexible economy tickets you get to sit at the front of the aircraft where business class used to be.
In the old business class days BMI never sold the central seat in business class to give the premium fare paying passengers that little bit extra room but now all seats are offered for sale.
Premium economy passengers also get a complimentary drink and a snack, access to the business lounge before departure and have priority both boarding and getting off the aircraft.
Regular economy passengers can purchase a limited selection of drinks and snacks should they want to do so.
The flight takes around an hour and twenty minutes and the Airbus cabin is bright and comfortable.
The cabin crew were friendly, smartly dressed and relaxed. The slightly longer turnaround times that BMI allow between rotations means that they don’t have that air of panic you notice on some other airlines when the crew are already planning the next departure even before the plane has landed.
We arrived on time after a nice slow descent which commenced over the Isle of Man and was followed by a gentle left turn to line up with Runway 22 at the mouth of Belfast Lough.
Gear down, flaps set, landing lights on, speed back just a touch, glideslope captured, Holywood High Street off to the left, my apartment just coming into view on the left hand side, then B&Q, Sainsburys, Harvey Norman, Ikea, airport car park, grass, runway threshold, down on the numbers, positive braking, spoilers deployed, speed coming off, easily make the turn off, short taxi to Gate 4, keep the nosewheel on the yellow centre line, swing around 140 degrees to the right, forward a bit and stop.
Five minutes later I am off the aircraft and waiting for my bag in the reclaim area.
There are just two belts at Belfast City Airport. Ten minutes later one rumbles into life, my bag is one of the first off and a minute later I am out of the airport and walking the short distance to the train to take me home.
