My Exotic Summer Adventure: England Outside London (gasp)

[jjpb3]

INTRODUCTION

Envious of the reports about less well-known carriers (e.g., SQfg on TK) and exotic locales (e.g., 9V-SIA Bhutan) I’ve been reading on SQTalk, I was determined to find my own adventures this summer. But to where? As I mulled over options, the opportunity presented itself to visit friends living in areas I’d left relatively unexplored in my travels. So, this summer, I would spend quality time in ...

Nottingham and Yorkshire.

My full itinerary: STP-BEE-DRB-YRK-MLT-YRK-KGX. In keeping with SQTalkers’ search for new experiences, I decided I wanted to try a variety of carriers. Well, how convenient : I had no choice but to experience a variety. I would only be able to reach my destinations using carriers on which my experience has been, um, rather limited. The roster of carriers:

• STP-BEE: EM F
• BEE-DRB-YRK: CC Y
• YRK-MLT: TX Y
• MLT-YRK-KGX: NX Y

Note, that even includes an F trip. But sorry, HUGE AL, no info on long-haul premium cabins for you in this TR: look away, look away.*

*Message sponsored by The Friends of HUGE AL's Blood Pressure

This trip is so exotic that my usual reference -- airlinecodes.co.uk -- is ever so slightly less useful than it was designed to be. Here then, as a public service, is a translation:

Key ports of embarkation and disembarkation:
STP = London St Pancras
BEE = Beeston
DRB = Derby
YRK = York
MLT = Malton
KGX = London Kings Cross

The carriers:
EM = East Midlands
CC = Cross Country
TX = Transpennine Express
NX = National Express East Coast.

More to follow ... My sugar buzz from this evening is wearing off and the relaxation induced by the Krug is taking over ...

[jhm]

Looking forward to pictures of merry men in green tights!

[SQflyergirl]

Well - I certainly look forward to it.

SQTalk has plenty of SQ trip reports, but news of its' users going off the beaten track is what truly gives it character

2nd Warning to the Huge one to avert your eyes

[jjpb3]

Part 1: First Class! On East Midland!

Joining me for the first part of my adventure was another SQTalker, mec. He met me at our departure airport, STP, which since its refurbishment isn’t such a bad place to depart. It even has flights going to Paris (city center to boot). Security’s efficiency would put LHR’s to shame. (Not a hard feat, mind you, but still.) According to mec, there is even free wifi in public areas.

But we were weren’t really interested in loitering in public areas when we had F BPs to wave and an F Lounge to luxuriate in. So we completely neglected to take pictures of the departure areas; you’ll just have to trust us that it’s a very nice place.

You go up the escalators, and eerily as in LHR T5, you have to do a U-turn to search for the vaunted F Lounge, which was a looong walk from the escalator. Suspicious, we looked for signs that BAA had a hand in the design, but to our relief we weren’t forced to march past scores of dutyfree shops on our way to the lounge.

We were the only pax in the lounge, which though small was tastefully decorated with art and splashes of color from single flowers.




As you can see from the second picture, there was also a board to remind you of departures. No announcements were made inside the lounge, and there were no window views -- very T2 SKL. It seemed that all that was needed were *Gs being turned away because they had neither the BPs nor the cards for access. Oh wait, we did see two pax turned away while we were there, because their tickets were not the right type.

Unlike the T2 SKL experience, though, the boarding warning was activated only when boarding had really commenced. EM, like SQ, doesn’t like to wait for tardy passengers, so we if we dilly-dallied, we risked being left behind or worse, downgraded to the nearest Y cabin we could clamber into. We gathered our luggage, which now included a cache of some excellent-tasting strawberry shortbread from the lounge, and headed off to our F cabin.

Seating was a relatively tight 1-2 configuration, with rows alternating between front-facing and backward-facing seats. The colors were TGesque, remarked mec.



Overhead stowage space was, however, atrocious. My cabin bags would have easily passed the notorious BAA size gauge, but the larger one had to be slid between two duelling seats (i.e., seats with backs against each other, facing in opposite directions) while the smaller one had to slide beneath my seat.

Fortunately, loads were light this morning.



There were only 4 pax who boarded in London, which made light work for the crew of two. ON EM, they have a different process with BPs. Rather than checking BPs as you board, they have one of the cabin crew check them and sign them (!) after the flight departs.

Ah yes, what about the seat pitch, as depicted by an SQfg leg shot?



It would be cramped in a full cabin, but with the loads this morning, we could take over the 2+2 side, lift the armrests, and convert the side-by-side seats into a couch, sort of like an SQ 77W J seat, but with smaller pitch.

But wait, isn't appropriation of neighboring armrests and seats a hallmark of low loads in Y? What the ... ? We checked our BPs again and found a menu to corroborate our COS.


We calmed down, champagne visions dancing in our heads.



Unfortunately, the visions were probably the product of too much caffeine and too little sleep. We were offered drinks, but for nibbling, we had to manage with provisions from the lounge and from a flight on a small, little-known SE Asian airline:


Shame really, as the galley seemed even bigger than those on that small, little-known SE Asian airline:



Curious about the mileage compensation for such shortfall against premium cabin expectations, we tried to find a call button so that we could ask for a feedback form. We couldn't find any. So we decided we could flash our PITA credentials some other time and instead settled down to enjoy the journey.

In F dammit.

[milehighj]

Very nice.

HUGE doesn't know what he's missing...

[stargold]

ROFL here Knowing full well how dire train travel in England usually is, makes it all the more hilarious.

Great photos too!

(PS. I've brought the LX3 along with me to Korea due to lack of G10 stock and it's actually growing on me... though we'll see whether I keep it when I get back to England!)

[SQ TPP]

No view from the wings yet?

[Kyo]

No celebration cake yet?

[SuperJonJon]

Looking forward to pictures of merry men in green tights!

Heard that the men lost their green tights?

[Paint Horse]

Sounds like this will be a very interesting trip report.

[HUGE AL]

...sorry, HUGE AL, no info on long-haul premium cabins for you in this TR: look away, look away.*

*Message sponsored by The Friends of HUGE AL's Blood Pressure

2nd Warning to the Huge one to avert your eyes

HUGE doesn't know what he's missing...

What?! Is this about some whY crap??? Thread may have to be ignored!

[mec]

No view from the wings yet?

Pulling off from the airport.






The take-off.









I do apologise for the reflections on the glass...I vaguely remember it irks one SQTalker

[jjpb3]

Part 1 (cont.): First Class. On East Midland. And we meet Jeeves.

No view from the wings yet?

Fortunately the low load meant we could enjoy relative tranquillity, as EM’s business model requires several stopovers to maximize the benefits of their monopoly on several regional routes. These stops featured a tremendous variety of sights, from airports with quaint architectural details (I guess Little Britain’s, er, England’s version of USM-like touches):



to barren departure lounges worthy of making some list published by SkyTraxx:



to views of other aircraft keeping the commercial activity of this nation moving along (pictured below: the equivalent in these parts of a MegaArk):

.

Some of the airports had boarding areas that were curiously named:



I initially wondered if they meant that the F and Y cabin crews (purple kebayas/ties vs. blue kebayas/ties, in our lingo) board using different aerobridges. But I think they were crew rest areas: this was the young IFS (he did the tannoy announcements) doing a seventh inning stretch.



Recall that we successfully restrained our PITA impulses earlier. It must have been the other pax who exhausted him. Tsk tsk.

Between the stops, when hedges didn’t block our views, there were glimpses of a beautiful rolling countryside that hosted marching Roman legions way back in time. (More on time travel later in the Trip Report.)



How was that, SQ TPP? I sure hope those views from the wings were worthy of that chap CGK.

We finally reached our destination BEE, where our six-star hotel arranged for staff to pick us up right as we disembarked from EM. The male staff member took a look at mec and me, then offered me help with my bags. Very nice fellow, with a very nice posh accent; I recalled the Grey Poupon adverts from my youth (parodied in the film "Wayne's World").

I decided not to interpret his generous offer as an understated (we’re in England, you see) indictment of the sorry state of my physical fitness. Seeing the affront to his VVIP status, mec could be seen taking a conscious decision not to flash his PITA credentials one more time that day.

We enjoyed a short limousine ride to a tranquil, gated compound, which was where our six-star boutique hotel was located.




It was clear that we would enjoy ‘Romance of Travel’-level hospitality during this visit. The staff were trained to SQ-tier standards by the watchful, gentle but firm leader



who stoically endured the adoring paparazzi



In the background, I could swear I could hear the that song from Les Mis, “Master of the House”. This was going to be a good trip.

[mec]

Sounds like this will be a very interesting trip report.

I do endeavour to ensure this TR gets completed

We cannot afford to have you go on vigil again...



This thread is not associated with an unfinished TR writer ya' know?

[jjpb3]

Intermission or, I've got a flight to catch

Looking forward to pictures of merry men in green tights!

Heard that the men lost their green tights?

Unfortunately, that chapter will have to wait, as my next flights (in Y ) will be leaving soon. I'm not exactly sure about my broadband situation further into the wilds of the north , so I apologise for any delay and any inconveniences it might cause.

I leave SQTalkers with the following image ...

Overheard on the way into Sherwood forest: "Honey, do VVIPs always take so many pictures? It worries me a bit."



Next (whenever that might be): Of Mythic Men in Green Tights (or perhaps that should read, Men in Mythic Green Tights)