Trip Report BA4173 BHX – ABZ First Report, Please Be Gentle

Hi Guys,

Haven’t posted in awhile, but I hope I’m still welcome?

I haven’t written a trip report before, but there are photos to accompany it, I just haven’t resized them yet, and I stood too close to the glass and got a reflection of the camera in most of them, I will try and sort them out so I can post tomorrow. (What size should they be?)

BA4173 Wednesday 14th April 2004 Birmingham International to Dyce, Aberdeen.

Arrived at the airport about two hours prior to departure due to a really quiet motorway, made it less than an hour (I think thats good time!).

The check-in area was quite busy and I thought we would have to queue at the self service check-in as we have had to before on quiet days, but no one was using them so was checked in instantly and surprisingly the baggage drop desk was manned for a change, so a very friendly lady took our bags and advised us to pass into departures because there had been long queues recently.

Following her instruction we did, through security was quick and painless, I didn’t beep but was asked for my hands free kit to go through the x-ray machine.

We were checked in and through within about 20 minutes of arriving.

We got a sandwich and a coffee, but I would advise of not getting a coffee from the Viva Cafe in treminal 2, it was awful and cost about £2!!

Anyway, after some persuasion, I was allowed to sit looking out of the window at what was going on around us.

I thought there were some nice movements, most of them being ERJ145, but a Continental 767 pushed back in front of us (photo to come) and then a Uzbekistan Airlines 757-200 (i think) pushed back, not sure where it was going, but it looked amazing, nice tail decal (photo to come).

Anyway our plane arrived on the stand in front of the window about 40 minutes before departure and perparations where made. I don’t think i’ll say anything about that, it’s quite boring.

We were called and boarded in about 10 minutes, an dsurprisingly the plane was quite full, 40 or so people on board, not many empty seats.

It was an ERJ145 (apparently BA CitiExpress have only just taken delivery of this one, been in the fleet about 6 weeks, the senior cabin crew was reassuring a woman who was scared of flying how good the plane was, and the captain (i can’t remember his name) was a pilot who was high up in the BA training scheme).

We taxied up to the run way that isn’t 06 sorry I don’t know much about BHX, and held short while a Lufthansa ERJ145 arrived. No sooner were we on the run way than we were up and on our way.

After climbing we hit some turbulence but passed it quickly and there’s not much else to say, except I’m keen on BA giving 1 sandwich and a slice of cake, instead of 2 sandwiches, small complaint but my only complaint… oh apart from running out of cheese sandwiches halfway down the plane, so my girlfriend was complaining for the rest of the flight.

No sooner were we up, than we were preparing for landing, and I must say the landing was the best of my life, so smooth!

We arrived on stand about 20 minutes early, and bags came off straight away, Aberdeen are always good with bags, so we were home before 13:30.

Hope thats ok for everyon, sorry about the lack of detail,

Sam