*Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

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Sherry3002
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*Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by Sherry3002 »

Hello everyone once again!

I recently flew PIA 785 from ISB to LHR once again, and as usual, decided to do a TR. This trip turned out to be quite extraordinary as the flight was diverted to Kazakhstan for 4+ hrs, and hence, lead to quite an interesting experience. I also recently bought a new S7 Edge, (which has a great camera and is a great phone for all those considering buying it) thus the picture quality is better.
I'll let all 28 photos do the talking. :)

I arrived at the airport at 9am sharp, hoping to grab a light snack in the lounge before departure. After a very swift check-in, I was escorted to the lounge by a porter. At approx. 9:45 boarding was announced, and the bulk of the passengers began boarding. 15 min later I myself went for boarding, with the thought that perhaps PIA was trying to board passengers earlier so we arrive *ahem* early. :wink:

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I was very kindly greeted and directed to my seat by a friendly FA. Upon boarding, I was offered hot towels and a variety of juices. I chose the apple juice. The flight began filling up until Business+ Class had 25+ passengers. Economy seemed 95% full. After the usual welcome announcement and Dua-e-Safar, we began our taxi.

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Moments after we began the taxi, we were on the runway preparing for takeoff. A steep climb followed a very fast takeoff roll.

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After leveling off everyone reclined their seats and we began preparing for the upcoming 7 hrs. iPads were handed out, as well as the brand new amenity kits. Soon after, the aroma of food began filling the cabin as the crew asked us to bring out our tray tables. Suddenly FAs began asking over the intercom for medical assistance by any trained medical personnel at seat 37A if I remember correctly. After a little hustle bustle, things died down.

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About 1.5 hrs in, lunch began being served. Menus were handed out, just to inform passengers of the options. I chose to have a little of everything, save for the lentils, as did most passengers. Something baffling was that when salads were handed out, we received plastic cutlery, however when proper lunch was served, they offered us chinaware. Why bother with the plastic cutlery then?

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After lunch the lights were dimmed, tea/coffee was served and seats were reclined. Passengers began settling in for the remainder of the journey, as did I.

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By chance, I noticed the TVs were working, and decided to open the map. I was shocked to see us heading away from our path to LHR, towards Russia. My heart started sinking as I realized the bitter truth that we were likely being diverted. Just as other passengers began realizing this change of course, we began a rapid decent towards AKX. The captain came on the intercom to explain the situation. We were told the life of a passenger was at risk and that we'd be facing a short delay of 1-2 hrs. Passengers didn't seem pushed at that point, and we began a very turbulent descent into AKX.

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After a gentle touchdown, we taxied to the 'gate', where the paramedics boarded the flight to check the passenger. 1 hr passed, no one bat an eye. 2 hrs passed and passengers began becoming restless but stayed put nonetheless. All this time the police and paramedics kept pacing around the aircraft. As the 3rd hour approached passengers began assembling behind the Club cabin, attempting to have a word with the pilot. We were perpetually told that the aircraft was being refueled and then we'd be on our way. Soon after, the story changed to 'we aren't being given clearance to takeoff by authorities.' After 4 hrs the Economy pax barged into the Business cabin and demanded to meet the captain. The passengers weren't angry. They weren't rude. They were just fed-up, but not at the delay, at the fact that no info was given as to why we were stranded. After standing there for 10 minutes, us Business Class passengers began complaining about the disturbance. After a brief conflict between 5 business passengers and 9 economy pax, including myself, the Economy pax were forced out of the cabin due to their presence causing a disturbance for premium passengers. After 4.5 hrs, the doors were closed and we began our taxi. It was hilarious that throughout the entire scene a male FA was passing comments in Punjabi on the intercom. "Sab apni seetan tai aram nal bao" :lol: And not surprsingly, it helped a great deal in dispersing the pax.

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Here is another interesting story! Once our taxi ended and we began the 180 degrees turn at the end of the runway, all of a sudden the plane came to a sudden halt. Apparently we had overshot the runway and were stuck in the grass. 15 minutes later, after being stuck in a half-turned, 90-degree angle, the runway patrol came and began directing the captain with hand signals how to turn. Moments later our takeoff roll had begun as we had a steep climb out of AKX. Many people actually cheered that we were on our way.

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The flight once again leveled off with 4.8 hrs to go. Once again the aroma of fresh bread filled the cabin. Moments later the snack trolley appeared with a fresh load of snacks.

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After snacks and tea, everyone reclined their seats and fell asleep. I opted to watch the movie 'Concussion', which is actually pretty good. Lights were dimmed and the entire aircraft slowly fell silent. The duty-free trolley was rolled around for the 4th time before all flight crew also went into the galley.

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The next 4 hours passed swiftly. I opted for a 2nd helping of lunch and 5 refills of apple juice, all of which were given without hesitation. Soon enough the window shutters were opened to reveal the UK, as announcements regarding UK's strict immigration laws were made. The captain came on before descent to deeply apologize (for the 4th time) about the delay, stating he hoped we'd understand the importance of the matter and continue our support to PIA, thanked us for flying PIA, etc. Our descent was quite turbulent but soon enough we were floating over the lands of London.

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We touched down at 19:16, 4 hrs and 16 minutes late. Luckily, throughout the entire situation, not one Business passenger had moved a muscle. Most Economy passengers too understood nothing could be done, so everyone just joked about it. After a very lengthy taxi to the gate, I thanked the crew for a very comfortable flight despite a 4 hr delay and swiftly left the aircraft.

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I was slightly angered when I was told I couldn't access fast-track because I didn't have an invite, which I wasn't given at the check in. I was thus forced to wait for 1 hr in normal queues. Nonetheless, after a swift baggage collection, I rented a car and headed to Sheraton for my stay. I shall IA be returning on August 14th from Milan. I will, however, be doing a TR on my flight with Swiss on July 7th IA.

If you've read this far, thank you. As always, your comments and criticism make my TRs better, so fire away.

Ratings:

1. Check - In - (7)
2. Lounge - (9)
3. Boarding (8)
4. Punctuality - (3)
5. Crew/Service- (9)
6. Cabin Comfort - (9)
7. IFE - (8)
8. Food - (10)
9. Amenities - (7)
10. Overall - (8)
PIA, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, BA, Turkish, American, AirBerlin, Thai, Air France, Delta, Korean, Qantas, and many more. :D

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Pakistan-1
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by Pakistan-1 »

Nice report!
I must say the captain should have informed the pax on what was happening
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zubairadil2016
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by zubairadil2016 »

Nice report.... :thumbs_up:
But hope to see their new business class soon.
jdflyer
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by jdflyer »

Excellent report. Thank you for sharing. The real juice is in the details :)

I couldn't help comparing PIA business class meal to what I've had on the ME3 and Turkish in economy class. The dessert especially looks exactly like what I've had on Etihad and Egypt Air in economy.

Looking forward to your return trip report.
Best wishes.
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Sherry3002
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by Sherry3002 »

Pakistan-1 wrote:Nice report!
I must say the captain should have informed the pax on what was happening
Tysm. Indeed that would have helped.
zubairadil2016 wrote:Nice report.... :thumbs_up:
But hope to see their new business class soon.
Very eager to see them too. Thank you.
jdflyer wrote:Excellent report. Thank you for sharing. The real juice is in the details :)

I couldn't help comparing PIA business class meal to what I've had on the ME3 and Turkish in economy class. The dessert especially looks exactly like what I've had on Etihad and Egypt Air in economy.

Looking forward to your return trip report.
Best wishes.
Thank you very much jdflyer.
The presentation could have been much, much better. The taste however, was pretty good.
PIA, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, BA, Turkish, American, AirBerlin, Thai, Air France, Delta, Korean, Qantas, and many more. :D

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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by Hamad »

Great TR and nice shots - Thanks for sharing.
Looking forward to see the upcoming TR's including the Swiss one :)
Best Regards / Wa´alaikumusalam
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CoyBoy
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by CoyBoy »

Nice report, the salad needs to be improved I ahve had similar at times even better at cheap road side peasent eateries in Pakistan, minus Olives ofcourse.
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by Omairi7 »

Great Job Done..!
EK, EY, SV, PK, AIR BLUE, EASY JET, AA, TG, MH, FLY BE, VUELING, SAS, SWISS, LH, BA, AIR BERLIN, RYAN AIR, GERMAN WINGS, JET BLUE, U.A, QATAR , AZAL ...
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Sherry3002
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by Sherry3002 »

CoyBoy wrote:Nice report, the salad needs to be improved I ahve had similar at times even better at cheap road side peasent eateries in Pakistan, minus Olives ofcourse.
Thank you. Indeed, the salad can be improved.
Omairi7 wrote:Great Job Done..!
Thanks!

Also, once we landed in AKX, proper landing and takeoff announcements were made:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have landed at AKX airport where the current time is _____ and the temp. is ____. Please do not move until the aircraft comes to a stop..."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of Captain Junaid Younus, our crew would like to welcome you aboard PK785 to London. We want to apologise for the delay. IA we shall be flying at 11000m..."
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by t_kaay »

Thanks for the report, sounds like an interesting flight!

Seems pretty poor that an international airline, supposed to be representing Pakistan, can't even get the spelling correct on its menu.......it's CHASSEUR. Doesn't reflect a good image.
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by skycaptain787 »

Thanks for the Interesting Pictorial Trip Report ! Also do include the Aircraft Type in your report.
AP-BGJ is a Boeing 777-240ER.

Keep these reports coming !
Wish you a safe trip back.

Pakistan Zindabad
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by ammad »

t_kaay wrote:.......it's CHASSEUR. Doesn't reflect a good image.
Also, spelling of Yoghurt is wrong too, it should be Yogurt. And i can see that there is no capitalization being used. It's pretty awful.
Fortune favours brave.
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Sherry3002
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by Sherry3002 »

Hamad wrote:Great TR and nice shots - Thanks for sharing.
Looking forward to see the upcoming TR's including the Swiss one :)
Thank you.
t_kaay wrote:Thanks for the report, sounds like an interesting flight!

Seems pretty poor that an international airline, supposed to be representing Pakistan, can't even get the spelling correct on its menu.......it's CHASSEUR. Doesn't reflect a good image.
Thanks. An interesting flight indeed, but a new experience. :D And yeah, PIA should pay attention to spellings.
skycaptain787 wrote:Thanks for the Interesting Pictorial Trip Report ! Also do include the Aircraft Type in your report.
AP-BGJ is a Boeing 777-240ER.

Keep these reports coming !
Wish you a safe trip back.

Pakistan Zindabad
Thank you very much. I will just add the aircraft type, though most HOP members know the type. ;)
Thanks for the kind wishes, and yes; Pakistan Zindabad.
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by shamxa »

ammad wrote:
t_kaay wrote:.......it's CHASSEUR. Doesn't reflect a good image.
Also, spelling of Yoghurt is wrong too, it should be Yogurt. And i can see that there is no capitalization being used. It's pretty awful.
I have to refute this one. The spelling "yoghurt" is correct, per British English spelling.

If anything, props to PIA here for distinguishing (although part of me says that it's more by chance than intentional)

Nevertheless, the spelling in this case is spot on.

Also, Windows Phone OS also lacks capitalisation on its system (all letters are lower case in the options menu, for example). Granted I used to have this that phone about a year ago and it may have changed, but there isn't any "fault" if they want to try a new "style" (once again, it might well be unintentional too).
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 785 (ISB-LHR) Business+ Class (AP-BGJ)

Post by Sherry3002 »

[quote="shamzaabbas"

I have to refute this one. The spelling "yoghurt" is correct, per British English spelling.

If anything, props to PIA here for distinguishing (although part of me says that it's more by chance than intentional)

Nevertheless, the spelling in this case is spot on.

Also, Windows Phone OS also lacks capitalisation on its system (all letters are lower case in the options menu, for example). Granted I used to have this that phone about a year ago and it may have changed, but there isn't any "fault" if they want to try a new "style" (once again, it might well be unintentional too).[/quote]

The fact that I strictly follow British spelling is the reason why I found this correct and didn't address that comment. :D Pretty sure, however, that the distinguishment is unintentional. :P

In regards to capitalisation, that's something that would irritate nitpickers like myself because it's basic English. In a premium cabin, on an international route, as an international airline, it's their duty to ensure that spoken English is fluent and the written English is correct, grammatically or otherwise.
PIA, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, BA, Turkish, American, AirBerlin, Thai, Air France, Delta, Korean, Qantas, and many more. :D

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