*Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 786 (LHR-ISB) 777-300ER - AP-BHW

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Sherry3002
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Location: Islamabad, Pakistan

*Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 786 (LHR-ISB) 777-300ER - AP-BHW

Post by Sherry3002 »

Hey guys,

Recently I returned from London on PK786. Originally I had planned to go to Milan via Geneva, however, that plan fell apart and I ended up returning directly to Isloo. From here IA I shall be taking an Emirates Business Class flight to Dubai, staying there for 8 days, and then to Prague before returning to Dubai for 3 days and finally by the end of August, returning back to Islamabad. I will try and do TRs of all 4 of those EK J class flights as well.

Anyway, on with the TR. After a lovely stay at the Connaught Mayfair, which is now one of my favourite hotels, I told my travel agent to rebook me on PK786 - 6th August instead of PK770 - 14th August. The flight was 100% packed, so she enlisted me on the waiting list while telling me that she'll definitely get me booked. On the eve of my departure, I was told that I probably won't get a seat on the 6th due to high loads, and both the 7th and 8th flights are also booked. Flights to Lahore were also booked, but Karachi had a few seats. I was planning on cancelling my PIA ticket and booking with the ME3 when I was told moments before I canceled the booking that a seat was now available, but I'd have to pay Rs. 82,000 extra per seat, (I needed 3 seats). I agreed, paying a total of Rs. 246,000 extra, as well as the normal fare. After thanking her profoundly for her help I packed my bags, and on the day of departure, I arrived at T3 by 4pm. At the Check-In area, there was a huge argument between PIA staff and a disgruntled customer who wanted an upgrade. Obviously, that was not possible since there were no available seats in Club. :P Nonetheless, after a very smooth check-in and security, probably the smoothest yet, I made my way to the duty-free area to buy some chocolates before heading to the No. 1 Lounge.

The No. 1 Executive Lounge, Heathrow.
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I personally hate the lounge as it lacks warm food, and the things on display are either terrible quality or too little in quantity. Hence, as soon as boarding was announced I made my way to gate 27, which displayed 'Gate Closing'. The Business Class queue was empty, and as soon as I entered the gate the doors opened and boarding began. I had to push my way through the crowds shouting "Business Class", but it was worth it in the end as I was the first passenger to board.

AP-BHW's Business+ Plus Class.
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As soon as I boarded, I was offered a variety of pre-departure drinks. I chose the OJ as always. Amenity Kits were then offered too. (I didn't get a chance to snap a photo of the amenity kit, I may add it in the TR later on) While I was enjoying the fact that the cabin was empty, all of a sudden 31 passengers stormed into the Business Class cabin and began settling down. The FAs sprung into action offering everyone juices and kits. Within just 15 minutes, every single seat in the 35 seater Business cabin had been taken. I looked back and saw that Economy was filling faster, and it seemed as though the aircraft was overflowing with passengers. The rush of passengers didn't seem to be slowing down, even though only 3 minutes remained before the STD.

PIA Glass with old PIA Logo. (Some glasses had the new Pakistan International Airlines one)
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By 7:15pm it still seemed as though passengers weren't going to stop, and to prevent Y pax from disturbing the Club passengers, the crew tightly closed the curtains and were very strict about opening them. At about 7:20 we began our taxi with the usual Dua-e-Safar and welcome announcement. An extra announcement was made by the FAs, apologising on behalf of PIA for the lack of entertainment. They then mentioned the Premium Service and announced that PIA was upgrading their 777 Business and Economy class by the end of 2016. After thanking us for our loyalty to PIA, one final announcement was made regarding Awards+ Plus and it's benefits before we reached the runway.

Cabin right before departure.
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At about 19:27 the engines spooled up and we gently lifted off from London at 19:28. Soon after takeoff, we leveled off and iPads were distributed. I began watching a movie as the aroma of food began filling the cabin.

iPads reserved for Business class.
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1 hour into the flight food was served starting with a variety of breads. The options for dinner were: Chicken/Lamb Karahi, Daal, Beef Steak, Biryani, White Rice, and Aloo ki Bhujia. Deserts were either a Cheesecake or Vermicelli (Seviyan), as well as Cheese & Crackers, Tea, Coffee or fruit. I chose to have a bit of everything as it all seemed delicious. You'll have to forgive me, since I had not had Breakfast or Lunch, I devoured the dinner as soon as I got it and hence couldn't take a photo of the full meal. Nonetheless, I managed a few snaps:

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After dinner was cleared up the moodlighting went into full swing, and it was gorgeous. Pictures most certainly don't do justice to the amazing atmoshphere they created, however they can somewhat recreate it:

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Over Germany we hit some very, very terrible turbulance, but after recovering from it, I fell asleep to the sight of stars, however, only before alerting the crew to wake me up for breakfast. I was woken up 2 hours prior to arrival for the breakfast service, as the bread trolley was rolled out.

Gorgeous stars:
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The breakfast menu was: A selection of pastries and breads, Scrambled or Omlette eggs, Chicken or Potato cutlets, or simply fruit. Once again, I chose to have all. You're paying for a Club ticket, why not take full advantage? ;)

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After having a cup of tea, I did a bit of work on my computer as the rest of the flight was uneventful. I had a small argument with an Economy passenger who sat down next to me without permission during the time when the lights were off. I did, in the end, manage to get him back to his seat in the back though. Our descent was pretty bumpy and the landing was quite rough, but at 6:21 we landed at ISB.

Scenes before landing:
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After a relitavely long taxi to the parking, everyone got up and got their carry-ons, however, we all were forced to stand for 15 whole minutes in the aircraft before the doors opened. I thanked the crew for a nice flight and boarded the Business Class bus, which was packed. So packed in fact, that I had to stand for the duration of the journey.

My seat after 8 hrs:
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Then I was forced to stand in extremely long immigration lines, but that was not the worst of it. After immigration I headed to the baggage carousel. I waited for my 5 bags to arrive. I waited, and waited, and waited. First it was just me and a few other pax, but 15 minutes later everyone had arrived and only 1 bag was being loaded after every 5 minutes. Passengers began protesting until they began loading more bags. 1 hour passed and still very few bags had come. 1.5 hrs, still only a handful. After 2 full hours bags arrived in bulk. I collected my suitcases and left the crowd ASAP, remembering why I hated arriving at BBIAP.

So, if you've read this far, thank you for reading. I hope yo enjoyed this TR, though there wasn't much to write about as it was an uneventful flight. I hope to write about the next 4 EK J trips I have within the next week.

Ratings:

1. Check-In - 10/10
2. Lounge - 4/10
3. Boarding - 8/10
4. Cleanliness - 9/10
5. Service - 6/10
6. Food - 8/10
7. Comfort level (ie- turbulance, takeoff, landing) - 4/10

Overall - 8/10
PIA, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, BA, Turkish, American, AirBerlin, Thai, Air France, Delta, Korean, Qantas, and many more. :D

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Moin
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 786 (LHR-ISB) 777-300ER - AP-BHW

Post by Moin »

They seriously need to implement a fast track service at these airports here for immigration but what shocked me the most was the baggage delivery. 2 hours? What were they doing? Was the airport crowded with other flights that they didn't have enough baggage handlers? Its not that far away from the plane to the building and i'm sure they drive faster than 5kph.
Moin Abbasi
Moin
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 786 (LHR-ISB) 777-300ER - AP-BHW

Post by Moin »

Btw in the No.1 Lounge you have to order the hot food from the menu. The No.1 Burger and Fries is excellent there. And Sherry please don't tell me you did a Sam Chui and wore shorts in business class?!
Moin Abbasi
Zulfiqar
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Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 786 (LHR-ISB) 777-300ER - AP-BHW

Post by Zulfiqar »

Nice pics and TR.

Diet control measures may need to be implemented?
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Sherry3002
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Location: Islamabad, Pakistan

Re: *Trip Report* Pakistan Int'l 786 (LHR-ISB) 777-300ER - AP-BHW

Post by Sherry3002 »

Moin wrote:They seriously need to implement a fast track service at these airports here for immigration but what shocked me the most was the baggage delivery. 2 hours? What were they doing? Was the airport crowded with other flights that they didn't have enough baggage handlers? Its not that far away from the plane to the building and i'm sure they drive faster than 5kph. Btw in the No.1 Lounge you have to order the hot food from the menu. The No.1 Burger and Fries is excellent there. And Sherry please don't tell me you did a Sam Chui and wore shorts in business class?!
I've been grumbling about it for years now that we need a fast track service. Often the answer I get is: "Sir, we have got a Senior Citizen track, Diplomat track, Foreign passport track and Ladies track. What more do you want?" I fit into the Foreign passport track, and I always use that, (even though it's usually longer than any other track), but Business class passengers deserve fast track service for the price they're paying. I'm sure I'll have the very same experience on my return in Emirates too.
As for the baggage, 2 hours for me, because I spent 1 hour at immigration. In reality, it took 3 hours from the minute we deboarded to the moment the first bag came. Everyone here knows these baggage handlers never pay attention to priority bags. After 3 hours, the first 20 or so bags to come were the crew's bags. Then there was a 20 minute wait before a bulk of economy bags came. Once again another 20-minute gap before another batch of economy, before the first Business class bags (my bags) came. And no, only one baggage carousel was moving and the only passengers there were of PK786.
I did look at the menu but the only options were Bacon rolls, Fish Burgers, Lemon Chicken and Spinach Risotto. And heavens no! I never wear shorts in a plane, let alone in Business Class! :P Jeans and a shirt do the job. :D
Zulfiqar wrote:Nice pics and TR.
Diet control measures may need to be implemented?
Thank you. :) That's true, you feel a bit guilty after eating all that but I don't mind. I understand some passengers would though, and that should be taken care of.
PIA, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, BA, Turkish, American, AirBerlin, Thai, Air France, Delta, Korean, Qantas, and many more. :D

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