Introduction
Last year I visited Denver and travelled around that area, but a heavy snowstorm meant that I had ended up missing quite a few of the things on my list. So, I planned another trip this time to Denver and decided to go a bit later in the year.
Once again I would be making use of British Airways Holidays' Double Tier-Points offer and used them to book car hire for the entire trip.
Flight routing
- 1BA219 - Business - London → Denver - Airbus A350-1000
- 2
The Airport
It was a 30-minute drive from home, and I arrived at Heathrow at about 10:50. I was after a physical boarding pass, so off to the A section of Terminal 5.
A bit of a wait, but nothing major, and then it was off to the T5B Galleries Club lounge via the foot tunnel.
And up to the lounge via the solitary escalator.
I settled in to a view of the C concourse with an orange juice and a few snacks.
Soon it was time to head to the gate, which was a bus gate! Second trip to Denver in a row… so off we go to A10 via the same foot tunnel.
A reminder of what I can look forward to this summer - lots of cricket!
Down the corridor to Gate 10B and onto the bus to the gate.
On Board
I was one of the last business passengers on board, and as the photo shows the loading was very light. I was in 10A and there were just three passengers sat further back than me, one in 10A and two in the smaller cabin.
The adjacent A380 was heading to Boston, the destination of my last transatlantic flight.
Soon it was time to get airborne, and we departed on 09R towards the east before turning north.
Menus had been distributed on the ground, and wow - look at the amount of cheese in this menu!
The cleanliness of the seat was not brilliant…
A Citrus Burst mocktail to start the service.
The smoked salmon starter. The trout is actually the pate next to the prawn - a bit bizarre. It was not the best starter I have had on BA.
The duo of lamb cutlet and shoulder was very good, but the gratin was very rich and tasted slightly overpowering.
Do&Co desserts are always good, so I asked if I could have both! The crew were happy to help due to the light loading and other passengers choosing the cheese options.
The lemon meringue bar…
And the chocolate and orange cake…
Some amazing views over Greenland, Canada and the northern states of the USA.
The second meal had both main options containing cheese… so that wasn't good for me. I ended up just having the muffin and a drink.
Some cool stripy fields!
Soon we were coming in to land on Runway 16L with a fun simultaneous landing between us and a Southwest 737.
The landing was filmed by someone who works in Airfield Ops at Denver: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJMvjajxTa5/
We then had a bit of a wait on the taxiway as the gate appeared to be occupied by a Lufthansa A350-900.
It was soon pushing back and out of the way.
We disembarked from the L1 door and it was a fairly lengthy walk through the terminal to immigration. I'll just copy from last year: "No passport stamp, no fingerprints taken, no questions, just a photo and a verbal welcome to America along with a piece of laminated paper with an E on it."
Bags were out quickly and it didn't take too long for me to find the shuttle bus out to Budget.
Nice review as always!
Ugh, hate those bus gates--they're such a crowded mess when it's a widebody boarding. Also, I just realised that as often as I fly in and out of Heathrow T5, I have never used the foot tunnel before! I'll have to remember to try it next time! It will kill two birds with one stone: I hate how slow the T5 underground train is, and it'll be good to get the extra steps in while travelling!
Oh man, I'm jealous, I can't even count how many times I've said "I wish they'd serve lamb more often on BA" but I never seem to get it, hah. Looks great, at least the lamb itself
That's a shame. I'm lactose intolerant so I always carry lactase pills with me when travelling, but I still end up with a stomach ache...just delayed hah. Being French, I just refuse to stop eating cheese🤣
I've tried ordering No Lactose special meals before, but they were very boring compared to the standard selection, so can't win!
Thanks for sharing!
Definitely try the foot tunnel, it's so tranquil compared to the rest of the airport!
I'll probably have to start carrying lactase pills, we'll see how things transpire. The no lactose special meal on the way back was woeful, so can't say I'll be trying that again.