PatJordan - 13/10/2011 09:01 GMT
DUB-LHR-DUB (Economy flexible)
Booking and check in
www.flybmi.com is an easy site to navigate and selecting flights for my preferred dates and times was no trouble. BMI do not charge for checked in baggage which gives them an edge over their rival on this route.
On line check-in is available 24 hours prior to travel, and I used this facility to print my boarding passes for my same day return.
I arrived at Dublin Terminal 1 just after 6.00am for my 8.40am flight and proceeded straight to security. Since Aer Lingus and transatlantic operators have migrated to Terminal 2, there is a lower number of passengers using T1 which makes it far less crowded. One of the benefits of BMI economy flexible is use of the fast track security queue. The entrance leads directly to the xray machines and I was airside within a minute: the main queue was not terribly long, but the ability to by pass it is a valuable benefit for those in a hurry.
There is a good range of shops and cafes, most of which open around 5.00am to cater for the early birds.
Lounge (Dublin)
The Diamond Club lounge is adjacent to the main shopping area and is furnished in the usual BMI manner: bright colour sofas with a section for those who wish to work.
There is a limited range of food: biscuits, sweets and packaged pastries. The coffee is good and strong (perfect for early morning!) with a good range of soft and alcoholic drinks.
The range of newspapers and magazines is particularly good.
Boarding
Boarding is through an airbridge and rearmost rows are called first to minimize delays. Diamond Club Gold holders and economy flexible passengers are invited to board at their leisure.The gate was quite close the lounge, so I didn’t have far to walk.
The Airbus 320 was immaculate and cabin crew warmly welcomed passengers. This particular aircraft is used for mid-haul flights, and the first 8 rows are configured 2-2 and are large business class type which partly recline but perfectly comfortable for the short flight. The seat is upholstered in blue leather, with carpets a grey pattern.
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Inflight
The Captain gave a brief welcome and details of flight times, followed by a safety announcement from the cabin crew. We pushed back at 08.40 and were airborne quickly.
Economy Flexible passengers are offered a hot wrap (mine was scrambled egg & bacon), a snack and drink. Quite tasty, but a more substantial offering would have been nice.
We landed in Heathrow at 10.10am after some minutes in a holding pattern, but this was barely past the scheduled time so not an issue. After a short taxi we were on stand and deplaned into T1 through an airbridge.
Return Check in and security
Having my boarding pass already printed, I went directly to security at Heathrow T1 and was processed very quickly. I was airside within 5 minutes.
Lounge Heathrow
Being Diamond Club Gold, I visited the Star Alliance lounge. This is a large very comfortable facility with on site restrooms and excellent showers.
The range of food here is not as generous as in the past: hot soup and rice/curry type dishes are no longer offered. There is a good choice of savoury hot snacks, sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit with a full bar service.
As this lounge is quite a long walk from the BMI boarding area, I went to the BMI lounge shortly before boarding. The Great British Lounge is very big with plenty of natural light.
The food is cheese, crackers, biscuits, crisps, nuts, good quality cheesecake and gateaux. I particularly like the jars of old fashioned sweets, always brings me back to my childhood!! There is a full bar service.
Boarding
Unusually the Dublin bound flight board at gate 7. Heretofore it used to be gates 72-78, adjacent to the Aer Lingus departure area and quite a walk from the lounge. A bus was provided to take us to the aircraft. Boarding was through the rear door, but was efficient, nonetheless.
This Airbus 320 was configured in full economy mode, all seats 3-3. The first three rows were reserved for economy flexible and the middle seats had a plastic tray inserted, which increases personal space and handy for books, papers, etc. Seats were in the newer BMI brown colour, and very attractive. As I had chosen row 1, the bulkhead ensured that I didn’t have a seatback close to my face.
After a welcome announcement from the Captain, the cabin crew gave a safety demonstration.
We pushed back shortly after our scheduled time of 6.40pm, and were airborne shortly afterwards.
I was offered a chicken wrap which was quite tasty, and a cold lager was most welcome.
Conclusion
A very impressive return flight. Excellent service, punctuality and pleasant lounges make BMI a very pleasant airline to travel on the Dublin-London route.
