Bad news: A 10am flight means I need to get up at 5am, and I'm airside by 8:30
Good news: The pubs are open! And have hand pulled ale.
Bad news: The wireless isn't free. Well, you can't have everything.
Good news: When offered drinks onboard I opt for Gin & Tonic. I am passed two tins of tonic water, and two minatures of Gordon's. Wahey.
Better news: And would I like wine with me meal? Yes, red. I am passed 2 ü bottles of wine. I now have 8.6 units of alchohol stacked up on my tray table, and we're still in the first hour of the flight!
Bad news: Food turns out to be either chicken or salmon. Slightly silly BA for asking for a wine choice without saying what the food is.
Good news: The salmon is excellent. Even better than the Virgin food on the previous trip, and that wasn't bad. And whilst Virgin does default to "would you like wine with your meal?" they serve it from full sized bottles into a small glass (real glass - security?) so you don't get as much.
Bad news: The BA seat back entertainment is nowhere near as sophisticated as the Virgin system. And has some user interface horrors. (Not that the Virgin system is free of this. Come on people. It's not like making user interfaces is ground breaking with no experience to draw upon.)
But all in all, I'm now not sure whether I prefer BA or Virgin. Although to be honest I prefer not travelling at all, and using the money saved to buy beer or pizza (or tax-free investments).
Caveat: I got the impression from one of the cabin crew that it may not be standard BA policy to issue double rounds. Your mileage may vary. But getting everyone blotto at the start of the flight seems like a very clever way to send them to sleep, and actually make them drink less over the entire 11 hours.
