Brian’s Travel Spot: Heading Home – Boston to London

My British Airways Boeing 777, waiting on the stand at Terminal 5 in Boston, ready to take me back to London. I wonder when I'll fly again?Welcome to the fifth and final instalment of this, the second (and possibly last) Travel Spot of 2020. It covers my recent trip to America, which began when I flew to Boston at the end of February. At that point I’d expected to spend five weeks in the US, culminating with two weeks in Chicago for work. However, as I explained in the previous instalment, the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic saw me abruptly cut short my trip the day after I arrived in Chicago, when I decided to head home.

I flew from Chicago to Boston on Monday, 16th March, staying overnight in an airport hotel so that I could catch my hastily rearranged flight back to the UK the following morning. It was a surreal experience, arriving at a near-deserted Chicago O’Hare airport on what should have been a busy Monday morning. However, that was nothing compared to my flight back to the UK, which is the subject of today’s Travel Spot.

It was as if someone had thrown a switch, changing the world almost overnight. When I’d flown to Chicago from Atlanta just three days before, the world had seemed pretty normal. Now it was anything but…


I’ve split the post into the following sections:


You can see how I got in during my one night in Boston after the gallery.

  • Another night, another hotel. I'll be in this one for about 14 hours.
  • I unpacked the important things: the computer, for my conference call...
  • ... and my coffee. I got this Papua New Guinea exactly a week before in Atlanta!
  • There was just time to make a pour-over before my conference call.
  • I went to get dinner during a break in the call (it tasted far better than it looked)...
  • ... and had enough time for a (decaf) Aeropress.
Another night, another hotel. I'll be in this one for about 14 hours.1 I unpacked the important things: the computer, for my conference call...2 ... and my coffee. I got this Papua New Guinea exactly a week before in Atlanta!3 There was just time to make a pour-over before my conference call.4 I went to get dinner during a break in the call (it tasted far better than it looked)...5 ... and had enough time for a (decaf) Aeropress.6
Photo Carousel by WOWSlider.com v4.6

I left Chicago on the morning of Monday, 16th March, arriving in Boston at 16:20 that afternoon. Part of the reason for doing the trip like this, split over two days, was that it left me free that evening to take part in a four-hour conference call for work. This, in turn, had been hastily arranged to replace the Chicago meetings, themselves the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I reached my hotel 40 minutes before the start of the call, giving me just enough time to check-in, set up my computer and, most important of all, make some coffee (using the excellent Papua New Guinea single-origin I’d picked up exactly a week before in Firelight Coffee Roasters in Atlanta). In terms of unpacking, that was the limit of what came out of my suitcase, since I would be leaving the hotel at six o’clock the following morning!

We had a half-hour break in the middle of the call, just long enough for me to run down to the hotel bar to order some food. In a sign of how quickly things had changed, while the hotel restaurant was still open, I was only allowed at the bar long enough to order. I then had to go back to my room, where I’d be called when my food was ready. I’d just made myself an Aeropress of (decaf) coffee when the restaurant called and down I went to the bar again, this time to collect my dinner.

Although the call was done by nine o’clock, I wasn’t that sleepy and I somehow managed to find enough things to keep me busy until midnight, when I finally went to bed. By then, everything was packed away, so all I had to do the following morning was wake up, get dressed and head down to the front desk, having reserved myself a slot on the six o’clock hotel shuttle.

I rarely sleep well before a flight and this was no exception, so although I’d had nearly six hours in bed, when I found myself down by the front desk, I’d had far less than six hours’ sleep. It turned out that I was the only passenger on the shuttle, which is just how it had been when I’d made the same journey in August last year. I even had the same driver! Back then, however, the hotel had only just opened; this time, it felt like it was closing down. As far as I know, I was one of just five guests that night.

Unsurprisingly, we made good time getting to the airport, and, unlike the previous time (just last month), the driver didn’t forget to drop me off at Terminal E (that was a different driver, I hasten to add)! By 06:10, I was at the airport, getting ready to check in.

You can see how I got on after the gallery.

  • I'm used to the airport being quiet at this time of the morning, but not this quiet.
  • Hardly anyone at security, either.
  • I went up to the lounge, which is normally quiet since there's only one flight before noon.
  • However, this time I pretty much had it to myself.
  • There were actually only two other people there (three if you count the staff!).
  • Oh well, it made getting pictures easier!
  • And it meant I had a pretty decent choice of seats!
  • I even had the bar to myself.
  • However, there is one downside to all this. This is where breakfast is normally served...
  • ... and, as you can see, the shelves were bare!
  • With no food or drink to be had at the lounge, I ended up here for breakfast!
  • But not for coffee. Instead, I got some hot water and made my own.
  • Then I settled down to do some work, picking my seat so that I overlooked our plane.
  • It was pretty gloomy outside...
  • ... with downtown Boston just about visible in the murk.
  • I wouldn't describe it as sunrise, more a gradual lightening.
  • Even the plane seems clearer!
  • Okay. That's defnitely better.
  • Looks like we've got a pushback tug. I suspect that means it's time to go.
  • The lounge has its own special gate at the back, which is handy.
  • Yes, that's us! Time to go.
I'm used to the airport being quiet at this time of the morning, but not this quiet.1 Hardly anyone at security, either.2 I went up to the lounge, which is normally quiet since there's only one flight before noon.3 However, this time I pretty much had it to myself.4 There were actually only two other people there (three if you count the staff!).5 Oh well, it made getting pictures easier!6 And it meant I had a pretty decent choice of seats!7 I even had the bar to myself.8 However, there is one downside to all this. This is where breakfast is normally served...9 ... and, as you can see, the shelves were bare!10 With no food or drink to be had at the lounge, I ended up here for breakfast!11 But not for coffee. Instead, I got some hot water and made my own.12 Then I settled down to do some work, picking my seat so that I overlooked our plane.13 It was pretty gloomy outside...14 ... with downtown Boston just about visible in the murk.15 I wouldn't describe it as sunrise, more a gradual lightening.16 Even the plane seems clearer!17 Okay. That's defnitely better.18 Looks like we've got a pushback tug. I suspect that means it's time to go.19 The lounge has its own special gate at the back, which is handy.20 Yes, that's us! Time to go.21
Photo Carousel by WOWSlider.com v4.6

Arriving at a near-deserted Chicago O’Hare airport the previous morning had been surreal enough, but this was something else. Bear in mind that this was the third time I’d taken an early morning international flight out of Boston, so I was used to the airport being quiet. Here, however, it was at another level of quiet. There were just a couple of fellow travellers at check-in and security and, within 10 minutes, I’d arrived at the lounge, where another surprise awaited me.

When I’d flown to Chicago from Atlanta just three days before, the lounge was operating normally. Two days later, on my flight into Boston, the lounge at O’Hare was serving individual portions of food, wrapped in clingfilm. Now, just one day later, the lounge here at Logan wasn’t serving anything. No food, no drinks, not even bottles or cans. Even the coffee machines had been turned off.

Whether this was purely down to COVID-19, I couldn’t tell. After all, a month earlier, the lounge had been fairly quiet, and that was when things were operating normally. We were the only flight that morning (the next flight, to Tokyo, wasn’t until five hours later) and there were just two other passengers in the lounge. With that in mind, maybe it made sense not to put on any kind of food service, which would have required the presence of several more staff (as it was, there was just one solitary member of staff on duty).

Of course, that meant no breakfast and, more important, no coffee, so I returned to the (near deserted) terminal to the only place that was open: Starbucks. Although I’m not a great fan of Starbucks, it has proved itself to be a great source of hot water at various airports around the world, and it didn’t let me down in my hour of greatest need. I also got breakfast, a porridge pot, reminiscent of the one I’d had on the train to Atlanta (only this one was nicer).

I used the hot water to make some coffee with my Travel Press, which I took back to the lounge. With nothing else to do, I set up my laptop at a window overlooking the plane and got on with some work while the sun rose over Boston. Well, I say the sun rose. Even though it had been glorious when I arrived the day before, Boston, like Chicago before it, was giving me a miserable send-off. It was a grey, cloudy day, with the temperature hovering just above 0°C and frequent sleet/rain showers.

Technically, my flight was supposed to board at 07:30, but there was no chance of that. As it was, we were called for boarding at 07:50, using our own dedicated gate at the back of the lounge. I packed up my things and made my way down to the plane, not wanting to keep the poor, lonely member of staff waiting any longer than necessary.

You can see what I made of the plane after the gallery.

  • My ride back to London Heathrow, a British Airways 777-200.
  • ... to have a nose around. I don't often have the chance to do this, so let's go!
  • This is the whole Club World cabin, seen from the back (all six rows of it).
  • Each row has a set of two seats by the windows on either side...
  • ... and one set of four seats in the centre. Not all seats are created equal though.
  • For example, the middle two are great if for a couple who want to sit side-by-side.
  • Meanwhile, if you'd booked this seat (12K) hoping for a window, you'd be disappointed!
  • I was flying Club World, which was nearly empty. A good enough excuse, I thought...
  • I'd made that mistake on a previous flight. Instead, this was my seat, 11K.
  • It's a standard Club World window seat. With a window!
  • The view from my seat. And here's the view looking...
  • ... to my right. I normally don't take this one since there's usually someone sitting there!
  • Behold, my legroom!
  • I had all the standard features, including the fold-down table and fold-out TV.
  • All the seat controls were there. Not that I needed to turn my seat into a bed.
  • There's at-seat power, both standard mains and USB. Not the easiest to access though.
  • The only storage space is this floor-level drawer, which is big enough for my laptop.
  • Later on during the flight, I went for a wander. There's a strange, narrow corridor...
  • ... where you'd expect the galley to be, while the galley itself is a little further on.
  • The all-important coffee-making section of the galley!
  • I also got to wander down to World Traveller Plus, which was completly empty!
  • Here's the whole cabin (all five rows of it) with four seats in a line across the middle...
  • ... seen here in the back row. There are also two pairs of seats on either side...
  • ... which is where I would have been, ideally in the aisle seat at the front!
  • This is a more modern fit out than the 777-200 I flew on at the end of January.
Photo Carousel by WOWSlider.com v4.6

At this point, I have a confession to make. Readers might remember that in January I said I’d avoid flying in Club World (aka business class) to/from America this year by returning on the day-time flight from Boston. And yet here I am, back in Club World. In my defence, I had every intention of flying in World Traveller Plus (aka premium economy) but when I came to arrange the flight back, a seat in Club World was, bizarrely, cheaper than one in World Traveller Plus.

We boarded quickly, and I found my seat, 11K, which was the second one along on the right-hand side of the plane. I was on a Boeing 777-200, which has a relatively small Club World cabin, with just six rows of eight seats. I’ve written a lot about British Airways’ Club World cabins in previous posts, so I won’t say too much about this one (one day, I hope to collect them all together in a handy cabin guide).

The flight was relatively empty, with just seven of us in Club World (out of a total of 48 seats) so social distancing wasn’t a problem! What was bizarre was that when I’d hastily re-arranged the flight about 36 hours earlier, most of the seats were shown as taken. Whether this was a sign that people were booked to travel who then didn’t, or whether it was a (very successful) attempt by British Airways to keep us all apart by making many of the seats unavailable, I don’t know.

As it was, once we were onboard, I could have had my pick of practically any of the seats. However, I was pretty happy with my choice (11K), so I stayed where I was. I like the window seats (as long as I avoid 12A / 12K, which each have a missing window, a mistake I’ve made before now), and my only issue on other flights has been the need to climb over the person in the seat behind when getting in and out. However, since there wasn’t anyone in that seat (or in any of the seats around me), it wasn’t an issue this time around.

I mentioned that the flight was relatively empty, with just seven of us in Club World. Later on I went for a walk and, to my surprise, discovered that the whole World Traveller Plus cabin (where I should have been) was empty, while back in World Traveller, I counted around 40 people. Chatting with the cabin crew, I discovered that First Class was also empty, with all the crew I talked to mentioned how strange it was, particularly in contrast to the flight they’d had on the way out to Boston on Sunday evening (which was when I was arranging my return home).

That flight, they told me, had been full, although that wasn’t surprising, since by then, the American authorities had announced their ban on travel from the UK/Ireland. Coupled with the ban on travel from Europe, which had just come into force, I expect that the plane was full of people trying to get into American while they still could.

However, I’m getting ahead of myself. By 08:10, we were boarded, with the doors closed and, for the first time I can remember, we left 15 minutes early!

You can see how the first part of the flight went after the gallery.

  • Getting started with a welcome drink. Orange jiuce for me, I think.
  • We pushed back 15 minutes early at 08:15...
  • ... and then sat and watched the safety video.
  • And we're off. The weather really is filthy this morning.
  • Time to say good bye to the terminal buildings for a while...
  • ... as we slowly make our way to the northern end of the runway.
  • That, by the way, is the runway we'll be taking off on.
  • Here's one of the planes ahead of us in the queue.
  • We're now in a queue at the northern end of the runway, waiting our turn.
  • The American Airlines flight takes off...
  • ... before the next one in line, from jetBlue, steps up.
  • And off it goes!
  • This is the queue of planes behind us as we turn at the top of the runway.
  • Not long now. Just this little fellow...
  • ... and this not so little one from Delta...
  • ... before it's our turn to thunder down the runway and into the air...
  • ... flying straight into the clouds!
  • However, my trusty map still knows where we are...
  • ... which is just as well given the view from the window!
  • We initally head south...
  • ... then turn east to fly across the harbour and out into the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Still nothing out of the window.
  • Time for the oboard map to take over!
  • And finally, at 5,000 m, ten minutes after taking off, we break through the clouds.
  • I hope flying over the tops of clouds never loses its magic for me.
  • Oh look! You can see my windows reflected in the engine. From the left, I'm windows 4-6.
  • Am I the only one who thinks the wing is way too narrow to support something this size?
  • We continue flying east while...
  • ... I get on with two important things: ordering breakfast and...
  • ... coffee!
  • After a while, we turn northeast...
  • ... to fly a route parallel to the coast of Nova Scotia...
  • ... which at least means that we are now flying in the direction of London!
  • Breakfast round one: smoked salmon.
  • ... served just as the clouds break and I can see the ocean some 12 km below!
  • Round 2: spinach and cheddar omelette.
  • Such a glorious blue!
  • By now we're flying alongside the Canadian coast. Next stop, London!
Photo Carousel by WOWSlider.com v4.6

We pushed back at 08:15, spending the obligatory five minutes on the tarmac for the safety video. We then started our taxi out to the runway. Fortunately, although the weather was foul, it wasn’t cold enough for us to need de-icing, so we went straight out to the runway. Well, I say straight out, but although people were starting to cut back on their flying, the airlines were still running a nearly full schedule (I’d seen a few cancellations on the departures board in the terminal), so we were in the usual queue.

After 10 minutes the pilot announced seats for takeoff and we inched forward each time a plane took off. After five more minutes, it was our turn. We swung around 180° onto the runway, and, at 08:30, our scheduled departure, we were airborne, disappearing into the low cloud about 30 seconds later!

We took off heading south, but, unlike my flight back from Boston six weeks before, when we’d swung around to the north to fly over the city, here we made a sharp turn to the east, heading straight out over the harbour. We spend a comparatively long time climbing through the cloud, finally breaking through into the clear blue skies at an altitude of around 5,000 metres, roughly ten minutes after takeoff.

With the pilot estimating just a six-hour flight time, the cabin crew were quickly into action with the meal service, although they may also have been aware that there’d been no breakfast in the lounge. Either way, I ordered coffee, which arrived at 08:55, with my food coming along 10 minutes after that.

Although my frequent flier profile with British Airways has me down for a vegetarian meal, somehow this had been translated into a low-calorie meal for that flight. Fortunately, we were significantly over-catered so the cabin crew were happy for me to order off the main menu, an option which I gratefully accepted. My starter, smoked salmon with a hard-boiled egg, arrived a few minutes later at 09:05 and was excellent. This was followed by my main, an equally fine spinach and cheddar omelette with mushrooms, roast tomatoes and potatoes (although I was very tempted by the buttermilk pancakes).

My omelette arrived at 09:30 by which time we’d settled into our route across the Atlantic, taking what is probably the most southerly course I’ve ever flown. We’d initially headed due east out of Boston for about 20 minutes before turning northeast to fly parallel to the coast of Nova Scotia, albeit some way out to sea. With breakfast out of the way and unable to settle to any work, I decided to watch a movie, which killed another couple of hours.

You can see how the rest of the flight went after the gallery.

  • By the time my movie was over, we had just over 2½ hours left to go.
  • I had another cup of coffee, then went for a wander...
  • ... before settling down to do some work. We had some turbulence...
  • ... and then some more as we approached the coast of Ireland.
  • With about 50 minutes to go, we cross the west coast of Ireland ...
  • ... not that I could tell by looking out of the window, since it was still cloudy!
  • Less than 10 minutes later and that's Ireland done.
  • At this point, the cabin crew came around with lunch/dinner depending on your timezone!
  • It takes less than 15 minutes to cross the Irish Sea when traveling at over 900 km/h.
  • Again, not that I would know it from looking out of the window!
  • We continue our steady progress, having crossed Wales and made our way into England.
  • Outside, I see the first hints of sunset.
  • I love looking at the tops of clouds though. What is causing that dip do you think?
  • Finally, there's a break in the cloud. Not enough that I can tell where we are, but still.
  • By now, we've flown south of Heathrow (over Weybridge) and it's getting more urban.
  • That's Epsom Common down below, with the Wells Estate in the middle...
  • ... something I saw as we did a big S shape to get us onto the correct approach.
  • The south west suburbs of London are surprisingly green.
  • Another good reflection in the engine cowling.
  • Meanwhile, looking behind us, the sunset is starting to take shape.
  • Even though we're getting very close to London, it's still very green down below.
  • The clouds are also coming back...
  • ... and the flaps have been extended.
  • It's at this point that we turn north, the sunset flooding in from the other side of the plane.
  • In all, we turn 180°, heading east along the Thames. That's Deptford Creek and this...
  • ... is a little further on, with Surrey Quays at the top of the picture.
  • And then it's back to the clouds and sunset above.
  • Another break in the clouds reveals Buckingham Palace and St James's Park.
  • And back to the sunset.
  • We're now not far from Heathrow. Just three minutes to go.
  • Sunset above the clouds, already night below. I'm sure that's a metaphor for something!
  • We break through the bottom of the cloud just in time for a glimpse of Wembly Arch...
  • ... while closer to hand, here's Griffin Park, the home of Brentford Football Club.
  • Almost there!
  • And we're down, landing on the northern runway.
  • It's a short taxi to the terminal, past a British Airways 747...
  • We end up a the B block of gates...
  • ... right at the far end, where we pull in...
  • ... alongside another 777-200. And I'm home.
Photo Carousel by WOWSlider.com v4.6

I finished the movie at noon, at which point I had a second cup of coffee before getting up to stretch my legs, which is when I realised how empty the rest of the plane was! I know that six hours sounds like a long time to be on a plane, but for me, it really is a short flight. By the time I returned from my stroll, there were only two hours to go, so I decided to get some work done.

This was particularly well-timed on my behalf since as soon as I’d sat down, we ran into some turbulence and the seat-belt signs came on. We had a second bout of turbulence about half an hour later and, shortly after that, we reached the west coast of Ireland. As we made our way across the Irish Sea, the cabin crew came around with was either a late lunch (it was 13:40, Boston time) or a light dinner (since it was 17:40, UK time). I had a vegetarian panini, by the way, which was very good.

We crossed the South Wales coast shortly after that, the pilot announcing that we were 40 minutes from Heathrow. Our route took us south of the airport, flying over Weybridge at 14:05, when the pilot asked the cabin crew to take their seats for landing. After executing a big S curve over south London, which saw us flying over the likes of Walton and Twickenham,  we made a 180° turn just south of the Isle of Dogs, which brought us in on a direct approach to the airport. Not that I saw much of this, since it was really cloudy down below, although I did get a nice sunset above the clouds.

We commenced our final approach at 14:15, finally passing through a thin layer of cloud (600m to 400m) before we landed at 14:20 on the north runway. For once, we made it to our gate in double quick time, pulling up at the far end of the B Block at 14:25, or 18:25 local time, a good 35 minutes ahead of schedule. I was off the plane, had retrieved my bags from the carousel and was out of the airport at 19:00, just when we had been scheduled to land!

For those of you who are confused about the timings, I did do the maths correctly. The US goes over to summer time a few weeks ahead of the UK, so for a short while, Boston is only four hours behind London (which is also why this flight left Boston an hour later than the corresponding flight I took at the end of January).


And there we have it, my return to the UK and, quite possibly, the last flight I’ll take a long while. Before I go, I want to pay tribute to all the staff I encountered on my return home, from the hotel staff in Chicago and Boston to the cabin crews and airport staff. I know (because I talked with many of them) that they were all worried about the future and what the COVID-19 pandemic might mean for their jobs.

For me, the COVID-19 pandemic is an inconvenience, but for them, their livelihoods are under threat. Despite that, without fail, everyone I dealt with was professional and courteous throughout. I look forward to the day when the travel restrictions can be safely lifted, and they can get back to work.


July 2021: I took my first flight in over 15 months when I travelled to Iceland for a short break with Amanda.

November 2021: I finally returned to America when I flew to Atlanta, returning from Boston a month later.


If you liked this post, please let me know by clicking the “Like” button. If you have a WordPress account and you don’t mind everyone knowing that you liked this post, you can use the “Like this” button right at the bottom instead. [bawlu_buttons]

Don’t forget that you can share this post with your friends using buttons below.

7 thoughts on “Brian’s Travel Spot: Heading Home – Boston to London

  1. Pingback: Canopy Coffee (COVID-19 Update) | Brian's Coffee Spot

  2. Pingback: Visiting Coffee Shops During COVID-19 | Brian's Coffee Spot

  3. Pingback: Visiting Coffee Shops During COVID-19: Reading and Chester | Brian's Coffee Spot

  4. Pingback: The Coffee Spot is Eight! | Brian's Coffee Spot

  5. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying to America During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Brian's Coffee Spot

  6. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Back to Boston in Economy | Brian's Coffee Spot

  7. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Returning from Boston in Premium Economy | Brian's Coffee Spot

Please let me know what you think. Guidelines for comments are in the "Posts" drop-down menu.