Introduction

I haven’t been back to Malta in quite a while, two years to be precise. Sooner or later, though, I hear the siren call of the Mediterranean beckoning me to return to the place where I was born. It’s hard to explain because I now consider Switzerland my home. But sometimes I need to return to Malta, as if just to check that it’s still there. That, and to have myself a Kinnie and pastizzi fix.

Getting to the Airport

My course at Lancaster University finishes at noon on Friday. At 14h40 I catch an Avanti West Coast train from Lancaster bound for London’s Euston Station. The journey from Lancaster to London should take two hours and thirty minutes, with four stops on the way. I like Lancaster Station. It looks a lot like the stations in the Thomas the Tank Engine books I loved so much as a kid!

The train to London pulls into the station on time. The First Class coaches are at the front of the train, and they’re not very full. Which is probably why I was able to book a single seat.

As soon as the train pulls out of the station, one of the stewards brings me the menu and takes my drink order. This is rather nice!

The service on the train is great. However, just out of Preston the train abruptly stops because of some stupid woman walking along the railway tracks. By the time the transport police have apprehended her for trespassing and we can move again, we’re running an hour late. Which is no big deal, if it weren’t for the fact that the aircon has packed it in and it’s stifling inside the train.

Eventually, I arrive at Euston at 18h16. It’s such a relief to step off the train and get some fresh air! I could now walk ten minutes to St. Pancras Station and catch a Thameslink train from there direct to Gatwick via Blackfriars and London Bridge. Or… I could make my way to Piccadilly by Tube and have a Grand Thali at Masala Zone to reward myself for surviving three hours and half on that stuffy train.

From Piccadilly I take the Tube to Victoria, from where I’ll be taking the train to Gatwick Airport. Alongside the Gatwick Express there are also regular trains that make the journey from Victoria. If you’re booking in advance, the cheap tickets are usually bound to a specific train. So you may be more flexible buying a ticket once you get to Victoria. In any case, the journey to Gatwick Airport takes about thirty minutes – calling at Clapham Junction and then Croydon, which is where the original London Airport once stood.

In Gatwick, I’m staying at the fabulous Sofitel at the North Terminal. The next morning I wake up very, very early. I quickly shower, check-out and take the shuttle that connects the North to the South Terminal.

Check-In

I’ve checked in on the app. But I’ll still have to stop at the counter to drop off my bag. Judging by the look of the seatmap, it’s going to be a full flight.

In the South Terminal, British Airways checks in on row A. On the far left is a lounge area with several counters dedicated to Club Class passengers and two for First Class passengers.

From check-in I head one floor up to security, which is thorough and efficient. There’s a dedicated fast track, which helps. From security, I fight my way through the large duty free area and then head up three floors to the British Airways lounge.

The British Airways Lounges at Gatwick South

The British Airways Lounges are located on the top floor of the South Terminal. The Club Lounge is rather big. Most importantly, it has some really sweet views of the main concourse, which runs parallel to the runway. Frankly, this is a much, much nicer lounge than the ones in Heathrow. In fact, the whole experience is a lot more pleasant than Heathrow.

Boarding

Boarding is from gate 18. The gate assignment shows up on the departures screen at 05h40. There’s no wait and passengers can walk straight onto the plane after their boarding pass has been scanned.

The Cabin & Seat

I know I keep saying this, but it’s true: I really don’t know how BA does it. There are ten rows of Business Class on today’s flight, for a total of forty seats. What’s even more impressive, is that the Business Class cabin is sold out, save for 1D, next to me, which remains empty.

The Service & Crew

There are five cabin crew, and all of them seem very young. But that’s probably more because I’m getting old. The crew are great. Their manners are really sweet and they’re very polite. There is no service while we’re still on the ground. SWISS and Air France are two of the few airlines I can think of that still offer water and a towel while still on the ground in short-haul Business Class these days.

The captain comes on the loudspeaker to welcome us aboard. He tells us there’s a slot restriction in place, which means we won’t be taking off until 06h55. Thirty minutes late. Even so, with a fairly short flight time of two hours and 35 minutes, we’re still looking at an on time arrival in Malta. While we wait, the crew hand out the menus for the flight.

The Meal – Breakfast

The meal service starts right after the seatbelt sign is turned off. First, the crew pass through the cabin with the drinks trolley. I have a tea with milk and a still water with lemon.

A short while later, the lovely purser comes to inquire about my choice for breakfast. I’m surprised that there are three options for breakfast. One is the traditional English breakfast, the next is a vegetarian equivalent. And then there’s the third option, which is a continental breakfast.

I go with the vegetarian option, which is rather nice, except for the non-meat sausage, which is an abomination.

Once the meal is over, the crew remove the trays. They also set up a basket in the galley with snacks for passengers to help themselves. The purser tells me that, normally, the crew pass through the cabin with the basket. But with such a large Business Class cabin, she’s not sure there’s enough to go around. Throughout the flight, the crew are present in the cabin, kept busy replenishing and offering more drinks.

Forty minutes out of Malta, we reach the Sicilian coastline. And shortly after, the aircraft starts to slow down and goes into a slow descent towards Malta. And it looks like it’s my lucky day. Not only are approaches from the south, but we’re also doing an east side downwind circuit, which means that I have a perfect view of the islands as we come in.

We fly past Valletta and then keep going past Delimara point. Eventually, we round the southern tip of the island to line up for landing on runway 31 over St. George’s Bay and Birzebbuga.

We vacate the runway at the very end, and taxi past the old terminal to the new Apron X, which only just opened this year to handle both the increase in traffic and to better accommodate wide body aircraft.

Getting into Valletta

I exit the terminal and there’s already a bus to Valletta standing there. The bus driver tells me he’ll be leaving in seven minutes. I pay for the ticket on the bus. You can just tap in with your credit card or pay in cash. The trip costs EUR3 and takes fifteen minutes in good traffic.

Conclusion

This was a nice flight with British Airways. The crew were just so friendly and really made an effort. The seat was perfectly adequate and comfortable for a flight of over two hours, with good pitch. And the food was also rather nice – except for the veggie sausage perhaps…