This is: A Tale of Two Cities (2010)
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
Thus begins Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, a title that I have shamelessly borrowed for my own little study in duality: two capital cities in two different continents; a journey taking place on the cusp of two seasons, featuring two large European airlines and their two distinctive first-class product offerings; short-haul content provided by a further two airlines contributing, in the event, two flights each; the airlines taken as a whole ultimately belonging to just two companies, and affiliated to two different global alliances. It was hardly surprising that I had the great writer's words in mind as my departure time approached, although I fervently wished that I would not experience both light and darkness, in a figurative sense, or despair as well as hope. As far as I was concerned, the worst of times was well and truly off the agenda.
Time now to pick up the story, in the somewhat unlikely setting of the Ingliston Park & Ride terminal on Edinburgh's western fringes, within line of sight of the airport. I'd spent a relatively normal day at work and had just completed a thoroughly ordinary bus journey back to my car. Now, however, instead of routinely heading for the M9, I only had to drive the short distance to my usual airport car park, transfer to the terminal, and I'd be on my way yet again! These preliminary tasks completed, I handed over my suitcase at the Star Gold fast bag drop, dropped by the E.A.T. counter to buy a pack of sandwiches and a piece of cheesecake, made my way towards Security, and immediately began to wonder whether my newly acquired food items would pass muster. They did, of course, and with that potential hurdle successfully negotiated, I was soon in the familiar surroundings of the bmi Diamond Club lounge and using my recent purchases to augment the complimentary offerings.
(Link to flight log in side panel)
We pick up the story again at Heathrow Terminal 1's Gate 78, one of the old BA domestic gates situated in that dreadful corrugated tube that always reminds me of a stretched Nissen hut on stilts. I made my way round to the baggage reclaim area, where it took fully twenty minutes for anything to appear. Plunging down into the bowels of Heathrow, I then just managed to miss a Heathrow Connect train to Terminal 4 but, as there was another due in seven minutes, this was no hardship. I rode the deserted train to T4, walked the familiar route to the Hilton (along another tube on stilts!) and checked in.
As I'd been upgraded to an Executive Room and it wasn't terribly late, I took the opportunity to visit the lounge for a nightcap, and to catch up on the latest news of the BA cabin crew strike that was due to start the following day. After that, I had a soothing cup of green tea in my room and went to bed.