HOMEWARD BOUND

-mANCHESTER mADNESS
-hEATHROW TO lOS aNGELES
-world economy and airplane configurations

We were up at 5:00am. Quick shower, no coffee (damn it!), bags packed and schlepped to the front desk for check out. Manchester airport is larger than one might expect so be prepared to be crammed into an elevator because you are not allowed to take your bags on the escalator. Many people try and get busted by the "escalator police." You are better off spending your time waiting for a lift. By the way, the sequencing of the lifts that come and go have a "lift lottery" feel to them. Very random, indeed.
We arrived early at the customer service counter to find the line of passengers already queued up and extending far beyond the ticket counter and resembling a Disneylandesque meandering which had no discernible end.
The check-in kiosks were not operating so we deduced the erroneous conclusion that it was the reason for the long queue. Hahahaha,  Silly Americans! We were in the stupid line in the first place because we needed to merge our BA and AA itineraries so that we could check our 2 bags all the way through to LA.
At last when it was finally our turn we learned that the baggage belt was also not working. After having our boarding passes printed we then had to take our bags to the far corner of the room through crowds of disgruntled passengers, wait in another excruciatingly long line and give our bags to "baggage inspection." There was one man working this counter now trying to manage all of the passenger bags from the British Airways line. Sheesh. NO COFFEE YET!
From that point we went to security. We were pulled from the line and put thru pre-check. (There is a God) and then we were able to get into the boarding line.
Here's the moral to the story if you don't already have your boarding pass printed: Give yourself a lot of extra time...more than you can imagine you will need because of the lift lottery and to check your bags!
Arriving in London is a mixed-bag of hectic activity and confused international people dragging their baggage about 3 feet behind them, talking loudly on their cell phones and walking at a pace of your average 2 year old. There are also those who gather in the middle of the walk-way and have a conversation with each other causing everyone else to stop, change course and generally walk around these folks with their heads up their arses. Also, while we are on the subject of walking, remember you are in the U.K. Best to walk on the left...generally speaking. It isn't a hard and fast rule, but just as you will need to "mind the gap" and "look right" for oncoming traffic on a city street, you will want to be polite to the locals and give way whenever possible.
Worth knowing if you have never been there, Heathrow airport is like a giant city. At some point if you are changing planes you may need to ride a bus that will transport you to and from the terminals.
Expect a line for these busses. It felt like a few miles (I wish I were kidding) to our departure gate terminal. I don't believe there is a way to "walk it" even if you wanted.
There are lots of ships and places to eat in the international terminal. You will need to show your passport and boarding pass a few times more prior to boarding so I recommend you keep them in a handy pocket. Putting them in your purse will hold up a line. Don't do that if you can help it. It's just not nice.
You will have to go through security yet again prior to boarding but it does go fairly quickly. It isn't as intrusive as the first security check but do allow extra time for this. No short connections are possible in the physical world of London Heathrow Airport!
We flew business class on American in both directions and the service was amazingly good. Sorry United but American Airlines had the better attitude, food, choice of drinks, workable technologies, AV, and the reclining cubicle of a seat is fabulous!
While applying hand cream in the extra large and spacious bathroom, I felt bad for the people sitting in coach class. If you ever want a composite graphic of the economy of the world just look at airplane configurations. 4 -6 in First Class, 20-30 Business Class, and the rest are in Coach Class. It's an unsettling thought but a topic of much discussion these days when there are some people who fight tooth and nail against an increase in minimum wage to at least a liveable wage.