It’s been very interesting to watch the events unfold with the opening of Heathrow’s new Terminal 5.  As a Heathrow avoider of many, many years (I’ll go to Amsterdam and fly via Schipol Airport rather than endure Heathrow’s horrendous travelling nightmares), I wondered if the airport’s brand new shiny terminal was going to be its crowning glory.  I even considered that if it was so good it might be worth giving Heathrow another try.  Alas the horrors of Heathrow live on in Terminal 5.  From the news reports it looks as if it has even bypassed some of its own records when it comes to throwing into the travel plans of holidaymakers!

Why is it that Heathrow, which should be our country’s flagship airport, has been designed in such a way as to make travelling through it one of the most stressful parts of going overseas on holiday?  Why hasn’t it been designed in a way that makes travel fun and easy?  Last time I went through Heathrow I – as with many other passengers – had to negotiate myself and my luggage from one baggage retrieval point in one terminal to a check-in desk in another terminal.  This meant not only having to physically ensure that all of my luggage made it to the bus, but also having to stand suspended by little more than a leather strap whilst trying to keep a close guard on my bags because the bus was so crowded.   Why can’t something be done – like bigger buses, better thought out layouts for inside buses, even more buses (like a constant conveyor belt of them so that people didn’t all try to cram on the same bus because they had to get to their next check-in desk on time in order to make their flight and the next bus might make the connection too tight)?  I wonder if the Heathrow bigwigs have ever travelled as a regular passenger (ie not staff, not VIP, not first)  If they have, have they done it with two small children and a baby (plus obligatory buggy)?  If not, they have no idea about the real issues facing passengers who use their airport.

The baggage issues are hilarious.  OK, so I’m sorry if you’re one of the people who had their holiday spoilt because of the baggage problems, that’s not fun. No one enjoyes having to deal with the all too beautiful “I’ve just had a face lift“ helpers who just frustrate you even more with their niceness. However Heathrow was notorious for not being able to get baggage and traveler on the same plane before the new terminal was even thought of, so it’s a little strange that they didn’t think about how to make this part of the process more effective (and even –dare one say–test it) when the plans for T5 were being made!  

For the moment, I think it’s safe to say that I’ll continue to avoid the having to que and the dodgy coffee the vending machines give you at Heathrow and it’s horrible reputation for stranding and separating people and their luggage.  There are far more friendly airports to use as a gateway to the rest of the world, and most of them have a reputation for getting passengers where they need to be, with the right luggage, at the right time.  It raises the question however, if other airports can do this, why does Heathrow make such a mess of it?

Breakfast is big business in the fast food industry.  Many fast food outlets are jumping on the wagon with a wide ranging menu of breakfast items.  Yes, having a fast food start to the day may well leave you in need of some lunchtime smart lipo, but it tastes so good! Recently I’ve discovered that whilst burgers may be similar across the board despite specialty breads, burger size and sundry extras, breakfast is one way to separate the best from the rest!

As a regular breakfaster at McDonalds I am used to a varying breakfast menu.  It offers me the choice of a simple bacon sandwich, a more exotic choice of pancakes and syrup, or even a mix of eggs and pancakes, and not forgetting the crunchy hash browns.  I enjoy the range, although I have to confess to a weakness for the pancakes and syrup! 

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A couple of weeks ago however I found myself looking for breakfast in an area where there wasn’t any McDonalds.  There was a Burger King however and so I decided to check out the breakfast competition there.  What an anti-climax!  There is no breakfast competition here – well not to McDonalds anyway! 

The first thing that struck me was the narrowness of the menu, plus the fact that that Burger King was serving burger options as part of their breakfast specials.  There was a bacon and egg sandwich, which I did order, but when it came it wasn’t as tasty as the McDonald’s similar item, plus the bacon wasn’t just crispy, it was completely frazzled.   It was possible to get a Burger King alternative to the large hash browns served at McDonalds, but they were smaller and tasted oilier. The coffee tasted like it was straight out of a vending machine.  Overall I also thought the price for the breakfast menu was much higher than I would have paid for more variety and better quality at McDonalds.

One thing that I did see on the menu that my partner enjoyed was porridge oats.  This was little more than a cup-a-soup in a porridge format, but it was something that I haven’t seen at McDonalds, and as such it did give a slight rise in the interest level of the menu items – but not much! 

So having been forced by circumstance to experience fast food breakfast at one of McDonald’s main competitors, I can safely say that whilst their burgers may be much of a muchness, McDonald’s definitely has the upper hand when it comes to breakfast.  I’ll not be going to Burger King for breakfast again anytime soon!