New York Bound With Sir Michael Caine

It’s not every day you find yourself in the company of Sir Michael Caine as your plane makes its steep ascent out of sunny Leeds and breaks through the clouds with the Big Apple firmly in its sights.

Then again, it would be foolish to assume that one of Britain’s most famous sons had just polished off a plate of haddock and chips at the Wetherby Whaler, before heading back to the more salubrious surrounds of health conscious New York.

Sir Michael – he of The Italian Job – and, indeed, Joanna Lumley, she of Absolutely Fabulous, were both on the British Airways flight out of Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBA) to Heathrow…….but not in the flesh of course!

They have been immortalised in BA’s in-flight safety video which is not only hilarious, and a stroke of creative genius I would add, but comes as a refreshing surprise after years of listening to a string of turgid safety guidelines, all of which involve cabin crew pointing at exit doors in unison!

This time the cabin crew were still there and still pointing, only Caine, along with Lumley and a string of other A-Listers, take over the safety video with their own brand of self-deprecating humour and, guess what? You find yourself listening and enjoying the finer merits of saving your life ‘in the unlikely event of the plane having to make an emergency landing!’


Recently, KLM promoted a ‘Fly Local’ campaign as one of the international airlines that has been quick to realise there are a lot of regional dollars to be had from affluent travellers wanting to head for exotic climes without the hassle of an arduous journey to the likes of Manchester Airport or, for that matter, some of the other larger aviation hubs in the UK.

So, this latest assignment to New York was the perfect opportunity to work with Yorkshire Times travel partner, British Airways, another of the major airlines that is increasingly keen to take advantage of the important ‘regional’ market.

And they’re doing it by offering flights across the globe from Leeds Bradford Airport, using Heathrow as an international hub in the same way that KLM fly out of LBA but use Amsterdam’s Schiphol to fulfil a similar requirement.

This time Britain’s flagship airline invited me to sample their Leeds to New York service! I agree, it does sound a little far-fetched when you consider that LBA check in can be reached with just a quick sprint across from the Hawthorne Farm carvery at Yeadon, a hop and a jump from Leeds Bradford Airport.

But, despite suspicions to the to the contrary, there are lots of British Airways signs at Leeds Bradford Airport and you can fly all over the world using Britain’s ‘mother’ carrier; honest! LBA is no longer just the domain of Jet2 and Ryanair with the odd flight to Guernsey thrown in courtesy of Aurigny.

The flight to London was so easy and, interestingly, the check-in assistant was eager to confirm that all travellers had the necessary US visas or Electronic System for Travel Authorisations (ESTAs) in place before he would process baggage; if you don’t you will most likely be turned back by Homeland Security as you land at New York’s JFK airport; be warned!

However, a note of caution. What I hadn’t realised, at this point, was that baggage was checked straight through to New York’s JFK which is fine if you are taking a connecting flight out of Heathrow a few hours later. However, if you are staying at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel at Terminal 5 for the evening, and your connecting US flight isn’t until the following morning, then you probably won’t have a toothbrush, toiletries, deodorant or all those other little niceties, that you might require for your evening stay in the hotel. I didn’t!

However, a minor inconvenience I would say, compared to the immense gain of being able to fly out of a highly convenient regional airport.

As I stepped on to the plane it was immediately obvious that the female cabin assistant was a Northern lass. “Shouldn’t you be saying ‘ey up’ as we all get on like the Hale and Pace sketch?” I quipped.

She burst out laughing. “Ooh I loved that,” she said. “I’m from Lancashire and I roared when I saw them serving up fish, chips and mushy peas to passengers in old newspapers.”

I was a ‘Euro Traveller’ which, in simple terms seems to equate to being an ‘ordinary man.’ If you wanted food or nibbles during the one hour flight to London then you had to get out your credit card; no cash accepted.

However, my travelling colleague was in the Club Europe seats towards the front of the plane which was the posher bit! He got champers, smoked salmon and a thick ear at the moment my jealousy rage reached its height.

We said our goodbyes to our lady cabin crew who was still smiling about the Hale and Pace sketch; she winked knowingly and grins were exchanged.

“Can we walk to the Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel,” I asked the shuttle bus driver. He shook his head. “Too far,” he said in broken English. It was £6 one way, £11 for a return to Terminal 5 for our 11.20am flight the following morning. Make sure you have exact cash or a credit card; cash is now viewed with more derision than pork at a Jewish wedding!




It took about 20 minutes to get to the Radisson but the journey was well worth it. This beautifully appointed hotel boasts gorgeous rooms and an amazing restaurant called the Steak & Lobster, which doubles up as the breakfast room. It also features the Annayu Indian restaurant.

Staff could not have been more helpful; it was heaving. “It’s Friday,” said our waiter. “A lot of people who work locally come out for a night after work,” he added, “because we have a big food reputation in these parts.” He was right. You will be fed well!

It was a little pricey but the quality was unquestionable – the same was true at breakfast. “Nice tattoos,” I said to the two lads sitting next to me, half suspecting that they were a couple of working guys spending the night in the hotel whilst carrying out an assignment. It turned out they were mechanical engineers.

“I regret the day I had them all done,” he replied, following through with a smirk. “At least my wife will be able to make a nice lampshade made when I’ve popped my clogs!” he said. We talked and enjoyed breakfast together.

“My God,” my travelling companion had said the night before. “The wi-fi here has a 120 Mb download and an 80Mb upload speed, which is blisteringly fast.” This, I am assured, is perfect for video conferencing.


It was 8.23am the following morning; we missed our Terminal 5 shuttle bus!
We were on time but the visiting coach parked outside the hotel was so big that it had unwittingly masked the much smaller shuttle bus from view and a bunch of us were left looking like prunes until the next one arrived half an hour later.

However, because our main luggage had been checked straight through to New York the previous day, we were able to get to Terminal 5 quickly and walk straight through customs; there were clear advantages to having missed out on a toothbrush! We even had time to check out BA’s lounge, which is well worth using if you are a couple of hours in advance of your flight.

The flight to JFK was in World Traveller Plus, not business, but not economy, however, it gives you some much welcome extra leg room. The service was exemplary, the food tasty and the seats comfortable.

“In 10 minutes we will begin our descent into New York,” said the captain. It was hard to believe that our seven hour flight was all but over and the 18 day adventure had barely begun.

Next stop New York City and then it would be on to Chicago!

Fact Box

For all things British Airways – BA.com
Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow radissonhotels.com/Heathrow

For more information on the breadth of experiences found across the USA, please visit www.visittheusa.co.uk