Flights you have been on

[MasterSpenny]

What airline?

British Airways

Must have been painful!

Sorry, that was an accidental typo for vacation. I’ve fixed it now.

 

[ld0595]

Last month I had the immense pleasure of flying Etihad in Business Class between London and Japan. Japan had been on my list for years and I found a great fare from London late last year so had to book it! I was looking through my photos tonight of that trip and wanted to do a short writeup to re-live part of it!

First leg was a morning flight on the A380, arriving into Abu Dhabi in the evening. We checked in about 2.5h before our flight, having stayed at Heathrow the night before after flying down from Glasgow. T4 was an absolute breeze to get through and I was surprised as how quiet it was. I had a wander round the terminal and watched my inbound flight arrive from Abu Dhabi before settling down in the lounge for some breakfast and tea. The lounge itself was fine but lacking in runway views which I always appreciate.



We left Heathrow about 45 minutes late but still got into Abu Dhabi slightly early.

I made the mistake of having too much to eat in the lounge so I didn't bother having much food on the first leg. I ended up having Etihad's well known steak sandwich after a an hour or so. I'd watched countless reviews of Etihad in anticipation of this flight and everyone recommended trying this - it was excellent as expected! I also tried the sandwich selection which was equally as tasty.





The seat itself (8A) was very comfortable and I appreciated the storage bins which gave an immense amount of room. This one sits closer to the window giving a decent amount of privacy as well. The curvature of the A380 fuselage limits the view out the window though (as you may be able to see in the photo below of the snow topped mountains over central Turkey), however this is made up with cameras showing the outside view. My partner was in 9C behind me which sits backwards and is closer to the aisle, however it had a small divider which could be drawn to give some more privacy.



I think this was my seventh flight on the A380 and it still never fails to impress me with how comfortable it is. Takeoff is always incredibly smooth and it flattens out turbulence like nothing else I've been on. The highlight was the onboard lounge which I sat at with my partner for about two hours with a few more drinks. It's not a proper bar like Emirates but it was nice to spend some time there in a different area and chat for a while. It was used for most of the flight (never full though) but for the last hour or so it was just us. We've never done anything like this before so it was an absolute novelty for us!


Soon after, we arrived into the new terminal at Abu Dhabi airport. We went straight to the lounge but it was vast, clean and modern. Transferring was a breeze as well and we were in the lounge about 30 minutes after arriving. The lounge was equally as impressive, sitting over three floors and having several bars/rest areas. We settled down for about an hour before heading onto our next flight to Narita.

We were originally set to fly the A350 but this was sadly switched to a 777 about a month before flying. I didn't take many photos of the seat but it was a much older product without much privacy or storage space and the air is much drier being an older generation of aircraft. Still, having a flat bed seat on a 9 hour flight is a privilege so I can't really complain.

We boarded on time but sat on the taxiway for what must have been 30/40 minutes without any announcement. We took off just before 2am Abu Dhabi time / 11pm BST and set of on the 9 or so hours to Tokyo. I didn't make the mistake of stuffing myself in the lounge this time so had enough room for a starter (salmon and salad) followed by a main (sea bass). I was pretty shattered afterwards and didn't bother with dessert.


Salmon salad starter


Sea bass main

I managed a solid 5/6 hours of sleep which was great. I got woken up by turbulence a few times the rocking also helped me sleep again pretty quickly! This was soon after the recent Singapore Airlines incident so staff seemed to be pretty on the ball with making sure people were properly belted in. I had a cup of tea when waking up but wasn't hungry for breakfast. We arrived into Narita slightly early at about 12:45 local time and got through immigration in about an hour.

The return flight was two weeks later on a 787-9 followed by another A380. Both aircraft had the same seat and were incredibly comfortable again. I won't bore you all with the details of the return flights since they were pretty much the same, but a highlight was having a bus gate on arrival at Abu Dhabi and getting to disembark via stairs. I've not often done this on widebody aircraft but it really gives some scale of how massive these beasts are! I'm surprised they were using bus gates at the brand new terminal though. The connecting A380 to Heathrow also boarded directly from the lounge which was a novelty.



Overall, four fantastic flights that I wish lasted slightly longer! The crews weren't the most personable but were quick to deal with anything which is all I can ask for. The seats were comfortable, even those on the 777, the IFE had a good selection and the lounge in Abu Dhabi was a very pleasant place to spend a few hours between flights. My only gripe was that there were few showers in the lounge and there didn't seem to be any sort of formal queuing situation.. but that's a first world problem. It's an immense pleasure to take these flights and it's nothing I'd take for granted. I'd have no hesitation to recommend people to do the same if you find a good enough deal.

Next few flights will be a slight downgrade... Wizzair to Gdansk in August followed by Ryanair to Wroclaw in December. Back to what I'm used to!

 

[MasterSpenny]

Last night (Sunday the 7th of July, 2024) and into this morning saw my return from New York to London Heathrow, and let’s be real it all went downhill very fast. This was also with British Airways.

Firstly, we were due to leave at 6:50 pm, but we didn’t because the electricity supply went out, meaning the slot for takeoff was missed, but it was fixed. Unfortunately, because of this, we landed in Heathrow about 30 minutes late. There was tailwind going across the Atlantic Ocean which made the journey much quicker than the other direction (going from London to New York was 7 hours and 10 minutes, whilst coming back was just 5 hours and 55 minutes)!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

July 4th holiday weekend while wife is back in the UK

03/07/24 CHA-DTW DL4839 Canadair RJ 900
03/07/24 DTW- PDX DL634 Boeing 737
overnight

04/07/24 PDX-SEA DL4049 Embraer 175
04/07/24 SEA-KOA DL565 Airbus 321
overnight

05/07/24 KOA-OGG HA139 Boeing 717
05/07/24 OGG-LNY Mokulele 9X750 Cessna208 Grand Caravan EXB
05/07/24 LNY-HNL Mokulele 9X715 Cessna208 Grand Caravan EXB
overnight

06/07/24 HNL-MSP DL309 Boeing 767
Redeye overnight

07/07/24 MSP-ATL DL1052 Airbus 321
07/07/24 ATL-CHA DL3141 Boeing 717

CHA = Chattanooga
DTW = Detroit
PDX = Portland, Oregon
SEA = Seattle
KOA = Kona Hawaii
OGG = Kahalui Maui Hawaii
LNY = Lanai Hawaii
HNL = Honolulu Hawaii
MSP = Minneapolis St Paul Minnesota
ATL = Atlanta Georgia


7 plane types
1 new redline plane type - the Cessna
1 new airline- Mokulele
10 airports
1 new airport (LNY)
10 flights
4 different Hawaiian Islands – 1 new --- Lanai
6/7 Delta flights upgraded to 1st class

 

[Bald Rick]

There was tailwind going across the Atlantic Ocean which made the journey much quicker than the other direction (going from London to New York was 7 hours and 10 minutes, whilst coming back was just 5 hours and 55 minutes)!

That is almost always the case. I’ve done a sub 5h30 NY - LHR, and just before Covid there were a couple of examples of sub 5 hours, which must have been quite bumpy!

 

[AlterEgo]

There was tailwind going across the Atlantic Ocean which made the journey much quicker than the other direction (going from London to New York was 7 hours and 10 minutes, whilst coming back was just 5 hours and 55 minutes)!

That's entirely normal - the jet stream alters eastbound and westbound flight times significantly.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

That's entirely normal - the jet stream alters eastbound and westbound flight times significantly.

Correct even between the east and west coasts of the USA - quite significant differences sometimes.

 

[thejuggler]

Just had

Manchester - Belfast City. Out Monday, back Tuesday. Carparking @ Manchester more than the flights.

Did Leeds - Belfast a couple of weeks ago, out on a Monday, back Thursday. Second flight with Emerald on their ATR which is an excellent aircraft. Cost about £70 return, £2.30 for 15 minute bus ride to city centre. Recommended for a visit.

 

[Tester]

Assuming historical flights may be of interest, I flew from Sydney to Hong Kong (Kai Tak, the old airport) in the late 90s in the days when you could go 'up front'.

So sitting in the jump seat for landing, the captain said, "See that red and white checkerboard on the side of the mountain? - basically we aim for that, and just before we crash into it, we do a hard right and drop on to the runway".

And that is pretty much what we did - quite amazing!

I subsequently worked out where the checkerboard was and tracked it down by road. There is a footbridge just above it, clearly well known, as there were several photographers there watching the action.

Sadly no longer.

 

[sk688]

Two in the last week

BA923

Dublin to London Gatwick

Very unusual flight this , operated by Aer Lingus Regional atr72 turboprops , and a new one for me , as while i've used Aer Lingus Regional planes to fly into Bristol/Birmingham etc, this was the first time it's been on a BA flight , as opposed to having an EI number. Also while the boarding pass was BA-issued and check in was through the BA app ,there were no free snacks , although I was lucky enough to get allocated row 1 with the most legroom.

BA4460

London City to Dublin

BA Cityflyer flight , in an E190 without the densified layout. Cityflyer is my preferred way of choice for this short-hop, due to the 2-2 seating pattern, generous legroom & comfortable seating, along with the better choice of free drink and snack.

Unfortunately a radio issue on the flight meant we left LCY 45 mins down.

 

[nw1]

Assuming historical flights may be of interest, I flew from Sydney to Hong Kong (Kai Tak, the old airport) in the late 90s in the days when you could go 'up front'.

So sitting in the jump seat for landing, the captain said, "See that red and white checkerboard on the side of the mountain? - basically we aim for that, and just before we crash into it, we do a hard right and drop on to the runway".

And that is pretty much what we did - quite amazing!

I subsequently worked out where the checkerboard was and tracked it down by road. There is a footbridge just above it, clearly well known, as there were several photographers there watching the action.

Sadly no longer.

Looked into this, assuming the checkerboard was around 600 metres above sea level or something like that and on fairly sizeable mountains.

In fact, it's on a small hill only 100 metres high, and the flights performed the sharp rightwards turn only around 300m above sea level. That must have been quite something, doubly so as the planes had to expertly navigate between high-rise blocks, it seems.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Yesterday I did MAN-MCO on VS75 x Airbus 350. Then onward to ATL (Boeing 757) and then CHA (Boeing 717) .

MAN = Manchester UK
MCO = Orlando, Florida
ATL = Atlanta, Georgia
CHA = Chattanooga Tennessee

 

[MasterSpenny]

On Sunday night (and into Monday morning), the 28th and 29th of July 2024, I did a flight from London Heathrow (Terminal 2) to Bangkok with Thai Airways, and I believe it was on this flight I have slept the most - it was about 11 hours and I slept about 6 hour straight after reaching cruising altitude!

 

[nlogax]

Yesterday I did MAN-MCO on VS75 x Airbus 350. Then onward to ATL (Boeing 757) and then CHA (Boeing 717) .

Those 717s still going? Last one I sat on was wearing TWA colours at the turn of the millennium.

 

[Bungle158]

Those 717s still going? Last one I sat on was wearing TWA colours at the turn of the millennium.

I did a 717 flight with Volatea ATH-HER back in 2000. I believe they have now retired this aircraft completely.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Those 717s still going? Last one I sat on was wearing TWA colours at the turn of the millennium.

Hawaii Airlines and Delta are still using them. I think Delta plans to retire them next year. I don’t know when Hawaiian plans to.

 

[Cross City]

Those 717s still going? Last one I sat on was wearing TWA colours at the turn of the millennium.

Flew on an AirTran one in around 2012 between DCA and ATL (very nice aircraft actually), many of these were ex-TWA frames.

TWA ordered 50 but only saw delivery of a dozen or so before the American Airlines merger. AA cancelled the remaining order and got shot of the ones the did have quickly to AirTran and Qantas.

Delta still fly 80 or so I think, out of Atlanta mostly, unsurprisingly.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Flew on an AirTran one in around 2012 between DCA and ATL (very nice aircraft actually), many of these were ex-TWA frames. [snip]

Delta still fly 80 or so I think, out of Atlanta mostly, unsurprisingly.

Which is how Delta acquired them. AirTran was purchased by Southwest who are known as an all Boeing 737 airline (part of their business model). So, Southwest put the 717s up for sale and Delta gladly acquired them all. I fly them very regularly from Chattanooga - Atlanta and return.

When I go to Hawaii they are used exclusively by Hawaiian Airlines on the inter-island services.

 

[Cross City]

Which is how Delta acquired them. AirTran was purchased by Southwest who are known as an all Boeing 737 airline (part of their business model). So, Southwest put the 717s up for sale and Delta gladly acquired them all. I fly them very regularly from Chattanooga - Atlanta and return.

When I go to Hawaii they are used exclusively by Hawaiian Airlines on the inter-island services.

Indeed, I think Delta had some of their own before getting the AirTran ones. Delta loved the MD80 so it was a natural progression for them.

Delta in general really like keeping hold of older aircraft, how they still make money flying the 767-400 TATL with an inferior product to other US and European airlines is beyond me. Mind you United still send some 767-300s into Heathrow too.

 

[nlogax]

Thanks all. Nice to know some t-tails are keeping aloft! I have happy memories of that 717 plus a whole bunch of random DC9s / MD80s on other domestic routes.

 

[Dstock7080]

June trips:
BA458 LHR-MAD A320
AV17 MAD-MDE B787-8 N784AV business.
VE6925 EOH-CLO HK-5331 ATR42-600
AV9382 CLO-MDE A320 N345AV
AV9360 MDE-ADZ A320 N920AV
AV8441 ADZ-MDE A320 N821AV (retro LACSA)
AV16 MDE-MAD B787-8 N783AV business
BA463 MAD-LHR A320N G-NEOU.

 

[MasterSpenny]

Yesterday (at the time of writing this post the 4th of August), I did Bangkok to Bali for the second part of a holiday I’m on. This was a Thai Airways flight, and it was on a Boeing 777, despite the flight being quite short. The flight length for this flight was roughly 3 hours and 40 minutes.

 

[MasterSpenny]

This is one I have been forgetting to write up. On the 11th of August, and into the 12th of August, I did my return trip from Bali to Bangkok, then Bangkok to London Heathrow. This was across two different flights, both of which were operated by Thai Airways with Boeing 777s. On the second flight, I think I had the best sleep I’ve ever had on a plane! The flights in and out of Bangkok were 4 hours apart so I fell asleep basically as soon as I got on the seat, and then woke up seeing there was only 3 hours left!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

This is one I have been forgetting to write up. On the 11th of August, and into the 12th of August, I did my return trip from Bali to Bangkok, then Bangkok to London Heathrow. This was across two different flights, both of which were operated by Thai Airways with Boeing 777s. On the second flight, I think I had the best sleep I’ve ever had on a plane! The flights in and out of Bangkok were 4 hours apart so I fell asleep basically as soon as I got on the seat, and then woke up seeing there was only 3 hours left!

I love it when things work out this well. I have never flow Thai Airways but sounds like a nice experience. The 777 I have had on numerous occasions.

 

[Cross City]

The 777 I have had on numerous occasions.

Always find the triples very hit or miss. Loved my couple of rides on BA ones, particuarly their -200s.

The American -300ER however is possibly the worst thing I've ever flown on, and I've got a few legs in a DC3 and Let410s in my logbook.

 

[nlogax]

The American -300ER however is possibly the worst thing I've ever flown on

Did one of those in Flagship First from LAX to LHR the other week and honestly, it was pretty good though not a high bar to surpass with previously dreary experiences on AA, BA and Emirates. Interesting to note Flagship First will be disappearing in coming years as AA moves to business-only upfront.

 

[sk688]

In the last week

EI262 - Dublin to Birmingham 24/08

Standard short trip down to Birmingham , arrived even earlier than usual which was a nice bonus

FR905 London to Dublin 30/08

Just my luck that the one time I didn't want to return to Dublin, that I ended up landing at Dublin. Flight was headed for Knock , and was half an hour late leaving standard due to a late running fuelling.

When near Knock Airport after half an hour in the holding position the pilot announced that due to low fog and mist at Knock, that the flight would be diverted to Dublin, with the hope of refuelling at Dublin and returning to Knock, much to the ire of some on board. Once arrived at Dublin, the much-dreaded "we will be using coaches instead" announcement arrived , so I opted to go home first before getting the afternoon train down to my intended final destination of Westport.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Interesting to note Flagship First will be disappearing in coming years as AA moves to business-only upfront.

yes the trend seems to be Business up front, economy in the back and economy plus ( or other fancy name) in the middle.

 

[route101]

Flew LCY to GLA last night.

First time flying on Cityflyer E190. I have flown on the smaller E170 before but these have left the fleet.

Flight was delayed by around 30 minutes but we landed within 10 minutes of our scheduled time.

Very quick take off from London City, brakes released and go, was dark by the time we left LCY but I did spot the flashing lights of a fun fair on Wanstead Park.

I was lucky and had no one next to me on the flight, seats are typically low for the Embraer's.

Service was usual small packet of crisps or cereal bar and drinks. I first I thought it was just water, tea,coffee, orange,apple juice on offer but if you asked there was soft drinks and booze available. Why do LCY routes offer soft drinks and booze and not LHR/LGW?

I would use this route more often but decent fares often don't align when I want to fly.

 

[Cross City]

Did one of those in Flagship First from LAX to LHR the other week and honestly, it was pretty good though not a high bar to surpass with previously dreary experiences on AA, BA and Emirates. Interesting to note Flagship First will be disappearing in coming years as AA moves to business-only upfront.

Well yes, obviously first class will at least be 'pretty good'.