Longreach747
10-05-2005, 07:28 AM
digging up the past here!
Date: 12 November 2000
Flight Number: SQ 224
Route: Perth-Singapore
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER
Registration: 9V-SQD
ETD: 0825
ETA: 1345
ATD: 0845
ATA: 1315
Seat: 31K (bulkhead)
Flight Time: 4hrs 30 min
I've decided to dig into my archives and memory and bring out an old report from 5 years ago, 11 november would see the 12 months of planning finally come to fruition, and a long time ambition to see the Pyramids would be realised! My girlfriend and i woke at about 5am and washed then headed to Perth Int Airport, i had been very ill and was having a great deal of panic attacks at the time about going to the middle east, it was a totally new kettle of fish to what i'm used to and my mum was dead set against me going, i was in such poor condition that i could barely stand up.
anyways, we got to the airport and checked in early, we were one of the first to checkin, our luggage was tagged to Cairo so we had nothing to worry about, we were given boarding passes to Cairo also. We rang Changi Airport Hotel just before leaving home to secure one of the day rooms in Terminal 2, the smartest move ever made! upon checking in i went upstairs and spoke to a few people i worked with at the airport, i had to stop working about 5 weeks prior to the trip, that's how ill i was, i had a good chat with the guys and then proceeded with Jules to the departure lounge via customs, immigration was very fast, the beauty of arriving early i guess!
We sat around and i got acquainted with my new Panasonic Video Camera, before we knew it the 1st boarding call was made for passengers on this service to Singapore, we jumped up and got on pretty fast, by this time i felt like i had lifted the world off my shoulders, a little after 0830 we pushed back for departure, our taxi saw us go left along C3 for a runway 03 departure, the cabin crew offered us a OJ and a warm flannel before we got to the holding point.
0845 we accelerated for takeoff and climbed away smoothly for a short journey to Singapore, the flight was full and this was my first ride on the 777, absolutely awesome machine! cabin crew then came around and offered a drinks and meal service.
our meal menu was as follows.
Refreshment
Butter Croissant
Baked Muffin
Coffee/Tea
Lunch
Stir Fried Grilled Beef with Cracked PepperCorns, Leafy Greens, Cauliflower and Red Capsicums
Cheese and Crackers
Ice Cream
Roll and Butter
Coffee/Tea
i have to admit that this was a super meal, it was probably the first meal i had finished in 5 days, it's amazing how stress can stop your from eating! but it went down well and i was satisfied. meal service was promptly cleaned up after we ate, and for the rest of the flight i watched a movie on the PTV, we began our descent into Singapore just before 1pm, i filmed the whole approach which saw us land just on 1315 on runway 20R, then an immediate left and pulling up to our Foxtrot gate at terminal 2, we disembarked promptly and headed to the rest hotel and grabbed some more food and slept til about 8pm.
we also went and changed our seats for the Sin-Cai flight so we could be seated at the rear of the plane. all up, this was a pleasent short hop!
Date: 12 Nov 2000
Flight: SQ 428
Route: Singapore-Dubai-Cairo
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300
Registration: 9V-SYB
ETA: 2355
ATA: 0115 due to late connections
ETA: 0300 DXB
ATA: 0415
ETD: 0400
ATD: 0520
ETA: 0715 CAI
ATA: 0810
Seat:61K
Duration: 10 hours 25min.
finally, the time had come to head to the land of the Pharohs, but not without delay thanks to late arriving flights, we sat around the lounge then finally the boarding call came, we made our way to the very rear of the plane and took our seats, these are the last rows on the plane, so we had nobody else around us, we pushed back very late and we headed straight out to 02L for our departure to Dubai and onwards to Cairo, the 777-300 was mighty long, comfortable and very full, most were going to Dubai for work and Cairo for pleasure! captain gave us his apologies for the late flight departure, but these things happen, it was an all night flight which took us over Malaysia then towards India and into Dubai, it was relatively fast at only 7hrs, we were trying to make up time, but that wasn't going to happen!
cabin crew came around with the meal service which was as follows.
Singapore-Dubai
Light Meal
Fresh Garden Salad
Chicken Fricassee with Shitake Mushrooms and Rice Pilaff
Ice Cream
Roll
Tea/Coffee
the meal went down well, after which the SQ girls quickly cleaned up and Jules and i used each other as pillows to lean on while we slept most of the way, in the middle of the night you don't see much, so we just slept.
about 2hrs from Dubai another meal service started, this time it was refreshments and is as follows.
Nasi Goreng
Tea/Coffee
i hoed into it like mad, was really hungry and i love a good Nasi Goreng, this was pretty good for airline food!
just before 4am we commenced our arrival into Dubai Airport, on my right i could see the Burj Al Arab hotel and the downtown of Dubai, it looked great but it was to bad we weren't stopping over! plane landed at 415am or so then taxied to the gate, we jumped off and wandered around the dutyfree shops before heading back to the plane for the onwards flight to Cairo.
running well behind schedule and with a new crew we finally left our gate for our 50% full flight to Cairo, taking off into the night and seeing nothing was pretty cool, i don't mind it at all! we headed over the Arabian Peninsula on this short 3hr 15 min flight to Cairo, the weather was rather crappy but the flight was pretty good.
a meal service was offered, this time it was breakfast!
i went for the Omelette with chives and sausage with hash browns, was another nice meal, but by now my gut was ready to blow!
just after 745am on a cloudy morning we started our approach into Cairo Airport, due to the smog and cloud it was impossible to see anything! we didn't see the ground until we were actually on it, but the captain and crew did a fine job and got us to where we needed to be.
thankfully our insight tours guide was waiting and we were whisked to the Cairo Sheraton for our 1 week stay! all up a pretty good flight, delays happen so i am not to fussed, so long as we make it to the place i don't really mind!
Date: 18 Nov 2000
Flight number: LH 679
Route: Cairo-Munich
Aircraft: Airbus A319
Registration: D-AILA
ETD: 1515
ATD: 1510
ETA: 1815
ATA: 1810
Seat: 23B
Duration: 3hrs 45 min
after our week at the land of the Pharohs it was time to head to Munich then connect to Athens, the crowd at Cairo Airport was crazy, we took about 45 mins to get through the que and finally ended up with a seat at the very rear of the plane, Cairo Airport is pretty old and busted up, they only take USD for duty free also!
we sat around at Gate 7 awaiting our boarding for the flight to Munich, when the call was made we promptly got on and sat down, much to my suprise a flight that is like flying from Perth to Sydney was totally without entertainment, no music or anything! most annoying! we pushed back nice and early and wasted no time in getting airborne for the flight to Munich, we had a birdseye view of the mighty pyramids too! a meal service came around and i took one look at it and told them don't bother! don't know what it was but i wasnt going to be eating it, i opted for a vodka and tomato juice, which ended up making sick, first time i've ever been sick on a flight in my life! we made our approach to Munich and touched down ontime, i had only a polo shirt on, bad idea in late novemeber! it was freezing!
Jules and I just bummed about MUC airport after getting our onwards boarding pass, our bags were tagged to ATH so that we didn't have to worry about them.
the flight was pretty bad, the 319 had no legroom, no entertainment is annoying and i was happy to be on the ground!
Date: 18 November 2000
Flight: LH 3420
Route: Munich-Athens
Aircraft: Airbus 321
Registration: D-AIPS
ETD: 2015
ETA: 2330
ATD: 2020
ATA: 2345
Seat: 21C
Flight Time: 2hrs 25min
After my first LH experience a few hours earlier i was not looking forward to this flight, boarding was fast and efficient, i was seated next to an elderly Japanese couple, they were great and had seen so much of the world! the meal i steered clear of, and the entertainment again was non-existent, so i just talked with the neighbours!
we took off ontime for our short hop down to Athens, basically we flew right over Athens a few hours before and now we were backtracking! we arrived at the Hellenikon Airport ontime and made our way to the stand, which as many would know was a no-gate facility, so we got off onto the tarmac and got on a bus to the international terminal for collection of our gear, the bags were out and waiting, as was our guide, then it was off to the hotel for a good nights sleep!
Date: 25 November 2000
Flight: OA321
Route:Athens-Istanbul
Aircraft: Boeing 737-200
Registration: SX-BCB
ETD:
ETA:
ATD:
ATA:
Seat:08E
Flight Time: 1hr 10min
this was an early morning flight to Istanbul, i don't remember the exact times but i know it was shithouse! anyways, we got to Athens airport after spending the night before at my cousins seaside apartment in Glyfada, by now things had done a 180 on me health wise, i was doing ok up until the night before we left Athens, then suddenly the next morning i had a headache that lasted close to 5 days, i was unsure about going to Istanbul but Jules and I soldiered on. checkin was complete pretty fast as we were first to arrive, we then went through the security checks and sat in the lounge awaiting our flight to Istanbul.
old Athens airport was a funny place, people smoking everywhere, hard wooden seats and no shopping at all, but it had a charm about it, we left on time and the short flight offered a great meal service, cold meat, salad, rolls and tea/coffee, not bad for 1hr or so, we landed at the ultramodern Ataturk airport ontime, paid the $USD visa fee on arrival and collected our bags and headed to the hotel. all up it was very fast and effecient!
Date: 2 December 2000
Flight: OA 322
Route: Istanbul-Athens
Aircraft: Boeing 737-200
Registration: SX-BCE
ETD: 0950
ETA: 1100
ATD: 1000
ATA: 1115
Seat: 13C
Flight Time: 1hr 15min
Jules and I checked in pretty early for this flight, by now i was well and truly ill and needed to get back to Australia ASAP, Swissport was the handling agent and they checked us in for the 1hr flight to Athens, we went past security and then went and sat in the food court at Istanbul Airport, a few other flights such as the SQ and MH flights were also in and at gates, i walked around and checked out the shops, we then headed to gate 204, the new airport was so slick! i love it.
we got out call for boarding and promptly took up our seats, we pushed and started ontime and headed out for our departure and short flight back to Athens.
another meal of cold meat and salad, cheese, bread and olives was presented! lovely stuff by the OA crew and it went down well! in Turkey we'd been eating this kind of fare everyday for breakfast, its a great way to start the day!
we approached Athens and landed ontime, then made our way to the stand and went and got the bags after passing customs. headed back to the hotel and i went walking to find a chemist for some headache pills.
Date:6 December 2000
Flight: LH 3417
Route:Athens-Frankfurt
Aircraft: Airbus A321
Registration: D-AIRE
ETD: 0610
ETA: 0820
ATD: 0620
ATA: 0825
Seat: 30B
Flight Time: 3hrs 5min
by now i was sick of early mornings and sick of feeling sick, so we made our way to the Athens Terminal and checked in for the LH flight to Frankfurt, it was a pretty rough old morning, those that know old Athens Airport know its location close to the sea made it bad for crosswinds. we checked in pretty easy and as usual went straight to the gate which was 009, went and looked at the shops and basically just sat around until boarding call, we were bussed out to the plane and walked up the stairs to take up our seats, it'd been a while since i'd been back to Athens, so i turned around and just had a good look.
we taxied out ontime and began a rather long takeoff roll, which was very bumpy and wobbley thanks to the high crosswinds, finally getting airborne we were thrown about a bit til we reached a higher altitude.
breakfast was on offer, as usual no IFE, so chatting with the Americans next to us was the next option! why LH offer no music is beyond me, it's annoying sitting down for 3.5 hrs with nothing to listen too.
we made our descent to a very busy Frankfurt airport, and landed pretty much ontime, we headed over to Terminal 1 and the A gates for disembarking, it was a freezing cold morning to i might add!
after disembarking we put our luggage into the hold facility, then decided to head to downtown and grab some Bratwurst and look around Frankfurt.
Date: 6 December 2000
Flight: SQ 325
Route: Frankfurt-Singapore
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Registration: 9V-SPC
ETD: 2045
ETA: 1550
ATD: 2115
ATA: 1540
Seat: 61H
Flight Time: 11hrs 30min
Jules and I headed back to Frankfurt airport to see if SQ would let us on SQ 25 the day flight to Singapore, it was full so we were stuck in the airport with our bags, but the lovely agent allowed us to checkin for the flight so we didn't have to worry about bags.
then we made our way over to terminal 2 for a wander and a look at the T2 obs deck, i got some great shots from the deck and lovely video footage, but by now we were well n truly stuffed and our flight was still a while away!
we sat around and ate, talked about the amazing things we'd seen and basically lazed about waiting.
we finally went through the security area to a T1 area that was under reconstruction at the time, we sat down and had a drink at the small bar and then headed to B42, which was our departure gate, much to our suprise the plane was there and the crew were not far behind us. shortly after we were informed of a slight delay due to LH arriving late from MUC with connection passengers, no big deal, it added 30mins delay but we were boarded ontime! we took up our seats and waited for the passengers to arrive and pushback to commence, our captain, Steven Sauls was in command of this flight, he took us down to runway 18 for our departure for Singapore, we waited inline for takeoff, then our very long roll commenced, i took the chance to grab the middle row before we taxied though.
turned out to be a nice empty flight though!
shortly after departure dinner was served.
menu as follows
Dinner
German Pan Fried Pike with fresh Herbs and Vegies
Cheese and Crackers
Ice Cream
Rolls
Coffee/Tea
meal went down well, the crew quickly cleaned up so that we could get to sleep, which i did for about 6 hrs of the flight, overnight flights i love because i fall asleep nice and easy on them! with about 2hrs to fly another meal was served.
Stir Fried Vermicelli and Shrimps with Chicked and Greens
Rolls
Tea/Coffee
another great and filling meal, we made our approach into a rather gloomy Singapore which had us landing on 02L ontime, then taxied over to our Echo gate and heading out to customs, the guys at customs were asking where we'd been etc, we gave them the low down on our trip and they welcomed us to Singapore, about the 20th time for me though Smile we went to the hotel info counter and booked ourselves into the Oriental Hotel for 3 nights to split the journey up a bit!
Date: 10 December 2000
Flight: SQ215
Route: Singapore-Perth
Aircraft: Airbus A340-300
Registration: 9V-SJH
ETD: 1845
ETA: 2345
ATD: 1855
ATA: 2335
Seat: 54A
Flight Time: 4hrs 50 min
we vacated the hotel pretty early, after a rather large weekend of partying at Zouk club and Sentosa it was great to be heading home, we checked in pretty early and just hung about the airport, as i like to do! we then went through customs for our flight to Perth and went and did some DF shopping.
our gate was E4 for this flight down to Perth, our 340 was sitting waiting and the boarding call came quite quick, Jules and I waited to the end to board, the a/c on first appearance was very cramped and narrow, i decided to swap for the aisle seat and i ended up getting bumped into by everyone walking past during the flight.
we pushed and started ontime and headed out for departure off 20R, then making a sharp right turn and headed over Indonesia and along the west Austrlalian coastline, i didn't get a menu on this flight, just as well too becasue the food was terrible! the service was shithouse to say the least, it was crewed by a bunch that didn't want to be on this flight! at about 2310 we commenced our approach to Perth for landing on runway 21, i was really happy to finally be headed home and was very happy to get back on the ground at Perth, the flight was quick, lucky for me as i would hate to have been with that crew any longer.
allup, the flights were pretty good with the excpetion of the last leg and the LH sectors and there lack of IFE.
a few weeks later i was sent to hospital here in Perth, the cause of the headaches was determined to be a massive brain haemhorrage which was putting pressure on my brain and balance mechanisms, the neurosurgeons had no qualms about admitting me and operating me on me asap, if not for that i'd not be here today!
anyways, i find it's nice to look back every now n then, so i hope you enjoy this report!
Date: 12 November 2000
Flight Number: SQ 224
Route: Perth-Singapore
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER
Registration: 9V-SQD
ETD: 0825
ETA: 1345
ATD: 0845
ATA: 1315
Seat: 31K (bulkhead)
Flight Time: 4hrs 30 min
I've decided to dig into my archives and memory and bring out an old report from 5 years ago, 11 november would see the 12 months of planning finally come to fruition, and a long time ambition to see the Pyramids would be realised! My girlfriend and i woke at about 5am and washed then headed to Perth Int Airport, i had been very ill and was having a great deal of panic attacks at the time about going to the middle east, it was a totally new kettle of fish to what i'm used to and my mum was dead set against me going, i was in such poor condition that i could barely stand up.
anyways, we got to the airport and checked in early, we were one of the first to checkin, our luggage was tagged to Cairo so we had nothing to worry about, we were given boarding passes to Cairo also. We rang Changi Airport Hotel just before leaving home to secure one of the day rooms in Terminal 2, the smartest move ever made! upon checking in i went upstairs and spoke to a few people i worked with at the airport, i had to stop working about 5 weeks prior to the trip, that's how ill i was, i had a good chat with the guys and then proceeded with Jules to the departure lounge via customs, immigration was very fast, the beauty of arriving early i guess!
We sat around and i got acquainted with my new Panasonic Video Camera, before we knew it the 1st boarding call was made for passengers on this service to Singapore, we jumped up and got on pretty fast, by this time i felt like i had lifted the world off my shoulders, a little after 0830 we pushed back for departure, our taxi saw us go left along C3 for a runway 03 departure, the cabin crew offered us a OJ and a warm flannel before we got to the holding point.
0845 we accelerated for takeoff and climbed away smoothly for a short journey to Singapore, the flight was full and this was my first ride on the 777, absolutely awesome machine! cabin crew then came around and offered a drinks and meal service.
our meal menu was as follows.
Refreshment
Butter Croissant
Baked Muffin
Coffee/Tea
Lunch
Stir Fried Grilled Beef with Cracked PepperCorns, Leafy Greens, Cauliflower and Red Capsicums
Cheese and Crackers
Ice Cream
Roll and Butter
Coffee/Tea
i have to admit that this was a super meal, it was probably the first meal i had finished in 5 days, it's amazing how stress can stop your from eating! but it went down well and i was satisfied. meal service was promptly cleaned up after we ate, and for the rest of the flight i watched a movie on the PTV, we began our descent into Singapore just before 1pm, i filmed the whole approach which saw us land just on 1315 on runway 20R, then an immediate left and pulling up to our Foxtrot gate at terminal 2, we disembarked promptly and headed to the rest hotel and grabbed some more food and slept til about 8pm.
we also went and changed our seats for the Sin-Cai flight so we could be seated at the rear of the plane. all up, this was a pleasent short hop!
Date: 12 Nov 2000
Flight: SQ 428
Route: Singapore-Dubai-Cairo
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300
Registration: 9V-SYB
ETA: 2355
ATA: 0115 due to late connections
ETA: 0300 DXB
ATA: 0415
ETD: 0400
ATD: 0520
ETA: 0715 CAI
ATA: 0810
Seat:61K
Duration: 10 hours 25min.
finally, the time had come to head to the land of the Pharohs, but not without delay thanks to late arriving flights, we sat around the lounge then finally the boarding call came, we made our way to the very rear of the plane and took our seats, these are the last rows on the plane, so we had nobody else around us, we pushed back very late and we headed straight out to 02L for our departure to Dubai and onwards to Cairo, the 777-300 was mighty long, comfortable and very full, most were going to Dubai for work and Cairo for pleasure! captain gave us his apologies for the late flight departure, but these things happen, it was an all night flight which took us over Malaysia then towards India and into Dubai, it was relatively fast at only 7hrs, we were trying to make up time, but that wasn't going to happen!
cabin crew came around with the meal service which was as follows.
Singapore-Dubai
Light Meal
Fresh Garden Salad
Chicken Fricassee with Shitake Mushrooms and Rice Pilaff
Ice Cream
Roll
Tea/Coffee
the meal went down well, after which the SQ girls quickly cleaned up and Jules and i used each other as pillows to lean on while we slept most of the way, in the middle of the night you don't see much, so we just slept.
about 2hrs from Dubai another meal service started, this time it was refreshments and is as follows.
Nasi Goreng
Tea/Coffee
i hoed into it like mad, was really hungry and i love a good Nasi Goreng, this was pretty good for airline food!
just before 4am we commenced our arrival into Dubai Airport, on my right i could see the Burj Al Arab hotel and the downtown of Dubai, it looked great but it was to bad we weren't stopping over! plane landed at 415am or so then taxied to the gate, we jumped off and wandered around the dutyfree shops before heading back to the plane for the onwards flight to Cairo.
running well behind schedule and with a new crew we finally left our gate for our 50% full flight to Cairo, taking off into the night and seeing nothing was pretty cool, i don't mind it at all! we headed over the Arabian Peninsula on this short 3hr 15 min flight to Cairo, the weather was rather crappy but the flight was pretty good.
a meal service was offered, this time it was breakfast!
i went for the Omelette with chives and sausage with hash browns, was another nice meal, but by now my gut was ready to blow!
just after 745am on a cloudy morning we started our approach into Cairo Airport, due to the smog and cloud it was impossible to see anything! we didn't see the ground until we were actually on it, but the captain and crew did a fine job and got us to where we needed to be.
thankfully our insight tours guide was waiting and we were whisked to the Cairo Sheraton for our 1 week stay! all up a pretty good flight, delays happen so i am not to fussed, so long as we make it to the place i don't really mind!
Date: 18 Nov 2000
Flight number: LH 679
Route: Cairo-Munich
Aircraft: Airbus A319
Registration: D-AILA
ETD: 1515
ATD: 1510
ETA: 1815
ATA: 1810
Seat: 23B
Duration: 3hrs 45 min
after our week at the land of the Pharohs it was time to head to Munich then connect to Athens, the crowd at Cairo Airport was crazy, we took about 45 mins to get through the que and finally ended up with a seat at the very rear of the plane, Cairo Airport is pretty old and busted up, they only take USD for duty free also!
we sat around at Gate 7 awaiting our boarding for the flight to Munich, when the call was made we promptly got on and sat down, much to my suprise a flight that is like flying from Perth to Sydney was totally without entertainment, no music or anything! most annoying! we pushed back nice and early and wasted no time in getting airborne for the flight to Munich, we had a birdseye view of the mighty pyramids too! a meal service came around and i took one look at it and told them don't bother! don't know what it was but i wasnt going to be eating it, i opted for a vodka and tomato juice, which ended up making sick, first time i've ever been sick on a flight in my life! we made our approach to Munich and touched down ontime, i had only a polo shirt on, bad idea in late novemeber! it was freezing!
Jules and I just bummed about MUC airport after getting our onwards boarding pass, our bags were tagged to ATH so that we didn't have to worry about them.
the flight was pretty bad, the 319 had no legroom, no entertainment is annoying and i was happy to be on the ground!
Date: 18 November 2000
Flight: LH 3420
Route: Munich-Athens
Aircraft: Airbus 321
Registration: D-AIPS
ETD: 2015
ETA: 2330
ATD: 2020
ATA: 2345
Seat: 21C
Flight Time: 2hrs 25min
After my first LH experience a few hours earlier i was not looking forward to this flight, boarding was fast and efficient, i was seated next to an elderly Japanese couple, they were great and had seen so much of the world! the meal i steered clear of, and the entertainment again was non-existent, so i just talked with the neighbours!
we took off ontime for our short hop down to Athens, basically we flew right over Athens a few hours before and now we were backtracking! we arrived at the Hellenikon Airport ontime and made our way to the stand, which as many would know was a no-gate facility, so we got off onto the tarmac and got on a bus to the international terminal for collection of our gear, the bags were out and waiting, as was our guide, then it was off to the hotel for a good nights sleep!
Date: 25 November 2000
Flight: OA321
Route:Athens-Istanbul
Aircraft: Boeing 737-200
Registration: SX-BCB
ETD:
ETA:
ATD:
ATA:
Seat:08E
Flight Time: 1hr 10min
this was an early morning flight to Istanbul, i don't remember the exact times but i know it was shithouse! anyways, we got to Athens airport after spending the night before at my cousins seaside apartment in Glyfada, by now things had done a 180 on me health wise, i was doing ok up until the night before we left Athens, then suddenly the next morning i had a headache that lasted close to 5 days, i was unsure about going to Istanbul but Jules and I soldiered on. checkin was complete pretty fast as we were first to arrive, we then went through the security checks and sat in the lounge awaiting our flight to Istanbul.
old Athens airport was a funny place, people smoking everywhere, hard wooden seats and no shopping at all, but it had a charm about it, we left on time and the short flight offered a great meal service, cold meat, salad, rolls and tea/coffee, not bad for 1hr or so, we landed at the ultramodern Ataturk airport ontime, paid the $USD visa fee on arrival and collected our bags and headed to the hotel. all up it was very fast and effecient!
Date: 2 December 2000
Flight: OA 322
Route: Istanbul-Athens
Aircraft: Boeing 737-200
Registration: SX-BCE
ETD: 0950
ETA: 1100
ATD: 1000
ATA: 1115
Seat: 13C
Flight Time: 1hr 15min
Jules and I checked in pretty early for this flight, by now i was well and truly ill and needed to get back to Australia ASAP, Swissport was the handling agent and they checked us in for the 1hr flight to Athens, we went past security and then went and sat in the food court at Istanbul Airport, a few other flights such as the SQ and MH flights were also in and at gates, i walked around and checked out the shops, we then headed to gate 204, the new airport was so slick! i love it.
we got out call for boarding and promptly took up our seats, we pushed and started ontime and headed out for our departure and short flight back to Athens.
another meal of cold meat and salad, cheese, bread and olives was presented! lovely stuff by the OA crew and it went down well! in Turkey we'd been eating this kind of fare everyday for breakfast, its a great way to start the day!
we approached Athens and landed ontime, then made our way to the stand and went and got the bags after passing customs. headed back to the hotel and i went walking to find a chemist for some headache pills.
Date:6 December 2000
Flight: LH 3417
Route:Athens-Frankfurt
Aircraft: Airbus A321
Registration: D-AIRE
ETD: 0610
ETA: 0820
ATD: 0620
ATA: 0825
Seat: 30B
Flight Time: 3hrs 5min
by now i was sick of early mornings and sick of feeling sick, so we made our way to the Athens Terminal and checked in for the LH flight to Frankfurt, it was a pretty rough old morning, those that know old Athens Airport know its location close to the sea made it bad for crosswinds. we checked in pretty easy and as usual went straight to the gate which was 009, went and looked at the shops and basically just sat around until boarding call, we were bussed out to the plane and walked up the stairs to take up our seats, it'd been a while since i'd been back to Athens, so i turned around and just had a good look.
we taxied out ontime and began a rather long takeoff roll, which was very bumpy and wobbley thanks to the high crosswinds, finally getting airborne we were thrown about a bit til we reached a higher altitude.
breakfast was on offer, as usual no IFE, so chatting with the Americans next to us was the next option! why LH offer no music is beyond me, it's annoying sitting down for 3.5 hrs with nothing to listen too.
we made our descent to a very busy Frankfurt airport, and landed pretty much ontime, we headed over to Terminal 1 and the A gates for disembarking, it was a freezing cold morning to i might add!
after disembarking we put our luggage into the hold facility, then decided to head to downtown and grab some Bratwurst and look around Frankfurt.
Date: 6 December 2000
Flight: SQ 325
Route: Frankfurt-Singapore
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Registration: 9V-SPC
ETD: 2045
ETA: 1550
ATD: 2115
ATA: 1540
Seat: 61H
Flight Time: 11hrs 30min
Jules and I headed back to Frankfurt airport to see if SQ would let us on SQ 25 the day flight to Singapore, it was full so we were stuck in the airport with our bags, but the lovely agent allowed us to checkin for the flight so we didn't have to worry about bags.
then we made our way over to terminal 2 for a wander and a look at the T2 obs deck, i got some great shots from the deck and lovely video footage, but by now we were well n truly stuffed and our flight was still a while away!
we sat around and ate, talked about the amazing things we'd seen and basically lazed about waiting.
we finally went through the security area to a T1 area that was under reconstruction at the time, we sat down and had a drink at the small bar and then headed to B42, which was our departure gate, much to our suprise the plane was there and the crew were not far behind us. shortly after we were informed of a slight delay due to LH arriving late from MUC with connection passengers, no big deal, it added 30mins delay but we were boarded ontime! we took up our seats and waited for the passengers to arrive and pushback to commence, our captain, Steven Sauls was in command of this flight, he took us down to runway 18 for our departure for Singapore, we waited inline for takeoff, then our very long roll commenced, i took the chance to grab the middle row before we taxied though.
turned out to be a nice empty flight though!
shortly after departure dinner was served.
menu as follows
Dinner
German Pan Fried Pike with fresh Herbs and Vegies
Cheese and Crackers
Ice Cream
Rolls
Coffee/Tea
meal went down well, the crew quickly cleaned up so that we could get to sleep, which i did for about 6 hrs of the flight, overnight flights i love because i fall asleep nice and easy on them! with about 2hrs to fly another meal was served.
Stir Fried Vermicelli and Shrimps with Chicked and Greens
Rolls
Tea/Coffee
another great and filling meal, we made our approach into a rather gloomy Singapore which had us landing on 02L ontime, then taxied over to our Echo gate and heading out to customs, the guys at customs were asking where we'd been etc, we gave them the low down on our trip and they welcomed us to Singapore, about the 20th time for me though Smile we went to the hotel info counter and booked ourselves into the Oriental Hotel for 3 nights to split the journey up a bit!
Date: 10 December 2000
Flight: SQ215
Route: Singapore-Perth
Aircraft: Airbus A340-300
Registration: 9V-SJH
ETD: 1845
ETA: 2345
ATD: 1855
ATA: 2335
Seat: 54A
Flight Time: 4hrs 50 min
we vacated the hotel pretty early, after a rather large weekend of partying at Zouk club and Sentosa it was great to be heading home, we checked in pretty early and just hung about the airport, as i like to do! we then went through customs for our flight to Perth and went and did some DF shopping.
our gate was E4 for this flight down to Perth, our 340 was sitting waiting and the boarding call came quite quick, Jules and I waited to the end to board, the a/c on first appearance was very cramped and narrow, i decided to swap for the aisle seat and i ended up getting bumped into by everyone walking past during the flight.
we pushed and started ontime and headed out for departure off 20R, then making a sharp right turn and headed over Indonesia and along the west Austrlalian coastline, i didn't get a menu on this flight, just as well too becasue the food was terrible! the service was shithouse to say the least, it was crewed by a bunch that didn't want to be on this flight! at about 2310 we commenced our approach to Perth for landing on runway 21, i was really happy to finally be headed home and was very happy to get back on the ground at Perth, the flight was quick, lucky for me as i would hate to have been with that crew any longer.
allup, the flights were pretty good with the excpetion of the last leg and the LH sectors and there lack of IFE.
a few weeks later i was sent to hospital here in Perth, the cause of the headaches was determined to be a massive brain haemhorrage which was putting pressure on my brain and balance mechanisms, the neurosurgeons had no qualms about admitting me and operating me on me asap, if not for that i'd not be here today!
anyways, i find it's nice to look back every now n then, so i hope you enjoy this report!