Interesting moment travelling (late again) between Paris and Frankfurt with Lufthansa. A french lady, who to be frank looked like a bit of hippie, the four decades having passed her by, turned on her mobile phone on final approach into Frankfurt. (Those of you who read the ever- informative simon calder will know even those airlines which will allow mobile phones in future, will ban them below 10000ft) .
Not surprisingly as she tried to tell her boyfriend, she was delayed and may miss her connection, the cabin crew "were having kittens", ordering her in fairly germainc terms to turn the phone off.
Her excuse - "Air France allow it" ................mmmmh
18 April 2008
16 April 2008
Fly(may)be- lets me down again
Top draw incompetence from my friends from Flybe - this morning went like this:
0600 check in for the 0715 Southampton to Brussels services. Offered emergency exit seat on an embraer 145.
0645 in aura restaurent with tuna wrap, cappucino and emails
0650 announcement: plane delayed by technical issues more 0730
0730 nothing - can see the engineers working on the plane problem with de-icing kit on left wing.
0745 - announcement that there will be more info at 0830 - all the early start planes to perhaps 12 locations have left....except for Brussels. - engineers have gone for breakfast
0830 nothing - engineers back from breakfast and have bits off the palne
0845 Flight delayed until 10:30 as plane is faulty and we have to wait for new plane
0915 making calls - doing emails - pilots come out after consultation with engineers get in plane and start it up i guess to fly it to Exeter for maintennace but it's a frustrating moment watching the plane you should have be on ...............fly away
0945 planes start coming in on morning return flights including embraer 145s, however no effort to try and shuffle planes to get our flight away.
1030 nothing
1045 we are going to board soon according to announcement
1050 Boarding but it's a Dash 8 - seating free for all because all our boarding passes were set up fro an embrarer 145 - how come Flybe couldn't have found us an earlier Dash 8
1105 Paperwork buggered because no doubt some people have given up & gone home
1115 still no paperwork - hold -re-opened to sort bagggage issue.
11.25 Door closed - push back
1320 (cet) land brussels
1345 in taxi to restaurent
1410 arrive 1 hour 10 minuts leate for lunch meeting with morning meeting completely blown.
Come on Flybe - How's about a spare plane at southampton or some decent ops people to shuffle planes/flights
0600 check in for the 0715 Southampton to Brussels services. Offered emergency exit seat on an embraer 145.
0645 in aura restaurent with tuna wrap, cappucino and emails
0650 announcement: plane delayed by technical issues more 0730
0730 nothing - can see the engineers working on the plane problem with de-icing kit on left wing.
0745 - announcement that there will be more info at 0830 - all the early start planes to perhaps 12 locations have left....except for Brussels. - engineers have gone for breakfast
0830 nothing - engineers back from breakfast and have bits off the palne
0845 Flight delayed until 10:30 as plane is faulty and we have to wait for new plane
0915 making calls - doing emails - pilots come out after consultation with engineers get in plane and start it up i guess to fly it to Exeter for maintennace but it's a frustrating moment watching the plane you should have be on ...............fly away
0945 planes start coming in on morning return flights including embraer 145s, however no effort to try and shuffle planes to get our flight away.
1030 nothing
1045 we are going to board soon according to announcement
1050 Boarding but it's a Dash 8 - seating free for all because all our boarding passes were set up fro an embrarer 145 - how come Flybe couldn't have found us an earlier Dash 8
1105 Paperwork buggered because no doubt some people have given up & gone home
1115 still no paperwork - hold -re-opened to sort bagggage issue.
11.25 Door closed - push back
1320 (cet) land brussels
1345 in taxi to restaurent
1410 arrive 1 hour 10 minuts leate for lunch meeting with morning meeting completely blown.
Come on Flybe - How's about a spare plane at southampton or some decent ops people to shuffle planes/flights
8 April 2008
trip to the US
Manic Trip to Houston and San Antonio lasting 10 days - here are a few travel observations:
- Normal BA inconsistency - Crew Gat-Hou were crap, no service ethic and they even ran out salads. Crew back Hou -> Lhr first class - served everything promptly and regularly -supplied coffee and Port throughout the night trip back to LHR.
- Recommend the martinis at Timpano
- If you drive from Houston to San Antonio you must stop off in Luling at Luling Bar-B-Q, 709 E. Davis St.Luling, Texas.
- Fly Continental back into Houston - it makes transfer across to international flights very easy across George Bush inetrnational airport
- Flew back into LHR terminal 4 - Bags only took 15 mins (yes 15 mins and BA didn't lose anything) but BE WARNED - Heathrow Express doss not run to terminal 4, so it's some other service about once very 25 mins back to the main station at Terminals 1,2 &3
- Terminal 1 is now bearable now BA has left it. BMI tried losing my bag on the last leg back to Leeds thanks to "stuck baggage belts"
8 March 2008
Different rules for Passport control officers
Regular readers or should that be reader of this blog will know Passport control officers are not my favourite people. They now have smart uniforms and outwardly remain as petty and hostile as ever.
At manchester yeterday, there was a growing queue of people off my flight from frankfurt and other european locations with 2 desk officers on + a guy from security staff, making sure we queued correctly and switched our mobiles off as per the copious signage.
Suddenly a loud phone rings, everybody looks guiltly around to see one of the Passport officeers take the call, leave his desk and wander around in the space behind passport control taking I guess a personal call.
How come they don't have to turn their mobiles off ?
At manchester yeterday, there was a growing queue of people off my flight from frankfurt and other european locations with 2 desk officers on + a guy from security staff, making sure we queued correctly and switched our mobiles off as per the copious signage.
Suddenly a loud phone rings, everybody looks guiltly around to see one of the Passport officeers take the call, leave his desk and wander around in the space behind passport control taking I guess a personal call.
How come they don't have to turn their mobiles off ?
1 March 2008
savings at British airways
Travelled BA on Thursday - the cuts are getting serious: Lunch last year in economy class was a wrap filled with chicken, salad etc. cut into two. This year it's half a feta cheese wrap....my guess is soon they will follow BMI, Flybe, Ryanair and sell you sandwiches.
However I am glad to report they did not lose my bag, although I had to change terminals from 1 to 4, and they had only 70 minutes to get transfer bag - had to admit I was surprised it appeared in Brussels - expectations are so low of Britain's favourite airline !
However I am glad to report they did not lose my bag, although I had to change terminals from 1 to 4, and they had only 70 minutes to get transfer bag - had to admit I was surprised it appeared in Brussels - expectations are so low of Britain's favourite airline !
28 February 2008
Rugby post not travel
As per my profile, I managed to get to a Jason Robinson Benefit dinner tonight in Newcastle. Apart from the man himself (modest & generous with his time, autographs etc), Toby Flood, Matthew Tait and Jamie Noon were at the dinner with of course one J Wilkinson esq.
Despite his new "relaxed image", JW still looked nervous because as ever he attracted his biggest cheers of the night. His recent interview on BBC's Inside Sport did show the new JW is different but you felt the old , slightly obessesive JW was just below the surface during the Q&A session with John Inverdale.
Meanwhile Messrs Tait and Flood come across as modest, yet great role models, I am sure they do not realise the influence they have young 14 year old rugby players like my son.
However Jamie Noon stood out for me - he again does not realise how junior rugby players across the nation, idolise his defensive strengths, went out on Sunday morning (and Sunday mornings to follow) to try and do " a Noonie" on the nearest opposition full back or 3/4 in honour of the tackle on Cedric Heymans in the 4th minute of the England v France game, last Saturday night.
Let's hope they can can kick on and beat Scotland a week on Saturday.
Despite his new "relaxed image", JW still looked nervous because as ever he attracted his biggest cheers of the night. His recent interview on BBC's Inside Sport did show the new JW is different but you felt the old , slightly obessesive JW was just below the surface during the Q&A session with John Inverdale.
Meanwhile Messrs Tait and Flood come across as modest, yet great role models, I am sure they do not realise the influence they have young 14 year old rugby players like my son.
However Jamie Noon stood out for me - he again does not realise how junior rugby players across the nation, idolise his defensive strengths, went out on Sunday morning (and Sunday mornings to follow) to try and do " a Noonie" on the nearest opposition full back or 3/4 in honour of the tackle on Cedric Heymans in the 4th minute of the England v France game, last Saturday night.
Let's hope they can can kick on and beat Scotland a week on Saturday.
22 February 2008
new passport
Those of you have read this blog will know my old passport I felt was bita of a liability with all its "dodgy" stamps.
Well it finally got worn out and a passport officer at Heathrow suggested I procured a new one. So I now have a new passport with a microchip and a shiny cover. It now takes me twice as long as it used to ( well it seems that way) to get through passport controls; because it appears 95% of UK border officials believe it's fake ( it's not folks !) because it is so shiny and has no stamps (yet !).
Finally I was stopped by a plain clothes officer on the way to Brussels this week who asked on inspecting my virgin passport: "Do you not travel very often sir !"?
Well it finally got worn out and a passport officer at Heathrow suggested I procured a new one. So I now have a new passport with a microchip and a shiny cover. It now takes me twice as long as it used to ( well it seems that way) to get through passport controls; because it appears 95% of UK border officials believe it's fake ( it's not folks !) because it is so shiny and has no stamps (yet !).
Finally I was stopped by a plain clothes officer on the way to Brussels this week who asked on inspecting my virgin passport: "Do you not travel very often sir !"?
sorry i have been away
I realise I have done a lot recently but none of it was really world shattering or reportable; but it must have been time consuming since my last entry into this blog was August 2007. I will try and renew my efforts to record my travels in 2008 starting with a great comment from the Captain of the VLM flight into Manchester from Antwerp this morning:
"The weather in Manchester is rainy like it always is"
Give the man a job with BBC weather team !
"The weather in Manchester is rainy like it always is"
Give the man a job with BBC weather team !
23 August 2007
Gossip
Had one of those "people watching" or should it be "listening" experiences at the Brussels airport sheraton this week. 3 middle aged ladies - they all tend to be of a "certain age" on Amercian airlines long haul spent 90 mins gossiping about all their crew mates and Pilots. My favourite comment was:
" Last week I went to Mexico with a Captain who had never been there and neither had the co-pilot... I would never fly with captain, as a passenger, if he didn't know where he was going"
mmmh How as a passenger are you going to find out - "good morning ladies & gentleman this is your captain speaking for your flight to London, unfortunately I have no idea where I am going............ ?
" Last week I went to Mexico with a Captain who had never been there and neither had the co-pilot... I would never fly with captain, as a passenger, if he didn't know where he was going"
mmmh How as a passenger are you going to find out - "good morning ladies & gentleman this is your captain speaking for your flight to London, unfortunately I have no idea where I am going............ ?
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