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Well here i go again on my own, off to capture some of the aviation from one of most unique locations in the world! Alaska, the last frontier! back in december the agent had a special which would get my to Anchorage for a very cheap price, so i took her up on it, what follows is a detailed report of this trip.
Date-28 April 05
Route-Perth to Sydney
Flight-QF 580
Aircraft-Airbus 330-200
Registration-VH-EBA
ETD-1205
ATD-1220
ETA-1810
ATA-1750
Flight Time-3hr 30min
Seat-40A
Today the journey begins, to see the region famous for Polar bears, Moose and special scenery, it began like any usual trip i prepare for, sleep late! wait for the arrival of my lift, double check my bags and papers and then head off to the airport.
Arrived at the the Perth terminal at about 1045am to encounter a nice line of people waiting to checkin, que passed quite quickly which was good! checked in and was assigned seat 40A, a window on the left side which enabled me to see the various spotting locations at Perth airport.
Boarding began at 1145am, i promptly entered the plane and took my seat, only to notice that a friend of mine was on the plane, funny who you run into when your travelling! soon after the loading was complete and paperwork done it was time for us to pushback. We were pushed back so as we could depart from runway 21 and head south then make a sharp turn to head east. just on 1220pm the captain accelerates our A330 forward and shortly after we get airborne for the flight to Sydney.
This flight was helped by good tail winds which would see us complete the journey in just 3hrs 30mins. it was soon meal time and the usual choice was on offer, pasta or beef, i went the pasta for a change. the meal was very dry and unappealing, it consisted of eggplant and sauce, salad, bread and a wine which was like poison! the meal went down ok, i guess if your hungry you'll eat anything! including dry pasta...
photos are of the lunch served, wing view from my seat and me and a good friend who just happend to be on the same flight, we are not married despite what everyone else seems to think! with about 30 minutes before arrival we began our approach into a dark Sydney airport, we landed well ahead of time on 34L and made our way to the gate, the flight was pleasent and the service as usual good with Qantas, i've found they have become very SQ like, robotic and lacking personality!
lunch on the Per-Syd flight
wing view of our A330
Date-28 April 05
Route-Sydney-Brisbane
Flight-QF 552
Aircraft-737-800
Registration-VH-VXS
ETD-2005
ATD-2021
ETA-2135
ATA-2118
Flight Time-57mins
Seat-22A
Had a short layover in Sydney before the flight onwards to Brisbane, i remained in the domestic terminal and just had a bite to eat a snooze on the couch. just before 8pm the boarding call was made for our short flight to Brisbane and boarded and took my seat, we pushed back just a little behind schedule and made the long taxi out for runway 34R, took close to 20 mins to taxi the whole way to the 3rd runway! service on the short Qantas domestic flights is pretty average, a cup of tea and a cookie was the only offering, i guess it's not to bad for such a short trip. no sooner after we made it to our cruise altitude and it was time to descend again into Brisbane. thankfully it was a short but sweet flight with a pleasent flight crew and a nice smooth flight.
Date-29 April 05
Flight-QF 517
Aircraft-A330-200
Registration-VH-EBB
ETD-1010
ATD-1055
ETA-1140
ATA-1215
Flight Time-1hr 20min
Seat-24B
Decided to overnight in Brisbane for something different, got to the airport courtesy of Beau a little before the flight was due to depart, the que was pretty empty and my luggage was tagged through to my UA flight to San Francisco on United. Had to hurry to the gate as the plane was already in stages of boarding and i was running late, got to the gate and promptly boarded the plane to find out we'd be going nowhere fast. The computers that control the weight and balance of the planes in Sydney had gone down and we were waiting manual figures so as we could depart, this left us sitting in the plane doing nothing for close to 1hr while the paperwork was attained. The crew made no offer of drink or snack, we were allowed to use phones and that was it, the tech crew kept us up to date and the United people in Sydney were made aware of our late arrival so as to wait for our arrival.
eventually, with about 50 mins behind schedule we were pushed back for the short flight down to Sydney, once again the service was non-existent, just a drink and a piece of fruit and a nice delay to boot! we made up as much time as possible enroute but still were quite late on our arrival, we descended rapidly and made approach again for 34L, upon touchdown we proceeded quickly to the gate and disembarked for the transfer to the international terminal, this seemed to take forever! we were sitting in the lounge for 25 minutes waiting for the bus! as soon as i got to the international side i had to run for the United counter to checkin and get my boarding pass, thankfully they were waiting for me!
Date-29 April 05
Route-Sydney-San Francisco
Flight-UA 870
Aircraft-B747-400
Registration-N117UA
ETD-1345
ATD-1405
ETA-0935
ATA-0940
Flight Time-12hr 40min
Seat-39K Economy Plus
When i got through customs and immigration the flight was well and truly boarding, thats how late Qantas made us! made my way to the economy plus section and got to my seat, the room was fantastic and the blocked seat next to us was appreciated! a great move by UA to say the least. Captain Carter came on the PA and addressed us and gave us some flight info, the journey would take just on 13hrs to complete and would see us depart from runway 16R then come left and then head over the pacific ocean enroute to San Francisco. We pushed back a few minutes behind schedule and taxied out for 16R, we were met with some proceeding traffic and a baby that had broken out in a rash onboard which saw us hold a few minutes before we got the all clear to depart, the take off roll as expected was very long, we passed the famous beach spot and still had not rotated, we climbed out slowly and headed for flight level 300 for the majority of our cruise. Shortly after a drink service began and i opted for Gin and Tonic, the middle table between us was used as a mini bar!
For our first meal we were given a fillet of beef with mixed vegies, salad, bread and smoked salmon, the meal was one of the best i have ever had in economy! how many carriers do you know that serve this type of meal to the cattle class passengers!
it went down well and the crew were prompt about clearing the mess and keeping us stocked in beverages, my impression of United is very positive, for a carrier in such trouble they certainly stand tall and show exceptional pride in the service they provide! i decided to get some sleep and passed on the movies, i slept about 6 hrs and woke to a mid flight snack of sandwiches and soft drinks which went down well! it was then time to go back to sleep for another 3 hrs or so, for some reason CH9 was not active on this flight which was a disappointment, not that it mattered due to me sleeping most of the flight anyways.
about 1hr out we were given another morning meal which was light and refreshing, i love fruit and UA had plenty onboard so i was quick to eat as much of it as possible! soon after we began our descent into San Francisco, which would see us land on runway 28L and taxi to the international terminal were we would disembark, i have to say United certainly does a good job of making you feel welcome and relaxed! i'd fly them over Qantas if i go back to the US again. Took some cockpit shots also after we got to the gate!
main meal on UA870
middle table made for a good bar stool!
above the clouds enroute to SFO, about 30 mins out of Sydney!
prior to arrival snack
N117UA flight deck
Date-2 May 05
Route-San Francisco-Seattle
Flight-UA 1282
Aircraft-B 737-300
Registration-N203UA
ETD-1610
ATD-1621
ETA-1805
ATA-1803
Flight Time-1hr 45
Seat-6A Economy Plus
Checked in early for this flight as i had to drop my rental car off, i spent a wonderful few days in San Francisco, one of the worlds truly beautiful cities and somewhere i look forward to returning to! checkin was fast and efficient and my bags tagged to Anchorage via Seattle. After checkin i proceeded to go and sit in the UA area and grabbed some Japanese food and then fell asleep at the gate awaiting the flight, yes i can fall asleep anywhere pretty fast too! a beautiful thing if you do alot of long travelling! soon enough it was time to board this full flight to Seattle, we soon had all the passengers onboard and headed out for a runway 1 departure for Seattle which took us right over the lovely city and bay area of San Francisco! meals on this flight were available for sale so i opted for the free drink and fruit and nuts, the flight was fairly short and uneventful which is just what i wanted, seeing as though i had been sitting around the terminal for 4hours waiting.
the space in the Plus part of the cabin was fantastic also! with about 20 minutes before landing we began our descent into Seattle Tacoma airport and passed by the city, it was quite a fantastic view to say the least! you could almost reach out and touch the skyline as we passed by. we landed shortly after and i made my way to the gate for the flight to Anchorage, the terminal itself was pretty old and rundown, not much to see or do in there so i grabbed some food and snoozed a little as usual!
complimentary juice and nuts
inflight to Seattle
taxi to the gate
the Y plus room!
Date-2 May 2005
Route-Seattle-Anchorage
Flight-UA 967
Aircraft-A320
Registration-N424UA
ETD-2115
ATD-2130
ETA-2350
ATA-2345
Flight Time-3hr 15min
Seat-8A
After sitting around the Tacoma terminal and eating ice cream it was time to board for the flight to Anchorage, finally a flight with CH9 active onboard which was a welcome relief too! we didn't hang about to long after boarding was complete and headed straight out for our departure, not sure of the runway in use but it was one of the parallel ones in use. The flight would take us along the west coast of Canada and then up to Alaska, it took just over 3hrs to complete the whole journey. Our flight was staffed by a Seattle crew who looked after us well, as usual food was for sale so i opted for the drinks and nuts only, i have to start bringing my own food from now on! Just after 2300 we began our descent into the Anchorage airport, and yes it was still quite light to say the least! an absolutely stunning evening and something i have never seen before in my life!
We approached for 6R and landed just on 2345 and taxied over to the UA area of the terminal, upon exiting i was greeted by the huge polar bear enclosed in a glass cabinet, also the Kodiak bear in the cabinet opposite, truly an amazing sight though sad to see them this way. i was met by the local guys John and Shawn and then went to the hotel for some snooze and to get ready to give the rental car a good flogging the next day!
love the apple juice!
on approach to Anchorage, yes we could still see at 2300!
hired a car from these guys that had 9 miles on it, it got a good flogging by the time they got it back!
Date-7 May 2005
Route-Anchorage-Seattle
Flight-UA 309
Aircraft-A319
Registration-N853UA
ETD-0045
ATD-0102
ETA-0515
ATA-0500
Flight Time-3hrs
Seat-8C
Air Canada was meant to be my carrier though they had stopped flights til the 9th of may, so i was back on UA to Seattle which was fine by me, checkin was fast and easy and my bags checked to Vancouver via Seattle. I made my way through the security and went and sat at the the bar and had some tacos and beer! Not a bad way to kick off the next leg of the trip to say the least! Shortly after eating i made my way to the gate and took some photos of the bears and crashed out on the couch until the boarding call was made, not a full flight down to Seattle thank god! but i can't see who would want to do this red eye service, as short as it was it still left me feeling stuffed for the rest of saturday in Vancouver.
We made our way out for departure off runway 32 and as usual the cargo ramp was a buzz with traffic, CH9 was active as we cruised our way down along the coast to Seattle, usual service was offered, drinks and nuts or buy a meal. We descended past Seattle downtown while it was still dark, a special view it was and like before so close you can almost grab it! lucky for me the layover was very short to say the least between my next flights.
same old apple juice!
wow, this is the world record Kodiak Bear on display at Anchorage Airport!
the world record Polar Bear just before hunting them became illegal!
Date-7 May 2005
Route-Seattle-Vancouver
Flight-AC 8090
Aircraft-Dash 8
Registration-C-GIJG
ETD-0600
ATD-0610
ETA-0715
ATA-0700
Flight Time-50 min
Seat-2A
Had only 30 minutes between flights which was good, someone had decided to take my seat without reading her boarding card, i decided to let her have the seat as it was dark and cloudy so not much to view. We taxied out dead on time and soon after were airborne, for a short flight we were offered a drink and snack which was suprising to say the least! I opted not to eat or drink anything as i was to tired and choose to snooze for the very short flight, we had one flight attendant only and i was suprised to see her with her feet up on the seats after she had completed her duties, the Dash has not alot of room to move so it's best you go to the toilet before you fly! pretty soon we approached the Vancouver area and landed or runway 08 and made the taxi over to the terminal where our bags were already waiting.
I was out pretty fast and met up with Richard and went out to do some spotting, i was pretty knackered so the camera didn't get much use at all! We hung around the airport most of the day as i had to meet a friend who was flying in from Frankfurt.
Date-12 May 2005
Route-Vancouver-New York Kennedy
Flight-AC 548
Aircraft-A319
Registration-
ETD-1415
ATD-1436
ETA-2230
ATA-2205
Flight Time-4hrs 45min
Seat-26C
Today was the day i had to bid farwell to my travel mate Olivia and head off to the apple for the last leg of my trip, Richard came and collected us early in the day and we went out for a few photos, some lunch and then went over to the airport for checkin to NYC. checkin was easy as the que was nonexistent! i then went and said bye to Olivia and Richard and headed off to the US customs section of the terminal.
Suprisingly it was very fast and the process took no more then 5 minutes in que, went and got the usual treatment from the security people then headed to the gate where boarding had just begun! suprising how late most of the time i was! The cabin was full and not as spacious as that of the economy plus section of United, soon after boarding was complete we pushed back and made the long taxi for our departure to JFK, we flew pretty much a straight path to New York getting us there quite fast, we were served a meal that was quite nice, chicken and rice and drinks. Great to see that Air Canada serves a full meal on flights of this length. I pretty much slept for this flight and awoke as we began our descent into Kennedy airport, we approached via runway 22 and the view of Manhattan graced our window, a view that is truly special and one that i don't tire of seeing!
Air Canada is miles ahead on Nrth American routes, it's refreshing to fly a carrier who won't charge you to eat there rubbish!
nice meal for the flight to JFK
Date-16 May 2005
Route-New York Kennedy-Los Angeles
Flight-UA 839 Callsign UA 8122
Aircraft-B 757 Premium Service
Registration-N517UA
ETD-1755
ATD-1825
ETA-2110
ATA-2056
Flight Time-5hrs 30min
Seat-10D Business Class
Well it was time to head home, i had enjoyed the view from my Hyatt hotel in Jersey City for 1 last time and then took the PATH to Chambers station and the A train to JFK, followed by the Airtrain to Terminal 7, used the checkin for business class passengers and got the seats i requested for the flights, i then proceeded to the UA business class lounge to relax and have a few drinks, thankfully it was not so full and i had the place to myself, it was a great view over the apron area but the food on offer was pretty much non-existent! chips and biscuits and fruit, with soft drinks and thats about it, everything else had to be paid for!
I left the lounge just after boarding at gate 12 commenced and made my way to the plane, quickly took up my seat and was happy with the room and comfort that was on offer, definately a good business class seat and very comfortable with great recline!
We made our way out as United 8122 due to this flight also commencing in Lax for a runway 13R departure and we were number 4 in line behind Turkish 002 and a few other flights. After the wait we lined up and waited before we accelerated down 13R and getting airborne with the usual right bank! It was good to be heading home though it gets to be a rather emotional experience when travelling for long periods of time.
Soon after takeoff i stretched out and took some sleep, then awoke for the meal service.
For starters the following was offered and this is what i opted for.
Cocktail
Bellini
Starters
Chilled Smoked Salmon with Capers and Red Onion Relis, Sauteed Zucchini and Mozzarella with Basil and Balsamic Sauce.
Fresh Seasonal Salad of Greens and Carrots.
Main Course
I opted for the fish but lucked out so ended up with the chicken.
Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Baby Spinach and Lemon
Dessert
Edy's Ice Cream
Prior to Arrival
A selection of truffles from Gayetys Chocolates.
the food was superb and and service was great, the crew removed the rubbish very fast which allowed us to get back to relaxing and listening to CH9, i also watched the DVD and took in Meet the Fockers and Lost in Translation, the later is a personal favourite so i was happy to see it in the offerings!
Just after 5hrs in the air we began our descent into LAX for a 25L arrival, we taxied over to terminal 7 where i promptly left the plane and made my way to the business class lounge and met a girl who was on her way home to Vermont, amazing the people you meet in airports!
I was very impressed with the service and crew on this flight, well done to United!
lounge at JFK
food and snack area
onboard our 757 stretched out!
dessert and my baileys! yumm!
love the icecream!
the chicken mains was damn nice!
starters was devine!
our starters
the famous Bellini
Date-16 May 2005
Route- Los Angeles-Sydney
Flight-UA 839
Aircraft-B 747-400
Registration-N173UA
ETD-2240
ATD-2305
ETA-0635
ATA-0610 + 2 days
Flight Time-14 hrs
Seat-6H Business Class
So it was time for the longest of the segments back to Australia, i don't look forward to this flight no matter what class of travel! i left the lounge after talking with my new buddy Danielle, to my suprise when i go to the gate the plane was already loaded and they were waiting for my arrival, i ended up at the gate at 2230 just a few minutes before push back, the seat was in the old fabric but still very comfortable to say the least!
push back commenced just a few minutes after i boarded and we made our way out for a 25R takeoff, i could see Wunala Dreaming operating QF 12 behind us which was carrying my cousin, we accelerated slowly down 25R at what seemed to be a reduced power takeoff, for sometime i thought we were not going to get airborne at all! The climb was very slow, almost A340 like which was suprising, we made way to flight level 300 for most of the cruise which saw us encounter alot of turbulence enroute, for almost 50% of the flight the seatbelt sign was on, we were being tossed about quite a bit and service was halted for a while due to safety reasons.
The cabin crew were very friendly and helpful, i asked how far QF 12 was behind us and to my suprise they had caught us and were side by side, i could clearly see the plane and it's flashing lights, she ended up landing a full 7 minutes in front of us.
When the all clear for service to commence was given we were given our menus and the following was on offer.
For starters i opted for the following.
Shrimp and Parma Ham with Cocktail Sauce
Fresh Seasonal Greens with Red Wine Sauce and Caesars Salad Dressing.
For Mains i opted for the following
we had a choice of Braised Beef with Stir Fry Vegies and Mushrooms
Chicken with Roasted Shallot Sauce with Creamy Cheddar Potatoes and Asparagus
New England Clam Chowdrer.
Dessert i passed on.
Well i went for the Chowder, i'd been eating it for weeks and it seemed like a good choice, it was very heavy and full of lovely seafood! i actually couldn't eat the lot thats how filling a good clam chowder is! I had a Baileys with it also!
after dinner it was time to stretch out and go to sleep, i slept for a good 9 hours of the flight and woke when we were close to Fiji, took in the airmap and then went back to sleep.
We encountered alot of rough turbulence for about 2 hours and were kept in our seats for quite a while, when we were about 90 mins out of Sydney a morning snack was on offer.
Fresh Fruit With Breads and Croissants
Scrambled Eggs with Onions and Hollandaise Sauce and Black Forest Ham with Oven Roasted Hash Potatoes.
the meal was lovely apart from the ham, one way to tell if you should not be eating the meat is if it glows in the dark, i took a bite out of the ham and noticed the glow on the meat and have been ill since! the eggs were lovely as were the hash potatoes! to bad the ham let the meal down!
all up it was a great flight and was nice to stretch out and relax, though i dislike long flights like this it's ceratainly best done in business or first class! we made our descent into a wet and stormy Sydney, all i could see was rain pooring down and clouds, we made a series of turns so that we could land after the 6am curfew on runway 16R, taxied back to the terminal and went upstairs for a few cockpit shots.
starters before the main meal
the devine New England clam chowder!
my seat contols
stretched out like you do!
the map and my baileys as usual!
breakfast fruit and croissant
eggs and ham for mains breakfast, to bad about the ham!
flight deck of N173UA
Date-18 May 05
Route-Sydney-Perth
Flight-QF 583
Aircraft-A330-200
Registration-VH-EBC
ETD-1925
ATD-1940
ETA-2230
ATA-2215
Flight Time-4hrs 40min
Seat-30J
Went to the domestic transfer at Qantas international and was hoping for a switch to an earlier flight, no such luck even though the flights were not full! talk about a money grabbing bunch of bastards, so i was stuck in Sydney for 11 hours in a tired and sleepy state, with bags checked in i went with Paul Maier and did a bit of spotting then headed back to the terminal and crashed out on a couch.
Just after 7pm we were called for boarding and i promptly entered the tight A330-200 and took my seat, soon after the plane was pushed back for the 4hr 40min flight over to Perth, we used 16R for departure and climbed out quickly, the flight was fairly uneventful but i was pretty tired and angry with QF by this stage and had no desire to engage in nice small talk with anyone, dinner was a nice fish and rice and ice cream was also served. i fell asleep when the ice cream came by and pretty much slept the entire journey. We entered the Perth area and began our descent for approach to runway 03 on a wet and stormy Perth night, the crew were pretty good and i was just happy to be finally home, luggage was out pretty fast and i was home within 45 minutes of landing!
I'd like to extend a big thankyou to the following people in order of the route, without you guys the trip would have been alot harder!
not a bad fish meal this one!
Brisbane-Beau Chenery
San Francisco-Steve Gonzales
Anchorage-John, Shawn and the great Sokol Ymeri
Vancouver-Richard Austen, Rob Rindt, Chris Sands and all the local guys who turned out!
New York-Josh Akbar, Tony Russo, Brian Futterman, Art and Anne Brett for the great slide night!, Phil J Derner, i don't know if you could keep up with my humour mate but it was good to meet you! Senga Butts and my mate Yum, the funniest clown i have ever met in my life, he was so full of contradictions that it was almost as funny as me!
Sydney-Paul Maier
Vancouver again
and a personal and special thanks to Olivia, Liv made my journey just that more enjoyable, when things went a bit pearshaped she got busy and set me back on track, she waited at the base of Grouse Mt while i walked down the mountain, without her the trip would have been not as fun, as the straggler in Seattle that we picked up said, "you guys compliment each other well"
i will upload photos when the que here becomee more respectable! i'm sure you know where to look if you really want to see them soon!
my dear friend Olivia!
if anyone has the AC flight rego from YVR-JFK it would be appreciated! hope you all enjoy reading this trip report!
Date-28 April 05
Route-Perth to Sydney
Flight-QF 580
Aircraft-Airbus 330-200
Registration-VH-EBA
ETD-1205
ATD-1220
ETA-1810
ATA-1750
Flight Time-3hr 30min
Seat-40A
Today the journey begins, to see the region famous for Polar bears, Moose and special scenery, it began like any usual trip i prepare for, sleep late! wait for the arrival of my lift, double check my bags and papers and then head off to the airport.
Arrived at the the Perth terminal at about 1045am to encounter a nice line of people waiting to checkin, que passed quite quickly which was good! checked in and was assigned seat 40A, a window on the left side which enabled me to see the various spotting locations at Perth airport.
Boarding began at 1145am, i promptly entered the plane and took my seat, only to notice that a friend of mine was on the plane, funny who you run into when your travelling! soon after the loading was complete and paperwork done it was time for us to pushback. We were pushed back so as we could depart from runway 21 and head south then make a sharp turn to head east. just on 1220pm the captain accelerates our A330 forward and shortly after we get airborne for the flight to Sydney.
This flight was helped by good tail winds which would see us complete the journey in just 3hrs 30mins. it was soon meal time and the usual choice was on offer, pasta or beef, i went the pasta for a change. the meal was very dry and unappealing, it consisted of eggplant and sauce, salad, bread and a wine which was like poison! the meal went down ok, i guess if your hungry you'll eat anything! including dry pasta...
photos are of the lunch served, wing view from my seat and me and a good friend who just happend to be on the same flight, we are not married despite what everyone else seems to think! with about 30 minutes before arrival we began our approach into a dark Sydney airport, we landed well ahead of time on 34L and made our way to the gate, the flight was pleasent and the service as usual good with Qantas, i've found they have become very SQ like, robotic and lacking personality!
lunch on the Per-Syd flight
wing view of our A330
Date-28 April 05
Route-Sydney-Brisbane
Flight-QF 552
Aircraft-737-800
Registration-VH-VXS
ETD-2005
ATD-2021
ETA-2135
ATA-2118
Flight Time-57mins
Seat-22A
Had a short layover in Sydney before the flight onwards to Brisbane, i remained in the domestic terminal and just had a bite to eat a snooze on the couch. just before 8pm the boarding call was made for our short flight to Brisbane and boarded and took my seat, we pushed back just a little behind schedule and made the long taxi out for runway 34R, took close to 20 mins to taxi the whole way to the 3rd runway! service on the short Qantas domestic flights is pretty average, a cup of tea and a cookie was the only offering, i guess it's not to bad for such a short trip. no sooner after we made it to our cruise altitude and it was time to descend again into Brisbane. thankfully it was a short but sweet flight with a pleasent flight crew and a nice smooth flight.
Date-29 April 05
Flight-QF 517
Aircraft-A330-200
Registration-VH-EBB
ETD-1010
ATD-1055
ETA-1140
ATA-1215
Flight Time-1hr 20min
Seat-24B
Decided to overnight in Brisbane for something different, got to the airport courtesy of Beau a little before the flight was due to depart, the que was pretty empty and my luggage was tagged through to my UA flight to San Francisco on United. Had to hurry to the gate as the plane was already in stages of boarding and i was running late, got to the gate and promptly boarded the plane to find out we'd be going nowhere fast. The computers that control the weight and balance of the planes in Sydney had gone down and we were waiting manual figures so as we could depart, this left us sitting in the plane doing nothing for close to 1hr while the paperwork was attained. The crew made no offer of drink or snack, we were allowed to use phones and that was it, the tech crew kept us up to date and the United people in Sydney were made aware of our late arrival so as to wait for our arrival.
eventually, with about 50 mins behind schedule we were pushed back for the short flight down to Sydney, once again the service was non-existent, just a drink and a piece of fruit and a nice delay to boot! we made up as much time as possible enroute but still were quite late on our arrival, we descended rapidly and made approach again for 34L, upon touchdown we proceeded quickly to the gate and disembarked for the transfer to the international terminal, this seemed to take forever! we were sitting in the lounge for 25 minutes waiting for the bus! as soon as i got to the international side i had to run for the United counter to checkin and get my boarding pass, thankfully they were waiting for me!
Date-29 April 05
Route-Sydney-San Francisco
Flight-UA 870
Aircraft-B747-400
Registration-N117UA
ETD-1345
ATD-1405
ETA-0935
ATA-0940
Flight Time-12hr 40min
Seat-39K Economy Plus
When i got through customs and immigration the flight was well and truly boarding, thats how late Qantas made us! made my way to the economy plus section and got to my seat, the room was fantastic and the blocked seat next to us was appreciated! a great move by UA to say the least. Captain Carter came on the PA and addressed us and gave us some flight info, the journey would take just on 13hrs to complete and would see us depart from runway 16R then come left and then head over the pacific ocean enroute to San Francisco. We pushed back a few minutes behind schedule and taxied out for 16R, we were met with some proceeding traffic and a baby that had broken out in a rash onboard which saw us hold a few minutes before we got the all clear to depart, the take off roll as expected was very long, we passed the famous beach spot and still had not rotated, we climbed out slowly and headed for flight level 300 for the majority of our cruise. Shortly after a drink service began and i opted for Gin and Tonic, the middle table between us was used as a mini bar!
For our first meal we were given a fillet of beef with mixed vegies, salad, bread and smoked salmon, the meal was one of the best i have ever had in economy! how many carriers do you know that serve this type of meal to the cattle class passengers!
it went down well and the crew were prompt about clearing the mess and keeping us stocked in beverages, my impression of United is very positive, for a carrier in such trouble they certainly stand tall and show exceptional pride in the service they provide! i decided to get some sleep and passed on the movies, i slept about 6 hrs and woke to a mid flight snack of sandwiches and soft drinks which went down well! it was then time to go back to sleep for another 3 hrs or so, for some reason CH9 was not active on this flight which was a disappointment, not that it mattered due to me sleeping most of the flight anyways.
about 1hr out we were given another morning meal which was light and refreshing, i love fruit and UA had plenty onboard so i was quick to eat as much of it as possible! soon after we began our descent into San Francisco, which would see us land on runway 28L and taxi to the international terminal were we would disembark, i have to say United certainly does a good job of making you feel welcome and relaxed! i'd fly them over Qantas if i go back to the US again. Took some cockpit shots also after we got to the gate!
main meal on UA870
middle table made for a good bar stool!
above the clouds enroute to SFO, about 30 mins out of Sydney!
prior to arrival snack
N117UA flight deck
Date-2 May 05
Route-San Francisco-Seattle
Flight-UA 1282
Aircraft-B 737-300
Registration-N203UA
ETD-1610
ATD-1621
ETA-1805
ATA-1803
Flight Time-1hr 45
Seat-6A Economy Plus
Checked in early for this flight as i had to drop my rental car off, i spent a wonderful few days in San Francisco, one of the worlds truly beautiful cities and somewhere i look forward to returning to! checkin was fast and efficient and my bags tagged to Anchorage via Seattle. After checkin i proceeded to go and sit in the UA area and grabbed some Japanese food and then fell asleep at the gate awaiting the flight, yes i can fall asleep anywhere pretty fast too! a beautiful thing if you do alot of long travelling! soon enough it was time to board this full flight to Seattle, we soon had all the passengers onboard and headed out for a runway 1 departure for Seattle which took us right over the lovely city and bay area of San Francisco! meals on this flight were available for sale so i opted for the free drink and fruit and nuts, the flight was fairly short and uneventful which is just what i wanted, seeing as though i had been sitting around the terminal for 4hours waiting.
the space in the Plus part of the cabin was fantastic also! with about 20 minutes before landing we began our descent into Seattle Tacoma airport and passed by the city, it was quite a fantastic view to say the least! you could almost reach out and touch the skyline as we passed by. we landed shortly after and i made my way to the gate for the flight to Anchorage, the terminal itself was pretty old and rundown, not much to see or do in there so i grabbed some food and snoozed a little as usual!
complimentary juice and nuts
inflight to Seattle
taxi to the gate
the Y plus room!
Date-2 May 2005
Route-Seattle-Anchorage
Flight-UA 967
Aircraft-A320
Registration-N424UA
ETD-2115
ATD-2130
ETA-2350
ATA-2345
Flight Time-3hr 15min
Seat-8A
After sitting around the Tacoma terminal and eating ice cream it was time to board for the flight to Anchorage, finally a flight with CH9 active onboard which was a welcome relief too! we didn't hang about to long after boarding was complete and headed straight out for our departure, not sure of the runway in use but it was one of the parallel ones in use. The flight would take us along the west coast of Canada and then up to Alaska, it took just over 3hrs to complete the whole journey. Our flight was staffed by a Seattle crew who looked after us well, as usual food was for sale so i opted for the drinks and nuts only, i have to start bringing my own food from now on! Just after 2300 we began our descent into the Anchorage airport, and yes it was still quite light to say the least! an absolutely stunning evening and something i have never seen before in my life!
We approached for 6R and landed just on 2345 and taxied over to the UA area of the terminal, upon exiting i was greeted by the huge polar bear enclosed in a glass cabinet, also the Kodiak bear in the cabinet opposite, truly an amazing sight though sad to see them this way. i was met by the local guys John and Shawn and then went to the hotel for some snooze and to get ready to give the rental car a good flogging the next day!
love the apple juice!
on approach to Anchorage, yes we could still see at 2300!
hired a car from these guys that had 9 miles on it, it got a good flogging by the time they got it back!
Date-7 May 2005
Route-Anchorage-Seattle
Flight-UA 309
Aircraft-A319
Registration-N853UA
ETD-0045
ATD-0102
ETA-0515
ATA-0500
Flight Time-3hrs
Seat-8C
Air Canada was meant to be my carrier though they had stopped flights til the 9th of may, so i was back on UA to Seattle which was fine by me, checkin was fast and easy and my bags checked to Vancouver via Seattle. I made my way through the security and went and sat at the the bar and had some tacos and beer! Not a bad way to kick off the next leg of the trip to say the least! Shortly after eating i made my way to the gate and took some photos of the bears and crashed out on the couch until the boarding call was made, not a full flight down to Seattle thank god! but i can't see who would want to do this red eye service, as short as it was it still left me feeling stuffed for the rest of saturday in Vancouver.
We made our way out for departure off runway 32 and as usual the cargo ramp was a buzz with traffic, CH9 was active as we cruised our way down along the coast to Seattle, usual service was offered, drinks and nuts or buy a meal. We descended past Seattle downtown while it was still dark, a special view it was and like before so close you can almost grab it! lucky for me the layover was very short to say the least between my next flights.
same old apple juice!
wow, this is the world record Kodiak Bear on display at Anchorage Airport!
the world record Polar Bear just before hunting them became illegal!
Date-7 May 2005
Route-Seattle-Vancouver
Flight-AC 8090
Aircraft-Dash 8
Registration-C-GIJG
ETD-0600
ATD-0610
ETA-0715
ATA-0700
Flight Time-50 min
Seat-2A
Had only 30 minutes between flights which was good, someone had decided to take my seat without reading her boarding card, i decided to let her have the seat as it was dark and cloudy so not much to view. We taxied out dead on time and soon after were airborne, for a short flight we were offered a drink and snack which was suprising to say the least! I opted not to eat or drink anything as i was to tired and choose to snooze for the very short flight, we had one flight attendant only and i was suprised to see her with her feet up on the seats after she had completed her duties, the Dash has not alot of room to move so it's best you go to the toilet before you fly! pretty soon we approached the Vancouver area and landed or runway 08 and made the taxi over to the terminal where our bags were already waiting.
I was out pretty fast and met up with Richard and went out to do some spotting, i was pretty knackered so the camera didn't get much use at all! We hung around the airport most of the day as i had to meet a friend who was flying in from Frankfurt.
Date-12 May 2005
Route-Vancouver-New York Kennedy
Flight-AC 548
Aircraft-A319
Registration-
ETD-1415
ATD-1436
ETA-2230
ATA-2205
Flight Time-4hrs 45min
Seat-26C
Today was the day i had to bid farwell to my travel mate Olivia and head off to the apple for the last leg of my trip, Richard came and collected us early in the day and we went out for a few photos, some lunch and then went over to the airport for checkin to NYC. checkin was easy as the que was nonexistent! i then went and said bye to Olivia and Richard and headed off to the US customs section of the terminal.
Suprisingly it was very fast and the process took no more then 5 minutes in que, went and got the usual treatment from the security people then headed to the gate where boarding had just begun! suprising how late most of the time i was! The cabin was full and not as spacious as that of the economy plus section of United, soon after boarding was complete we pushed back and made the long taxi for our departure to JFK, we flew pretty much a straight path to New York getting us there quite fast, we were served a meal that was quite nice, chicken and rice and drinks. Great to see that Air Canada serves a full meal on flights of this length. I pretty much slept for this flight and awoke as we began our descent into Kennedy airport, we approached via runway 22 and the view of Manhattan graced our window, a view that is truly special and one that i don't tire of seeing!
Air Canada is miles ahead on Nrth American routes, it's refreshing to fly a carrier who won't charge you to eat there rubbish!
nice meal for the flight to JFK
Date-16 May 2005
Route-New York Kennedy-Los Angeles
Flight-UA 839 Callsign UA 8122
Aircraft-B 757 Premium Service
Registration-N517UA
ETD-1755
ATD-1825
ETA-2110
ATA-2056
Flight Time-5hrs 30min
Seat-10D Business Class
Well it was time to head home, i had enjoyed the view from my Hyatt hotel in Jersey City for 1 last time and then took the PATH to Chambers station and the A train to JFK, followed by the Airtrain to Terminal 7, used the checkin for business class passengers and got the seats i requested for the flights, i then proceeded to the UA business class lounge to relax and have a few drinks, thankfully it was not so full and i had the place to myself, it was a great view over the apron area but the food on offer was pretty much non-existent! chips and biscuits and fruit, with soft drinks and thats about it, everything else had to be paid for!
I left the lounge just after boarding at gate 12 commenced and made my way to the plane, quickly took up my seat and was happy with the room and comfort that was on offer, definately a good business class seat and very comfortable with great recline!
We made our way out as United 8122 due to this flight also commencing in Lax for a runway 13R departure and we were number 4 in line behind Turkish 002 and a few other flights. After the wait we lined up and waited before we accelerated down 13R and getting airborne with the usual right bank! It was good to be heading home though it gets to be a rather emotional experience when travelling for long periods of time.
Soon after takeoff i stretched out and took some sleep, then awoke for the meal service.
For starters the following was offered and this is what i opted for.
Cocktail
Bellini
Starters
Chilled Smoked Salmon with Capers and Red Onion Relis, Sauteed Zucchini and Mozzarella with Basil and Balsamic Sauce.
Fresh Seasonal Salad of Greens and Carrots.
Main Course
I opted for the fish but lucked out so ended up with the chicken.
Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Baby Spinach and Lemon
Dessert
Edy's Ice Cream
Prior to Arrival
A selection of truffles from Gayetys Chocolates.
the food was superb and and service was great, the crew removed the rubbish very fast which allowed us to get back to relaxing and listening to CH9, i also watched the DVD and took in Meet the Fockers and Lost in Translation, the later is a personal favourite so i was happy to see it in the offerings!
Just after 5hrs in the air we began our descent into LAX for a 25L arrival, we taxied over to terminal 7 where i promptly left the plane and made my way to the business class lounge and met a girl who was on her way home to Vermont, amazing the people you meet in airports!
I was very impressed with the service and crew on this flight, well done to United!
lounge at JFK
food and snack area
onboard our 757 stretched out!
dessert and my baileys! yumm!
love the icecream!
the chicken mains was damn nice!
starters was devine!
our starters
the famous Bellini
Date-16 May 2005
Route- Los Angeles-Sydney
Flight-UA 839
Aircraft-B 747-400
Registration-N173UA
ETD-2240
ATD-2305
ETA-0635
ATA-0610 + 2 days
Flight Time-14 hrs
Seat-6H Business Class
So it was time for the longest of the segments back to Australia, i don't look forward to this flight no matter what class of travel! i left the lounge after talking with my new buddy Danielle, to my suprise when i go to the gate the plane was already loaded and they were waiting for my arrival, i ended up at the gate at 2230 just a few minutes before push back, the seat was in the old fabric but still very comfortable to say the least!
push back commenced just a few minutes after i boarded and we made our way out for a 25R takeoff, i could see Wunala Dreaming operating QF 12 behind us which was carrying my cousin, we accelerated slowly down 25R at what seemed to be a reduced power takeoff, for sometime i thought we were not going to get airborne at all! The climb was very slow, almost A340 like which was suprising, we made way to flight level 300 for most of the cruise which saw us encounter alot of turbulence enroute, for almost 50% of the flight the seatbelt sign was on, we were being tossed about quite a bit and service was halted for a while due to safety reasons.
The cabin crew were very friendly and helpful, i asked how far QF 12 was behind us and to my suprise they had caught us and were side by side, i could clearly see the plane and it's flashing lights, she ended up landing a full 7 minutes in front of us.
When the all clear for service to commence was given we were given our menus and the following was on offer.
For starters i opted for the following.
Shrimp and Parma Ham with Cocktail Sauce
Fresh Seasonal Greens with Red Wine Sauce and Caesars Salad Dressing.
For Mains i opted for the following
we had a choice of Braised Beef with Stir Fry Vegies and Mushrooms
Chicken with Roasted Shallot Sauce with Creamy Cheddar Potatoes and Asparagus
New England Clam Chowdrer.
Dessert i passed on.
Well i went for the Chowder, i'd been eating it for weeks and it seemed like a good choice, it was very heavy and full of lovely seafood! i actually couldn't eat the lot thats how filling a good clam chowder is! I had a Baileys with it also!
after dinner it was time to stretch out and go to sleep, i slept for a good 9 hours of the flight and woke when we were close to Fiji, took in the airmap and then went back to sleep.
We encountered alot of rough turbulence for about 2 hours and were kept in our seats for quite a while, when we were about 90 mins out of Sydney a morning snack was on offer.
Fresh Fruit With Breads and Croissants
Scrambled Eggs with Onions and Hollandaise Sauce and Black Forest Ham with Oven Roasted Hash Potatoes.
the meal was lovely apart from the ham, one way to tell if you should not be eating the meat is if it glows in the dark, i took a bite out of the ham and noticed the glow on the meat and have been ill since! the eggs were lovely as were the hash potatoes! to bad the ham let the meal down!
all up it was a great flight and was nice to stretch out and relax, though i dislike long flights like this it's ceratainly best done in business or first class! we made our descent into a wet and stormy Sydney, all i could see was rain pooring down and clouds, we made a series of turns so that we could land after the 6am curfew on runway 16R, taxied back to the terminal and went upstairs for a few cockpit shots.
starters before the main meal
the devine New England clam chowder!
my seat contols
stretched out like you do!
the map and my baileys as usual!
breakfast fruit and croissant
eggs and ham for mains breakfast, to bad about the ham!
flight deck of N173UA
Date-18 May 05
Route-Sydney-Perth
Flight-QF 583
Aircraft-A330-200
Registration-VH-EBC
ETD-1925
ATD-1940
ETA-2230
ATA-2215
Flight Time-4hrs 40min
Seat-30J
Went to the domestic transfer at Qantas international and was hoping for a switch to an earlier flight, no such luck even though the flights were not full! talk about a money grabbing bunch of bastards, so i was stuck in Sydney for 11 hours in a tired and sleepy state, with bags checked in i went with Paul Maier and did a bit of spotting then headed back to the terminal and crashed out on a couch.
Just after 7pm we were called for boarding and i promptly entered the tight A330-200 and took my seat, soon after the plane was pushed back for the 4hr 40min flight over to Perth, we used 16R for departure and climbed out quickly, the flight was fairly uneventful but i was pretty tired and angry with QF by this stage and had no desire to engage in nice small talk with anyone, dinner was a nice fish and rice and ice cream was also served. i fell asleep when the ice cream came by and pretty much slept the entire journey. We entered the Perth area and began our descent for approach to runway 03 on a wet and stormy Perth night, the crew were pretty good and i was just happy to be finally home, luggage was out pretty fast and i was home within 45 minutes of landing!
I'd like to extend a big thankyou to the following people in order of the route, without you guys the trip would have been alot harder!
not a bad fish meal this one!
Brisbane-Beau Chenery
San Francisco-Steve Gonzales
Anchorage-John, Shawn and the great Sokol Ymeri
Vancouver-Richard Austen, Rob Rindt, Chris Sands and all the local guys who turned out!
New York-Josh Akbar, Tony Russo, Brian Futterman, Art and Anne Brett for the great slide night!, Phil J Derner, i don't know if you could keep up with my humour mate but it was good to meet you! Senga Butts and my mate Yum, the funniest clown i have ever met in my life, he was so full of contradictions that it was almost as funny as me!
Sydney-Paul Maier
Vancouver again
and a personal and special thanks to Olivia, Liv made my journey just that more enjoyable, when things went a bit pearshaped she got busy and set me back on track, she waited at the base of Grouse Mt while i walked down the mountain, without her the trip would have been not as fun, as the straggler in Seattle that we picked up said, "you guys compliment each other well"
i will upload photos when the que here becomee more respectable! i'm sure you know where to look if you really want to see them soon!
my dear friend Olivia!
if anyone has the AC flight rego from YVR-JFK it would be appreciated! hope you all enjoy reading this trip report!
I love being able to see late at night
Sounds like a fun trip
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