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TSV-BNE
Date: June 28, 2003
Flight: DJ 668
Aircraft: VH-VBT (Boeing 737-700)
Seats: 18A and B
Arrival and check-in at TSV was quick and uneventful. After a quick browse of the 1 shop in the terminal, we said our goodbyes to my family and headed into the departure lounge. Our aircraft arrived a few minutes late from BNE and so we were a few minutes late boarding. Again we got seats that allowed us to board from the rear of the aircraft. TSV airport is in the midst of the construction of aerobridges for the 3 gates so the days of walking out on the tarmac to board are definitely numbered.
We found our seats and waited for departure. From what I saw there was not a single empty seat on the entire aircraft. After about 15 minutes the captain came on and announced that the ground crew had lost someone’s boarding pass and they aren’t allowed to leave without it. So, after a further 10 minutes or so the doors were closed and we were on our way. Our scheduled departure time was 4:20 but by the time our takeoff roll began it was 4:45.
Once airborne, we took a long right hand turn over Magnetic Island and then began our track south. After 20 minutes the seatbelt sign was extinguished and the cabin crew began their usual routine of moving through the cabin selling food and drinks. Unfortunately, this was about the time a small child in row 24 decided that it was time to start screaming. The embarrassed mother did her best to threaten the kid into silence with threats such as “you’re going to get it” that I guess were eventually successful. In the seats directly in front of us were 2 blokes who thought they had to provide entertainment for everyone by being loud and obnoxious and trying unsuccessfully to chat up the stewardesses.
We leveled off at FL380 and enjoyed the setting sun in the cloudless sky.
I assumed our arrival would be delayed as a result of the late departure, but the captain informed us that our arrival would still be almost on time. We descended into BNE and landed to the north. From my window seat I could see the runway approaching and thought that we were awfully high, but the pilot performed a fairly steep, descending left hand turn to line up and put her down nicely.
Our flight time turned out to be about 1:30, less than the 1:40 to 1:55 that it usually is.
BNE-SYD
Date: June 28, 2003
Flight: DJ 272
Aircraft: VH-VOA (Boeing 737-800)
Seats: 16A and B
We decided to walk around the airport a little bit and grab something to eat and as a result were almost the last to board the aircraft.
We got underway at 7:10p.m. (10 minutes late) and were airborne to the north before a right hand turn over the ocean and then tracking south to SYD. The pilot informed us our flight time would be about 1:20 as we were battling 160km/h headwinds. As per usual, cabin services were offered after the initial climb was complete and the seatbelt sign was turned off. We climbed to our cruising level of FL370 (I think) and enjoyed almost cloudless skies for most of the flight.
We began our initial descent into SYD at 8:05p.m. We encountered scattered cloud and a few bumps on our way down, but nothing out of the ordinary. We descended over the northern suburbs and then turned out over the ocean to turn back and land on 34L. A smooth touchdown followed shortly after and then a short roll through to the domestic terminal. Our actual flight time was 1:15, 5 minutes less than anticipated.
This was my first flight on the 737-800 and I was very impressed overall, especially with the spacious interior.
Date: June 28, 2003
Flight: DJ 668
Aircraft: VH-VBT (Boeing 737-700)
Seats: 18A and B
Arrival and check-in at TSV was quick and uneventful. After a quick browse of the 1 shop in the terminal, we said our goodbyes to my family and headed into the departure lounge. Our aircraft arrived a few minutes late from BNE and so we were a few minutes late boarding. Again we got seats that allowed us to board from the rear of the aircraft. TSV airport is in the midst of the construction of aerobridges for the 3 gates so the days of walking out on the tarmac to board are definitely numbered.
We found our seats and waited for departure. From what I saw there was not a single empty seat on the entire aircraft. After about 15 minutes the captain came on and announced that the ground crew had lost someone’s boarding pass and they aren’t allowed to leave without it. So, after a further 10 minutes or so the doors were closed and we were on our way. Our scheduled departure time was 4:20 but by the time our takeoff roll began it was 4:45.
Once airborne, we took a long right hand turn over Magnetic Island and then began our track south. After 20 minutes the seatbelt sign was extinguished and the cabin crew began their usual routine of moving through the cabin selling food and drinks. Unfortunately, this was about the time a small child in row 24 decided that it was time to start screaming. The embarrassed mother did her best to threaten the kid into silence with threats such as “you’re going to get it” that I guess were eventually successful. In the seats directly in front of us were 2 blokes who thought they had to provide entertainment for everyone by being loud and obnoxious and trying unsuccessfully to chat up the stewardesses.
We leveled off at FL380 and enjoyed the setting sun in the cloudless sky.
I assumed our arrival would be delayed as a result of the late departure, but the captain informed us that our arrival would still be almost on time. We descended into BNE and landed to the north. From my window seat I could see the runway approaching and thought that we were awfully high, but the pilot performed a fairly steep, descending left hand turn to line up and put her down nicely.
Our flight time turned out to be about 1:30, less than the 1:40 to 1:55 that it usually is.
BNE-SYD
Date: June 28, 2003
Flight: DJ 272
Aircraft: VH-VOA (Boeing 737-800)
Seats: 16A and B
We decided to walk around the airport a little bit and grab something to eat and as a result were almost the last to board the aircraft.
We got underway at 7:10p.m. (10 minutes late) and were airborne to the north before a right hand turn over the ocean and then tracking south to SYD. The pilot informed us our flight time would be about 1:20 as we were battling 160km/h headwinds. As per usual, cabin services were offered after the initial climb was complete and the seatbelt sign was turned off. We climbed to our cruising level of FL370 (I think) and enjoyed almost cloudless skies for most of the flight.
We began our initial descent into SYD at 8:05p.m. We encountered scattered cloud and a few bumps on our way down, but nothing out of the ordinary. We descended over the northern suburbs and then turned out over the ocean to turn back and land on 34L. A smooth touchdown followed shortly after and then a short roll through to the domestic terminal. Our actual flight time was 1:15, 5 minutes less than anticipated.
This was my first flight on the 737-800 and I was very impressed overall, especially with the spacious interior.