Bristol, England: Leaving Bristol, England

17FEB08 Bristol International, Bristol England (BRS)

I arrived at the airport on a very cold morning; there was frost everywhere. I approached the check-in counter and presented my documents to the security agent. As he checked them over, an agent came asked my name and gave me my boarding pass for BusinessFirst class; a window seat to boot. I thanked him profusely (obviously impressed). I then wrapped up the security checks and left the check-in area.

I walked around for a bit picking up some Bristol-related material before heading upstairs for the other security area. I stopped in the restaurant for a bit to see how the view of the planes was from there; it was marginal and obstructed, so I left.

I then cleared security and entered the departure area with its many shops. I did not bother to check for WiFi as there was a sign at the information desk that said there was a charge. I walked around a bit and found a Servisair Lounge, but I did not have the proper credentials for entry so I continued walking around. Outside the windows was the Continental wingleted Boeing 757-200 and a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 with winglets and painted in Boeing colors; a truly nice find. I sat for a bit and watched passengers board it. I did notice that they were using the stairs that came with the plane as opposed to the external ones like the 757 was using.

It was soon time to board, so I did. I walked across a walkway, through some corridors across the tarmac and to the stairs. It was freezing! It was good to get a close up view of the Ryanair 738 though.