London Apr. 18: In London Heathrow London, England (LHR)

19APR08 London Heathrow International, London England

We exited the runway using the second to last high speed taxiway. I usually land in the other direction on this runway, so this is a rare treat.

The flight attendant thanked us for traveling with KLM and hoped that she would see us onboard soon. The taxi to the Terminal 4 was not too bad as we actually taxied to the end of the runway and crossed right at the spot where that British Airways (BA) Boeing 777 crashed a few months back. Actually, the now rudder less airplane is still just behind the blast fence and was clearly visible as we passed by.

We taxied across the end of the runway and made our way to the gate passing a British Airways Boeing 777 and a Boeing 747 on our way in. There was also a Delta Air Lines (DL) Boeing 767-300 at the far ends. We blocked in at 1:53p.

I gathered my stuff and deplaned, then headed for the Immigration Hall. You could also see that crashed Boeing 777 from the terminal.

At Immigration, I tried the iris machine and failed twice, so it kicked me out. I told the lady and she asked me what kind of passport I have. I told her and she was sending me off to another line, so I just tried again. I could hear the one guy at the front of the line asking, if I had registered in an annoyed tone. At that moment, the machine worked and I got my receipt. I looked over at him and calmly said “patience,” then walked away.

I then made my down to Customs, cleared there and headed for the Underground stop at Terminal 2. Basically, I made a left outside of Customs, make way through the usual throng of meters and greeters, then followed the signs to the Heathrow Express. Go down to the lowest level and take any train to the next stop and follow the signs to Terminal 2 which leads to the Underground. By the way, the Underground also stops at Terminal 4, so I could have turned right out of Customs, then take the escalators down one level.