London Feb. 1: Arriving in London City, London England (LCY)

03FEB08 London City, London England (LCY)

Once we landed on runway 10-28, we taxied down the runway, turned around and taxied back up the runway and made a left onto the apron and parked the airplane.


Another aircraft landed right behind us in this one runway busy airport.

I deplaned looking to my left and seeing an Air France and British Airways ARJ.


I then walked into the terminal (there are no jetways at London City) and then made my way to Immigration. I looked out the window and there was a VLM Fokker 50 landing.



The line was cleared in no time and I was through Customs even quicker. his was my first time landing at LCY, but I've taken off here several times. It is a very easy airport to navigate.

I headed outside and watched an Air France ARJ take off for France and another private jet land and then left and headed for the Docklands Light Rail that is connected to the airport.

London Feb. 1: Geneva, Switzerland (GVA) to London City, England (LCY)

LX438 03FEB08 Geneva International, Geneva Switzerland (GVA) to London-London City International, London England (LCY) 1:55p 2:40p ARJ HB-IYU

Flying Time: 1:15

I completely expected to have my bag checked at the airplane door, but the overheads were actually big enough for my roller bag except for the ones under the wing.

The line was backing up behind as we all waited. I got to my seat, stowed my bag and sat down. This airplane has two classes with 10 Business class leather seats in a 2-3 configuration and 86 Economy class leather seats in a 2-3 configuration as well; there are curtains diving the cabins. I
took some pictures of planes as they passed by my
window, I could also see an El Al Boeing 767-300 and a Qatar Airways A330-200 at the gate.

The flight filled up rather quickly, but there were maybe two empty seats on the entire plane. People were conversing about their ski weekend as we waited for departure.

The Captain came on the PA at 1:55p and advised that we would be leaving shortly. The manual safety demo was done at 2:00p and we taxied out at 2:02p. At 2:07p, we were at the end of the runway and started our takeoff roll.

It was a beautiful day so it was really nice as we took off to see the surroundings.

We went straight out for a bit and then made a right turn and cleared the mountains; we were very close to them it seems.

The view was spectacular as we crossed the Swiss Alps and continue Northeast.

We were served a choice of a salami or cheese sandwich and beverage of choice.

After the meal, we were served a Swiss chocolate, which was a nice touch.

It was soon time for landing and the cabin was prepared. I could see the northwestern tip of France and the southeastern tip of England and the English Channel between the two countries.

The descent was spectacular as we circled the city if London. You could see the buildings up close and very personal. My personal favorite is seeing Westminister Abbey! I really love London.

After this spectacular view, we landed at London City.

London Feb. 1: Leaving Geneva, Switzerland (GVA)

Geneva International, Geneva, Switzerland (GVA)

I entered the departure/shopping area of the airport at about 12:10p. I then had to go through the security area, but I did not know where to go since my flight was not yet assigned a gate. I had a choice of security areas A, B or C. I did what everyone else was doing, walked around the shops. I also looked for a Lounge. I did find three, but none of my credentials would give me access to any of them. I really need to get a Priority Pass card as that would have given me access to all but one of the lounges.

While I waited in the secure area near gate B41, I saw a Qatar Airways (QR) A330-200 A7-ACB arrive from Doha. This is the plane that will go to Newark and make up the return flight QR84 on 3FEB08. I love aviation! There was also a Q400 at the hard stand that later left for the runway followed by a A330 from Monarch.

I showed my passport and boarding pass to the gate agent who said hello and gave me a Landing card for the U.K. This is the card ones fill out whenever they enter the U.K. The next agent took my ticket, then ran the boarding pass through the reader and gave me the end of it back. I then went up the stairs and down the jetway to the waiting airplane.

London Feb. 1: Arriving in Geneva, Switzerland (GVA)

03FEB08 Geneva International, Geneva (GVA)

We taxied up to the gate and I deplaned along with everyone else.

It was quite a long walk to the Immigration area, but I got a good chance to see the planes on the tarmac at the gates. I thought about just going into the terminal area as opposed to entering the country. I decided against it and then went to the Immigration area. I cleared Immigration without and issues and I then cleared Customs and headed out to where everyone was being met.

I headed upstairs to the departure area to find a spot to check in for my flight. I did and was told that I'd get a seat at the gate as the flight was quite busy.

I walked around the airport for a bit and then sat down to catch my breath a little. I thought about going into the city, but did not even bother although I later found out later that it was only five minutes away by train and cost 3 CHF on either the #10 bus or any train from the platform as they all stop in the center of the city.

I walked over the the train station and shopping area and it was a busy beehive of activity. I somehow mistook Geneva for Zurich as I was looking for the waving gallery above the airport and that is actually located in Zurich.


I did some window shopping in the stores as well as at the little flea market that was in the hallways. I then went down to the supermarket that was also in the area. On my way back to the airport terminal, I saw a place to store your bags. I did not check it out, but that is good to know for a future visit.

I then made my way back to the terminal and walked around some more. I saw a display of Carbon Offset done by IATA. You can see it below.





After checking it out, I entered the Immigration area.

London Feb. 1: QR84 Newark to Geneva, Switzerland (GVA)

QR84 02FEB08 Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) to Geneva, Switzerland (GVA) 9:15p 10:40a 332 A7-ACC

Flying Time: 6:40

As I boarded this red intriored Airbus A330-200, I saw the flight attendant take a boarding pass and took a passenger to the left; I assumed he was in First Class. I looked left and it was indeed First Class in a 1-2-1 configuration of about three rows. To my right was Business class in a 2-2-2 configuration of about four rows I think. Economy class followed in a single cabin with a 2-4-2 configuration.

I got settled in as there was some seat shifting around me. An announcement was also made that cell phones should be turned off as they are not allowed to be on once you are on board. The airplane slowly filled up although the load was not too bad. The Economy class cabin is one long cabin which is interesting.

Before takeoff, we were presented with a moist packaged towelette and a candy.

So one thing about this airline is that the flight attendant are very beautiful; the guy in front of me actually took pictures of one of them who was from South Africa, I kidded with her that I wanted a picture too, but I was kidding.

Just after takeoff (9:35p), we were presented with a gray amenity kit in a plastic bag with the Qatar logo on it. The bag contained a pair of socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, eye shade, ear plugs and ear bud headsets.

This airplane is fitted with Audio/Video on Demand, I thought that the controllers could not handle it as they are fixed into the handle of th seat, but it does.

These were my options:

• films
• movies
• international
• action, comedy, drama, family, classics, all movies a-z
• arabic
• hindi
• asian
• tv
• international
• comedy, classic comedy, documentary, children’s sport, entertainment
• arabic
• hindi
• asian
• specials
• BBC
• Al Jazeera News
• Welcome to onboard video
• Live television
• Music
• Games
• Young oryx flyers
• movies
• tv
• games
• News
• Live text news
• Airline update
• Flight tracking
• Arrival info
• Arrival info
• Connecting gate
• Terminal map
• Qatar news
• Qatar
• Qatar airways
• International route network
• Qatar airways fleet
• Privilege club
• Doha international airport
• Communication
• shopping
• help

We were constantly reminded of where Mecca was during the route map programming.

After the amenity kits, we were presented with little stickers that had “Duty Free,” a smiley face and “Please do not disturb,” and a fork and knife and the words “Please wake me for meals.” It also showed you where to place sticker on your seat (right shoulder of seat). I heard a lady behind me say and smiled how cute it was and that she had never seen it before. I have actually seen it on other flights primarily Asian airlines. I of course chose the “Please wake me for meals" one.

Next, we were given hotel towels (paper) which was really a very nice touch indeed. The flight attendant came back quickly thereafter to pick up the used towels.

Now it was time for the specials meals to be distributed, which was done very efficiently.

At 10:17p, the flight attendant arrived with the meal: chicken with vegetables and fish with rice and also pasta were the meal choices tonight. I chose fish which had a roll, a pasta salad, chocolate, cream cheese, butter dessert and water.

At 10:48p, the flight attendants came through with tea and coffee as well cleared the trays. One cleared the trays while the other cleared the trays.

After dinner, duty free came through. I wanted to get some models of the QR A380 which was quite cheap, but another guy had bought the only two models they had on the plane. I also wanted to buy some playing cards, but they were out as well. Dejected, I returned to my seat.

In a few minutes, I went to sleep without using my footrest as it would take up my much needed space for my legs.

I awoke to omelet or scrambled egg with beef for breakfast; I chose the latter; at this time, we had about two hours to go. It consisted of scrambled eggs with beef, potatoes and tomato, plus a roll, yogurt, orange juice and a fruit cup. Tea with lemon and a croissant followed swiftly.

I ate heartily, after which the tray was cleared. I fell asleep for a little bit more and then we started our descent into Geneva. It was a beautiful day and you could see for miles. We made a few turns around the lake as we came in for a beautiful landing.

London Feb. 1: In Newark Airport

02FEB08 Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR)

We landed and headed to the gate. One could see a number of international airlines at the hard stand or at Terminal B getting ready to get going across the Atlantic. There were two L'Avion's wingleted Boeing 757-200, Qatar A330-200, two Alitalia's Boeing 767-300, Delta's Boeing 767-300, Air France's A330-200, Jet Airways B777-300ER, a Silverjet Boeing 767-300, TAP Airbus A310, SAS A330 and Lot Polish Boeing 767-300.

I left the Presidents Club at about 7:00p and made my way to Terminal B via the AirTrain. By 7:16p, I was in the Economy Class line waiting to be checked in. The line was not too long, but I made it to the counter in an hour as each transaction took a while as customer had a lot of bags or just had ticket issues.

As I waited in line, next to customers who were checking in for Eva Air’s Boeing 777-300ER service to Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) via Seattle, WA (SEA), I started talking to this older couple who were going to a Club Med in France via Geneva so they could go skiing. We chatted for a bit to pass the time which was good. A friend of mine called and asked if I was at a terminal, but this was not the case, so I was of no help. I was hoping to get to the Northwest World Club, but I don’t think that was going to happen as I did not see any more flights for them on the board today.

I continued inching my way up the line. When I was close to the front of the line, I noticed this passenger behind me without his shoes. I wondered why he was not wearing any shoes, but did not pay much attention to it. Later, I heard the check-in agent asking him where were they. Apparently, he had taken off since he was going to have to take them off when he entered security, interesting…

I got a trainee agent who could not do my transaction, so she had me wait for another agent. As I waited, I got to talking to a lady who had five pieces. I asked why and she said that she was a college professor in a nearby state and was taking books back to India. The Skycap who was helping her was also having a political discussion which was quite interesting. The topic was worldwide, but tended to focus a bit on the U.S. general elections coming up. He was quite knowledgeable about the world and was very strong on his points.

It was now my turn and the supervisor took care of me and gave me a window seat and said that the seat next to me should be empty to Geneva, but was assigned from there to Doha, Qatar (DOH). I thanked her then left and headed for the gate, pausing a little outside for some much needed fresh air. It was actually much warmer than I thought. Back inside, I got a call from a friend of mine who had just finished an endurance race. He was fine and was glad he had done it.

I then went through security where the lines were a bit long. I got through without any issues, well, I beeped, and I still have no idea why, so I emptied my pockets and also took off my belt and I was fine. At the gate, I finished up a call and checked with the agent as the supervisor had instructed me to do and the aisle seat was still empty so I was good to go. I then boarded.

London Feb. 1: CO661 San Antonio, TX to Newark Liberty, Newark NJ (EWR)

CO661 02FEB08 San Antonio International, San Antonio, TX (SAT) to Newark Liberty International, Newark, NJ (EWR) 12:10p 5:09p 733 N61304

Flight Time: 3:05

It was slow going, but finally I was on board. I said hello to the greeting flight attendant and waited again. This aircraft has 12 leather First Class seats with 112 cloth Economy seats in a 3-3 configuration. As I made my way down, it seemed that there was some seat confusion as passengers were showing each other their boarding passes and did not have good looks on their faces. I was glad to move away from that. The flight load was pretty light, so I am sure it worked itself out.

I settled into my window seat and had the middle and aisle open. I had no issues finding a place for my bag in the overhead either, although they were quite full.

The captain came on the PA at 12:20p and apologized for the delay advising that it was due to them arriving late from Newark. He said though that he anticipated an ontime arrival at 5:09p where the temperature is 45F and winds were from the NW at 10-15 knots.

At 12:23p, we commenced the pushback and the manual safety demo started as there is no entertainment system on this flight. We started our taxi out to runway 26R shortly after. As we did so, I saw a blue and white A319 Corporate jet as well as the same Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 with winglets from the night before, plus a military Boeing 707, which I think is the KC135, if I am not mistaken.

We held short of runway 12R and started our takeoff roll at 12:32p. It was a smooth takeoff into the sunny skies. Off on the left I could see two UPS planes at their hangar.

At 12:53p, the Captain came on the PA and said he expected no rough weather so he would turn off the seat belt signs. We were free to walk around, but should have the belts fastened while we were seated.

He also reiterated the flying time of 3:05 and added that our arrival time would be 4:35p, he also indicated the weather the same except for the temperature having increased to 47F. He said he would get back in touch with us later once we started our descent.

I saw the flight attendant pass with what looked like pizza, which is not my favorite all.

The flight attendant arrived at 1:16p with my lunch of Stefano Foods hot cheese pizza pie, a salad with Pepper Cream dressing and a KitKat.

Drink requests came immediately as I was so close to the back of the plane I think. Beer, cocktails and wine were 5 USD and beverages were complimentary. I ate everything except the pizza and the KitKat, O.K. so I just ate the salad; I must admit, the pizza did look good though.

I had just had some crackers and cheese in the Lounge though, so I was not that hungry anyways and I had some peanuts and a cookie in my bag if I got hungry before the flight ended.

After lunch, I settled back and got some work done until I ran out of battery and actually fell asleep. I awoke as we were descending and landed without incident.

London Feb. 1: Leaving San Antonio, TX (SAT)

02FEB08 San Antonio International, San Antonio, TX (SAT)

My friend dropped me off at 11:20a. I got my stuff together and headed for the check-in area. There were not many people there and I soon found a kiosk and printed my boarding pass as I had already checked in online and received a seat earlier.

I presented my documents at security and after what seemed like ages for a short line, I was through. The lady in front of me commented that soon they will ask us to take off all our clothes; I nodded and we chatted for a few minutes while waiting.

Once through, I went to the Presidents Club, showed my credentials and entered. I picked up the newspaper and the headline was Microsoft is buying Yahoo! Holy cow, I never saw that coming at all. The byline read, “so that they can compete against Google.”

I found a seat and plugged in my computer and settled in. I got a drink from the bar as well as some cheese and crackers. When I got back, I noticed that the computer was not charging. As it turns out the plugs at this station were not working. I went over and reported it to the bartender and then went searching for another plug which I found nearby. This was a good thing as I was glad I did not have to move.

I got online using the complimentary WiFi and also made a phone call I needed to make. I noticed that it was 12:07p and darted out saying goodbye to the agent who wished me a happy Superbowl Sunday. I told him I would be out of the country so I’d miss it. Come to think of it, I’ve always been out of the country during Superbowls.

I ran to the gate as I heard that it was the final boarding call. I looked out the window as well and saw that the catering truck was moving away. That was quick I thought as the airplane had only arrived at 11:45a. I guess they are trying to stay on schedule.

By the way, not having the “e” working on my computer is quite the pain…

I presented my boarding pass to the agent at the door who scanned it, took her portion and ushered me by, saying “have a nice flight as I passed.” I was still rushing and slowed down when I realized that the jetway was still backed up with passengers.

London Feb. 1: In San Antonio Airport

I am awaiting the delayed flight to Newark, NJ (EWR). I'll update this more in a bit.
Destination London via Geneva, Switzerland (GVA) on Qatar...

London Feb. 1: Arriving in San Antonio, TX (SAT)

01FEB08 San Antonio International, San Antonio, TX (SAT)

We touched down at 10:20p which was our scheduled arrival time and after much breaking slowed down and headed for the gate. It was useless to get up, so I sat until it was time to do so. I bade a good trip to my seatmate and followed him out the door.

I then turned left and headed for the Baggage Claim area and outside. I called my friend and he said h was just turning into the airport. There was an officer keeping traffic moving as there were a few people just stopping and waiting. A FedEx MD-11 took off into the night skies while I waited. My ride showed up soon after and I got in. On our way out of the airport, I saw a Delta Air Lines (DL) Boeing 757-200 with winglets and in new colors at one of the hangars. The hangar in San Antonio does a lot of work; I’ve seen all kinds of planes there in the past. There was even an ex-Northwest DC-10 there still painted in the Northwest colors.

London Feb. 1: CO1459 Houston, TX to San Antonio, TX

CO1459 01FEB08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to San Antonio International, San Antonio, TX (SAT) 9:15p 10:20p 739 N??407

Flying Time: 0:40

I boarded this Boeing 737-900 with its eighteen 2-2 configured leather seats and 149 3-3 configured Economy seats. I had a middle seat, but I was happy as I had not made the earlier flight. The boarding process was quick and we pushed from the gate ontime I think.

I got to talking to the guy next to me for quite a bit and we had interesting conversations. By now we were at the runway and time for takeoff.

After takeoff, the flight attendants came through with water and juices; on their second pass, I opted for water as did the guy next to me; the lady on my right opted for orange juice. During the flight, I was looking at the map in the Continental magazine trying to plan my routing for getting to Europe the next day. I looked at taking SAS (SK) to Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH) or Swiss (LX) to Geneva, Switzerland (GVA) as choices. No decision as yet.

The Captain came on the PA and said we were cruising at about 24,000’ and would start our descent in about five minutes.

London, England Feb 1: Arriving at Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

01FEB08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

After what seemed much longer than an hour, during which I dozed off a few times as I was still tired from the Tel Aviv trip, I arrived at the airport at 7:12p, two minutes behind schedule. I cleared security after a little delay and then headed to gate C-23 for the 7:25p flight to San Antonio, TX (SAT). There were several passengers standing around so that meant they had not yet cleared standbys. I waited…

They were only able to clear one standby and the only reason why they were waiting was that one of the connecting flight had arrived in Terminal E which was a ways away. I did hear one customer complaining that it was ridiculous that the connecting flight was so far away from this flight. I am not sure what could have been done in that case though since customers connect to different flights. I assumed that his inbound flight was delayed; I think I heard him say he was coming from the New York area which was having bad weather.

The agent soon announced that the flight was full and that the next one would be at 9:15p; bummer, I was bumped.

After waiting to ensure that the flight had departed, I went to the Presidents Club closest to gate 44, our departure gate. There was also another flight from E10 at 10:55p, but I was hoping I would have to wait for that one. Luckily this was not the case.

I had a snack in the Presidents Club, checked e-mail and worked etc., until about 8:45p when I left for the gate. At the gate, I did get a seat, albeit a middle seat over the wing. I was extremely thankful though.

London, England Feb. 1: Houston TX

01FEB08 Houston, TX

After figuring it all out, I decided to take a short tip to see a friend in San Antonio, TX (SAT) and then head to London in the morning. The exact routing was not yet planned, but I had some ideas.

I darted out of the house at 5:15p, much too late to catch the 5:29p 102 bus to the airport from downtown. I figured I’d just catch the next one and play it all by ear and let it unfold. In a few minutes a bus showed up that was actually two minutes late. On my way downtown, I called Metro and found out that there was a bus at 6:02p arriving at the airport at 7:10p. the one before was at 5:49p, but it did not go all the way to the airport sadly; not sure why it has the same route number though, but Houston Metro is odd like that.

That bus showed up at about 5:52p or so and I confirmed wit the driver that he was not going to the airport and he said, “correct.” I continued my pone conversation with two of my friends as I waited. A guy came up and lit a cigarette and just spat right there on the pavement; gross!!! So much for being at least 25’ away from the building when smoking. Oddly enough he was not waiting for a bus at all…I think he was a homeless guy.

At 6:10p, the bus arrived and I was on my way to the airport.

Tel Aviv: Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental

Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

I checked the bus schedule as we taxied to the gate and there would be one at about 12:30p, it was now 12:15p and I thought, well, maybe I can make that one. The next one was at 1:15p. I got off the plane and headed for Baggage Claim. I did see the bus, but it looked like it was heading to the other stop and would come back to the airport in a bit.

Once I got to Baggage Claim, it was at the bus stop; I had no way to tell whether it was heading southbound or northbound. I still had to wait for my bag at carousel 6 as none of the bags had arrived as yet. At 12:35a, I got my bag, but it was too late as the bus had already left and apparently the one I saw was heading downtown (southbound). This means I would have to wait for the next one at 1:15p.

I took my stuff and headed for the bus stop. I sat down and worked until more people arrived and finally the bus. At about 1:16p, we left the airport and headed for downtown.

Tel Aviv Israel: Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) to Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

C01011 1FEB08 Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) to Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) 8:50a 12:10p 733 N??327

Flight Time: 3:57

The line was a little backed up as I waited to boarded this Boeing 737-300 that had no entertainment system. I said hello to the flight attendants in the galley and continued past the 12 leather First class seats in a 2-2- configuration and onto the 112 cloth seats in a 3-3- configuration.

There were no issues making it to my aisle seat, where I settled in nicely and waited for departure. I was really tired, so I actually fell asleep before we pushed back. I was briefly awake for the manual safety demo and the entire pushback. I only wake as we taxied and the Captain said we were like #12 and that means we had to wait about twenty minutes until it was our turn. The good thing he said though is that he expected us to still arrive ontime in Houston.

I have no idea when we took off, but we did. I awoke to be served breakfast and asked what I wanted to drink. Breakfast came in the form of Corn Flakes with 2% milk and raisins. Odd, that there was no banana, but I guess it must be the departure time that determines whether you get a banana or not. This was good breakfast and I ate heartily as soon as the milk was able to soften the flakes and the raisins.

The lady next to me started to talk a bit and so I listened. She said that my leg was against hers while I slept and that she was actually warm, until I realized that our knees were touching and I moved away. That was interesting to hear as I was fast asleep and had no idea what was happening. She was pleased that I could sleep on a plane.

She had started in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada (YHZ) at about 6:00a. I told her that we flew pretty close to Halifax and then made a left turn towards Newark. She was in Halifax for business all week and it was really cold as she was from Houston. She was a really pleasant lady and told me that her kid was cute when we got around to talking about that. Unfortunately, the kid was a sickly child having born pre-mature and had a hole in her heart and also had asthma. If it was any consolation, I told her my sister was born with asthma and was fine now. It was interesting to listen to her story. We had a really great conversation and then it fizzled as we had explored all facets.

I went back to reading my magazine as her to listening to her Ipod Nano. Soon, it was time for landing and we came in for a smooth landing without any incident.