Brussels, Belgium: Newark, NJ to Brussels, Belgium (BRU)

9W227 18FEB08 Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) to Brussels International, Brussels Belgium (BRU) 7:50p 9:50a+1 77W

Flying Time: 6:15

On board, I was greeted by a flight attendant who told me my seat was on the left a ways down. As I stepped onboard, I was impressed as the flooring is dark wood! I’d never been on an airplane with wooden floor before.

The entrance was at the First Class cabin called Suites. There were three rows in a 1-2-1 configuration; wow they are fantastic, I had to keep walking into the Premium Class cabin with its 1-2-1 configuration as well with the seats facing into the walkway. The wooden floors ended at the beginning of the Economy class cabin which had a 3-3-3 configuration.

I made my way through the first cabin and found my seat just outside the two lavatories. I stowed my bags and took my window seat. There were huge screens overhead as well as each seat had its own what looks like at 13” or so monitor. The seats are red with permanent neck rests and when the recline button is pushed, the entire seat bottom moves forward which makes more comfortable. The remote is under the monitor in front of you so there is no issue of accidentally touching it and also it does not take up seat width.





Passengers continued to board in an orderly fashion. I ended up switching to the row behind me as there was no one there.

Before pushback, we were given hot towels as well as a menu and a pair of gray socks and a toothbrush and toothpaste in a brown plastic hard container.

We pushed back on time at 7:50p and then the safety video started. It is a cartoon that was first done in Hindi and then in English.

As we pushed, I noticed a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 to my left and as well as an Air India Boeing 777-300ER. We then started the engines and headed for the runway. It took quite a while to accomplish this and at 8:19p, we took to the runway and airborne quickly.

The flight attendant welcomed us on board and said we would have dinner and then breakfast before landing. In addition, there would be duty free after the meal.

At 8:49p, the captain came on and said that he was expecting a smooth flight and then the turbulence started. Weather in Brussels is typical at -3C which is 26F with early morning mist forecasted for a nice day. From all of us at American Airlines (oops that was his last job he says), well Jet Airways, welcome aboard. Then a flight attendant came on the PA and said that we should remain seated with our seatbelts fastened and refrain from using the washrooms. This was done in Hindi and English.

The entertainment system is called JetScreen and has the following components:

• Entertainment
• Movies – Bollywood Movies (51), Indian Regional Cinema (8), Hollywood Movies (22), Jet Kids (1), Editor’s Choice (10), World Cinema (2)
• Short Features – Hollywood (22), Bollywood (22), Indian Regional (4), Sports (6),Business (4), Music Videos (3), Jet Kids (5)
• Music (13 categories)
• Games (17)
• Overhead Programming
• News & Information
• Live News
• Jet Information
• iXplor (moving map)
• Inflight Communicator
• SMS/EMAIL
• Telephone
• Seat to Seat Chat
• Magazine Rack
• Travel Exchange

At about 9:00p, the Captain told the cabin crew to be seated. At 9:05p the Captain reported that this turbulence would last for another 20-25 minutes then it should be fine and we will see how it goes after that. I was getting hungry so I snacked on some crackers I had. At 9:17p the Captain came on and said that the airplane that was two minutes ahead of us reported that the choppiness gets better so we should hang in there. He also says that the flight crew and the airplane can handle it, so it is nothing to worry about. Three minutes later a passenger and his daughter headed to the restroom; we were still experiencing turbulence. Moments later, a flight attendant came by and vigorously knocked on the door; eventually it opened, there were some exchange of words in Hindi and they went back to their seat with the little girl in tow crying. Just before they returned to their seat, I heard a tray crash behind me; apparently the crew had served some passengers their special meals. There was then a little argument between the passenger and the flight attendant which subsided shortly.

At 9:31p, the Captain then came on the PA and said that it has smoothed out as we’ve changed altitude. He will allow the flight attendants to continue the service, but he will keep the seatbelt sign on. If you need to use the lavs, be careful and return to your seat immediately once done. He would keep the seatbelts signs on for a bit longer.

Dinner was finally served after the turbulence eased.

I fell asleep with about 3:50 to go as I was listening to some Indian music. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I awoke to the flight attendant asking me if I wanted breakfast, to which I responded yes.

Our descent started soon after into a very cloudy Brussels area.

I kept looking at the screens showing our details and wondered where the runway was or the city below since it was all white. We kept descending steadily through the top of the clouds, but the clouds never dissipated. Within moments, I felt the four wheels touch the ground. Wow! I thought, it is just white outside. It was almost impossible to see the end of the wing.

Brussels, Belgium: Arriving in Newark Liberty, Newark, NJ (EWR)

18FEB08 Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR)

As we landed, our plane had to wait for a Continental Express XRJ-145 to take off. I snapped a picture as it reached for the skies past my window.

Once that was done, we crossed the active runway, made a right turn and headed for Terminal C. As we did so, I could see a Continental Airlines Boeing 737 landing on the same runway we did followed by a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320.




Interior of the Boeing 767-200

Once we got to the gate, we made our way to the Presidents Club, had some refreshments and then relaxed for a bit. I needed to get a ticket for the Jet Airways flight, so I did so. Then it was time check-in for the flight to ensure that it had room for me. I took the short walk outside to Terminal B as the weather was perfect for such a stroll.

I approached the Jet Airways counter and was able to check-in easily and got a window seat at the Exit row. I returned to the Lounge in Terminal C as there was not one at Terminal B that I could use. Once back in Terminal C, I finished up my work and bade my colleague good bye until we meet again across the Atlantic.

I left Terminal C at about 6:20p and made my way to Terminal B via the AirTrain. I went through security in Terminal B which took a long time although the line was short. People were just moving extra slow for some reason.

Once I cleared, I looked around and noticed that L’Avion’s Boeing 757-200 flight to Paris was in the final stage of boarding. My flight was the only other flight that was leaving at that time. The board showed later departures from British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

I tried to get a different seat other than the Exit row window, but to no avail a they had all been assigned.

I walked around some more and saw that the L’Avion aircraft had just pushed back and the staff was clearing away the crackers and cheese and juice they had for the passengers.

Boarding of our flight started at 6:50p with the usual those who need assistance, children, First and Premium class passengers and then Economy class by row numbers from the back forward. There was a slight backup in the jet as passengers picked up newspapers on the way in.

Brussels, Belgium: Houston to Newark, NJ

CO40 18FEB08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) 10:40a 3:18p 762 N??158

Flying Time: 2:32

I boarded that twin aisle, twin engine airplane and was greeted by the flight attendant. She told me to go down beyond the First Class cabin and make a left then a right to get to my window seat at the back of the airplane.

The 2-1-2 First Class cabin was already full and passengers continued to get settled in. Lots of people were already onboard; I guess Elite Access frequent flyers who had priority boarding. I made my way to the back to my seat. I placed my roller board bag in the overhead and took the back pack of electronic into the seat with me as I said hello to my seat mate. The Economy class cabin is a 2-3-2 configuration of cloth seats with individual seat monitors and overhead monitors throughout the cabin.

By 10:26a, everyone was seated and it appeared that we were ready to go. A few minutes later two more passengers showed up. The doors were closed at 11:38p and an announcement was made that cell phones were no longer allowed.

I had started talking with the passenger next to me who was quite interesting. She and her Brazilian husband had come from Rio de Janeiro (RIO) to Sao Paolo, Brazil (GRU) and had missed her flight to Newark (EWR) due to bad weather in Sao Paolo. So she got re-routed to Houston and then to Newark. She was not very happy as she wanted her husband to see New York all day today and had planned on arriving at 6:00a. Now she is delayed and was unsure of the arrival time. I tried to make light of her plight and it seemed to work a bit. Tomorrow she returns to Tokyo, Japan.

One thing that she said that was funny was that our hamburgers are much larger than theirs in Japan and even Brazil. I’ve been to Tokyo many times and had not noticed that. Next time, I will have to pay more attention. Ditto for Brazil.

The safety demo was played in English followed by Spanish. This flight continues on to Rome, Italy (FCO) with the same flight number.

We taxied out to runway 33R-15L where we held for a bit as the Captain cam on the PA and said that our wheels up time is not for twenty-three minutes. I guess that changed quickly as we did not stay very long and were at the threshold of the runway about five minutes later. He also added that the temperature in Newark was 63F; warm I thought for winter.

At 11:56p, we were airborne. We leveled out at about 4,000’ for a bit; it was interesting seeing the city from that altitude; it was also odd for a big jet like this one to fly at that altitude. I noticed that on the flight map, our arrival time was 3:23p, which is only five minutes behind schedule.

After takeoff, the lead flight attendant welcomed us on board and said that we would have a light lunch snack today. She also added that alcohol was 5 USD and correct change was appreciated. She also added that headsets were 1 USD or you can use your own.

At 12:18p, the entertainment started while the flight attendants came through the cabin with headsets for the price of 1 USD, but you are free to use your own headsets. On tap today were:

1. Continental Presents House
2. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium/Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
3. Continental Family Channel 1: Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird/The Road Runner Show, Tweety’s Circus, Baby Looney Tunes
4. King of California/Ojo Criticio
5. Bee Movie/Tom and Jerry Tales
6. Continental Presents CSI
7. Comedy Programming: The New Adventure of Old Christine, Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Hates Chris, Everybody Loves Raymond, The King of Queens, Shaun the Sheep
8. The Entertainment Channel
9. Airshow

For music, there were 20 channels and 10 games.

At 12:29 the Captain came on the PA with his welcome and said we were cruising at 39,000’ and all was well so he could turn off the seat belt signs. We should touch down at 3:30p subject to air traffic. He talked about the routing a bit over Atlanta up to Greensboro head for Washington D.C. and then into the New York area. He also added that it was breezy, winds were from the southwest and the clouds were at 2,500’ and temp is 66F. So now just sit back, relax and enjoy the service.

The meal service then started. At 12:40p, I was served a hot cheese burger with a salad and Caesar dressing, ketchup and a small Milky Way. Drinks followed shortly after.

I fell asleep and awoke on the descent. It was very, very bumpy and at one point, the seat belts did their job as we were airborne a bit. I could hear a few ohhhsss in the cabin. Some passengers were also making their way back to their seats as well. It did not last very long and then we were out of the clouds and all was well.

We continued out funky descent and landed without any further incident.

Brussels, Belgium: Leaving Houston, TX

Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

We left the Club at 11a and made it to gate C16. At C14, there was another 767-200 leaving for New York at 11:45a. It too was delayed until 12:00 noon.

I had the agent print my boarding passes and boarded when it was my turn. There was quite the crowd, so the agent advised customers to please clear the area and wait until their row was called. As I waited, I saw World Airways’ MD-11 being towed from Terminal D to the holding area near the cargo area. I think it arrived first thing in the morning from West Africa.

Brussels, Belgium: Delayed flight

We have a one hour and five minutes on our flight. All flights to New York are delayed this morning.

Brussels, Belgium: Houston, TX

My colleague picked me up at 8:50a, about 50-20 minutes behind schedule; he got up late. Not to worry, we had plenty of time. The drive to the airport was without issues and we arrived in plenty of time.

Clearing security was not bad at all, so it all worked out. I saw a lady with a new born and a three or four year old son; wow, I totally respect that. It is a lot of work to travel with young kids.

We headed to the Presidents Club for breakfast of bagel, muffin and a banana. Our flight is delayed...

Brussels, Belgium: Off to Brussels

Well, I have to get to Brussels for work today so here I go again...

Bristol, England: Arriving in Houston, TX (IAH)

17FEB08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

Customers were quite anxious about their connections, so after welcoming everyone to Houston, the flight attendant asked the ones with quick connections to press their call buttons. A few did and then she said that the rest of us should allow these customers to get off the plane first.

As we got to the gate, everyone complied. An announcement was also made that a few flights were being held.

I finally got off and headed for my bus after a quick stop in the Presidents Club for a snack.

Bristol, England: Newark to Houston

CO711 17FEB08 Newark-Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) to Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) 2:25p 5:36p 733 N??334

Flying Time: 3:44

I got to the door and had to wait a bit as there was congestion in the aisle; this is kind of odd as no one had boarded for the last 10 minutes, oh well. I stuffed my jacket in an small open space in the overhead and took my backpack and stuffed that under the seat in front of me. I had to step over a passenger’s bag that she had placed under seat. Luckily the flight attendant found room for it before we departed.

As I sat down, I looked to my left and saw a Bombardier Q400 in Continental Connection colors; this is one of the new flights operated by Colgan Air.

I had seen one landing earlier while I waited to board the flight.

There was one guy staking out an aisle seat instead of his assigned middle one, but I hate to tell him that that seat would be full soon as the standby list was at least 30 strong. Eventually the owner of the seat showed up and he moved to his middle seat.

Departure time came and went and we were still at the gate with the seatbelt sign off…

Later the Captain said he was waiting for paperwork hence the delay. We eventually pushed back late and headed for the runway after the manual demo.

As we pushed back, I got a better view of the Q400.

As we waited to takeoff, I saw a Q400 execute a missed approach and then a TAP Air Portugal A310 land. It was now our turn after an ExpressJet ERJ-145.

After takeoff, at 3:40p snack of mini pretzels and beverages. A second drink service came at about 4:15p.

At 4:28p, the Captain came on the PA and said that we were experiencing some choppy air so he would turn on the seatbelt sign.

I fell asleep and awoke on preparation for landing. We landed without incident.

Bristol, England: Arriving in Newark,NJ (EWR)

17FEB08 Newark-Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR)

The aircraft taxied across the active parallel runway. I could see a few FedEx planes as well as an American Airlines (AA) Boeing 757-200 with winglets at the hard stand. As the taxi to Terminal B continued, I realized that there were several other carriers who had already arrived before us from across the Atlantic. There were two Continental jets, Northwest’s Airbus A330 9not sure where that one came from), El Al’s (LY) Boeing 777-200ER, which was the same one I took a few weeks back. Jet Airway’s (9W) Boeing 777-300ER, hopefully I can get on that one to Brussels tomorrow), Air Jamaica’s (JM) A320, two Privatair jets; a Boeing 737-700 and an Airbus A319 being operated for Lufthansa, and a British Airways (BA) Boeing 777 (G-VIIS).

I gathered my stuff and deplaned quickening my steps as I did so. As I walked to the Immigration area, Silverjet’s Boeing 767-300 pulled up and was waiting to be towed into its gate. Apparently, they had moved the visitors over to the U.S. Citizens line so now I was standing behind customers who had really long transactions. I think the airport agent who was supposed to direct traffic was chatting with a colleague and did not pay attention. I searched for the line that had the least people with immigration forms that indicated they would take a long time. By 1:08p, it was my turn after an 8 minute wait; I cleared with no issues and made my way downstairs for customs.

I showed my form and had no issues. As I cleared Customs at 1:13p, I made my way to the right and walked the short distance to Terminal C. This was so much quicker than taking the AirTrain.

I made it through security rather quickly and made the long trek down to gate 137. I made it to the gate at 1:20p, which was good I thought having gone through so many hoops. I checked with the agent at the counter and she advised that she had not yet cleared the list. At 1:35p, everyone had boarded and I was not one of them; the next flight CO711 was at gate 93 at 2:25p. At 1:45p, I headed that way as it was on the other side of the terminal.

I waited around with everyone else thinking I won’t make it as it is a 737-300 so there are only 124 seats. The good thing was that the next flight is a Boeing 767-200 which has a lot more seats at 174. I heard my name called and I got a window seat; how about that I thought. I boarded immediately as it was about 2:15p now.

Bristol, England: Bristol, England to Newark, NJ (EWR)

CO77 17FEB08 Bristol International, Bristol England (BRS) to Newark-Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) 10:25a 1:25p 752 N??108

Flying Time: 7:17

I made my way to the 16 cloth seat BusinessFirst cabin on this 757-200. As I got settled, my seat mate arrived as well. I exchanged my jacket for an amenity kit and a menu and was offered a pre-departure drink. I opted for water and so did my seat mate.

As I waited, the Ryanair Boeing 737-800 pushed back and later took off. Just before that a KLM Fokker F70 landed and taxied to the hard stand on the right of us. This was followed by an easyJet Airbus A319. Soon, the A319 pulled up in the space where the Ryanair jet stood.

At 10:07 the doors and the steps were pulled away. The safety demo started, but had to be stopped as only the sound was working. This meant that the demo had to be done manually, so they did that.

At 10:18a, we pushed back and headed for runway 9. We made a left turn and headed down the runway taking to the air at 10:27a. As we went down the runway, I saw an easyJet A319 at the hardstand near the tower.

I got a good view of the terminal as we barreled down the runway.

There was also another one with stairs attached at the other end of the airport.

As we gained altitude, you could see the airport and its surroundings. It was really nice to see. It just looked very cold as well.








I also saw a hill with a lot of wind generators.




Soon after takeoff, we were given hot towels and then our chair tables were covered with a pink table cloth. The flight attendant had a little trouble getting to me as I was by the window so I opted to help her out. The entertainment system started, but was re-booted again before I had a chance to start watching anything. The system is Audio/Video On Demand and uses a touch screen interface. There is no handset attached, hence, there are no games on the system.

My choices for entertainment are:

• Movies (21) – Bee Movie, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, Bone Dry, Dan In Real Life, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Follow That Bird, Good Luck Chuck, King of California, Kiss Me Kate (Classic), Love in the Afternoon (Classic), Martian Child, Michael Clayton, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporiums, Paradise, TX, Scenes in The Park, Sydney White, Things We Lost In The Fire, We Own The Night, All the Presidents Men, Madagascar (with Arabic subs), Phantom of the Opera
• Short programs (16) – Continental Airwaves, CSI: Las Vegas, CSI: Las Vegas, CSI: Miami, Everybody Hates Chris, Everybody Loves Raymond, House, Inside The Actors Studio, Malcolm In The Middle, Phil Silvers Show, Road Runner Show, Shaun The Sheep, The King of Queens, The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Simpsons, The Story of India
• Music (50) – including Bruce Springsteen, Barry Manilow, Chris Roth, Dean Martin, Foo Fighters, James Blunt, Kanye West, Queen Latifah and Nat King Cole
• Flight map – a map showing our current location

At about 10:52a, the Captain came on the PA and gave his welcome aboard as well as reiterating the flight time and the current local temperature which had not changed since his announcement on the ground. He also said something about our route of flight and Shannon, Ireland, but it was difficult to hear him over the cabin noise.

I was given a small bowl of cashew nuts as well as a glass of water and asked what would I like to drink. I had a choice of American or French chardonnay, so I chose the French; it arrived within minutes.

I looked over and saw a passenger watching a portable DVD player; the TV show "Lost" was on.

She brought butter, salt and pepper, a saucer for the bread, more wine and utensils with a cloth napkin wrapped around it. She offered bread (multi grain, wheat, white and garlic), I chose garlic, but she said it was not hot enough and that she would return later with more.

Next came the appetizers (peanut marinated chicken breast skewer with coriander sauce, potato and truffle soup and savory vegetable and mushroom filled pastry).

Then the Mesclun salad mix with orange, pink grapefruit and almonds and my choice of tomato and thyme vinaigrette or sour cream dressing; I chose the vinaigrette.

I then started watching “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead” as it seemed interesting.

The main course arrived next, it was halibut with grilled Shrimp served over saffron risotto, with fresh sautéed spinach and tomato ragoût with onion and bell pepper. For some reason I did not like it at all, so I did not eat much of it. It looked really good though.

Cheese and crackers and fruits came next and then an ice cream sundae.


I was full and tired, so I went to sleep just after being given a bottle of water.

I awoke when we had 1:58 to go and after using the lavatory, one of the flight attendant came by with a snack basket containing potato chips, chocolate, cookies and bread sticks. I noticed that the arrival time was set for 12:44p; wow, I thought, I hope we stick to that as my connecting flight is at 1:25p.

At 11:31a, we were given hot towels as a start of the arrival meal service. We had 1:12 to go at this point. The meal was Salmon with horseradish sauce, Fresh seasonal fruit, Chicken Cacciatore Pocket, Minced dark meat chicken, Emmental cheese and tomato sauce with white wine, mushroom and herbs in a pinwheel pastry pocket, with a cherry tomato, gherkin, Kalamata olive and onion garnish plus Chocolate.

The Captain said there were reports of turbulence so keep your seatbelts fastened. He also said that our descent will start in 30 minutes.

With about an hour to go, an arrival video was shown with information on arriving in Newark. It also showed how the documents should be filled out.

After the video, the lead flight attendant advised that he would be handing out documentation for everyone and that there was one correction; we would be arriving in Terminal B (oh no, that has now cut into my connection time severely, this will be a runner).

With about 0:48 to go, the Captain came over the PA and announced that we had 221 miles to go and that there was overcast skies, the temp was 16F and the winds were from the south touchdown at 12:47p local time.

We had this winding traffic pattern that gave us a brilliant view of the Manhattan skyline as well the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano Narrows bridge connecting Staten Island with Brooklyn.







We landed on the runway that is parallel to I-95 without any further delay or incident.

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.

Bristol, England: Arriving in Bristol, England (BRS)

16FEB08 Bristol International, Bristol England (BRS)

After landing, we taxied back to the jetway-less terminal and waited as we were a few minutes early and there was no one to receive us. After a few minutes, we were able to disembark.

It was freezing outside as we descended the stairs and onto the tarmac. We walked for a short distance and then went into a covered walkway which was even colder than outside. One passenger walking near to me was complaining how cold it was as he was in shorts!

We continued walking through this long tunnel with translucent panes along its sides which only allowed light to come through, but you could not see out. Then we walked across a crosswalk and down into the Immigration area.

In a few minutes, I cleared Immigration and made my way to Customs and headed out side. They are actually expanding the Arrivals area and it should be completed by this Summer, so the current area is a little make shift. To kill time, I walked over to the Departure area and looked around.

Bristol, England: Amsterdam to Bristol

KL1055 16FEB08 Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS) to Bristol International, Bristol England (BRS) F70 4:30p 4:45p PH-KZC operated by KLM City Hopper

Flying Time: 0:55

We exited the bus after a very short delay and then boarded the Fokker 70 by its own stairs; it was pretty cold outside as well. I greeted the flight attendant at the door and also showed her my boarding pass. She welcomed me on board and ushered me forward. There is a small Business Class of three rows on this flight with a 2-3 configuration and cloth seats. This configuration continued into Economy class.

I made my way back to my window seat and after finding ample space in the overhead bin for my bag moved into my window seat after asking the couple at the middle and aisle to allow me through.

More passengers boarded and got settled in as we waited. At 4:30p, the door closed; two minutes later, the engines started. The manual safety demo by the lone flight attendant commenced (one flight attendant was making the announcements in both English and Dutch).

After a long taxi to the far runway, we were airborne at 4:42p.

We were served complimentary drinks of choice (including alcohol) plus a chocolate cookie and a packet smoked almonds. Later, they gave a pack of potato chips to the guy next to me as they had extras from first class.

When we had about 30 minutes remaining, the Captain came on the PA and said that we were at 28,000’ the local temperature at Bristol was 3F and clear skies.

The view from the left was apparently better as the pilot said that Westminster and London Eye could be seen as we flew directly over Central London.

Soon after, we started our descent and landed in Bristol at 4:38p.

Bristol, England: Leaving Amsterdam Schipol

Amsterdam Schipol

I left the Lounge and headed for gate D6. It was strange how empty the airport was at this time, eerie really…

As I went through security, my water was taken away; I asked to drink it and I was told that I had to go back through security and drink it; odd I thought, so I did not bother at all; I mean, it is a sealed bottle of water that just came off a flight. It is amazing how many bottles of water we toss on a daily basis worldwide in the name of airport security. In the same time, people worldwide are dying of hunger/thirst or don’t have proper running water. How is this right?

I continued on and gave my boarding pass to the agent who told me to come back in a bit.

Boarding started at 4p for all passengers and was by bus. At about 4:10p, I got a middle seat in the rear which was changed to a window seat.

I immediately boarded the bus. We waited for a bit and picked up another twenty or so passengers. People were just running late it seems. We left at 4:20p and headed for the plane. It was quite a drive back there, but we arrived in about 5 minutes.