Bucharest, Romania June 2008: Arriving in Henri Coanda International, Bucharest Romania (OTP)

14JUN08 Henri Coanda International, Bucharest Romania (OTP)


We touched down on runway 26L-08R at 4:48p and taxied to the end of the runway. I could see a number of planes on the right side of the runway.





This is the home of Tarom, so it was great to see their planes everywhere.

A Boeing 737 being salvaged just outside the hangar.








We deplaned and headed for the Immigration area. On our way there, we could see our plane as well as an Austrian Airlines Airbus A319.





There was a lady with a name on a sign, we figured correctly that it was Woody's assumed travel name. We headed for the Customs area and entered the meet and greet area. We walked around a bit, found an Exchange place, found out that the 783 is our bus into the city for 7 LEU for two rides and caught the 5:30p packed bus into the city for the 30 minutes ride. We had asked for a map at the Information booth, but there was none. Instead, we were sent to a magazine store around the corner to buy one. We decided against that.

Bucharest, Romania June 2008: Amsterdam Schipol (AMS) to Henri Coanda International, Bucharest Romania (OTP)

KL1359 14JUN08 Amsterdam Schipol International Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS) to Henri Coanda International, Bucharest Romania (OTP) 12:55p 4:50p 738 with winglets PH-BXZ

Flight Time: 2:25
Seat Map

As we walked down the jetway, we could see that it was backed up and there was one guy who was constantly talking on the cell phone in a non-English as loud as he could voice. We passed him and joined the queue and he later joined us. Woody was just about five persons ahead of us; this must suck for a celebrity having to wait in a queue at the risk of being chatted up by some odd fan.

My colleague and I talked about who may get the opportunity to sit next to him. As we boarded, I realized that my colleague had won.

This aircraft has 15 Business Class seats in a 3-3 configuration; Economy class is also a 3-3 configuration. The legroom is pretty decent in Business Class as well as the recline and there is a power plug for each seat.

I looked forward and noticed that the back of Woody's hat said "It doesn't get anymore real than this - coming soon". I have no idea what that means.

At 12:56p, the Captain came on the PA and advised that we had a 30 minutes delay so that makes a 1:25p pushback so we were going to wait for some passengers who were coming from Ireland and Toronto. He also announced that our flying time was 2:25 and that he was taking on extra fuel so that he could speed up and get is there ontime despite the delay. I thought that was funny in this age of expensive fuel. He continued saying that the weather was partly cloudy at 25C.

It was 1:01p when about fourteen passengers showed up; I think from Toronto. The flight attendant had advised us that one of us had to move as since we waited for the other passengers we would be full. As it turns out though, we did not have to move.

It was 1:10p, when the door was closed and 13 after when the slides on the doors were armed. At 18 after we pushed back and five minutes later, we started to move forward. As we were pushing back, this airplane showed up next to us. I've never seen it before; it has a URL at www.flypgs.com. It turns out that it is Pegasus Airlines and I've seen their planes before, but usually they are yellow.

It was great to see two Martinair (MP) Boeing 767-300ERs in the two current livery color as well an Olympic Airways Boeing 737-400 taxiing out to the runway 18L-36R.

We headed out to the runway and had to wait for an Arkefly Boeing 737-800 with winglets to take off then we were headed down the runway in no time with not much waiting.

I did notice this Asiana Boeing 747-400 heading our way as well as we barreled down runway 18L.

The inflight service started with a pack of smoked almonds, and beverages at about 5:40p. I had the Bourgogne Chardonnay 2005 "Vieilles Vigues" Bouchard Aine & Fils which was quite good.

I asked the flight attendant about the in-seat power and she said that it is all new and she would figure out how to get it started.

At 5:56p, a much needed hot towel was handed out. Look at outside.

As I was doing the blog and running out of power, it was switched on J. Excellent, now I can work some more without losing power. She then came by and advised me that it was on which was really very thoughtful.

The main meal service stared at 2:12p as our journey continued across Europe heading east towards Bucharest. Our choices today were beef or pasta; I opted for the Malay beef served with rice and green beans although I knew I’d probably have some issues eating it, but I did not really feel for pasta. With that , I switched to red wine ( Gran feudo Crianza 2004); the flight attendant was sure to switch my glass with a smile. The meal was accompanied by a warm roll with a skewer of chicken smoked prawns served with red curry coconut sauce accompanied by citrus yoghurt dessert with blackcurrant coulis.


Clean up followed at 2:31p with an offering of after dinner drinks as well as coffee or tea.

Duty free sales started at 3:05p; it funny as the lady across from me wanted five of the same items I wanted and there were only two of them. Here is an airport we passed.

I don't know which airport is this one? Do you?

At 3:19p, the Captain came on the PA and made an announcement that he had just started our descent and that we would land in 30 minutes with a time difference of 1 hour from Amsterdam; the temp is 24C. It was really hard to hear him though.

We then prepared for landing as we got closer to the beautiful country side. As I looked out the window, I could see the city in the distance.

Bucharest, Romania June 2008: Arriving in Amsterdam Schipol (AMS) from Houston Intercontinental (IAH)

14JUN08 Amsterdam Schipol International Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

It was 11:44a, when we touched down on runway 18R. it was a creepy touchdown and I felt all the correction the pilot had to make to keep the aircraft steady on the runway. I looked off to the side and saw some plane spotters watching our spectacular landing.

I hate landing this far out as it means it will take about ten minutes to get to the gate and it did. Not to worry, it was great to see the planes as we taxied in. Of course a few KLMs as well as the Suriname Airways Boeing 747-300 which was originally owned by KLM.

It took a while to get off the plane after we docked. We made a bee line for the Flight Information Display and noticed that it said our gate was D12 which was 10 minutes away. It was now 12:05p, s we had to hustle. As I passed the Transfer Centers, I noticed they were crowded so we just continued on to the gate arriving at 12:18p. There was quite a line to get through the security so we waited.

Once through, we approached the counter and waited until the agent had a chance to attend to us. I said hello, presented our documents and she checked us in…relief. She told us that it should be fine, just take a seat and she will call us. I did notice that there were other passengers waiting for seats as well.

We were just hanging out watching people and planes; when my colleague said, hey Woody Harrelson just popped his head into our gate area. Oh cool I said. After a few more passengers came in, there he was! I figured he was going to film a movie or something to that effect in Bucharest.

Eventually, he came through the security area, presented his boarding pass and made a beeline for the jetway.

Soon, we got our seat assignments in Business Class (europe select) and boarded.

Bucharest, Romania June 2008: Houston, Intercontinental, Houston, TX (IAH) to Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

CO46 13JUN08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS) 7:10p 11:50a +1 day 764 N??060

Flight Time: 9:03 maybe 9:10 to 9:15
Seat Map

We boarded after talking a bit with the boarding agent; the agent at the door greeted us and ushered me to the right aisle and my travel companion to the left. I arrived at our seat row first. I stowed my backpack in the overhead, which is really tight as I was using the inner overheads which are actually smaller than the ones on the windows. I noticed that rows 44KL and 45KL were reserved for flight attendant crew rest.

I made a quick trip to the restroom and then came back to my seat and settled in. The lead flight attendant made an announcement about the flying time and welcomed us on board. I did not hear the flying time though.

I could see the Emirates (EK) Boeing 777-200LR ahead of us on the parallel runway. I took some shots from my vantage point in the opposite aisle. There was a little boy at the window who was pretty psyched about seeing all the planes outside as well.

It was soon our turn and we took to the runway. After what seemed like forever, we took to the runway at 7:34p and were airborne in minutes. It was really very loud as we were sitting only three rows from the back of the plane.

I tried to use my individual monitor and it did not work. Each time I pressed the Mode button, it would go to Audio and not to Movie and INT. I told the flight attendant about and I think she had it rebooted but it still did not work. I could listen to all the audio I wanted though L. I decided to read the magazines I acquired from the Presidents Club starting with Ebony.

Pretzels were handed out and then beverages were offered. We were actually served from the back of the plane.

When we leveled off at 31,000’, the Capt. Came on the PA and said that he expects us to land at :40 past the hour and arrive at the gate at :50. The weather should be the same as forecasted; thanks for joining us, enjoy the flight

Chicken with rice or vegetarian were our choices; so I guess they were out of beef. I asked and the flight attendant said he gave the last one out a few rows up. The chicken came with rice, carrots and peas, plus a roll a brownie and a salad. It was all good and I ate heartily.


More offers for drinks came shortly after.

I had pretty much given up on the entertainment system, but asked another flight attendant to reboot the three seats. He did and the system started again. I pressed the Mode button and voila, the system died and was now stuck in Audio mode. I went to the middle one and use the arrow keys to navigate and that worked. Later when a flight attendant passed by, I told her about it again and advised to take a note of it, so it can be fixed later. She then re-booted my system once more and I commenced to use the arrow keys to navigate.

In terms of video entertainment:

1. Continental Presents House
2. The Spiderwick Chronicles/Behind the Scenes
3. Continental Family Channel 1: The Last Mimzy/Batman of the Future, Loonatics Unleashed
4. Fool’s Gold/Ojo Critico
5. Penelope/My Gym partner’s a Monkey
6. Continental Presents CSI
7. Comedy Programming: The Big bang Theory; Chico and the Man; The Game ; Everybody Hates Chris; Welcome Back, Kotter; The King of Queens
8. The Entertainment Channel
9. Airshow

In terms of Music selections:

1. Opera
2. Now & Then
3. Ambient Groove
4. Latin Fiesta
5. Continental Lounge
6. The Classics
7. The Hit Factory
8. Jazz Beat
9. Continental Talk
10. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
11. Country Roads
12. Live Broadway
13. Club Continental
14. B&B Groove
15. World Music
16. B Tween
17. Hindi Music
18. Japanese Favorites
    
19. Chinese Pop
20. Shalom

For games, we had:

1. Chess
2. Poker
3. Solitaire
4. Invasion
5. Elephant Memory
6. Bzzz
7. Blackjack
8. Crave Crunch
9. Caveman
10. Hangman

I pretty much fell asleep soon after and when I awoke later, most people were still asleep, I had no idea where we were so I went back to sleep. With about 1:56 to go and heading for central Ireland, I awoke to breakfast; a croissant with strawberry jam as well as a bowl of fruits (cantaloupe and grapes).

During breakfast a video was shown of arriving in Schipol and also what to see in Amsterdam. It was first in English and then in Dutch.

There was an announcement made twice for a passenger and my thought was that he was perhaps asleep; oh well. We soon started our descent in Amsterdam. The Captain came on the PA and announce partly cloudy skies winds at 5mph from the west and the temperature was 14C which is about 57F and we will be landing in 30 minutes and thank you for joining us. The seatbelt signs then came on.

I decided to move to one of the now empty rows that was being used for crew rest as they were now open and available. It was now 11:17a local time.

I noticed that we were in a holding pattern; a pretty wide one as well since our right hand turn took forever. Eventually, we were cleared to land and we made our way into Schipol passing the coast of the North Sea and descending past the beautiful golf courses and wind machines below.

Bucharest, Romania June 2008: Arriving in Houston, Intercontinental, Houston, TX (IAH)

Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

Sadly, as I figured he went to Terminal C first, so I just bailed as I don’t really have time to waste today. It was now 5:37p and ever minute is counting today.

I quickly headed for Terminal E where I met my colleague and picked up the tickets for the journey. I checked and we had been assigned Economy class seats which is what I figured would be the case.

I did notice that our gate had changed from E20 to C14, so I headed to the Presidents Club close to that gate and waited over crackers and some wine.

At 6:32p, we left and headed for gate C14.

Bucharest, Romania June 2008: Leaving downtown Houston

Leaving downtown Houston

I departed the office just about 5:00p. Traffic was light, so getting to the airport was not an issue and I arrived at the Fast Park parking lot at 5:21p. Seven minutes later, I was in the shuttle headed for Terminal E.

It was funny as this lady on the bus had no idea which terminal she should go to. This always fascinates me how people don’t really pay attention to any details when they travel. She was going to Atlanta, GA (ATL), so the driver told her that she has to go to Terminal C since that is Continental’s main terminal.

I am pretty sure that he wont go to Terminal E first as if he does, he then have to leave the airport and come back in just to get back to the other terminals. This is such a dumb design and when they built Terminal E, they closed the “U” Turn they had set up. Rightly so as that turn was crap and traffic was backed for a bit usually. I am still miffed as to why they never constructed a better method of getting from Terminal E to C without leaving the airport.

Bucharest, Romania June 2008: During the day

During the day

I was talking to a friend about alternate destinations in case the flight to Bucharest is full. I had already chosen Stuttgart as a possibility, but he suggested Bergen, Norway (BGO) as he had been there before and had a good time. The flight times worked as well since it leaves at 3:00p and I could get back to London-Gatwick by 7:45a, in time for the 9:30a flight to Houston. I just need to get the tickets now.

off to Bucharest, Romania (OTP)

I'm a little behind with updates, but will try to catch up this weekend.

For this weekend, it will be Bucharest, Romania (OTP). Looking at going via Amsterdam and then returning via Paris so I can fly Air France's A318. If that does not work, then it is to London-Heathrow or possibly to JFK on Delta Air Lines (DL).

Warsaw, Poland June 2008: Arriving in Amsterdam Schipol, Netherlands (AMS) from Houston, TX (IAH)

07JUN08 Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

We touched down on the runway closest to the cargo area at Schipol and commenced our taxi into the gate in the G terminal.

I was not really in a hurry since my flight would not depart until 2:55p. My gate was C18, so it meant that I had to pass through passport control and also security to get to the gate. On my way to the gate, I stopped by the KLM Transfer Desk and checked in for the flight.

The agent was really nice and said that the flight was looking good and I would not have to worry about it.

I made it through passport control in about twenty minutes as the line was really long. There was even a guy there checking the times. While on line, a few passengers came up and asked to get to the head of the line. the people who were doing the time studies just said they did not work for the airport when asked if they could get to the front of the line.

One guy was really running late, so I allowed him to get ahead of me. Moments later, three other passengers came running by. They too had a flight in 10 minutes. I don't think they will make it at all.

Once through, I headed for the KLM Crown Lounge. I produced my credentials but was denied access. I pretty ticked as I had quite the time until the flight. Dejected, I sat outside the Lounge and tried to concentrate on updating the blogs.

Later, I took a toilet break and then realized that it was 2:07p. wow, the time sure flew by fast. I finished up and headed for C18 which really was about 20 minutes away if you walked leisurely. I was there in five minutes.

Boarding had not commenced as yet, but there were lots of passengers milling around and asking questions. I went up to the agent and gave them my boarding pass. I then looked for a place to sit that had a power outlet nearby and found one.

It was fun to hear the agent try to pronounce the Polish names when he paged two passengers. I guess he did get it right as they did approach the counter for their boarding passes.

After a few minutes, my name was called and I was presented with a Business class (Europe select) boarding pass. I thanked the agent and then returned to my seat. Once there I looked at the boarding pass and realized that it had an Economy class seat on it and also a different name. I went back to the agent and he gave me the correct one, apologizing for the error.

I then put away my computer and stood on the double queues for the flight.

Warsaw, Poland June 2008: Arriving in Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) from downtown

Houston Intercontinental, Houston, TX (IAH)

We pulled into Service Park, found a spot after being directed to the incorrect lane. Then we took the bus and made our way to the terminals, stopping at Terminal E first. I cleared security without any issues after seeing a group of passengers behind some ropes. I still have no idea why they were there.

I needed to get a ticket for my flights to Warsaw, so I headed to the ticketing office where I got round trip tickets for Amsterdam to Warsaw, Poland (WAW) and also a one way ticket to Chicago, O’Hare, IL (ORD). This took me about fifteen minutes to accomplish.

A colleague called me while I was there and said he went by my gate and did not see me. I asked him where he was and he said gate C16; crap, I though the flight was in Terminal E. It is quite a distance to get to C16 from where I am.

After getting the ticket, I made a bee line for Terminal C, stopping at the north Presidents Club as I did so.

Once done there, I went to gate to collect my boarding pass. When I got there, I ended up scoring an upgrade as there were some late arriving passengers. I collected the boarding pass and boarded.

Warsaw, Poland June 2008: Leaving downtown Houston, TX

Leaving downtown Houston

My colleague and I headed for the parking garage at about 5:00p. traffic was light so we made it to the airport in no time using the HOV lane.

Warsaw, Poland (WAW) perhaps

So, Alexis is in Warsaw, Poland (WAW) on another trip and I think I'll go visit him. Its been about 2.5 years or so since I'd been to Warsaw, so I am long overdue for a visit.

I could also go down to Orlando, FL (MCO) and visit with some friends who are going to Disney this weekend...

Getting to Warsaw can be achieved by going via London, except that I would be hard pressed to get to Gatwick (LGW) for a British Airways (BA) 11:55a flight after arriving in Heathrow (LHR) at 9:35a, if ontime. Paris, France (CDG) works, but the flight from Houston to Paris is a bit full in comfort class :-). So that leaves Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) which looks really good and I arrive about 5:00p. Coming back, I can do Lot Polish's (LO) ERJ-170, which I've wanted to fly for a while. If that fails, I can take one of KLM's Boeing 737s; hopefully a wingleted one. I may even take LOT to Chicago O'Hare, IL (ORD) or to New York JFK, NY (JFK). Only issue with the JFK flight is that is mis-connects with the Houston (IAH) flight.

Of course, some other random foreign country is also in the cards. I have still not logged Montevideo, Uruguay (MVD), so that is a possibility. This would mean flying into Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE), taking a boat to Montevideo and then flying back to EZE or nonstop to Dallas/Ft. Worth , TX (DFW) on American Airlines (AA) or to Miami, FL (MIA) also on American. United Airlines (UA) used to fly there, but I believe they've stopped.

The possibilities are endless...

I'll make a solid decision later today.

Port of Spain May 2008: Thank You

As you know, this blog is about the journey, not about the destination. However, when necessary, I make an exception. Well, this is such a time.

While in Trinidad and Tobago, we were shown a good time by Alexis, his brother Daryl, Vivik and his family, Ricardo, Terrence, Jason and the ATC guys on duty. It was phenomenal to say the least. I’d been to Trinidad several times and Tobago once and the hospitality is always superb.

So I thank everyone for making the birthday weekend pleasurable and memorable.

Port of Spain May 2008: Arriving in Houston Intercontinental (IAH)

Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

We touched down to an almost non-bounce landing at 12:44p on the Lee Road runway. We taxied in to the nearby E2 by 12:48p, then after a few minutes of waiting, I disembarked and headed for Immigration. The agent who met the flight announced the baggage claim belt as well as advising that it was necessary to place all the liquids acquired at Duty Free in the checked luggage if Houston was not your final destination.

The flight attendant had welcomed us to Houston advising that we could use our cell phones, but to ensure that they along with two-way pagers were off when we got to Immigration. Do people still carry two-pagers? I wondered. She also advised that Duty Free liquids must be re-packed in your checked luggage if you had onward air journey from Houston.

The Immigration line was not too bad and I was out of there in no time. I made my way down to Baggage Claim, where I was asked if my backpack was all the luggage I had. I answered in the affirmative and moved forward. I am glad that the agents do ask this as if you are unsuspecting and was not listening onboard your flights, you could leave your baggage on the carousel if Houston is not your final destination.

I had called on the plane so I knew that the next bus I could catch to downtown was leaving its first stop at 1:25p, so I had ample time.

I made my way over to Terminal C using the slow underground train. When I got there, I saw a bus at the stop, but I think it was the one that had just arrived from Downtown Houston. It left before I could go outside anyways, so I plugged in for a bit and checked e-mail before heading out to board the bus. As it turns out, it was the inbound as I saw many airport employees entering the air conditioned Baggage Claim/Passenger Arrivals area.

In a few minutes I made my way outside, the bus came, I boarded it and headed for downtown Houston.

Port of Spain May 2008: Arriving at Piarco on my way to Houston Intercontinental

Piarco International, Trincity Trinidad and Tobago (POS)

As we arrived at the terminal, we noticed that there were three Caribbean Airlines (BW) Boeing 737-800 with winglets aircraft sitting at the gates. The vibrant colors and the white fuselage made for a beautiful sight.

As we pulled into the designated drop off area which was under construction, our driver was yelling at a lady who was oddly parked, which made it difficult for us to do the same. It was a slightly heated interaction with name calling, but it soon died down after the egos were cooled. It was really our driver and the passenger being dropped, a guy, who were arguing.

In offering the driver the fare for the trip, he said that they don’t have cash on them so he did not have any change for the 50 USD bill I had, so off I went to find some for him. A few minutes later, I had located an ATM that gave me cash in USD and was heading back to him and my travel companion. There was also an ATM that gave out $TT, the local currency.

Once that was over with, I re-entered the terminal, commenting to Lee that the airport was a zoo this morning. He made his way to Delta’s (DL) counter and I to Continental Airlines's (CO).

I muddled my way to the end of the line mixed with passengers going to Newark, NJ (EWR) and also to Houston, TX (IAH). It was all a bit chaotic as there is not much space for the lines to be formed as the check-in area is really tight. Bizarre, as this is a relatively new airport terminal; it is just too narrow is the issue.

An agent came by and split the lines into two based on your destination, so that helped a bit for those customers who were on the line. But of course at airports customers like to join lines wen they arrive at an airport, so eventually there were customers who were going to Newark who were on our line. Lee actualyl paseed by and said he was all done; I told him I would meet him later

Later the security agent came by and put people in the right lines.

I finally made it to the counter and got checked in. and had to remind the agent that I had to pay the 100 TTD departure tax. It was now 6:47a, so at the request of the agent, I immediately made my way to the departure gate.

I showed my passport and boarding pass end entered the Duty Free area. I searched for and found Lee shopping, then we walked upstairs where I paid my departure tax with 15 CAD I had. the equivalent was 17 USD, go figure.

Next stop was the security checkpoint. We stopped to check out the final Duty Free area, as we did the line continued to build. At security they actually have two lines; one for females and the other for males. This crazy idea facilitates the women security personnel frisking the women only if there is an issue.

As we waited online, these two guys came up and wanted to join the female line. the airport personnel who was in charge of keeping the lines separated, ushered them to the back of the long line.

As I as about to clear the line, I saw them again saying that their flight ad called for final call. I thought they were lying as I had not heard anything. They cleared just behind me.

I went to the agent and asked if he needed to see our boarding passes, he said no and that he would clear the list soon.

Later, I saw them in the Duty Free shop hanging around as they were on my flight, which had not called final call at all. As a matter of fact, it had not even started boarding. I hate people who lie!

Soon, an announcement was made that boarding passes were available for standbys. I went and got mine and I lucked out with a window on the left side.

Boarding started soon, so I bade goodbye to Lee and headed onboard.

Port of Spain May 2008: Leaving downtown Port of Spain

Downtown Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

It was 4:57a, when the phone rang; it was the front desk with our wake up call. After replacing the phone in its cradle, I looked at my mobile and realized that it was not yet 5:00a. I then turned over and placed the sheet over my head and went back to sleep. Of course three minutes later, the alarm on my phone went off; aargh!

I got up and went to the shower and then woke up my traveling companion in about 10 minutes.

By 5:44a, were downstairs, settling our bill and boarding the 35 USD car service to the airport. It was a slightly bleakly morning, but that changed as the sun came up over the mountain ranges. It was brilliant.