The DL 777-200LR: In Los Angeles, CA (LAX)

So after getting bumped, it was time to get off the natural high and find a way home. I had my passport, buy my colleague had lost his documents on a recent trip and has no documents for international travel. Thus connecting via another country was out of the question today.

We journeyed back to the Presidents Club so we can figure this out. It was now 11:35a and there was a flight at 12:05p. We quickly listed for it and got checked in very quickly. It was all to no avail as there were no open seats and once again we were bumped; good effort though.

The next one was at 2:45p and then again at 4:45p. After that it was a red eye at 12:10a or a 3:45p to Newark, NJ (EWR) which would mean a hotel night or a 8:55p which would arrive at 5:47a and then we could connect to Houston on the 7:30a. All this sounded tiring so we started to look for other options.

I checked via Seattle, WA (SEA); San Diego, CA (SAN); Ontario, CA (ONT); John Wayne, CA (SNA) and San Francisco, CA (SAN), but everything was either full, bad timing or not enough time to make it.

I then checked American Airlines (AA) to Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (DFW) and they had room on a 1:25p to DFW, but to IAH was a bit full; overbooked actually. It was now 12:25p and we would still need to buy tickets and walk two terminals over. All that before 12:55p the latest.

We decided to give it a try anyways since there were no other options until the Continental flight at 2:45p. Besides they (AA) had a 2:00p 757 to DFW as well that we could try for and then take American Eagle from DFW to Houston-Hobby, TX (HOU).

We went downstairs and got our tickets and at 12:55p quickly headed for Terminal 4. Once there we looked for a lead agent and then headed to the First Class check-in area as everywhere else had customers who were checking in for flights later than ours that day.

The agent was very sweet and tried to check us in and it worked! One snag, which I knew would happen anyways is that we were tagged for secondary screening :-(. We raced upstairs and showed our credentials and went through the screening without any major incidents.

We then ran to the gate at the end of the concourse of course. The agent there then cleared us to two aisle seats with the middle open.

The DL 777-200LR: In pictures in Los Angeles, CA (LAX)

Delta Air Lines (DL) Boeing 777-200LR arrives in Los Angeles, CA (LAX) on its maiden revenue voyage from Atlanta, GA (ATL) as DL110.
Seat map - 43 lay flat Business Elite seats and 233 Economy class seats

Seat Width/Pitch:	BusinessElite®: 20-26 in/44 in (51-66 cm/112 cm) Bed Length: 76 in
	Economy class: 18 in/31-33 in (46 cm/79-84 cm)
Accommodation:	276 passengers
Cruising Speed:	550 mph (880 km/h)
Range:	9,450 miles (17,500 km)
Engine:	2 GE90-110B1, wing mounted
Cargo Capacity:	5,330 cu ft (151 cu m) or 14 LD-3 containers

It has just arrived and the ramp guys are preparing to tow her in.







The Airliners.net guys just came off the flight and are debriefing; they seem really pleased and excited about being on the inaugural.








Here is a link to a picture taken from the other side.

The DL 777-200LR: Arriving in Los Angeles, CA (LAX)

08MAR08 Los Angeles International, Los Angeles CA (LAX)

We landed without incident and started the taxi to the gate. I turned my phone on and there was a message from my friend who had started his journey in Birmingham, Al (BHM). It read

“Misconnected due to snow and a go around. Can't make la now."

Oh crap I thought that is not good at all. Snow in Birmingham, AL?

I got up and took my stuff and even forgot my jacket and another passenger tossed it to me. I guess I got carried away with helping the lady with the big bag that was coming from Ecuador, oh well.

As I waited for our third colleague to off the flight, I called my friend and he relayed the message to me in full. Good grief I thought. He arrived just in time to see the aircraft with taxi lights flashing and getting ready to push back from the gate.

Once my friend joined us, we all headed for Terminal 5 via the tunnel that leads from Terminal 6. I found an agent at the gate and he checked us in. It was just 9:30a, so we all went up to the Delta Crown Room and relaxed for a bit.

Unfortunately, as I am a Presidents Club member, I have to pay for Internet access when using the Crown Room. Only Crown Room Club members are given a coupon for complimentary Internet. As a result I did not get a chance to send any updates or check schedules, etc.

We left when we saw the airplane land on 25L. It was good to see it, but it caught me off guard so no pictures.

We went down to the gate to see it and it was awesome. Unfortunately, it was full and we were too far down the standby list (29 and 30 of 41), so we did not get on. Six people did though!

There were 38 persons waiting for a seat on the

The DL 777-200LR: Houston, TX (IAH) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX)

CO459 08MAR08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Los Angeles, California (LAX) 738 w/winglets N??218

Seat Map

Flying Time: 3:19

I said good morning to the flight attendant as we boarded and she reciprocated. This aircraft has 16 leather First Class seats with 141 cloth seats in Economy class. There are overhead monitors throughout the cabin and this aircraft does not have power in any of the seats. Some of the Continental 737-800s do have power at the First class seats and in select rows in Economy class. I made my way to my seat and settled in without any issues. I had to help the lady next to me to put her heavy bag in the overhead. She even acknowledged that it is heavy.

The cabin was rather dark as many of the windows were closed and I’ve noticed that passengers are scared to open the windows if they are closed when they enter the airplane. Usually in the summertime, the cleaning crew closed the windows as it keeps the cabin cool; but it is cold outside so I am not sure why the windows were closed this morning.

The Captain gave his welcome at 6:59a and advised our flying time was 3:19. The main cabin door closed just about 7:10a and then we waited in silence. At 7:19a, the Captain advised that we were waiting for late bags. At 7:22a, we pushed back and the safety announcement started in English.

As the window shades were closed all around me, I had no idea which way we went and what we were passing. I had hoped to get a glimpse of the Lufthansa aircraft, but that was not going to occur today at all.

At 7:31a, the #2 engine was started as we taxied out to the runway. At 7:35a, we commenced our takeoff roll and was airborne shortly after.

After takeoff, there was an announcement about the miles being earned for today’s flight, SkyMall catalog sales and that there would be a movie at a cost of 1 USD for headsets or you can use your own for free. Beer, wine and margarita was at a cost of 5 USD each in Economy class. There would also be a breakfast serving today. The movie is “August Rush” which was offered in English and Spanish.

A preview of the movie was done after which headsets were offered for 1 USD by a flight attendant passing through the cabin. Soon, there was an announcement made if anyone had change for 20 USD; I think I heard a flight attendant call button ring, so that was taken care of.

At 7:58a, the Captain came on the PA and advised that we were at our cruising altitude of 36,000’ and he expected a smooth ride so he would turn off the seatbelt signs. He anticipated an arrival time of 8:55a and the current weather is cloudy with a temperature of 53F. The winds were light and variable from the Southeast. He then thanked us for flying with Continental today and welcomed us onboard.

The movie started shortly after he was done with his welcome.

I heard a call for watch your elbows and arms behind me at 8:07a; it was the flight attendants with the morning’s meal; I wonder what it will be. It was Total Whole Grain cereal with a banana and 2% reduced fat milk.

This would be my third banana for the day; I guess I’ve exceeded my potassium limit for today J. There was also a Chase OnePass bonus miles offer in the breakfast container. Beverages followed shortly after this presentation.

At 8:20a, we had some rough air so the seatbelt signs went on and the flight attendant also made an announcement to that effect to stay in your seats.

The crew came through and collected the trash about 8:36a. The lady next to m offered me her banana; oh no, I said and respectfully declined it as it would have been my fourth for today!

A second drink service came through at 9:02a; I declined as I was pretty full now. I was also very sleepy so I fell asleep.

I awoke as I had to prepare for landing, which we did without incident.

The DL 777-200LR: At Houston Intercontinental

08MAR08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

Our gate is actually E21 in Terminal E, so we had to first clear security and then make it over to Terminal E via the overhead train. The lady who was It took me 18 minutes to clear security and by then my colleagues had used the express lane and left me behind.

As I came through security, I touched the right side of the computer, and the broken piece of plastic came off in my hand :-(. I really have to take it in before it falls apart completely, I thought; if only I could get around to it. I’m almost there now though as I’ve backed up all the files finally. The guy in front of me had a new MacBook Air and we chatted about it for a bit. He stated that he likes it and he always gets comments whenever he takes it out. I pointed t mine and advised him that it does fit in a manila envelope and he laughed, adding that it is so small, but the screen is so big; this was his only thing about it. I did already decide that I’m getting a MacBook as it will suit my purposes.

I made my way up to the platform for the train and one was just arriving. I boarded and headed for Terminal E, but first a short stop in Terminal C. As the train departed Terminal B, I saw a Korean Airlines Boeing 747-400F taxiing out to the runway. I tried to take a picture, but I think my card malfunctioned; its been doing that for a while now, so I think I either need to reformat it or get a new card.

On the way to Terminal E from C, I noticed the tail of a Lufthansa airplane at the gate in the Terminal D. This is highly unusual, so I assumed that they are having some operation issues and the flight from yesterday never departed or they had a diversion. I’ll have to check on that later once I had connection to the Internet.

I got to E and exited the train, then made my way down to the concourse level. I checked the Flight Information Displays, but did not see any signs of a delayed Lufthansa flight on the board. I then re-verified that my gate was still E21 and continued on.

I popped into the Presidents Club, picked up a Financial Times and a copy of the new issue of Entrepreneur magazine as well as a banana and three muffins then departed. I wanted to have a bagel, but there was no time as it was about 6:45a. I made my way to the gate where I met up with my colleagues. After a few minutes of waiting, I got an aisle seat about mid way down the plane. My other colleague got his seat (a window) at the back of the plane and then we all boarded. The other guy already had his seat.

The DL 777-200LR: On my way to the airport

My ride arrived at 5:46a and we all embarked on the morning’s journey. Traffic was uber light as it was so early and it was a Saturday. We arrived at the airport parking facilities in no time, got a shuttle after running to catch it and disembarked at Terminal B at 6:16a.

The DL 777-200LR: Up early

It's early and I await my colleagues to pick me up for the ride to the airport. I just got a text at 5:30a that they are on their way.

the decision: The 777-200LR

Houston to Los Angeles to Atlanta and back to Houston tomorrow...

All flights looks O.K.; that first flight out from Houston is looking iffy, but it is the first one so some folks will not get up that early :-).

Plans: they are a changing

So, I'm not sure what is going on as yet?

• Flights to Birmingham, AL (BHM) and Atlanta, GA (ATL) tonight are full
• The Delta (DL) flight to LAX from Atlanta, GA (ATL) is full
• I can't find my ID
• I have a local meeting later

I think I'll meet the flight tomorrow in LAX and then fly back to ATL and then figure out how to get back to Houston, TX at that time, which should not be too bad as there is a DL flight at 8:30p on an MD88, although I would have preferred to take the Bombardier CR9 at 6:45p, but we will see...

I'm also considering Bermuda tomorrow and spend the night there. It is the forgotten island...It is quite pricey by is worth the visit anyways.

So where to?

It almost the weekend and a lot of cool stuff have occurred in the aviation world this week. It just seems like aviation is always a hot topic. It always interests me as to why the public is always so curious and keen on what happens in this industry...

Tanzania
A friend of mine is in Arusha, Tanzania for a meeting for two weeks and I want to go see him. Over the years, we've linked up in places such as Casablanca/Marrakesh, Morocco; Montreal, Quebec Canada; Buenos Aires, Argentina, to name a few cities.

Unfortunately, this weekend is proving difficult due to work commitments next week and flight availability. The idea is to fly to Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) and then on KLM to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (JRO) and then drive 30 minutes to Arusha or take Kenya Airways (KQ) to Narobi, Kenya (NBO) then KQ again to JRO. I think I could even fly into Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ADD) and then get to JRO or to Dar es Salaam (DAR) and then to JRO. So I have a few options to explore.

So what to do then?
Well, I talked about cool aviation stuff earlier and one of them is that Delta Air Lines (DL) acquired at new Boeing 777-200LR and will use it on its first inaugural flight on Saturday. The flight goes from Atlanta, GA (ATL) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX) at the 8:30a flight.

A friend who has a ticket on this flight told me about it a few weeks ago. I contacted him earlier tonight and he says that he is originating in Birmingham, AL (BHM), so it means I have to meet him there or in Atlanta and we will drive over. I think the flying into BHM option works better though...

The Space Shuttle
I'm also looking at doing a quick trip to see the Shuttle go up next week as one of my friends mentioned that. I've seen it launch before and it is spectacular. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on March 11 at 2:28 EST.

Singapore Airlines - from 181 seats to 100 seats
Singapore Airlines (SQ) will reconfigure its A340-500s to now have 100 Business class seats as opposed to the current 64 plus 117 in Executive Economy class. This for flights from Newark, NJ and Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to/from Singapore (SIN).

This will be the new Business class seats that are on the new A380. Ridiculous you may say, but no, actually, the demand is outstripping the supply says SQ. And since that aircraft has a restricted payload anyways; hence its current configuration, then why not? You can read my account of flying in Executive Economy class a few years back on the Newark, NJ (EWR) to Singapore (SIN) route.

Calgary to Toronto - all business class
A new airline, Corporate Jet Air is planning on flying the Calgary, Alberta Canada (YYC) to Toronto Ontario, Canada (YYZ) route in a Bombardier CRJ-200 fitted with 18 seats as opposed to 50 in the normal Economy class configuration. Riders will buy a pack of ten tickets for CAD 16,000 which are valid for a year. They anticipate adding Vancouver British Columbia (YVR) to Toronto and Calgary to Houston, TX (IAH) in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The dream never dies and I love it.

LH A320 doing a dance on landing in Hamburg, Germany (HAM)

thankfully all went well.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/03/plane-makes-heartstopping_n_89553.html.

It reminds me of a landing I had in Paris Charles de Gaulle, France (CDG) late last year in an Alitalia (AZ) Airbus A321 from Rome-Fiumicino, Italy (FCO) with severe crosswinds. I thought that we were not going to make it...

Sydney, Australia: Arriving in Houston, TX (IAH)

2MAR08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

We touched down and headed for the gate; I was pretty much still sleeping and did not really awake fully until I got to the gate and the brakes were set.

I deplaned while calling the Metro bus line to see what time was the next bus; it was 1:35p and the current time was 1:27p. I don't have much time at all.

I stopped in the Presidents Club and got a bite of crackers and cheese to eat there and then quickly headed for the bus stop.

This long day is still not over.

Sydney, Australia: Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Houston, TX (IAH)

CO294 Los Angeles International, Los Angeles California (LAX) to Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) 8:00a 1:14p 738 with winglets N??291

Flight Time: 2:42
Continental Airlines
Seat Map

As I got down the jetway, it was backed up a bit, so I had to wait. Once on board, the agent was making an announcement that in order to make more space for other passengers’ bags, please put the smaller bags at your feet and refrain from putting the coats in the overheads just yet; she then thanked everyone for their cooperation.

I walked past the 16 leather seats in a 2-2 configuration in the First Class cabin, past the divider for Economy class in its 3-3 configured cloth seats. I found a place for my bag and then settled into my middle seat for the 2:42 hours journey.

The door closed at 7:55a, then the safety demonstration commenced on the overhead monitors, first in English and then in Spanish. Departure time came and went without a word of why we had a delay. At 8:14a, we pushed by still without any word. The row I was in has no window at the window seat, so I could not see out on that side, hence I had no idea what was going on outside.

We taxied out to the runway and took off at 8:27a.

After takeoff, the flight attendant made an announcement welcoming us onboard and saying that today's move is "Enchanted" with Patrick Dempsey and also that we will have a breakfast on the flight.

Then the Captain came on the PA and said that there was 3 miles of fog at the field, temp was 55F with winds from the South and light rain.

Headsets were offered for 1 USD and alcohol was 5 USD (quite a difference from Qantas from Cairns to Sydney, I though).

The movie started soon and I watched as I had breakfast of Chex and raisins with milk. I had some tea as well.

The crew came back with a second drink helping and shortly after that the Captain said that we had bad weather as he was approaching El Paso, TX and it was at all levels so we had to bear it. It did not last too long afterall.

The movie played on which was quite good actually. I fell asleep though so I missed the end of it :-(.

I had to wake up and put my seat up for landing and then I went back to sleep as I was still tired.

Sydney, Australia: Arriving in Los Angeles, CA (LAX)

02MAR08 Los Angeles International, Los Angeles California (LAX)

We touched down at 6:35a breaking heavily and then exiting the active runway. It was not a long taxi to the gate as Qantas (QF) now uses American Airlines’ (AA) Terminal 4, thanks to the oneworld Alliance partnership. Gone are the days of the Bradley Terminal; thank heavens!

An aside: it is very weird to experience the same time/day twice; it is a good thing I had a good morning in Sydney, so I don’t mind living it all over again…It is now 1:35a in Sydney on March 3, 2008 since we crossed the International Date Line. The lead flight attendant reminded us of that after giving us the welcome to Los Angeles, the local time and advising us to take all our belongings even those passengers who were continuing on to New York-JFK. Departure time was set for 8:50a, so he advised that after Immigration and Customs, collect your bags, re-check them and then head upstairs, clear security and re-board the same airplane to JFK.

The Captain came on the PA and announced that we had to wait to get to our gate as there was an AA jet getting out of the way. In addition, he continued, if you are familiar with their spot in LA, it is a tight one and the aircraft must be towed into the gate after shutting down the engines. This means that it is necessary to wait for the seatbelt signs to come off before getting up and disembarking.

We finally got up to the gate at 6:53a and had to wait again as ground power was not attached as yet. The Second Office came on the PA and announced that the #4 engine was still running so we are required to remain seated until it is turned off and the seat belt signs are switched off. At this time, there were several people standing even before the brakes were applied. I just hope none of them fall on me…None of them sat down after the pilot spoke. The flight attendant tried to get everyone seated, but to no avail...

At 6:56a, the lights came off and it was now safe to get out. I sat for a while as I was only four rows or so from the back of the plane so it would naturally take a while for me to get out of the plane.

Eventually, it was my turn and I made my way forward, saying good bye and good morning to the crew and agents as I did so.

I made my way to the Immigration area to a chock full line of U.S. Citizens with passports; I did not see a line for those with just alien registration cards, so I am not sure what was the purpose of that sign. The visitors’ line was much longer and was progressing quite slowly.

Once it was my time, I greeted my Officer, chatted for a bit and cleared answering “No,” to his question of whether or not I had any food with me. Customs was a breeze as I was out of there in less than a minute.

I asked the agent the way to Terminal 6 and she said go outside and make a right. I followed those directions and was at Terminal 6 in no time after making it up an escalator the check-in area.

The Terminal was quite crowded, but I managed to use a kiosk in the online bag drop line as there was no line there. I was booked on the 11:45a flight, but I wanted to change it to the 8:00a; the notification said to see an agent when I tried to do so; I assume as it was 7:27a and check-in was possibly restricted to the gate.

I changed to the 9:15a since that was the earliest that I could change to at the kiosk, just in case there were no seats on the 8:00a. I got my boarding pass and then cleared security with relative ease. I made it to gate 60 and asked the agent if I could get on that flight. She said, “yes,” but all she had were middle seats. She offered a bulk head, but I declined that as I would have no where to put my bag and also, there is not enough legroom for me. The Exit rows were all occupied as well. I took my middle seat and boarded. I figured three hours in a middle seat won't kill me if nearly 13 hours did not.

Sydney, Australia: Leaving Sydney Inernational, Sydney Australia (SYD)

02MAR08 Sydney International, Sydney Australia (SYD)

I arrived at the airport at 9:51a, even after missing the 9:00a train from my friends’ stop. I was too busy having breakfast and checking mileages for my possible options from Sydney so I left their place at 8:50a.

I first headed upstairs to the check-in area and chatted with Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) as they have a 10:20p flight to Hong Kong arriving at 5:55a on March 3, 2008. It had room so push comes to shove that is my last back up out of Sydney although it makes for a really long day though.

Next stop was Emirates (EK) to see if my waitlist on the flight via Bangkok (BKK) to Dubai (DXB) had cleared and it had not :-(. They had just finished checking in the inbound flight to Auckland (AKL) and were clearing up. I then headed for Etihad Airways (EY) for the Airbus A340-500 flight to Abu Dhabi (AUH) and was told that it was full and they were trying to get passengers on other flights.

Umm…I am zero for two now. I went over to Air Canada (AC) to see how their Boeing 777-200LR service to Vancouver (YVR) was. When I got there I saw a flight 2234 on the board also to Vancouver. I also heard the agent finalizing some upgrades for that flight. As it turns out, AC2234 was AC34 from two days ago; a mechanical I assumed. But it was now 10:34a and too late for me to get on it as it was leaving at 11:00a. Bummer, I thought as that flight would have connected with the 8:00a Continental flight to Houston.

I had seen the aircraft at the gate and was wondering why they were loading a 1:30p departure so early with cargo; now it all makes sense.

She said that the 1:30p looked bad as well, but if I wanted to try it I had to be back by 12:45p the latest to be checked in. I thanked her and headed for Qantas (QF).

At Qantas, the agent checked me in for the noon flight and said it did not look too bad, although all three cabins were overbooked, but not by too many; maybe I’ll get lucky and make it to Business Class at least I thought. He said to be back no later than 11:15a. I thanked him and headed for the Observation Deck.

It is always nice to hang out there as you get a pretty good view of the terminals and the operations. I saw a few airplanes being towed as well as landing and taking, then it was time to go.










I was keeping an eye on my bag and saw a guy who obviously was not there to watch planes looking around. I kept my eye on him and he continued on.

It was almost time to return to Qantas anyways so I did. In a few minutes, I collected a middle seat boarding pass close to the back of the plane. I thanked the agent and headed for the security area.

There were no lines and by now it was 11:30a and boarding had started by the announcement on the PA. I cleared more security near the gate and then waited a bit. As I did, I saw the Air Canada Boeing 777-200LR taking off as well as Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER.

I asked the agent for a better seat, but he said there were none available and I was quite lucky to get a seat.

I then boarded.

Sydney, Australia: Arriving in Sydney International, Sydney Australia (SYD)

29FEB08 Sydney International Airport Sydney, Australia (SYD)

We touched down with a double bounce as promised at 9:35a. It was a nice taxi to the gate and it was good to see other airplanes all over the place. It is the home of Qantas so of course there were plenty of red and white with the kangaroo on the tail to go around.

The flight said that we were heading to Terminal 3 and also gave connecting information for the International terminal at Terminal 1 and other connecting flights at Terminal 2.

We got up to the gate and I deplaned without incident. I found an area to sit and got a faint free WiFi connection and a plug for the computers. I was able to get some work done as well as continued my search for the Indian consulate information. It was my intention to see if I can get an Indian visa while I am here. I already have one, but it is in my old expired passport; I was trying to see if I can get it transferred to my existing one.

I also watched a few planes depart.





Once I was done, I exited the concourse, and headed for the Airport Link into the city center.

Sydney, Australia: Cairns (CNS) to Sydney (SYD)

QF921 29FEB08 Cairns International Cairns Australia (CNS) to Sydney International, Sydney Australia (SYD) 5:45a 9:45a 734 VH-TFJ

Flying Time: 2:20

I gave the agent my boarding pass and she slid it through the gate reader with a good day and a smile. She returned it to me and I continued, passing a bin with headsets so I picked one up. I continued walking down a long angled jetway to the waiting Boeing 737-400 airplane; been a while since I flew one of these.

As I boarded, I noticed that the Captain is a female. As I entered the plane, I was greeted by the flight attendant who inspected my boarding card and advised me that my seat was on the left. I made my way down this single aisle airplane with its five rows of Business Class cloth seats (the first three with a 2-2 config. and the other two at 3-3, but the middle seats' handled folds in) and then Economy class in a 3-3 configuration. There was no divider between the cabins.

There were two monitors on the walls before each side of the cabin as well as overhead.

The boarding process continued for this nearly full flight. Just before the doors closed, I was able to switch to the aisle across from me as there was no one else boarding. The lady who was there had moved to the window seat.

We pushed back at 5:48a and headed for the runway as the safety demo was done manually. Takeoff was swift at 5:51a as there was no one else using the runway at that time; two flights to Brisbane had just left.
It incredible that as soon as we broke the cloud, it was light out as the sun had already risen quite a bit; odd...

"The Invasion" with Nicole Kiddman started on the overhead. The flight attendant came through with headsets, just in case people did not pick them up on the way in.

I had to do a bathroom break and while there, the female captain came on the PA and welcomed u on board and said that we were at our cruising altitude of 32,000’. She introduced her first officer and advised that he was flying us to Sydney today. She also added that we should arrive about 10 minutes early and that the local temp will get to a high of 19/20C and there are rain showers in the area. She also advised that Sydney was an hour later and it was now 7:13a there and gave our flying time of 2:20 today.

Back at my seat, the flight attendants then passed through the cabin with breakfast on their way towards the front of the plane; the movie played on.

At 6:23a, breakfast arrived at my row; I moved my computer away to make room for it and the flight attendant said, “I see you made room for some brekkie” in a lovely Australian accent, yes, I added smiling. It was a bottle of fruit frusion (pineapple, orange and mango juice) with a bag of sliced green apples, a tub of Special K cereal, 100% pure full cream milk and a tea cup a little thing of milk in it and finally a warm raisin roll. There was also a packet with plastic utensils plus a stirrer and a packet of sugar.

Coffee and tea followed, then once they were cleaning up, they offered a bottle of water and more coffee and tea also followed.

I fell asleep after the movie finished and when I awoke, we were served water and Apricot and pecan muesli biscuit at at about 8:54a.

At 8:57a, the First Officer came on the PA and announced that we would start our descent in a bit and that we would be in a holding pattern before still landing ten minutes after schedule. The descent started right after he finished.

We touched down with a double bounce at 9:25a as promised.

Sydney, Australia: A rat in the terminal at Cairns (CNS)

As I was blogging, I saw a rat ran under my chair and across the floor! Others saw it as well, good grief!

An agent saw it and screamed, it was interesting to see her reaction and that of the others around...

Sydney, Australia: The domestic terminal in Cairns, Australia (CNS)

29FEB08 Domestic Terminal, Cairns Australia (CNS)

I got listed and made it over to the domestic terminal and decided to take the 5:45a, after all it gets me in earlier.

There is a sign that says "covered walkway" so I followed it, but there is one point where the walkway is just not covered :-).

Once at the Domestic Terminal, I checked in, got a seat and made my way to the security check-in area. This terminal has a lot of places for people to sleep, but the cloth seats are a bit dodgy though. I did see one guy spread a sheet which is quite funny to see.

I easily cleared security and noticed that bottled water is allowed on domestic flights...Once behind security, I found a WiFi signal and waited for my flight as I blog.

Sydney, Australia: In Cairns

29FEB 08 Cairns International, Cairns Australia (CNS)

I arrived and pulled up to the gate at which point I got my crap together and was about to disembark, when we all had to sit back down as we were not at the gate properly. After a few minutes, we got that sorted out and deplaned.

I cleared Immigration and Customs without incident and then made my way to the arrivals area. I needed to get another tickets so I made my way to the ticket counter, but they were closing so I was out of luck.

I then found Internet access and a plug behind the coke machine and started working and blogging.

I have a few updates to do and will soon; later today. There is a 5:45a (734) and a 6:45a (763). Torn, as I want to be in the International terminal which is where the 6:45a arrives, but would love to get there earlier, but the 5:45a arrives in the domestic terminal :-(...