Suhl, Germany: Houston Intercontinental. Houston TX (IAH) to Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

CO46 26AUG08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS) 7:10p 11:40a +1 Day 764 N66057

Flight time: 9:00
Seat Map

I boarded and greeted the flight attendant on entry. She actually recognized me from a previous flight. I made my way down to my window seat and settled in. The flight was pretty light so others moved around quite a bit.

We eventually left the gate at about 7:20p or so and made our way in the rainy weather to the runway. In no time, we were cleared for take off and were airborne.

It was cool as on take off, you could see the air making its way over the wing.

This aircraft has individual video monitors in each seat. All movies start at the same time. Here is what the flight had to offer:

1. Continental Presents House
2. Leatherheads/Behind the Scenes
3. Continental Family Channel 1: How to Eat Fried Worms/Animaniacs, Powerpuff Girls
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
5. What Happens in Vegas/30 Rock
6. Continental Presents CSI
7. Comedy Programming: Creature Comforts, The Facts of life, Everybody Hates Chris; Welcome to the Captain, The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Cosby Show
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. Chinese Pop
19. 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

We were given an before dinner snack of pretzels and drink:

Dinner arrived at 8:48p with a choice of chicken or roast beef; I chose the chicken. It came with vegetables and pasta, a salad and a brownie.


A drink cart followed shortly after, then the thrash was cleared and another drink service followed. I did notify the flight attendant that my entertainment system was broken in both seats and she made a note of it.

I continued to watch the movie, being careful not to touch the headset connection as it seemed so fragile.

I fell asleep soon after dinner, but awoke not too long after as the cabin was really cold. I looked at the map and we were just about under Greenland, but still close to Halifax, NS Canada. I was able to fall asleep again, thank heavens.

With an hour and a half to go as we passed high over the middle of Ireland, we were served a breakfast of a croissant, jam and a bowl of fruits (cantaloupe and grapes).

This was followed up with a beverage service. The thrash was cleared and then another beverage service followed.

After the meal, I took the opportunity to use the lavatories and also to brush my teeth once more.

A video of the arrival expectations for Amsterdam played and then an announcement was made that the entertainment was concluded and that we could keep our headsets for a future flight.

The passengers in BusinessFirst though had to return them. It was also noted that we would start our descent soon and it was a good time to get up and stretch our legs if we needed to. In closing, there is no documentation necessary for Amsterdam, just have your passports ready and if you are connecting, go to T9 for information. Also, there will be a Continental personnel in the airport if you needed further assistance.

At about 75 miles out at 11:27a, the Captain came on the PA and said that we were well into our descent into Amsterdam and we should be on the ground at about 11:42a and then at the gate at 11:50a, parking at G3. The seatbelt sign is on, the winds are out of the SE at 10mph, good visibility with scattered clouds and a temperature of 63F, a little drizzle earlier, but not now.
Enjoy your time in Amsterdam and thank you.

It was now time to prepare for landing.

Suhl, Germany

I'm off to the middle of Germany to a place called Suhl for some R&R. I'm flying to Amsterdam then to Frankfurt or Nuremburg then to Suhl by train.

It was bumper to bumper traffic leaving downtown Houston and I arrived at the Car Rental facility with 4 minutes to spare. Only to be charged for an extra hour by the lady who was goofing off when I got there and made a cell phone call and then came over to me. She goes it goes by the computer and you were late. I told her I was not and i will not pay the charge. So she said I had to go talk to a different person or wait for her to take care of another customer. I thought that was silly since she had not finished taken care of me, how rude.

Anyways, I went to another person who took care of me and reversed the charge.

I then went upstairs and took the bus to Terminal E, only to find out my flight was in Terminal C. I then took the train over there and settled in the Presidents Club for a bit. My phone is not working properly so I am not receiving TripAlerts, hence the reason why I did not know my gate beforehand.

I will go to the gate in about two minutes.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG) to Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

AF38 24AUG08 Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG) to Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) 3:55p 7:30p 332 F-GZCL

Flight Time: 10:00
Seat Map

It was 3:24p as I handed my boarding card to the smartly dressed male flight attendant who indicated I should go to the second aisle and make a right. I made my way through the Business class cabin with its 2-2-2 configuration, then to the Tempo class with its 2-4-2 configuration tapering to a 2-3-2 for the last few rows.

As I was about to sit, a flight attendant asked me if I wanted to switch with a guy who was traveling with his girlfriend, but they were separated. Sure I said and moved to his seat which was a window. As it turns out, it was actually the seat next to my traveling companion who arrived just as I was settling into my new seat.

The lead flight attendant announced at 3:45p that we should not buckle up as the aircraft was still being refueled. As i looked outside, I confirmed this wondering how come the truck was under the left wing. Actually I did notice it as I was boarding and walking down the jetway.

The Captain on the PA and welcomed us onboard and advised that our flying time was 10:00 today and that the temperature on arrival would be 25C. He did this first in French and then in English. The English version is always an abridged version.

At 3:50p, boarding was complete and a headcount was done before passengers started to switch seats in order to get more comfortable. Even my travel companion switched to another seat. The doors closed at 3:56p and at 4:04p we were pushing back and the animated/non-animated safety demo was playing on the monitors.

We had a relatively short taxi to the runway and was airborne at 4:12p. Soon after takeoff, we were given a packet with a blindfold, a pair of headsets and ear plugs for the flight. A really cute menu followed.

At about 4:37p, the Captain came on the PA and advised that the navigation computer had developed a fault and we were returning to Paris. What! I thought...

I felt the airplane make a right turn, but did not notice any fuel being dumped form the wings and we started a slow descent into Paris-Charles de Gaulle where we landed on runway 26R/08L at 5:14p. We taxied up to an end gate at Terminal E once more. I did notice that this gate is actually capable of handling an A380. This was evident by the extra jet bridge that is at the gate.

You can see the flight status information at http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByFlight.do;jsessionid=F160CB5D23AE72FD5A208A57E71AA2CC.ned:8009?airline=(AF)+Air+France&flightNumber=38&departureDate=2008-08-24&x=5&y=8

Toulouse, France August 2008: Departing Toulouse-Blagnac for Paris-Charles de Gaulle

24AUG08 Toulouse Blagnac, Toulouse France (TLS)

We arrived at the airport in no time, checked the flight Information displays for our check-in counter and headed there. It was easy to check-in and as the flight was open, we were given seats right away.

We walked around the terminal a bit and then cleared security. Immediately, we went to the gate, presented our boarding passes and went down the jetway.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Arriving inToulouse-Blagnac from Paris-Charles de Gaulle

23AUG08 Toulouse Blagnac, Toulouse France (TLS)

We touched down safely and made our way off the taxiway. It was a beautiful sight to be at the home of Airbus Industries. There were planes everywhere and I was able to see five A380s. Three in Airbus colors including the one I had seen at the Farnborough Airshow only a month ago. The other two were in Emirates and Qantas colors. It looked like everywhere I looked there was an airplane for Kingfisher Airlines. I could see at least five A330 and one A340.

Avianca also had an A330 there as well as a Royal Jordanian A330. I did not see any A320s, but my guess is that they were at another part of the field. There were large buildings all over the place as well; I was just on cloud Nine.

We made it to the gate finally, pulling up to another A319 on our right. We disembarked and headed to the baggage claim area, passed it and then to the Information counter. We collected some brochures about the city, transport to the city and also about the Airbus facility. I tried to get on WiFi, but they were all paid services. We also checked on the hotels and in order to get the special rate, we had to book online. We tried several times to sign up for 20 minutes for 3 EUR but was unsuccessful each and every time. Eventually, we gave up and decided that we would do this later at the hotel somehow.

We then called the shuttle bus for the hotel and waited 15 minutes for it to arrive. While we waited we saw the bus to the city which cost 4 EUR.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG)

CO10 22AUG08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris France (CDG) 6:40p 11:05a+1 Day 777 N??016

Flight Time: 8:46
Seat Map

We walked down the jetway and the flight attendant greeted us and directed me to cross the galley and make my way to my Economy Class aisle seat. This aircraft is configured with 50 BusinessFirst seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 235 seats in Economy class in a 3-3-3 configuration.

I made my way to my seat which was the bulkhead so I had to find a place for my bag. This took a little while, but I found a bin that was empty although closed. As I sat and waited, I noticed two mechanics at separate times walking through the cabin checking on the slide at the left door and wondered why that was being done at this point. Passengers also continued to board the aircraft. I got settled in and waited as the 6:40p departure time came and went. At 6:42p, the Captain came on the PA, welcomed us on board and delivered some not so good news. He announced that the mechanics had to service the aircraft and was ensuring that there was enough oil for the engines.

Bummer, the last thing we need today is a delay of any kind and guess what we have. He continued saying that it should not take too long adding that the local temperature in Paris when we arrive will be 16C/51F with partly cloudy skies.

It was 7:02p when he came on once again and announced that it was necessary to start the right engine to ensure that there was enough oil in, good grief I thought as I watched our arrival time grow later on the overhead screens. If we don’t get out of here in the next ten minutes, we can kiss our 12:35p connecting flight goodbye. Two minutes later, the engine started and in three minutes it was switched off. The Captain then came on the PA and said all was well, we just had to do some paperwork and then we can go.

The doors closed at 7:21p and we pushed back three minutes later. But 7:47p, we were airborne and were showing an arrival time of 11:43a. We’re pretty much screwed now. We have to take the flight to Toulouse instead if we can’t pull this off.

After takeoff, the lead flight attendant came on the PA and announced that we would have a dinner service followed by a mid flight service and then a breakfast just before landing.
I did notice that this was an aircraft with the Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD) so I started to play around with it. It also had power at my seat which was a plus.

On tap for today were:

• Movies – new releases (35), action/thriller (80), classics (36), comedy (53), drama (75), family (49), world cinema (45)
• Short programs – comedy (22), drama (16), entertainment (21), family (30), global TV (25), HBO on Demand (22), lifestyle (18)
• Music – classical (12), country (20), jazz (18), pop (81), r&b/urban (32), rock (25), world (24)
• Games – arcade (6), board/puzzle (13), educational (1), gaming (2), kids (4)
• Flight map

Drinks and pretzels came at about 8:20p. in about twenty minutes they returned to clean up the thrash.

Chicken with pasta, beef or vegetarian were the choices.


After eating, I fell asleep with 7:14 to go and awoke with 2:20 to go. I could not sleep anymore so I started to update the blog and some stuff I'm writing.

Breakfast arrived at 1:20 and drinks at 1:09 then the arrival video was shown, no documentation is required for entering France we were told.

After the thrash was cleared there was a second round of drinks offered. I watched the end of Narnia:Prince Caspian and then started an episode of "Everybody Hates Chris." The system was turned off before I could finish though.

The Captain came on the PA and said that the temp was 61F/16C in Paris as we passed London and made our way across the English Channel with 0:32 to go. He thanked us and said he looked forward to seeing us in the near future and that we should be on the ground at 11:46a and should be at the gate just before noon. The local time is 11:16a in Paris. So much for Kiev, we will never make that 12:35p connecting flight now.

We then prepared for landing and commenced the descent.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental for Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

I was dropped off at Terminal E and then made my way to the ticket office to get the tickets. By the time the others joined me, it was all done and we were ready to go.

We went to the Presidents Club where I tried to get to the Internet, but apparently the wireless signal was down. This is very annoying, but what can one do. After a while, one of my travel companions got a signal, but still it did not work for me. Eventually, it was time to go, so we did. Just before we left the Club, I looked out the window and saw our plane at the gate.

At the gate, the others got their BusinessFirst class upgrade while I waited for an Economy class seat. Apparently, the flight was heavily booked so I waited for a bit. After a while, I got a seat, but was told to wait a bit just in case that changed.

Across the way, the flight to Amsterdam was departing at 7:10p, this was my backup flight. At about 6:15p, the agent told me to board as it should be fine, so I did. The others were waiting for me to board in case we all had to ditch Paris as the connecting city.

Toulouse, France August 2008: Departing downtown Houston, TX

We had no issues getting to the airport at all. It was really smooth sailing on the HOV lane and we at the airport in no time. As we were pressed for time, we had planned on my going to get the tickets while the others found a place to park.

Toulouse or Kiev

So not sure what it will be this weekend, but leaning towards Kiev, Ukraine (KBP). Will know more later. I have not been to both, but Kiev would be the more exciting destination I believe.

Global Entry

Well, I signed up yesterday, quite a tedious process too. Ensure that you have your passport, driver's license, residency history, employment history and countries visited in the last five years handy.

Now I wait to hear if I am approved and then I have to visit a center at one of the airports for an in person interview documents in hand.

https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/

London August 2008: Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

We touched down nicely and very quietly. We used the runway by Lee Road and did realize that there were doing some construction at the end of it as there was a lot of marl there. not sure what is going on.

We had a short taxi to the E Terminal where I disembarked after a greeting by the gate agent and also notification on where our bags were located in Customs.

Arriving at this time 12:42p quite early actually, is good as the Immigration Hall is clear. It took no time to clear and head down to the Customs Hall.

I saw a sign for Global Entry; one of my colleagues had just told me about this on Saturday when we both arrived in London. It is a new system for quicker entry in the U.S. Much like what they had a few years back I can't even remember what it was called back then. You can get details for the program at https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov. I took the details and headed out. I'll sign up later.

This was a tiring, but great trip.

London August 2008: Arriving in London-Heathrow International heading home

I awoke at 5:15a and eventually made it to the check-in counter via bus and train at 7:05a. I did notice as I was watching planes land before boarding the airport bus that the 6:30a KLM (KL) flight to Amsterdam was just taking the runway. I did take pictures of a British Airways (BA) Boeing 747-400 and an American Airlines (AA) Boeing 777-200 landing. OneWorld at its best I thought:

My bus showed up and on my way to the Central Bus Station, I was able to take another picture of the Emirates (EK) A380 display; fantastic! If you've visited Heathrow in the past, this position used to house a British Airways (BA) Concorde.

By 7:30a, I was checked-in and made through security and to the Holideck Lounge. The airport was a bit quiet, but I know it was building.

I got online and checked e-mail and I had to re-pack my bag so I did. I then headed down to the gate as my name was being called for a seat assignment.

In my search for finding a power plug, I stopped in Dixon's but found nothing. I then went back to the gate which was actually across from the store. There was still a line. I soon boarded.

Beijing 2008 - The Summer Olympiad: Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental, Houston, TX (IAH)

12AUG08 Arriving in Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

I awoke when we touched down at 7:40a by the runway in front of Terminal D. As it was this early, there were no planes at the gate.

We taxied into the gate in about five minutes or so and it was time to gather my stuff and disembarked.

This was quite a trip. At this moment, it was 8:45p on Tuesday in Beijing, People's Republic of China. I had been traveling since Monday morning at 5:05a Beijing local time, that is 6:05p on Sunday night in Houston. You figure out how long that is :-).

Beijing 2008 - The Summer Olympiad: Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore, MD (BWI) to Houston-Intercontinental., Houston TX (IAH)

CO1727 12AUG08 Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore, MD (BWI) to Houston-Intercontinental., Houston TX (IAH) 5:40a 7:50a 735 N??609

Flight Time: 2:56
Seat Map

I boarded and took my seat after finding a pillow and asking the flight attendant to find a blanket for me. The passengers got settled in rather quickly and one customer got a last minute upgrade and then the doors closed at 5:36a. This aircraft has 8 First class leather seats in a 2-2 configuration. Economy class has 106 cloth seats in a 3-3 configuration.

Four minutes later, we pushed back and the safety demo commenced manually as this aircraft has no entertainment system.

Our taxi out started at 5:45a and by 5:48a, the Captain told the flight attendants to be seated. It was 5:50a when we took to runway 28 and into the dawn.

I looked outside a bit and saw that there was already traffic on one of the major highways below in both directions; good grief. I actually fell asleep for a few minutes and awoke when the Captain on the PA and advised we were at 34,000'. He expected a smooth ride and said that we would land on schedule. The city was expecting thunderstorms later, but the current weather was 83F and partly cloudy. I still wonder about the merits of giving the weather report for your destination when you leave your origin, but maybe it is only me.

Almost about the same time, we were served breakfast of 2% milk with corn flakes plus a banana. Beverages came a few minutes later. This was all cleaned up in a few minutes and then another beverage service followed.

I was really tired so I went to sleep. The seat I was in does not have a recline, but I slept well anyways. At one point I looked out and the sun was shining brightly and the ground was close; we were landing.

Beijing 2008 - The Summer Olympiad: Arriving in Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore, MD (BWI)

12AUG08 Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore, MD (BWI)

We touched down at 12:32a and taxied into the gate in Terminal D. On the way there, I could see a number of Southwest Airlines airplanes. It's been a while since I'd flown in this airport and a alot has changed.

Five minutes later, we blocked into the gate. The agent advised us to wait until all the bags had come to the door and then she would let us off the plane.

I noted the registration as I walked on the tarmac and mounted a set of stairs that led to the jetway. It was actually quite cool outside; much like it was in New York.

I saw a lady sleeping on a bench across from gate D7 and hoped that would not be me in a few hours. As it was already almost 1:00a and my flight departed at 5:40a, I decided to just hangout in the airport.

I looked for a power outlet and found one close to gate D10 and set up there. Soon, everyone was gone except the lady across the gate and I. A few cleaning people showed up, then left. At about 1:30a, I saw a passenger, then more passengers, apparently another flight had just arrived, I think it was a United flight.

As there is no complimentary WiFi in BWI, I signed up for Boingo's 24 hour service for $7.95. T-Mobile had it for $9.95, but I opted not to do that.

I got some work done, checked in for the flight and chatted with my buddy who had now made it home from Los Angeles, (CA) to Atlanta, GA (ATL). While I slummed it in Economy class across the Pacific, he drank Dom Pernignon in Singapore Airlines' (SQ) First Class service, but I digress. I had to fill him on my adventure so far.

I called Southwest Airlines (WN) and checked on their flights to Houston. They had one at 6:00a that stopped in New Orleans, LA (MSY) arriving in Houston-Hobby (HOU) at about 11 something. I am assuming it stopped somewhere else before it got to New Orleans.

There was a nonstop at 7:20a arriving at 9:35a. This was my backup flight. If I did not make the 5:40a, I would not wait for the next flight at 7:15a, I'd just go for the Southwest flight since the agent said it was open.

It was kind of fun watching the airport get ready for passengers. There was some activity on the ramp as well and i got to see a few workers arrive.

At 4:13a, I saw three passengers show up for the 5:40a flight. Wow, what time did they get here I wondered? I contined to work as more passengers arrived.

At about 5:15a or so, the agent called my name and I got a seat. She even apologized for it being a bad seat and I told her, I was just happy that it was a seat.

Beijing 2008 - The Summer Olympiad: Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) to Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore, MD (BWI)

CO3215/11AUG08 Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore MD (BWI) DH4 8:30p 10:02p aircraft #782 operated by Colgan Air

Flight Tme: 0:32
Seat Map

I greeted the flight attendant as she told me to watch my head as I entered. The doorway is really short on this plane; shorter than the ERJ even.

This is a Bombardier Q-400 aircraft a quiet turbo prop they say. I had flown this type before from Horizon Air, but this was my first time on the Colgan Air-operated one. It has 74 leather seats in a 2-2 configuration and has two flight attendants as it is more than 50 seats but less than 100.

I made my way down to my seat and realized that the guy in the aisle had moved over to the window. He asked if I wanted him to move and I told no, it is fine and took the aisle after putting my stuff in the overhead which was too small for my backpack.

As we waited, the Captain came on and said it would be 0:32 to Baltimore and apologized for the delay due to Air Traffic slowdown. He continued saying that we would have a 15 minutes or so taxi and he was not expecting any additional delays.

The door was closed at 11:15p and the manual demo started to the automated instructions. After that was done, the flight attendants did their security checks and we waited.

The Captain came on the PA at 11:21p and announced that the gound crew had noticed a loose hatch by the entry door and had called maintenance to come over and take a look. He said he would keep us posted.

At 11:25p we had push back and the Cpatain said the panel was O.K. It was not until 11:32p, that we started our taxi out to the runway.

At 11:50p, the Captain said we were #3 for departure and asked the flight attendants to take their seats. Seven minutes later, we were airborne.

The flight attendant announced that there would be a beverage service which I thought was cool for such a short flight. That soon started with a pack of peanut handed plus your beverage of choice. Clean up was soon there after.

I fell asleep for a little bit and awoke to hear the Captain say that we were 39 miles out of the airport with 10 minutes to go and we would start our descent. He also advised the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing which they did.

Beijing 2008 - The Summer Olympiad: Arriving at Beijing Capital International from the city

11AUG08 Beijing Capital, Beijing People's Republic of China (PEK)
We arrived at Terminal 3 at about 5:42a. I alighted and headed towards the front of the terminal. I did not see Northwest Airlines there, so I went inside and asked. This terminal is alike a copy of the one in Hong Kong. It is absolutely beautiful.

As it turns out, it was not Northwest's terminal so I returned to the cab. My friend had already paid the cab, so we started the meter again (10 Yuan) and headed for Terminal 2.

Once there, we paid again and alighted then headed past security and into the Terminal. We found the check-in area, checked-in and then headed through Immigration and security and into the terminal.

After a little last minute shopping, we headed for the Lounge. Only my friend could use it, so I busied myself with some picture taking.










Soon , it was time to board as we met up with each other once more at the gate.

Beijing 2008 - The Summer Olympiad: Leaving The Olympic Area for the airport

A friend of mine joined me last night at about 10:30p. He had mis-connected the night before in Tokyo and had spent the night in the Narita area.

I went to meet him in the pouring rain and then we went out to the Village; by now it had stopped raining.

The next morning, we were up atom at 4:15a and was out of the hotel by 5:05a. it was smooth sailing to the airport except that all the other cabs were passing us out.

We did not know which terminal Northwest uses at the airport so we decided to go to Terminal 3 first. The lady at the hotel told the cabbie where to go before we left. The plan was that if we got there and it was the wrong terminal, we would just go to the next one.

We noticed that there was a turn off for Terminal 3 and there were no signs that told us which terminal was which.

Beijing 2008 - The Summer Olympiad: Fantastic

You know I usually don't talk about the destination, except for exceptional circumstances, well the Olympiad is one of those.

Go see pics at this location; will write something later.

Beijing 2008 - The Summer Olympiad: Arriving at the Olympic Park

09AUG08 The Olympic village - Choayang District

This was the picture when I stepped out of the subway in the city; people needing tickets for events. I guess I've arrived at the XXIX Olympiad.






You can see more pictures here:
Bird's Nest
The Cube
An Overview of the Games
Women's Field hockey