Category: Travelling

Trip Report: 4th July Shenanigans

July 5, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

With a public holiday approaching and one more Radisson stay required to complete my trio of points and an impending deadline for my annual *G status qualification I had the perfect opportunity to get away.

I decided to head to LAX where I would have the opportunity to get in some spotting, a night at the Radisson LAX wasn’t to bdy priced and the flights to LA were not bad with United. So I racked up some time in lieu and booked it all in. Closer to the day I was considering a car for the day to make visiting the spotting locations easier. I found a lovely credit for priceline bids and bid away. I had denied bids till I put $30 for a convertible, Bingo! A car with Hertz was obtained.

Tuesday July 3rd (see I’m adjusting to the American way)

I finished work at 1pm after a quiet morning in the office, jumped in the truck and headed onto the 405. Traffic was fairly heavy till Renton and the 167 off ramp and took about 35 mins to make SeaTac. I had been worried I would have problems as I kept getting told there would be lots of issues due to the holiday.

I had decided to use the MasterPark “Garage” over the outside lots for an extra few dollars. The costs would still be less than a shuttle or a cab in each direction. As soon as I pulled up I was greeted and helped, even the shuttle driver was itching to get me to the terminal but I just had to get a few things sorted first (paperwork, gps put away etc), but I was on the road to the terminal in less than 5 mins and in the walkway to check in, 5 minutes later.

I had expected bedlam, I shouldn’t of worried, not a single person in front of me and I was checking in moments later and pointed towards security. I cleared security after getting an explosive swab down (first over here) but no nude o scope.

As United use the North Satellite I figured might as well just go relax in the club for a while, so off I went to the train station and the train was waiting so moments later I was in the Satellite. I had noticed an unusual Alaskan aircraft on the drive in but it was already gone by the time I got up there so went back to the basement where the club was located.

This was my first time in a United Club and I had heard so many people moan about them, how basic etc. Compared to a Qantas Club or a Virgin lounge yss they are basically, but it’s quiet, there are power points and complimentary drinks. Snacks were limited but enough for a snack or nibble. I grabbed some baby carrots, some trail mix and a diet coke and was about to put my ipod on when I found out I had made a rookie mistake, I forgot to charge my ipod.

I tried to turn it on, dead. I checked my camera bag. I had an ipod connector cable, but no charger. Damn! I scoured the lounge, no usb ports or computers. Double Damn. Went to the reception desk, yeah no chance there! So I figured I would check out the cost of anther charger (not that I needed one, if it was less than $15 I would do it. Yeah $35 for the cheapest charger… um how about no. By this time I had left the lounge and there was only 10-15 minutes till scheduled departure, so I sucked it up and just stayed near the boarding gate.

United Airlines (Operated by Skywest)
UA5358
Seattle to Los Angeles
1546-1825
Canadair CRJ-700 (N762SK)
Economy Class – Seat 12F

Boarding: 1523 (Gate N11)
Push Back: 1544
Take Off Roll: 1554 (Runway 16L)
Top of Descent: 1745
Touch Down: 1819 (Runway 24R)
Shut Down: 1829 (Gate 87)

Boarding was eventually called after the Gate Lice were queuing everywhere. Prepping for the boarding had been done every 2-3 minutes advising that people may need to gate check bags and that they needed to collect special tags etc. I was worried that being my first flight in a CRJ if my camera bag would fit in the overheads, but was advised it would be fine (it was). Eventually Boarding Group 2 was called and I strolled onboard and pretty much all the way to the back. One thing about being *G with United is that since I have no status with United im relegated to the back of the plane, but since I have status and can board early, I’m usually one of the only people AT the back of the plane.

I boarded onto the CRJ and the first thing i noticed was I am 6ft tall and i was skimming the roof. This does not bode well. I had read and been told about how the CRJs irrespective of size were the bain of many people’s existence. They are passionately despised. I wasn’t going to make that decision yet and was going to give it the benefit of the doubt, but things were not looking great so far.

I had managed to snag an exit row when I got to the club so that was ok. But the legroom didn’t look all to bad either way. One thing I did notice that was slightly peculiar about this exit row was not only did you have seat back tray tables, but you also had arm rest mounted tray tables. Very different. Also what is truly peculiar is that even though my camera bag did not fit in the overhead bin, it fit under the seat in front and I was legally allowed to leave it there. That through me big time! Back home that is a MASSIVE no no. Over here, yeah not so much. Thankfully I had the exit row so I didn’t end up sacrificing to much leg space in the end.

Boarding took up the entire alloted time, with what seemed and endless stream of people trying to fill every single overhead bin space. By the time boarding had finished, we actually pushed back pretty much spot on. Good work United. It was time for the manual demonstration since there are no facilities onboard the CRJ’s for any form of entertainment (not even audio) so I was in for a quiet time on my flight south. With offset windows it seems as well, I wasn’t even going to be able to spend my time looking out the window as much without leaning all the way forward.

We taxiied out fairly quickly to the active runway (the 16s today with L,R & C all being used). and there was no real delay in getting the clearance for take off as we barely even had turned onto the runway before the Captain was pushing those throttles to take off power. A quick trip up through the cloud layer and unfortunately as I was in a D seat, i missed the sight of Mt Ranier on the way out. But I was head down in my book by this stage, just chilling out. I had pre grabbed an apple from the United Club for the flight so that was at least a smart way to get over the wanting of a snack onboard. Thankfully drinks are free of charge.

I settled in to the book and eventually the service got around to our row, it was fairly slow but it was a 2.5 hour flight. Unfortunately no full can on this flight it was just a little cup of water and a little cup of diet coke. To tiny cups. I had enough coffee already that day so didn’t want to be adding more coffee to my system but the cold drinks were fine. A 2nd water service was offered a bit later in the flight so that at least helped out if you hadn’t brought anything with you.

A friend of mine had suggested checking out the “Bathrooms” onboard the CRJ for a bit of a laugh. I wasn’t quite sure why he said this, but I did anyway (after much waiting in line to actually get in there since it seemed like a constant stream of passengers in and out of the 1 bathroom at the rear. I almost smacked my head on the way in so it was not a good sign of things to come. The bathroom follows the curvature of the aircraft at the back and god damn is it small. You either have to lean and hunch forward, or lean all the way back like your spine will snap in half. This was a contortionists dream, now I am 6ft tall so anyone taller than I am, I pity them.

The flight just cruised on pretty well, first we were going to arrive ontime, then late, then early, then late. In the end I am pretty sure we ended up drilling holes in the Sky over LA because we ended up coming in what felt like it was late. But either way it was a pretty quiet run down the coast. We pulled into T8 and by the time we disembarked and I walked the endless way through all the corridors to the Baggage Claim it felt like it was forever. This is where United needs some help. We were told Baggage Claim 2 for our bags. WRONG. Their was 1 screen in the entire baggage claim area to find out where your bags come out, and it took me forever to find it after going to Baggage Claim 2 and seeing no bags and the belt not even moving. Turns out it was Baggage 4. Then i followed the instructions for the Radisson shuttle by using the “courtesy” phone in baggage claim, accept apparently the Radissons phone number has been disconnected. Yeah right. So I managed to find the number in my phone (with tripit dying left right and centre (something I still haven’t had a chance to resolve). I finally got through after several minutes on hold (thank you unlimited plan) and was told the shuttle would take 10-15 mins as the Radisson runs its own shuttle, they don’t use offsite companies. This was fine as I was just wanting to chill out after the scurrying back and forth but what the lady at the Radisson said threw me a little. She asked me what Terminal I was at. I said “Terminal 8 (as thats where I had landed) to which I was told “there is no terminal 8, who did you fly in with?” Eventually she told me where and how to locate the driver after I prompted her. But I am sure she would of told me?

Either way, now I was puzzled. Did i dream the Terminal 8, or was I going insane. So I tweeted my LAX experts and they both confirmed T8 is really just an extra satelite for T7. So really there isn’t technically a T8 but there is. All check in is done at T7 but you then move over to the gates at T8 post security (more on this later). So with that resolved I ended up finally at the Radisson. Check in was a few minutes wait but no big deal and I was greeted by a friendly staff member and thanked for being a Gold Member and was told I had been upgraded and that all my details were on file (the best news I like to hear when I am scamming). Nothing was mentioned during the time but i noticed a sign saying the hot water would be shut off between midnight and 4am. Thankfully I wasn’t intending on being awake during that period (nor taking a shower) so that would be fine.

When I finally got up to my room, I had a fair nice location in the building (close to the lifts which i don’t usually like but sometimes its ok) but the view was pretty damn awesome. then I noticed the interconnecting door was half open. Umm what the hell. So I pushed it. It wasn’t an interconnecting door. I had been given a suite! w00t!!! Not that I needed it as I was barely going to be in the hotel 12 or 13 hours. To be upgraded to so much space… happy as. The room itself was a bit of a mismatch. It looked old and run down but the TV’s looked new. The fridge in the suite was nice, would of been nicer if it was plugged in and turned on. The Cheese, Meat and Fruit platter was pretty awesome and provided a spectacular dinner with some vegies that I picked up at the local grocery store about a 15 minute walk away.

Either way, my night was pretty uneventful, TV (Masterchef w00t) some Vegies, a bit to much cheese and some Yoghurt eaten with a fork since they wanted a $5 delivery fee to deliver a spoon to the room… are you kidding me Radisson. The sleep number bed didn’t work but to be honest, I didn’t care, I passed out either way.

Wednesday July 4th

I woke up to lots of looming cloud… damn. But it didn’t deter me from going for a run outside. Why not run around the Perimiter of an Airport if you can? So I did. I had been in #Avgeek heaven the night before walking to and from the Grocery store with planes coming over me time after time. As I was out running, I was running when a Qantas 747-400 and a Qantas Airbus A380 both landed on 24R right next to me. Awesome++ Buzzed by a number of small ERJs etc but by the time i managed to get back to the hotel after running to find the location of Hertz on the way back, It turned out to be a 7km run. Been a while since i’ve done anything that long.

I cleaned up quickly (since the hot water failed to come back on… not happy jan) and as I was checking out I was going to complain about the lack of hot water when I was informed by the Front Office Supervisor (who checked me out) that I would be provided with a bonus 10,000 points for the hassle of a cold shower. Considering i was already getting a decent amount out of this stay.. I could deal with that. I headed off to the Hertz Depot on foot (About a 10 minute walk from the hotel), while consuming my breakfast of mini baguette and banana which all to much reminded me of my times in France last year where that was my daily breakfast while touring Normandy (though no coffee this morning).

Buzzed by many a plane as I walked my way to Hertz and upon entering the lot I saw a large amount of Mustang and Camaro convertibles… o this was good news. I managed to find the Hertz #1 gold office since the lines for the main office were HUGE, and they didnt mind that I had booked with Priceline. She offered me a Mitsubish Eclipse to which my words back where “Got something better?” I was pretty happy at this stage and in a good mood so didn’t mind forking over a little bit extra. In the end she said she could do me a high end mustang or a Volvo. The Volvo wouldn’t be covered by my insurance, no go. The mustang had GPS.. pass I had mine with me.

In the end they brought around a Camaro convertible for me. It was an additional $40 in the end because all the non crappy convertibles came automatically fitted with it and it turned out to be the Top of the Line prestige version of the Convertible. It was an Camaro Convertible SS. Nicely tuned V8 engine, fully optioned including reversing camera, reverse sensors, Heads up display, the Hertz GPS, Sirius XM radio, Onstar, flappy paddle gear box… just about everything! Did I mention it was bright red? Yellow would of been to much!

The car was super sweet. Amazing sound, but I didn’t put the top down till I got back to the hotel as I was in a bit of a rush to get back and get over to Imperial Hill to catch up with some fellow spotters. With my bags in hand and the GPS set, I sped over to Imperial Hill and rolled up to what looked like a full contingent of spotters. Awesome signs for the day! Even though the guys i were meeting couldn’t be around all that long, it was great to just spend a bit of time and get some tips from the locals.

For the morning I got some good shots of some of the heavies coming in including a Qantas A380 with the new “Spirit of Australians” titles that were only applied to one side? err wtf. Also kind of got a shot of a Cathay Pacific Cargo 747-8F (blocked by a building since he turned off short) but otherwise there was plenty of good sites. I did snap the new Southwest Airlines 737-800 (one of their newest in fleet) and also a few special liveries that came in. I did battle with the runways all morning as usually the heavies land in the morning on 25R, but not this morning. So I moved over to In n Out eventually (After a quick little detour via the beach to give the Camaro a good push) and then the runways swapped over to the otherside so all the stuff I really wanted to see, went to the other side.

At In n Out i did manage to get 2 x A380s at close quarters with Singapore Airlines and Air France and boy do they look huge from underneath. I enjoyed my lunch of a Double Double and Fries Animal Style for my once a year treat and being 4th of July, I figured it was fairly patriotic? The afternoon soon died down and tired of losing shots, I moved back to imperial hill, where low and behold the runways swapped back over to In n Out! God damn it! No luck at all.

Eventually I had to take the car back to the Hertz drop off, the staff all loved the fact that a guy was driving in with the music pumping and the top down in the sun (it eventually came out), typical tourist in California look, but I did not care. I was into the shuttle and heading back to LAX for my flight home (via San Francisco). After the driver pulled up at T6 and said “this is for United” i corrected him and said T7. So he dropped me off at T7. When i approached the door, the guard asked me what airline i was flying, i told him United and showed him my Gold Card, he then sent me back to T6… damn my feeble brain. It seems United do all premium check in regardless of destination at T6. So i trudged all the way back to T6 to check in.

During check in, again not a single person in existence I was offered a bump from San Francisco to Seattle and if it eventuated would nett me $200 in travel credits. Awesome++ but my first thoughts were, get the hell to security and get to your flight cause it says boarding at 16:35, which was wierd since I thought my flight was 1730, which it wasn,t it was 1710. The time then by the time I got through security and had to walk really fast over to T8 where my flight was departing was almost time to board! At security I was held up by the TSA not even doing anything with the premium security line, he let me wait till he had cleared everyone out of the normal line (what the hell for I have no idea) and then I got put through the Nude O Scope (Back Scatter Xray Machine) to delay things even longer. Either way I still made it through fine, if not to long of a process (about 10 mins).

Without any time to hit up the lounge, I just got over to T8 as quickly as possible and by the time I arrived at the gate I had a few minutes before boarding began.

United Airlines
UA558
Los Angeles to San Francisco
1710-1825
Airbus A320 (N469UA)
Economy Class – Seat 29F

Boarding: 1640 (Gate 83)
Push Back: 1709
Take Off Roll: 1719 (Runway 25R)
Top of Descent: 1750
Touch Down: 1808 (Runway 28L)
Shut Down: 1816 (Gate 74)

The flight to San Francisco boarded and it seemed that a lot of people were not going to make it. I was tempted to offer to bump on this flight, but could not see any later flights at all Direct to Seattle and wasn’t sure what the options were as I didn’t have time to investigate, so Just left it (if I didn’t have a bag checked through to Seattle it would be a different story).

I boarded with Group 2 after again fighting my way through the Gate Lice (some of them in the Priority line, sorry Premier Access line with Boarding Group 7) to board in the first wave of people of my group. I made it allllllllll the way to the back of the plane and stowed my bag with no hassles at all. Gotta love a mainline aircraft. With audio fitted I settled in, plugged in my headset, tuned into Channel 9 and was instantly greeted with #avgeek goodness. I could hear LAX ground giving instructions. I previously mentioned what Channel 9 was in one of my last trip reports but pretty much you can hear what the pilots have tuned on their main Air Traffic Control radio. So in this instance it was Los Angeles Ground. I could hear them giving orders to all the aircraft for pushback and taxi.

The Captain was a female but the Co Pilot was doing all the talking it seemed so that was a bit different (first time i think i’ve had a female Captain before). The Co Pilot had this really strong Southern/Texan twang to his voice and in sometimes when he was giving his requests on the ground it was as though he was singing them back as they seemed to rhyme (or at least he made them rhyme).

We had a quick taxi to the Active runway after pushing back and it was so great to know when we got clearance etc and got some fantastic photos of LAX on the climb out of the airport. It was due to be a fairly short flight (about the same as Brisbane to Sydney) but the service (same as any standard united flight) just didnt seem to happen. I don’t know if they FA’s serving economy were doing something but it was almost up till descent before they started their service (where as first class had been served immediately). What that meant was that we were pretty much thrown our drinks. Now to complicate matters as we were well into Descent by the time I got my drink and the lovely person in front had reclined all the way back, my tray table was not even remotely level, so as soon as i was handed my drink and cup of ice and placed it on the tray table, It went sliding to the floor and before I could grab the ice, it was gone. Thankfully my can of drink (yep the whole can) survived this encounter and I grabbed it before it went flying.

Other than this and the requirement to rush through drinking the can as we were almost practically on finals by the time I got my drink, it was an ok flight. Dual arrivals into SFO however we were spaced due to wake turbulence so no side by side shot 🙁 I was looking forward to that on my first landing into San Fran. Either way we pulled up to the gate about 10 minutes early and I had plenty of time for my connection which was actually going to be at the gate directly next to mine. However I had to go for a nice long long walk to the club after disembarking.

By the time I found the club (i thought the map had said there was one closer to my gate, but there wasn’t) and had a mild panic I had lost my Gold Card I had enough time for a couple of cups of coffee, about 10 minutes of charging my phone up a bit since I wasn’t sure if it was going to last it through on the power it had, then rock back up to the gate a bit early to see if I can get bumped (with a bowl full of trail mix in my hand that is). Unfortunately no bump though… they cleared ALL the standby guests… damn it!

Either way I was still going to get home tonight without a hitch so I grabbed a salad for dinner from the Takeaway outlet of Gordon Biersch (somewhere I had dinner last year when I visited Seattle) and waited for the flight to board (mear moments away).

United Airlines
UA428
San Francisco to Seattle
1939-2136
Airbus A320 (N408UA)
Economy Class – Seat 35F

Boarding: 1908 (Gate 75)
Push Back: 1939
Take Off Roll: 1949 (Runway 1L)
Top of Descent: 2055
Touch Down: 2121 (Runway 34C)
Shut Down: 2128 (Gate N10)

Boarding began, again wade my way through the Gate Lice as some other guy just trys to push his way onboard without even showing a boarding pass and almost got himself arrested by the TSA doing ID checks at the gate. I hopped on board and head to the back and was greeted with silence on channel 9 (after I managed to turn my headphones on properly). By the time we started push back and the Crew were doing their last checks I asked if we were going to get Channel 9 at all today (it is at Pilot Discretion if they turn it on or not) and was promptly told no. I asked if she could ask the Captain and was told “the captain has already made his decision and WONT be turning it on.” The way it was said just shocked me and it felt like this was going to be another flight where the famous United “service” showed its head. But It was ok.

We took off on the same runway that we used last time I was in San Francisco and the take off was quick, powerful and with an abrupt pull out away from the Airport area. Soon enough we were heading north and since I was in an F seat on the right hand side, had a fantastic view of all the mountains the whole flight home.

By the time service reached my row I could see them sporadically dishing out full cans and figured that there is a bit of a trick to it.

1. Sit at the back
2. Order something obscure that not many people are going to drink (in my case Soda Water and
3. Be nice 😀

In the end I got my full can of Club Soda/Selzer Water and a cup of coffee to keep me awake till I could get myself home safely, and the salad was pretty damn tasty with plenty of Lettuce. A beautiful approach into the airport with a wonderful sunset over the mountains including Mt Ranier. The most amazing thing on the approach though was the amount of Fireworks going off. Everywhere you looked there was thousands of them going off constantly. It was a truly amazing site as they were exploding left right and centre and I wondered if it was affecting the flight crew at all in anyway.

We eventually touched down on a direct approach from the South touching down on the Centre runway (my first time from that direction) and a quick taxi later we were at the North Satelite again. Exactly where I had left almost 30 hours ago. This time though, I had a long wait ahead of me while waiting for pretty much the entire aircraft to empty as out as i was in row 35 of 37… crap

By the time i finally got out of the aircraft, and had jumped on the train back to the main terminal, I was expecting to find my bag sitting waiting for me. But United baggage strikes again. WRONG BELT information! It was changed and no one notified… again! At least when I finally got to the right belt my bag was waiting for me. I headed over to the shuttle pick up area and the right shuttle was about to pull out from the stop so I flagged him down and jumped onboard and gave him my ticket so that they could have my truck waiting for me.

5 minutes later I was in my truck and 30 minutes after that I was driving into my parking space after witnessing fireworks explode everywhere all the way home. A Crazy way to finish a truly crazy 2 days!

LAX Spotting Trip

Back in the Air

July 3, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

It has been 2 months since my last flight, I feel wierd this year having not yet flown since I got here, but today ends that drought. Off for a quick trip to Los Angeles thanks to a public holiday tomorrow for 4th july.

Flying down this afternoon (finishing work a little early) and heading down with United. So I am flying down with them to keep my Star Gold status alive (gotta credit at least once a year) and that should keep me going for a bit. This whole trip is a kind of mileage/mattress run almost, with some plane spotting thrown in for some fun.

I will put up a full trip report sometime over the weekend so that you can see all the exploits however I am sure the photos will be a while from the spotting as they will go to the end of the queue, after all of the other ones I have to touch up.

Plenty of good stuff to see/do today before I go, but stay tuned to the twitter feed 2moro, lots of #avgeek posts.

Trip Report: Bolting North

June 15, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

Introduction:

I had been having a bit of a rough time in life and had decided it was time for a getaway, flights were pretty expensive at the last minute to anywhere really and I wanted to try and get some stays for the Club Carlson promos done and out of the way. So I was hunting down a Park Inn and found either a few options in Texas (but flights were a no go) however there was one in Vancvouer! Awesome. I could get the stay done, visit some friends and it would be a quick trip. Originally had planned on driving till I found some stuff on Bolt Bus.

Bolt Bus is like the Low Cost Carrier of Greyhound (if that was possible). In reality they are more like an express service. They had only just opened up services in the Pacific North West. Fares were cheap! I also managed to get a great deal on a 2nd night at an amazing hotel (but I shall leave that to later). Plans were set but no bookings were made. Weather did not look good, so the plan was to hold of as long as possible. This would be a very spur of the moment trip, definitely not me.

Thursday morning, weather improved, it was looking passable. I pulled the trigger and booked it all. I was set to head north!

Friday 8th June 2012

Finished work on a high note thanks to figuring out a very complicated itinerary and getting something to fare so I was extremely happy. I just missed the bus to Downtown as I needed to make my way down to the King Street Station area. So after waiting around and still unable to find any information on any lockers at King Street Station (there aren’t) , I caught the next 550 to Downtown. Damn was it a long long journey. Almost an hour! Wasn’t able to read, as I only had the Spinner suitcase it rolled around way to much on the bus and had to spend the whole time holding onto it on a very packed bus going stop start for almost an hour.. not a good way to have your mood go from good to frustrated.

Frustration got a little bit worse when I finally got to King Street Station as there was not a single sign for Bolt Bus anywhere! It was still about an hour till the bus so I figured I could get some dinner at Uwajimaya (conviently opposite the station) and pick up some supplies for the journey. After checking out the shops for a little bit and picking up some weird Green Tea Cookies (that were yummy by the way) and some water I managed to grab some dinner and after rushing to finish it before what I thought would be the time I would need to be there for the bus.

I rocked up back to the street around 730 for an 8pm bus figuring I needed to be there. WRONG!!! Bus was no where in sight, no one was in sight at all. There was literally nothing to even tell me if I was in the right spot. As time went by more and more confused travelers stumbled around all asking the same thing “Is this the stop for bolt bus?”. This is obviously not a good sign for Bolt Bus at this stage. Even a sign would have been a good thing.

Eventually about 7:55pm the Bus rolled up after a fight almost broke out at the dodgy looking pub across the street. Damn the driver for taking away our focus on the entertainment. Almost the entire bus emptied off and a large crowd was gathering around the bus by now. From here the driver went through his speel. Boarding by Groups on your boarding pass. Make sure you have your passport out and open and feel free to sit wherever you want.

Thankfully I was in the A Group even booking the day before so that was a good thing if you ask me. Maybe the closer you book you get a better boarding group? Who knows. But I dropped my suitcase underneath, lugged the camera bag up into the bus and took the customs form off the driver.

Onboard the bus it looked good. Bolt Bus has only been around a few weeks in the PNW so the bus is obviously still pretty fresh. Leather seats, power points at each row, plenty of leg room and free wifi onboard. Definitely a good thing if you ask me. All it really needed was a Tray table for laptops and it would have been perfect.

Wifi was active straight away, powered up and logged in, I didn’t even realize we were on the way. We probably pulled out about 5 minutes late. To be honest this was great. I had the time to settle down and get through all the emails and stuff I had put off for 2 days and catch up on life a bit. By the time we reached the border I had seen a beautiful sunset, enjoyed finishing off some snacks and then had also spent the time chatting with friends as well. At the border your informed the Wifi probably wont work after that point, so good to get any stuff you want done before the border (or after it on the Southbound).
We arrived the border at around 10:05pm really about 5 mins behind schedule so can not complain. I believe Bolt Bus allow approximately 30 minutes for the crossing but I have heard stories of buses taking over an hour. But this was good. We were running on time really and the border crossing was a non issue. A number of questions grilled by Canadian Immigration (same as last time but not as bad) and I was greeted in for the weekend with a stamp.. yay!

Back on the bus and on the road around 10:35pm so only 30 mins! Awesome! Book out, last few messages out before the Wifi dies and as we power north to Vancouver I chill out. Next thing I know after tuning out we are in Vancouver, rolling into Pacific Central Station at 1135. That is definitely good news, only 5 mins behind schedule the entire way!

Jumped in a taxi at the Station and I was at my hotel just minutes later. I had booked Friday night at the Park Inn & Suites Vancouver mainly to get their promotion stay where I can get about 44,000 free points with a 1 night stay. Would I stay here normally, nah I would stick more downtown. But I was not worried all that much. The rate was fairly good, I would get a room upgrade thanks to now being Carlson Clubgold thanks to a status match and I wasn’t going to spend all that much time at the hotel.

Check In was a bit slow with lots of paperwork required (more than usual) but eventually I was handed a “Letter” and directed up to my room on the top floor. I had been upgraded “according to the registration sheet” to a King Vancouver Vista room (possibly a business class room not sure) but either way the room was good. Didn’t see much that night as I was in bed, 10-15 minutes later.

Saturday 9th June

Woke up and the weather looked good, the view was amazing, just stunning, so decided to go for a run along the Seawall. After some quick directions down the Seawall and stuffing up my run tracking (yep im that retarded) I had a good run along the waterfront along False Creek. Felt good! After a slow morning of finding out the blog was offline, reading my email updates and general goofing around. I headed off to get some currency exchanged and then the first hit for the weekend of Tim Hortons… Conviently across the street!

After grabbing some breakfast and chilling out for a little while catching up on life, it was time to hit the road and get out to the airport to meet my friend. Leighton was kind enough again to take me spotting for the day and I was looking forward to a relaxed day without much else to do. I packed up all my bags and strolled on down to the Broadway Skytrain station. This station is on the Canada line which runs directly to the airport so I didn’t have to spend the time playing change trains to get out there while toting a suitcase.

Why dragging my suitcase? Well I had managed to score a room at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport for an insanely cheap deal. VERY VERY cheap rate. $69CAD for the room. For an amazing hotel, at the airport itself, I couldn’t believe it!

So I jumped on the train and 20 minutes or so later I was jumping off at the airport and strolling my way over to the Fairmont. The one thing I love about the Fairmont at the airport is that it looks super modern just like the rest of the airport but there are certain little things that keep it in line with that Chateau styling of the Fairmont brand. You actually enter the airport itself and then head to a level above the check in facilities to the reception of the hotel.

Being 11ish in the morning I did not expect to get access to a room, the plan was to drop bags and head straight off spotting. But the hotel had a room ready for me so I headed on up. There was a few issues with Wifi reception so the room I was originally in, was swapped for another room but the hotel was more than gracious. In fact their service was fantastic!! I could not fault this hotel, large spacious rooms, lovely luxurious beds, big bathroom, the only downside was a lack of power outlets (a common theme). Big picture windows overlooking the US Flight ramp (in the 2nd room) and I was in heaven! But no time to waste!

Spent the afternoon chatting, spotting, taking photos, eating, drinking (had lunch at the Beaver Bar which was fantastic as always). I enjoyed the day so much I lost track of time as by the time I got back to the hotel it was almost 5pm! There was a lovely little gift waiting for me in my room and the choc coated strawberries were delicious! I could get used to this. With more time spent taking photos from the room, I eventually headed downtown for dinner after not being able to make up my mind what I wanted.

The night was a bit mixed, with my usual self getting in the way. Managed to get lost, not look into things better and after not being able to make up my mind had part of my dinner at one place and finished it off super super late back at the Fairmont after a stop at the Whole Foods on Broadway… not my finest moments!

Sunday 10th June 2012

The morning was spent with a gym session where I could have been on the internet on the exercise bike (it didn’t work though which is probably a good thing), cleaning up the absolute destruction I caused last night in the room and just generally relaxing while taking more photos. I had been woken up by an offending Dash 8 spooling up to full power right outside my window. I guess sound proofing just cant block a full power turbo prop. Either way I didn’t mind. After a stroll through the airport to Tim Hortons down at the Domestic Terminal, with a good view of the runway and the taxi ways I enjoyed more time catching up on life with photos and some Tim Hortons.

Made sure I was back in the room for the Asian arrivals of JAL, China Eastern and the Air Canada from Tokyo and the Air Berlin flight from Dusseldorf. With the active runway for the Heavies right next to my room, it was a good way to finish off my stay at the Fairmont as I would eventually have to leave ?

Made my way back to the Skytrain (I had pre bought my ticket at the 7-11 after yesterdays costly mistake) and headed into the city. I made my way over to Pacific Central Station to drop my bags in a locker then reversed my journey back to downtown to spend some time doing a bit of shopping. I figured that if I could find a jacket the last time I was in Vancouver for cheap when I was desperate, it may work a 2nd time.

It did. I did a fair amount of exploring, hitting up wherever I could find (even heading back over to West Broadway.. thank you to the North Face Shop on West Broadway for their tip) but I am now the proud owner of a lovely warm North Face jacket, one that will keep me warm and dry during the Seattle weather!

After some shopping and wandering and aimless nothingness I hit up Japadog for a Kurubota hot dog Japanese styles (YUMMMM) and then slowly headed back to Pacific Central station to get my bag and wait for the bus. At least this time there is 1 sign in evidence at the Bus station but since Vancouver is the terminus you aren’t going to miss the bright red buses.

Again boarding was done via 3 groups (A, B & C) but the drive had everyone line up so there was some order to everything. This was a bit out of place compared to Seattle but maybe this is how its meant to be done. Either way I was in the A Group with 2 other people. There was a very very small group this time, maybe 12 or 15 max. So we boarded and were gone right on time. The road out was quick and there was not much traffic on the road so we made really good time to the US Border. What was even more impressive was the quickness of the processing. No hassles only a few questions this time (compared to entering in LAX) but to be honest it was a quick stop and we were on the road before we were even meant to be arriving at the border. This meant 2 more hours south and we would be in Seattle early!!

The wifi signal kicked in about 2 minutes after the border, so this is good timing as that’s how long it took me to get everything sorted! With Wifi up and running and my phone back out of Canada roaming o it felt good to be back in touch with life!

We flew down the Interstate as there was very very very little traffic and it was as though the day was just for us. The sun was out, I had wifi, and as we approached Seattle a magnificent view of Mt Ranier (which I couldn’t get a good shot of).

To be honest this was a great way to end the trip. We got in 30 minutes early (how often can you say that on a flight) and within 10 minutes or so I was getting picked up and ferried back to the apartment after promising a box of Tim Hortons donuts to someone. Easy as pie!

Conclusion

Absolutely loved the weekend. Some definite highlights and one or two low lights but that’s the way it always goes. The weekend was definitely successful in what I had intended on it doing. Getting me reinvigorated with life. It was great to spend Saturday with a mate and get to catch up on life and have a good afternoon where you can switch off and not worry about a thing.

Bolt Bus was definitely a fantastic thing and I will definitely use them again. It is silly to drive to either Portland or Vancouver with tickets so cheap, seriously cheap!! They are bargain fares but your not getting bargain service out of it. My only suggestion to them is some form of sign at the Seattle stop so people don’t mill around so much.

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport… well what can I say. I am in love with this hotel. Amazing people, amazing service and to top it all off… the location and the views. Found out this morning that I could of borrowed a BMW bike which would have been cool and next time I stay there I most definitely will take advantage of that and go for a ride somewhere. The hotels views were just stunning in my opinion and the airport has a lot to offer (the food there isn’t all that expensive in the main terminal either! So you don’t really need to head into the city for a decent feed).

Plans are afoot for another trip north, but for now I am ready to hit the streets for more adventure in life!

Vancouver Weekend

A New Journey Always begins with just one step

May 2, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

Well today is the big day. I write this to you whilst sitting in the lounge at Brisbane Airport (Ahh the benefits of being an airline elite flyer) contemplating what I am doing, if it’s the right decision, is it the smartest thing?

I guess I can look back two and a half years ago. Back to a decision I made, not of the same magnitude but one that would in the end change my life for the better. This crazy decision back then to commit myself to such a huge task does give me a bit of hindsight.

I know i have the resolve to do just about anything. Someone said to me yesterday, that I have proven I have the resolve to achieve things I set out to. Thing is, I just have to stop doubting myself. I need to look at this move not as a leap of faith but more of a first step in a new journey, a new challenge to sink my teeth into.

I guess for now I can reflect on the last few days. The fun times, those last few happy moments like a final coffee with friends, a run through the streets around my neighbourhood or a final meal with the family. I am pretty sure I have said it before, but it is the little moments that make this all special. Life is an ever changing thing and these little moments just make it all the more special.

As I sit here in the lounge getting one last vegemite hit, I try not to think about all the things I will miss. If I sat here and listed them I’d probably make myself feel worse, so with that I leave you all. I will catch you on the flip side!

Current Location: Air New Zealand Koru Club, Brisbane International Airport

The “Pilgramige”

April 26, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

Well today is Anzac Day and for me that is a big day. My family (on my mum’s side) has quite a history from World War 2. My Grandfather had 3 brothers. All 4 of them fought in the war, 3 of them in the very same unit. All 4 of them came home, unharmed & Alive. But that is a story of its own really. But this history means that each year I make the journey down to Sydney. To visit the family, to spend the day with the rest of the “Stewarts” and to pay my respects to those of the 2/2nd who should never be forgotten.

But this is always a bit of fun as well, because I get to get dressed up. Dressed up in my suit, looking good, looking respectful. Dressed up, wearing my Grandfathers Medals (well the miniatures anyway because the real ones are going into Storage for safe keeping) I do something that the RSL wishes we did not. I march in the Anzac Day Parade in Sydney. Yes, thats right. I’m the naughty person who marches in memory of someone who has past. I don’t care what the RSL thinks, I would rather ensure that the 2/2nd is never forgotten and that the memories of those who fought for us are remembered.

This year it would probably be my last trip for a while (might be lucky to find an Anzac Day memorial in Seattle somewhere) but it was a great trip. I flew down yesterday after work with Qantas. An easy flight, albeit delayed, the usual Qantas Experience, a feed, some news and the drop down screens on their 737s. I ended up staying at the Hilton and even though I didnt get to the hotel till almost 10pm, it was worth that little bit extra. I ended up in a room on the 43rd floor, with a view of Town Hall all the way below. But best of all, being upgraded to an Executive Room, hello free Breakfast!

After getting only 3 or 4 hours sleep, getting up for the Dawn Service and freezing my butt off (I think i can suck it up considering what others have sacrificed in this life) at 430am, I decided a run would warm me up. So I ended up running around the Circular Quay area, watching as the Sun rose behind the Opera House and started to light up the harbour and the Bridge, looking at it thinking, wow.. wont see this for a little while. This little memory adds to others from this trip. Seeing family at Lunch, marching up through George Street again and seeing Dick Smith returned to his usual spot and then flying home, to watch the sun set as I landed for one last time into Brisbane this year.

All these tiny little moments make you look back and want to respect the little things in life, those little moments when you look at it and think, That is worth fighting for, it’s worth the sacrifice. So to the Stewart Brothers and all the others who made the sacrifice so that I can write this blog today..

Lest We Forget

Anzac Day 2012

#Avgeek Trip Report – Conclusion

April 12, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

Introduction
Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne
Park Hyatt Melbourne & Melbourne to Canberra
Canberra to Melbourne to Brisbane
Conclusion

What a trip. What can I say. It has been months since I have had time to get some solid spotting in, let alone travel so this trip just made it all worth while.

A few things I do want to close out with and will cover it bit by bit. Some impressions and stuff.

Spotting:

In Sydney there aren’t many guides on where to go etc with half decent maps So below I have put up a quick grab of the 2 areas I went to. If your wanting to get to Shep’s Mound without a car you can do this by using the long term parking shuttle and walking but a car gives you flexibility if the weather goes to crap. Spotting on the Observation Deck is at its best in the afternoon with arrivals into 16L & 16R. The mound is best for the same in the mornings and ok for 34L arrivals, you would only get taxi shots for 34R. Morning is best for the heavies and late afternoon with domestic at all times really.

Park Hyatt Melbourne:

Probably my new favourite hotel in Melbourne. But a little out of my usual price range unless good industry rates are on offer. Definitely not as central as some of the other hotels in the same category (Sofitel, Westin, Intercontinental, Crown) but definitely a great location. It feels quieter up where it is, set back away from the hustle yet close enough it doesn’t worry. 2 minutes walk and your at Parliament train station on Spring St. Fantastic facilities (love the gym) and a Lounge with staff who were fantastic (my friend thought I was a regular as they were greeting me like I was there all the time but they were just that friendly.

Rental Car/Car Service:

Although the rental service at Sydney was a tad unorganised and badly sign posted at both terminals, I can’t fault Avis for the fantastic car they gave me and the one day rental was a good price. The car service with Royale was good and worth the lack of hassle in Melbourne for the late arrivals. But wouldn’t use it for daytime flights as Skybus runs more frequently and I don’t mind the time it takes during the day.

Virgin Australia:

Well what can I say. Great flights and service this time around on the Business sections. They have improved so much that I can’t see why people keep complaining. The crew is still a big factor but now that I know more info about what to expect I am happy. Yes the site needs some work to cover this but that’s out of the day to day stuffs control. The hard product is great, and the soft product has definitely improved in the 2 months since my last runs.

I am now Gold till September 2013 so that will make my life in the US so much easier. Delta lounge access here I come.

It wasn’t a cheap 2 day trip that’s for sure, but do I regret it no way in hell! I loved every minute and I am glad I did it, leaving the Japan trip for next time.

#Avgeek Trip Report – Canberra to Melbourne to Brisbane

April 12, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

Introduction
Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne
Park Hyatt Melbourne & Melbourne to Canberra
Canberra to Melbourne to Brisbane
Conclusion

After a good catch up with friends and visiting Australia’s largest Big W right next to a Costco (sadly closed), I was dropped back at the terminal to head through security and make my way to the lounge. As I was heading to the lounge I managed to walk past the entire New Zealand Warriors football team. What is it with football teams this weekend! With about half an hour to boarding I grabbed a little bit of a light snack/late lunch of some minestrone soup and some salad (in hindsight looking back I could of avoided this) in the lounge before settling in.

I liked the Canberra lounge, it was not overly big (but for the size of the airport it wasn’t to bad, and I loved the fact it had unparrelled views. When they refurb this into the new lounge look, Canberra would be my pick over Melbourne I think. But time will tell how this will change with the Terminal renovations, if the lounge will remain in the same place or not (will know in 12 months I guess).

I again chilled out for the little while, and once again when the plane landed I gathered my things and headed to the gate area. The gate area was a Tad over capacity as It seemed this night flight was going to be full. I had to wait about 5 or 6 minutes before boarding was eventually started (and seeing a total male crew come off the inbound flight, a very rare site these days).

Virgin Australia
DJ278
Canberra to Melbourne
1700-1810
Boeing 737-800 (VH-VUM)
Business Class – Seat 1A

Boarding: 1640 (Gate 8)
Push Back: 1658
Take Off Roll: 1707 (Runway 35)
Top of Descent: 1735
Touch Down: 1758 (Runway 27)
Shut Down: 1807 (Gate 7)

Boarding was called and I wanted to be first out onto the ramp to grab a photo and ensure I could spend as much time in Business as I can to get my moneys worth. After not getting yelled at for the photo (but a dirty look from a Virgin staff member way out of voice distance) I walked up the steps into the Aircraft and was greeted by the gorgeous all female crew. Little did I know, this was about to begin one of my best ever flight experiences with Virgin.

I was pointed in the direction of my seat, got my stuff together and decided to settle in. The CSM Savannah greeted me and welcomed me onboard and let me know that she would be looking after me this evening and let me know that I was the only person in Business class today and that if I wanted to sit in another seat feel free to take whichever one I wanted and offered me a Pre Departure Beverage. I just asked for a water (as usual) and she tried to get me to take one of the signature mocktails but I declined and was happy with water which she suggested some sparkling water. This was a good sign. The water was promptly delivered with a beeming smile and some easter eggs as a little welcome onboard.

Savannah offered me a newspaper, anything really as she doted on me while the rest of the crew boarded and then she let it slip that she would be looking after me all the way to Brisbane, as my continuing flight was also on this same aircraft and with the same crew (first time that’s happened). This was a bit of a shock and then Savannah also let slip, I was the only person in Business again on the next sector as well. 3/3 flights in Virgin Domestic business with the whole J cabin to myself. O yes!

As we pushed back on time, I was offered another drink by Savannah as “theres plenty of time for another one” and as we slowly got ready to taxi and taxied out to the active, my glass was cleared mere moments before we started our take off roll. We were airborne and quickly getting set up for climb out as we had to make a big long loop to the East to head south back to Melbourne.

As the crew were free from their seats, Savannah was back to offer me the afternoon snack service which I had a feeling was going to be the “infamous” cheese plate. Which it was, but to be honest, I think is quite enough for a quick flight like this one of like 40 minutes air time. I wouldn’t want this served on a several hour flight but for this short hop with a few more glasses of sparkling water (although Savannah looked disappointed I declined any wine to go with my cheese) it was definitely more than enough. I slowly enjoyed my cheese plate and the lovely decadant brownie that came with it.

We came into Melbourne with the most magnificent sunset started to light up the area. Savannah and her crew were always around offering me anything, making sure I was ok and with some change in my pocket and a quick visit to the lounge planned to see my friend again before she went off shift, I hatched a plan.

When we docked in Melbourne I said a quick “see you in half an hour” to Savannah and the other ladies and made my way quickly up to the lounge. I tried to see my friend but she had gone off shift, I grabbed some nuts (o glorious nut mix I must find out where they get it from) and got my Seat allocation changed from 2F to 1F just so I didn’t feel bad about having 2F allocated since I had determined to try out that seat originally and feeling bad for leaving the seat unused on the manifest).

On the way back to the gate, I picked up some chocolates for Savannah as a little gift to say thank you for being so fantastic so far and I mean she was doing everything she could. As I made it back to the gate, a scrum from a Chinese Tour group was starting and they didn’t even have time to call boarding before they had started to push their way on, so I just jumped into the Priority Queue and was let onboard once they got through some of the pushy group.

Virgin Australia
DJ351
Melbourne to Brisbane
1900-2110
Boeing 737-800 (VH-VUM)
Business Class – Seat 1F

Boarding: 1830 (Gate 7)
Push Back: 1855
Take Off Roll: 1905 (Runway 35)
Top of Descent: 2032
Touch Down: 2055 (Runway 01)
Shut Down: 2100 (Gate 48)

I stepped back onboard with a “Welcome back… again Mr Muir” and this time I hopped into my new seat to which Savannah told me I could sit wherever I wanted and she would be with me shortly (once she had done some paperwork it seemed). I was given a bit of pre flight entertainment as one of the guests from the group then realised they had lost a bag in the terminal and wanted to get off which they had already been scanned onto the flight obviously could not be deboarded so as one of the crew went up into the terminal to search for the bag, Savannah was desperately trying to help out greeting the other passengers, her paperwork, look after me and also calm down the guest with the missing bag who could not speak any English (and manage to do all this with a never ending smile).

Once it had calmed down a little bit I was offered another drink, suggested perhaps a soft drink this time and accepted a pepsi max and settled in with the ongoing enterainment of the bag drama. Once all was quiet I hopped up and presented Savannah with her gift and wished her a happy easter and this caused an even bigger smile as I had happened to get her favourite chocolate…. Score one for me! She was shocked and her service went into over drive and to be honest, I didn’t do it for this, I did it because of how great they were and it is easter after all, don’t we all deserve some chocolate?

We pushed back and then as we were heading out after the safety briefing, a digiplayer was dropped off at my seat (no galaxy tabs on this flight) and then Savannah rather than taking my dinner order, had an offer for me. “Are you hungry this evening?” Expecting bad news after this thinking to myself dear god no meals have been loaded. “They ended up fully catering us this evening so did you want to try all of the options? You don’t have to eat it all but you can sample them if you wish. We have a Chick Pea curry with Cous Cous and Shepheards pie” I thought to myself, what the hell, I am writing a trip report for this.. so why not!

As we taxied off I was blissfully enjoying myself, not really paying any attention at all. As we climbed out and the post take off speeches were made the usual thank you to all business class guests was given, to which I smirked and giggled at since it was only me and being in line of site of the crew, Savannah almost broke out laughing herself. We headed up to be released from Seat Belts, and the tray of glory was placed in front of me. So much food, thankfully a 2 hour flight to get it all done!

I got the digiplayer going, selected a movie and settled in to enjoy a movie, some dinner and the company of some lovely cabin crew as they did everything to make sure I was comfortable. How can you not love flights like this? Dinner went down a treat, the cous cous while a touch bland on its own went really well with the Chick Pea & Pumpkin Curry however the Shepheards Pie was a touch to salty for my liking. Salad was good and the bread roll, fluffy and warm.

I did enquire if there was any of the Ice Cream Sandwhiches onboard and disappointment again as they had been onboard the previous 2 nights, but nothing this evening. After a few pepsi maxes and more movie, relaxing fully reclined I was needing a pick me up and declining a refil of pepsi which magically appeared, I asked for a cup of coffee in a little while.

Just after that I was thinking to myself, I could go one of those lovely cookies from up the back. As my coffee was delivered I was going to ask for one. What I did not expect was Savannah already standing there with one when she delivered my coffee, and a block of Toblerone. It was as though she could read my mind. I accepted the cookie with glee and declined the chocolate to which I was told to take it anyway, you may want it later on tonight.

I settled in with my coffee and more of the movie as we cruised north towards home, enjoying the light show out the window as a storm was lighting up the sky orange off in the distance. We started descent into Brisbane and I was totally unaware of this and was shocked as I was having such a good time and enjoying what had been one of the best experiences I’ve had to virgin to date. The crew were amazing, the food good, the flight just flew by. I didn’t want to get off.

A farewell to the crew thanking them for making this the best flight I have had in the last 12 months with Virgin and an even bigger thank you for making one of my last domestic flights in a while so amazing I was off into the terminal, determined to send Virgin some feedback about the crew (I had gotten Savannah to write me down all their names earlier) and contemplating the quick journey home as the airport was deserted. My bag was making its 2nd lap around the carosel by the time I arrived and in true Brisbane fashion, it may have come out in the first group but it was upside down… as usual!

I was in my car less than 10 minutes after landing and home within half an hour. A fantastic weekend had come to an end!

#Avgeek Trip Report – Park Hyatt Melbourne & Melbourne to Canberra

April 12, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

Introduction
Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne
Park Hyatt Melbourne & Melbourne to Canberra
Canberra to Melbourne to Brisbane
Conclusion

After arriving at the Park Hyatt o so comfortably in the S class, I did not want to get out, but sadly, the driver was already at the boot getting out my bag and the Porters were already opening the door before I had even thought about moving.

I was greated and offered to take my bag, however as I did not want to let the camera bag out of my site, I let them just take the suitcase and I kept the camera bag with me (although it felt like it was going to break me in half by this stage). I was escorted through to the check in, where I was greeted and checked in. I was informed of the lovely Diamond amenities and told that I had used “points” to upgrade to a Park Suite and I had been upgraded further from this to a Terrace Suite. I was asked if i had stayed at the hotel previously (I had not) and was then explained the facilities, services of the hotel etc, before being pointed in the direction of the Cathedral wing.

I made my way up to the room and damn… colour me impressed! I will let the pictures do the talking but for what little time I was spending in Melbourne, It was just not fair!! I mean seriously this room was awesome! Even a nespresso Machine, I was in heaven. I had a quick explore before hitting the sack.

Sunday 08th April 2012

Woke up a bit earlier than I thought I would as my body just did not want to let me rest, and I headed down to the Park Health Club & Spa (their Gym area) for a morning work out. The gym was modern and pretty damn good actually. Heaps of cardio and free weights, all modern machines with full cable tv set up in most of the cardio machines (albeit with crap reception on the treadmills). A Decent looking pool (although closed at that hour of the day). Couldn’t ask for more.

After the work out and a few coffees fresh from the machine, I met up with a friend next door at St Patricks Cathedral for morning mass before we returned to the hotel to indulge in the breakfast in the Park Club (lounge) up on the 19th floor. There was 3 of us and fully expecting to have to pay for the 3rd person, they mustn’t of worried as when we arrived the lounge was pretty empty (but almost full by the time we left). Although breakfast was continental in the lounge, they do offer A La Carte options at additional expense but the range on offer was by far exceeding my expectations and the fruit was just divine (best strawberries i’ve had in a while). All that was lacking was some chocolate options and being easter.. a tiny bit flawed imo.

After a good healthy breakfast, a number of coffees and some good conversation. It was time to venture out of the hotel. I checked out and bid farewell to my friends, declined the offer of Transport to the airport and decided to walk to Bourke Street to get a tram. After a 5 minute stroll through the Paris end of town, past lots of tourists and families out on this Easter Sunday. Soon enough I was onboard a tram and making my way to Southern Cross station where luckily a Skybus was about to pull out of the station to the airport within a few moments and i made it onboard just in time without a seat though =(.

At the airport effortlessly I was checked in within moments and relaxing in the lounge within 5 minutes of the bus pulling in. That is the one thing I do love about the lounge in Melbourne, there is no need to go through security prior to getting to the lounge so you don’t need to worry. Unfortunately my friend was not yet working today (she would start later on) so I headed up to my favourite area of the Melbourne lounge and one of the super comfy red seats was free. I settled in, camera in hand with a view of the active runway, drink and book out, chilling and relaxing. Is there a better way to spend a sunday?

After a catch up in the lounge with my friend, some more spotting, the inbound aircraft landed and pulled up to the gate so figured it was time to head towards the outer pier and through security. On the way stopping to get a couple of photos of XFB and other aircraft sitting around. Expecting a bit of a queue at security, there wasnt one so I was through within moments and sat down at the gate, just relaxing and waiting for the flight to be called. I was excited to be flying an Embraer with Virgin for the first time.

Virgin Australia
DJ271
Melbourne to Canberra
1330-1435
Embraer E190 (VH-ZPL)
Economy Class – Seat 3A

Boarding: 1310 (Gate 13)
Push Back: 1329
Take Off Roll: 1336 (Runway 34)
Top of Descent: 1400
Touch Down: 1421 (Runway 35)
Shut Down: 1425 (Gate 5)

Boarding was called and I was first through the doors and headed for the aircraft. Although my usual seat was awaiting me (3A) since the Embraers are not yet refurbished I wasn’t sure what to expect. A Few observations onboard these Embraers though. The legroom is ample, windows are nice and high (pretty much what everyone will already know) but what got me was the windows are offset so you kind of have a bit of a wall where there should be a window right next to you. This was not preffered and in the end distracted me more than anything.

We pushed back early after a quick load and I did have a seat mate on this fairly full flight up to Canberra, we were told it would be a quick trip but would be a long taxi as we had to taxi out to the end of the active which wasnt exactly right next to our gates. O well you win some you lose some. We lept into the air in the style that Embraers have and shortly the seat belt sign was off and the service commenced. What I didn’t realise was that Melbourne to Canberra is also Captial Connect service, designed to compete with Qantas and they offer the free snack like they do out of Sydney. Not all that hungry after breakfast and expecting some food on the next few flights (and some snacking in the lounge of course) I declined the food but accepted my usual coffee and water as I started into a new book.

The flight was great, no hassles and as they started to collect the trash up, we started our descent into Canberra, down through the cloud layer as we came into the surrounding farm lands of Canberra we had a straight in approach from the South and came in with a very distant view of Civic and Black Mountain Tower way off into the distance. We landed with one of the most impressive touch downs I have had with Virgin (it was as though he barely touched at all) and we taxied back to the terminal. Pulled into an Airbridge (which is always a good thing at Canberra with so much renovations underway) and was off into the Terminal to collect my bag and catch up with my friends (after first checking back for my next two flights).

#Avgeek Trip Report – Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne

April 12, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

Introduction
Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne
Park Hyatt Melbourne & Melbourne to Canberra
Canberra to Melbourne to Brisbane
Conclusion

Saturday 07th April 2012

O dark 30… the time that I hate so much, but today since I was on an extremely early flight, no work out no nothing, Just up, shower and out the door (not even a coffee!). Made it out of the house and to the airport easily, very little traffic and within 15 minutes of leaving, the car was parked in the Parklong (seriously dumb name) facility at the airport thanks to their offer of a $40 full weekend and then it was time to wander my way through the car park and to the terminal.

Check in was a breeze and literally 20 minutes after leaving home, I was through security (dodged explosives, o yeah!) and up to the lounge where breakfast and coffee awaited me. I was expecting no barista at 5am in the morning, I was wrong! The barista was on staff so it was a quick breakfast of cereal, fruit and coffee and getting all my stuff together for the flight. The lounge was quiet but since I didn’t have all that much time, I wasn’t planning on getting to relaxed. About 5 minutes before the flight was due to board, I strolled my way down to the gate.

Virgin Australia
DJ908
Brisbane to Sydney
0600-0735
Boeing 737-800 (VH-VUZ)
Economy Class – Seat 3A

Boarding: 0545 (Gate 39)
Push Back: 0600
Take Off Roll: 0607 (Runway 19)
Top of Descent: 0646
Touch Down: 0727 (Runway 34L)
Shut Down: 0731 (Gate 31)

Boarding was promptly called and there was a number of small children pre boarded. But thankfully they all headed way down the back of the plane. I settled into my usual seat and got myself nicely relaxed and just tuned out really. It was way to early to be doing to much, I just wanted to sleep really but I knew that once I got to Sydney, it wasn’t going to happen. By the time the doors closed we pushed back dead on time, I looked around and had the entire row to myself. Not only did I have the “Gold Shadow” (blocked next seat) but also had the whole row, both sides of the Aisle! w00t!

We taxiied quickly to Runway 19 and took off with the rising sun shining in my window. I got stuck into my book as once we climbed above the solid cloud deck further south, there was nothing to see out the window. Service was the usual (especially for me) coffee & water and with more pages of the book smashed through as we cruised south. These are the flights I like, effortless and quiet. Flying over easter looked to be a smart decision.

As we started descent we were warned that it could be a while in descent as Sydney was playing silly buggers with ATC diversions. It was true, we took our time doing our descent very very slowly. We came in very high over the harbour so I knew something was up as we popped out of the cloud deck pretty much already over the city but way to high for a normal descent into 16, and we weren’t heading out into the ocean over the Eastern Suburbs for a 34R. Very confusing! Turns out we had been diverted way way way south (after overflying the airport) and were heading for 34L.

As we came into finals for 34L I was checking what was on the ground and saw a number of good sites. United in Star Alliance Livery, JAL in Oneworld Livery lots of other goodies just waiting to be photographed. I knew I had to be quick, because JAL was due to depart about 8am so wouldn’t have much time to get the car and get moving. As we deplaned I headed straight to baggage and my bag was 3rd out and then it was off to get my car. I had booked a car with Avis through work and had hoped I would get something nice and pretty for the day but to be honest, I didn’t care.

There was a line at the Avis counter unfortunately and it seems they didn’t even have a car ready for me 🙁 When I was offered a Minivan (eww no to big) I declined, was then offered a full on Pajero and not wanting to drive that either I declined. He told me would be 3 or 4 minutes till they could get me a car. I was ok with that. 10 minutes later, still no car, the guy gave up and just gave me someone elses car. Why he didn’t do this in the first place I don’t know.

Threw all my stuff into the car and headed off over to Sheps Mound for my morning of plane spotting. I did manage to get the JAL Oneworld along with so much other stuff. The day just flew by, so rather than describe what will be boring to some, I will just show you a selection of photos 😀 (the full album can be found here )

Virgin Australia 737-800 & Qantaslink Breast Cancer Livery Dash 8 Q400

United Star Alliance 747-400

United Airlines 747-400

JAL Oneworld 777-200ER

After spending most of the day taking photos in various locations and catching up with an old friend for lunch. I headed back over to the Domestic Terminal and checked in. Light was dropping quickly so I just found a nice quiet spot in the lounge to check my emails, charge my phone and tune out really. After my phone was charged (bout 30 minutes or so) I headed out of my hiding corner and saw that the Gold Coast Suns were in the lounge. Crazy! Then after they left, the Brisbane Lions rolled in (pretty sure it was the young lions) and then after they left, In came the Freemantle Dockers!

Seriously how many football teams are flying through Sydney tonight! I tried to stay out of their way and just get myself some dinner (after a few bowls of the awesome nut mix Virgin uses). I was happy and relaxed, a tad sunburnt and tired all at the same time. I headed out of the lounge a little early to stroll around and wake myself up a little before trekking all the way out to the very end of the Virgin pier to where my next flight awaited. What I noticed as I had timed the walk pretty well for boarding to have started around about the time I got there. It hadn’t. Great a delay! The crew were just boarding as I got there. I looked out the window and tonights flight was operated by none other than XF “Broken.” No wonder there was a delay! I contemplated heading back to the lounge but could not be bothered really so found an empty seat and just kept reading till boarding was called.

Virgin Australia
DJ888
Sydney to Melbourne
2000-2130
Airbus A330-200 (VH-XFB)
Economy Class – Seat 7K

Boarding: 1950 (Gate 40)
Push Back: 2015
Take Off Roll: 2025 (Runway 16R)
Top of Descent: 2105
Touch Down: 2136 (Runway 16)
Shut Down: 2140 (Gate 12)

Boarding was only called a little bit late, and I was in the first group onboard which was great, so I could get plenty of photos. Unfortunately what I didn’t realise was the seats onboard the Ex Emirates A330’s had not really been refurbished. These seats were horrible. Sure they looked pretty but god damn they felt totally crap. Worse than hell! But I sucked it up. As everyone slowly boarded and the crew were doing their checks the gentlemen in the row behind me was asked to move his carry on up into the overhead locker but then he was told that soon he would have a lot more space as they were going to upgrade him. Damn I was hoping for a Battlefield upgrade today, no luck!

A quick taxi to 16R and we were airborne heading for Melbourne. I tuned out really quickly on this flight, a coffee to keep me awake enough till I get to the hotel and the book to distract me enough. I was out of it really. Not much more to say other than up, down and a short cruise in between. I can see why people hate flying this route over and over again each week. I would be so bored some days! We descended into Melbourne and touched down with not to big of a bump and as we taxiied towards the terminal, I was looking forward to some sleep. But the ground staff had other ideas. We sat, and sat, for a long time (probably 10-15 minutes) waiting for the air bridge to attach. What I didn’t realise was that it must of been broken or it doesn’t work for this aircraft as when we finally deplaned. It was down stairs. No photos due to the night, but soon enough I was in the terminal, quite chilled as the temperature had dropped.

The terminal was buzzing yet still quiet in comarison and the bags were slow to arrive. I had booked a car through work as I never trust late night flights into Melbourne and the Skybus and I always hate taxi queues. The driver was waiting for me and after my bag came out, I grabbed out my jacket (shorts and tshirt in 15 degree weather is not a good idea) and he lead me towards the car. What awaited me was a glorious looking Mercedes S Class and a VERY comfortable interior for the next 25 minutes to the hotel.

#Avgeek Trip Report – Introduction

April 6, 2012 by Mal·Comments Off

Introduction
Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne
Park Hyatt Melbourne & Melbourne to Canberra
Canberra to Melbourne to Brisbane
Conclusion

I am going to do this trip report a little bit differently, I am going to try and post it in stages so It doesn’t eat up so much of my time, along with also making it easier to read.

This upcoming trip had a bit of a wierd starting. After finding out in Early March that I could possibly have the Easter Period off, well I thought back to last Easter where I had a great time flying some flights, purely cause I can (Trip Report here) and thought back, well why don’t I do it again. I had two options in my mind.

1. A local bit of #avgeek times doing some spotting in Sydney and perhaps adding some more Virgin Australia status credits to my requalification before heading overseas.
2. A long weekend journey to the Northern Hemisphere, to Japan for some 787 flights with ANA.

After researching the costs vs time away and looking into it, Japan was scrapped. Not purely cause I couldn’t afford it, but the outlay for time spent in Japan just was not worth it. I begrudingly put the Japan plans out of my mind and set about planning a quick 2 day jaunt to the Southern states. After a bit of playing with online schedules I came up with the following which would give me a full day of Spotting fun in Sydney on the Saturday and then some Status running on the Sunday.

07th April 2012 – DJ908 – Brisbane to Sydney – 0600/0735 – Boeing 737-800 – Economy
07th April 2012 – DJ888 – Sydney to Melbourne – 2000/2135 – Airbus A330-200 – Economy
08th April 2012 – DJ271 – Melbourne to Canberra – 1330/1435 – Embraer E190 – Economy
08th April 2012 – DJ278 – Canberra to Melbourne – 1700/1810 – Boeing 737-800 – Business
08th April 2012 – DJ351 – Melbourne to Brisbane – 1900/2110 – Boeing 737-800 – Business

It will look something like this:

So why to Canberra you may be asking? Well the Business fares from Canberra to Brisbane were quite cheap and could give me a good status point bonus, but the funniest thing is, it was CHEAPER to fly in Business from Canberra to Melbourne to Brisbane than it was to fly Melbourne to Brisbane… so why the hell not. In using these flights, I would get almost the entire Virgin Australia fleet on my list of flown Aircraft (Just the 332 and E90 to go).

So the flights were set, but where do I spend Saturday night, I looked around, I thought about things, I looked at offers and agent rates, then I saw a link to a Hyatt Diamond Challenge, you could status match to Diamond status with Hyatt Gold Passport from my Hilton Gold for 2 months and even get the Suite Upgrade Benefits. Now I have always wanted to stay at a Park Hyatt and although I definately can not afford the Park Hyatt Sydney so Melbourne would have to do and the rates were good to use the Suite Upgrade and with free breakfast and other benefits, It would be a good nights stay and since the flight did not go till Mid Arvo I could get a good morning with friends in Melbourne for one final time!

The trip was booked and set, but then something even better happened. Virgin Australia announced a Double Status credit special, but it was only valid on bookings made AFTER 27th March. So although some of my fares I couldn’t do much with (as they would cause fees that would eat up the majority of the fare I paid as there was some good bargains in those fares) the Business Class fare could be cancelled without fees and the prices were still the same as I paid. So dodgily cancel and rebook I did! That will take my Business flights from 40 status credits to 80, giving me well more than enough to requalify now.

The camera lens will get packed, the point and shoot will be primed and ready to go (after a recent warranty return). I can’t wait!!! Lots of photos to be taken!

BigMal's World

A blog about a Big Man in a Small Man World

Category: Travelling

Trip Report: 4th July Shenanigans

Back in the Air

Trip Report: Bolting North

A New Journey Always begins with just one step

The “Pilgramige”

#Avgeek Trip Report – Conclusion

#Avgeek Trip Report – Canberra to Melbourne to Brisbane

#Avgeek Trip Report – Park Hyatt Melbourne & Melbourne to Canberra

#Avgeek Trip Report – Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne

#Avgeek Trip Report – Introduction