Hello from the One World first class lounge at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. Waiting for my 2205 departure on a double-decker Qantas A380 to Sydney, Australia. Flight time is 15 hours 5 minutes with arrival in Sydney at 0610 Friday. Lose a day going as we cross the international date line. After arrival I’ll continue onto Alice Springs in the Red Centre where our annual frequent flyer Memorial Day weekend will commence (“OzFest”). There’s a dozen of us on that flight up from Sydney with others coming from different directions. This will be my third time out to Alice since the mid-90’s. Can’t wait to take photos out there and share them.
Flew down to LAX on the 1525 AA flight on a 737-800 which left 20 mins late due to late arriving aircraft, giving me about 4 hours until the Qantas boarding. One of the good things about top tier elite status at AA is access to first class international lounges and I always take advantage of that.
This is a 13 day trip that includes time in five different cities in Australia (Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane).
Have a brand new HP 14 inch chromebook along for this trip that I just purchased yesterday at Costco. Seemed like a good time for something larger now that I have chrome down and it meets my travel needs (primarily internet access and speedy photo uploading).
I’m on an award ticket in coach using AA miles, and I have a window seat on the flight across the Pacific in the small economy class section at the rear of the upper deck (that deck is primarily business class). I’m told this section is reserved for elite frequent flyers. So far I have an empty aisle seat next to me and hoping it stays that way. Have been checking regularly for a business class seat and Qantas didn’t open any up the last few months over a range of dates I was checking. I’ll survive--isn’t the first time I’ve been in coach for this long a flight. At least Qantas has a decent entertainment system with seat back video. Do better on the way home where I do have a confirmed business class seat from Brisbane.
I connect to a Friday morning flight from Sydney to Alice Springs with arrival just after noon. Flight time there is just under 3 hours. Looking forward to meeting up with part of the group in the Qantas business class lounge at Sydney airport.
In addition to Friday and Saturday night in Alice Springs, we have a charter bus to Ayers Rock (Uluru) and will do Sunday night there. Plenty of sightseeing activities are planned and you will not be disappointed.
On Monday I fly down to Melbourne for three nights, followed by time in Sydney and Brisbane.
Some photos from this afternoon:
Entering the One World First Class International Lounge:
Food and drink (I had mushroom penne and beef Colorado, along with a Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz from the Barossa Valley which is wine country outside Adelaide that I have toured a couple times):
Photos from prior OzFests I have attended in Hobart, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide and Brisbane are on this page:
http://tom911.smugmug.com/Travel-Australia
I did not go in 2011 or 2012 due to the weak U.S. dollar (or strong Aussie dollar, however you look at it).
Next time I check in will be from the Sydney Airport.
New photos start here:
http://tom911.smugmug.com/Travel-Aus...-inc/i-Jsk2fcj