October 21, 2017
The night was very short, the alarm went off at 1:25 am. A last shower, last time packing my stuff and at 2 am I was on the shuttle to the airport. Many people were arriving from the airport, but I was the only one going there.
At the check-in counter, I checked my small piece of luggage. Security was passed quickly, although I had to pass it twice. Besides the notebook computer, the camera had to be unpacked as well. I wasn't aware the first time. Afterwards it was a train ride to the D gates.
The actual gate wasn't displayed at that time, so I walked around in the terminal to check the food options. I haven't anything proper since my last breakfast the day before and there would only be food for purchase on the flight. So I decided to have something from the Pret A Manger.
After the gate was displayed on the screens, I walked there. It was on the opposite side of the terminal building, so it was a long walk. Boarding was supposed to begin at 3:30 am, but the crew arrived at 3:45 am. So no on-time departure for sure. Boarding finally started ad 4:10 am. The upcoming segment would be the longest on my trip. It was flight DY 4602, Dubai to Stockholm Arlanada, operated by a Norwegian 737-800, LN-NHA. Wheels up time was from 5:02 to 10:10 am. I couldn't take a picture of the aircraft at Dubai airport, there were no unblocked views.
On boarding it again hit me between the eyes. This would be the toughest segment, 7 hours in this seat and this time without in-seat power.
Departure was further delayed, because hold baggage had to be shifted and passengers had to be moved. Due to the length of the segment, there were some restrictions in terms of payload. One advantage is that not every seat is sold, so I had a free seat next to me. Because of the route that avoids the Crimea and depending on the wind, a refueling stop could become necessary on those flights. This is what I was told by the flight deck crew after arrival.
Departure was to the north west. With dark night outside, not much was visible of Burj Khalifa, just the blinking signal lights. It is impressive at which height the topmost light is flashing. Those 828 m/2717 ft are quite remarkable.
Most of the flight was calm. The cabin crew did exactly one beverage round, with everything on purchase, even water. I had bought a bottle of water at the airport, so I didn't need to buy anything on board. Further drinks and food was offered as well, but passengers were asked to get it on their own in the galley. The intention was to have a quiet cabin to help people sleep. This also meant that all blinds were closed, so no outside views for most of the time. I was sitting in a row where a display from the ceiling was located, which spotlit me. To help this, oftentimes a completely white picture was displayed. It took a couple of hours until the screen was folded away.
It was only over the Baltic Sea that I could open the window blinds. This was after the FO made an announcement with information about the remaining flight. I immediately noticed some differences when looking out of the window. The blue of the water is different and there are no reflections of the clouds. This is mainly due to a shroud of mist over the water's surface. There is a difference between the Baltic Sea and the South Seas.
During our approach, I was able to see downtown Stockholm in the distance. Clouds were preventing me from taking a picture, so I instead took one of a rainbow.
Sun is nicely and colorfully illuminating a gold course near the airport.
After arrival, I had some hours until my next and final segment. On the one hand, I was hungry and planned a visit at the lounge. On the other hand, the weather was too good to not visit downtown Stockholm. So I bought a ticket for the next commuter train. This is much cheaper than the Arlanda Express, but it takes almost twice as long.
I alighted at Odenplan station. My destination was the Hard Rock Cafe. Although I already had one of the Stockholm Shirts, I haven't had the Flag Logo one so far. I arrived at the cafe shortly before noon, so I had to wait a few more minutes until it opened. They had the shirt available, however only in sizes S and XS. This is by far too small for me and wouldn't look good on me. I was told that other sizes were supposed to arrive a week earlier but were delayed. So I have to get back there some day, or find somebody how can bring the shirt with them for me.
So I strolled around and ended up some place near the central station.
At the Central Station, I bought a ticket for the next intercity train that would stop at Arlanda. This one was also cheaper than the Arlanda Express and with a travel time of 21 minutes only marginally slower. When I walked to terminal 5, I saw the Norwegian aircraft from my previous flight, so I could catch up on taking a picture of it.
I had my boarding pass printed at a self service station. Fast track was encoded so security was a breeze. After that I went to the lounge to grab some food. I regularly monitored the flight status of my last flight. I was curious about the equipment. A 737-600 was scheduled for this flight, so an equipment change would have been very disappointing. A few minutes before boarding time, I walked the short way to gate 1 and saw the following aircraft waiting there.
Boarding started on time and I quickly found my seat 3A in the Plus section. Right on time, at 5:05 pm we left the gate. Takeoff was towards the north so after a turn I saw the airport from atop.
Legroom during on this flight was okay.
With SAS Plus, you get a free meal. For this flight, it was a cold light meal.
It was roast beef with potatoes and broccoli. With that, a warm tomato muffin was served. In the menu I spotted a gin unknown to me. So it was decided, what I would be drinking.
A second round of G&T was offered. The gin was fantastic.
Arrival in Frankfurt was on time on the northernmost runway. I was greeted with rain showers instead of a champagne shower. A short taxi to gate A40, the one furthest away from the arrival hall. I took the S-Bahn back home and unlocked my door at 8:42 pm. Before I unpacked and started the washing machine, I went grocery shopping. Nobody refilled the fridge during the previous three weeks.