Doha’s Hamad International Airport is a relatively new airport, having opened for business back in 2014. As we taxied into the terminal, it certainly looked attractive. And large. The airport is built over 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi) which is indeed pretty large, and yet in terms of overall land area, it is only the 27th largest airport in the world. Its terminal building covers 7,800,000 sq ft however, making its terminal building the 6th largest in the world.
Doha’s Hamad International Airport Terminal
Well, size is all well and good, but I’m most interested in the quality of the passenger experience. In that regard, Hamad International Airport is currently ranked as the second-best airport in the world, along with winning titles for ‘World’s Best Airport Shopping’ and ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for the ninth time in a row at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2023, hosted at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Amsterdam. The year before, it actually was awarded the Best Airport in The World. According to the airport’s website, it hosts over 180 retail and dining options – including a Fendi Boutique with the first Fendi Café in an airport, a Ralph’s Coffee Shop, an Oreo Café as well as a Harrods Tea Room. While most of those names don’t mean anything to me, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the wide, airy concourses and the glittering food and retail areas. I found this airport to be every bit as attractive and welcoming as the Changis, Suvarnabhumis, Incheons or any of the other traditional standard bearers for modern terminal excellence.
For more information, here is a link to the airport’s website:
https://dohahamadairport.com/]Doha’s Hamad International Airport
Due to an ongoing spinal condition, I walk with a pretty good limp these days. I can limp along for three or four hundred yards, but some airports are just a bit too big for me. Having passed through Hamad International Airport two years ago, I knew it to be a large and sprawling facility, so I made a point of requesting wheelchair assistance upon arrival.
Waiting in the jetway as I exited the A350 was a uniformed airport employee and a very wide wheelchair, seemingly designed for a person much broader than I. Since it was slightly uphill through the jetway into the terminal, I offered to walk up into the terminal, but the nearby cabin crew and the airport employee wouldn’t hear of it.
Well, alright then. We loaded up my bag and day pack on my lap and made our way into the terminal where an electric cart awaited us. I was the only passenger. As I had checked no baggage and would be staying in rather than transiting Doha, we rolled along through the futuristic landscape of the concourse and terminal until I was transferred to yet another wheelchair. Shortly thereafter, we took an elevator a couple of floors down to what I assumed was the Immigration and Arrivals level.
As a Business Class passenger at Qatar Airways’ home airport, I had expected some sort of Fast Track type immigration procedure. What I got was much nicer yet. We entered into a small Business Class lounge specifically designed for immigration. The person pushing my wheelchair set me up at a comfortable seating area and offered to bring me something to eat or drink. I had assumed that this was just a comfortable place to wait until immigration was ready for us. I didn’t really need anything to eat or drink, but settled for a glass of juice. After about five minutes, the wheelchair returned and we headed off to the far side of the lounge where three or four immigration booths were located. Inside the lounge! We could have gone there straightaway, but my wheelchair driver simply assumed that I’d like something to eat or drink beforehand. Wow! Quite the service!
Immigration went smoothly – I was the only one there – and, after x-raying my bag, we continued on into the Arrivals Hall. Waiting there, amidst a bunch of other drivers, was a blue suited gentleman bearing a sign with my name on it.
Oh, this is just heavenly! Rarely have arrivals at a foreign – or domestic airport gone so smoothly. I had booked a reservation at the Radisson Blu Doha for two nights and had messaged beforehand that I’d like to take advantage of their shuttle service from the airport. By the time of my departure from Houston, I hadn’t heard from them and totally spaced using the wi-fi connection onboard my flight to find out. As such, I was prepared to take a taxi if need be. But no. Here was my ride – a full sized bus as it turned out – waiting for me and ready to go. Right on!
As for the Radisson Blu, what a marvelous hotel! I had generally understood the Radisson Blu brand to be a somewhat lesser version in both quality and expense to the main Radisson brand. And, my only previous experience with Radisson Blu – having come some seven years earlier at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport property – certainly lent credence to that assessment. But this hotel – from the stylish entrance lobby to the professionalism of the receptionist to the size and quality of my room to the multiple on-site restaurants - this was clearly a four star hotel. And best of all, it only cost me $71.00 USD per night! Here’s a picture of my room:
Superior King Room at the Radisson Blu Doha
Later, the meal I had at the attractive Chinese restaurant – one of seven located within the hotel’s two towers – was one of the better Chinese meals I’ve eaten in a good while. Service, presentation, food quality – all were top notch.
To be honest, many of you may know me more for being one of the few FTers to willingly sleep in airports and stay in hostels and other budget accommodations. As such, I totally understand if for some of you Starwood Platinum status holders and the like, my recommendation of any particular property may carry no more weight than a tuft of goose down. However, for three years I managed the corporate arm of a travel agency in Colorado, and also worked for Frontier Airlines. In those capacities, I was blessed to visit and stay in many high quality hotels and resorts. I know a nice hotel when I see one, even if in years past I would happily settle for the cost savings over higher quality room accommodations.
That said, take it from me - should any of you ever find yourselves in need of high quality, exceedingly affordable accommodations while in Doha, especially if you’re just over-nighting between flights, I cannot recommend the
Radisson Blu Doha highly enough.
* * * < + > * * *
Sunday March 24, 2024
Qatar Airways Business Class
Doha, Qatar to Amman, Jordan – 1080 miles
A330-300 ~ 350p – 705p
I love laid back days like this. I get to sleep in, enjoy a leisurely shower and morning coffee in my room, and then head down to the lobby for the 100pm shuttle to the airport. One of the primary reasons I chose to stay at the Radisson Blu was its free 24 hour airport shuttle. So far, I’ve been really impressed with the hourly operation, highlighted by on time, courteous drivers and clean buses.
My award ticket from Houston to Amman had four major attractions that made this quick day trip over to Jordan and back attractive to me. First, the mileage redemption was no different than if I’d simply flown IAH-DOH. Second, the DOH-AMM-DOH flights were listed as being operated by Oman Air – an airline I’d not yet flown. Third, on my IAH-DOH-AMM award, the segment between DOH-AMM was booked in First Class. And finally, the mileage redemption from AMM-DOH-CGK was no different than if I were flying only DOH-CGK.
Right on! For an old time av-geek like me, the chance to fly at no extra cost aboard a hitherto unflown foreign airline – in First Class no less – was a no brainer. No doubt the more pragmatic amongst us would consider this a huge waste of a day that could have been better spent exploring Qatar. I get it. But at the same time, the passion that has driven me to fly over six million miles aboard over two hundred airlines still burns bright. I can’t pass up an opportunity like this!
The shuttle bus dropped me off at Qatar Airways’ clearly marked VIP entrance. One look at me clambering down the bus steps with my cane and the staff immediately rushed forward and offered me wheelchair assistance. Well sure, why not? Thankfully, I was traveling light today - just my daypack, given that I’d be back in Doha tonight.
Qatar’s First Class check in area consists of about a dozen office type desk and chair set ups, each equipped with privacy dividers. Honestly, the two hour flight across to Amman is really more of a Business Class, but the ticket indicated First Class and so I’m eligible for all the attendant perks on the ground that even the rare long distance First Class passenger would enjoy.
Qatar Airways First Class Check-In at Doha
After finishing up at check-in, I was wheeled off to the Al Safwa First Class Lounge. According to Qatar Airways’ website, the lounge itself takes its inspiration from the architectural beauty of Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art, showcasing a blend of elegance and refinement with opulent features and captivating installations.
Well, that sounds quite nice, and indeed this is a very nice lounge. Still, I wasn’t overly impressed by the décor – at least in the dining area. I much prefer Emirates’ First Class Lounge at Dubai, or Asiana’s at Seoul. My own tastes run more toward dark wood and brass, and this lounge was high, wide and spacious but otherwise somewhat bland to me.
This was especially true in the dining room where the barren off white walls and floors, offset by dark wooden tables and burgundy chairs seemed more appropriate to a large industrial lunchroom.
Beyond that however, the service was as good as any premium airline lounge in the world. An attendant promptly showed me – and the wheelchair – to a table, after which arrangements were made to meet me later and transport me to gate B6. Menus were presented and drink order taken – a glass of Chivas 15 Year Old, please.
The view from my table looking out on the Al Safwa First Class Dining Room
Now then, what to order for lunch? I should have taken a picture of the menu. Suffice it to say there were a nice variety of appetizers and mains to choose from. While I pondered the possibilities, my drink arrived – with a ramekin of mixed nuts – and my table was set in very much the same manner that Qatar employs onboard its Business Class.
I opted to start with a tasty sounding Chicken and Corn soup. This was a good choice, for the soup was every bit as tasty as it sounded in print.
Chicken and Corn Soup
Moving on to the appetizer selections, I chose a spiced, cubed lamb appetizer. For me, lamb is a real delicacy and has been since the days of my childhood. About the only time I ever remember eating lamb when I was a kid was when we visited my grandparents. These days – in America at least – lamb is one of the great rip offs in the restaurant industry. Most menus that do offer lamb chops or a rack of lamb serve you these tiny little chops with very little total meat served. I remember enjoying much better – and affordable – roasted lamb counter meals in Australian and New Zealand pubs. Anyway, given that I’m not paying any extra for it, it’s nice to take advantage of a serving of lamb in whatever form it may take. My lamb appetizer was moist and flavorful – a nice welcome back to the lovely taste of lamb.
Cubed Lamb Appetizer
Bring on the main course, s'il vous plaît! Or rather لو سمحت! I’d elected to go with the Wagyu Beef Steak. My understanding is that Wagyu means "Japanese cattle" and is not the name of a breed of cattle. The meat is increased in fat percentage due to a decrease in grazing and an increase in the use of feed, resulting in larger, fattier cattle. Fat is flavor, and Wagyu beef is generally considered superior. I’ve had it on a few occasions, but I’ve never found it to be that much better than meat I’d get at any good American Steakhouse. The best steak I ever recall eating was at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Seattle, followed closely by one I enjoyed at Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel a few years ago.
Today’s steak was very nice, but not memorably so. That lasting memory would go to the delicious Australian Shiraz with which I accompanied it.
Wagyu Beef Steak and Shiraz
I closed out the repast with a serving of New York Cheesecake, which I asked my waiter to slice on the small side if at all possible. It was, and this cake washed down admirably with a cup of surprisingly good coffee.
New York Cheesecake & Coffee
For more information of the Al Safwa First Class Lounge, please click
HERE for the Qatar Airways Lounge webpage.
I gotta say, I’m beginning to take a real liking to this wheelchair and golf cart assistance through sprawling airports the size of Doha’s Hamad International Airport. More to the point, I’d much rather regain my walking ability as best I can, but given where I’m at right now, the assistance through these large airports is very much appreciated.
Although I’m able to make my way down the jetway and into my seat, my wheelchair handler insisted on delivering me directly to the doorway of the aircraft. I don’t know the protocol for tipping for this type of service in Qatar, and in any event I didn’t have any Qatari Riyals anyway, so I tipped my handler $10 USD for his services. After all, he got me through check-in and security, delivered me to the First Class lounge, and then returned in a timely manner to get me to my gate.
It is always hugely exciting for me to board an aircraft of an airline aboard which I’ve never flown before. Ever since I was a little kid, my primary interest was from the perspective of being a passenger on the plane – not the pilot. I’ve never had a desire to actually sit at the controls and fly an aircraft. Nor have I ever had any interest in civil or military aviation. Right from the get go, I was all about 707s, DC-8s, 880s and flying aboard them as a passenger. And, even at a young age, I clearly recognized that First Class was the best place to be sat. The fact that we always flew Economy was never an imposition. At a young age with less than twenty flights to my credit, I was thrilled just to be flying. Even so, I knew where I wanted to be someday.
Keep in mind, too, that flying was a lot nicer back when I was a kid. It was a special event. People dressed up to fly and the airlines offered much more comfortable and spacious seats regardless of class. When flying between Denver and New York in the early seventies, I remember meals on TWA and United that in terms of quality and quantity were better than what’s being served on many domestic First Class services today.
Anyway, getting back on point here, I’ve always loved flying from the perspective of being a passenger, so even though I’ve logged perhaps three dozen flights aboard A330s with about a dozen different airlines, I’ve never flown aboard Oman Air’s A330-200 before. So, this is like a totally new airplane for me and as such, I’m excited to see what it looks like inside. What’s First Class like? What color is the carpet? What color are the seats? What’s the general ambiance of the interior? I know, I know… pretty boring stuff for most of you. Still, I am unrepentant. This is exciting stuff!
Waiting to greet me at the door to the aircraft were not the Oman Air flight attendants as I’d expected, but rather gray and burgundy clad Qatar Airways FA’s. So, when Qatar’s website indicated this flight was operated by Oman Airways, it meant it was a wet lease - where the lessor provides an aircraft and the flight crew, but not the cabin crew or any other aspects of the service. A member of the crew later informed me that Qatar had wet-leased three A330s from Oman Airways, whose pilots would fly us over to Amman and back while Qatar Airways crew worked the cabin.
So then, did I really fly aboard Oman Air? Well, yes and no. It was an Oman Air jet, piloted by Oman Air pilots, with Oman Air interiors; but every other aspect of the flight was handled by Qatar Airways. Ehhhhh…. I’m gonna chalk it up as my 206th airline flown. And, as an added bonus, the aircraft was A4O-DA, the very first A330-200 delivered to Oman Air back in September of 2009, almost fifteen years ago.
Oman Air A330-200
Photo credit to Chris Lofting
The aircraft’s middle age notwithstanding, I thought the Business Class cabin looked quite nice with attractive beige and brown seats enclosed in spacious off white suites. Although seats were arranged in Oman Air’s older 2-2-2 configuration, each suite offered its own personal access to the aisle.
With so many passengers and cabin crew meandering through and about the cabin during the boarding process, I was unable to get a good quality view of the overall cabin, but I did find these quality images, credited with gratitude to Points From The Pacific. Following the third picture is a link to the pointsfromthepacific.com’s excellent review of Oman Air’s Business Class.
Oman Air A330-200 Business Class Cabin
Points From The Pacific
Oman Air A330-200 Business Class Suite
Points From The Pacific
Oman Air A330-200 Business Class Suite
Points From The Pacific
https://pointsfromthepacific.boardin...-dubai-muscat/
Onboard service was Qatar Airways all the way, which is to say it was summarily excellent. Despite this being only a two hour and twenty minute flight over to Amman, separate menus and wine lists were distributed, followed shortly thereafter by a selection of non-alcoholic pre-departure drinks. I opted for a green minty concoction that was pretty good. Arabic coffee and dates were offered next, but not being a big fan of dates, I passed and instead turned my attention to the wine list and menu for this afternoon’s flight:
The Minty Green Pre-Departure Cocktail
WINE LIST
Champagne
Duval-Leroy Brut Réserve – France
Devaux Cuvée Rosée – France
White Wine
Carmel Road Monterey Chardonnay 2021 – California
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 6 Oh! Block Sauvignon Blanc 2022 – New Zealand
Dopff & Irion Cuvée René Riesling 2022 – France
Red Wine
Château Cos Labory Grand Cru Classé Saint Estèphe 2014 - France
Casa Silva Gran Terrior de la Costa Lolol Syrah 2021 – Chile
Albert Bichot Moulin-à-Vent Domaine de Rochegrès 2021 - France
Dessert Wine
Château de Rayne Vigneau Premiere Grand Cru Classé Sauternes 2013 – France
Niepoort 20 Year Old Tawny Port - Portugal
LUNCHEON
Doha to Amman
Artisan Bread
Dip your bread or drizzle one of our fine olive oils on your favorite dish.
Monte Vibiano olive oils infused with balsamic vinegar, tomato chilli or
spicy lemon are available upon request
APPETIZER
Spiced Wagyu Beef with Tomato and Date Relish
Compressed melon, morel mushrooms and heirloom tomatoes
MAIN COURSES
Qatari Spiced Lamb Machboos
Machboos sauce, crispy onions and sultanas
Spinach and Ricotta Filled Chicken Breast with Balsamic Jus
Roasted baby potatoes and seasonal vegetables
Saffron Poached Turbot Fillet with Tomato Ragout
Persian pulau, asparagus and baby peppers
Pumpkin and Ricotta Mezzelune with Walnuts
Parmesan tomato salsa and green beans
DESSERTS
Pistachio Elba Custard
Served with caramel sauce
Kulfi Mascarpone Crèmeaux
Accented with fresh mangoes
Tropical Fruit Salad
With Yuzu syrup
I’ve flown aboard quite a good number of midrange First and Business Class flights, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been offered such a wide selection of food and drink on a mere two and a half hour flight. And not only a wide selection, but some very nice sounding foods and wines. The wine list in particular is very similar to what I was offered on the thirteen hour flight between Houston and Doha.
Shortly after we’d pushed back and dispensed with the safety briefing, my lovely Flight Attendant, Miriam, stopped by to take my order for the upcoming meal.
Well now, it all looks so good… Let’s start with the Wagyu Beef appetizer, followed by the
Spinach and Ricotta Filled Chicken Breast with Balsamic Jus. Oh, and to drink… let’s try one of those Leffe beers, please.
Our near fifteen year old Airbus still had a good bit of giddyup as she thundered down the runway and took to the air after a mere 27 seconds. We climbed smoothly through the clouds and haze surrounding Doha, and soon emerged into the bright blue skies of the troposphere. Ah… that’s so much nicer. It’s also nice to have a window seat with unfettered access to the aisle. I reclined my seat a bit and took in the ambiance…
My reverie was interrupted briefly when Miriam returned with my beer and a ramekin of mixed nuts. A friend of mine is a big fan of Leffe, so I decided now would be as good a time as any to try it out. Alas, the flavor was not to my liking, so I traded it out for a glass of ice water and awaited the arrival of my appetizer.
Leffe Ale and Mixed Nuts
Spiced Wagyu Beef with Tomato and Date Relish
Compressed melon, morel mushrooms and heirloom tomatoes
Wow! In both presentation and flavor, this Wagyu Beef appetizer was one of the tastier that I’ve enjoyed, regardless of class. The meat was tender, pink and flavorful and, hard though it may be for some of you oenophiles to accept, the water made a delicious accompaniment!
Moving on to the main course, I was once again quite pleased with both the presentation and flavor of the stuffed chicken breast. It bore delectable evidence in support of Qatar’s current standing as purveyor of The World’s Best Business Class Dining. Just look at that picture! It almost makes you wish you had a fork and knife in hand and could eat right through the picture…
Spinach and Ricotta Filled Chicken Breast with Balsamic Jus
Roasted baby potatoes and seasonal vegetables
Throughout the flight, service from Miriam couldn’t have been nicer or more attentive. She tried to talk me into one of the delicious sounding desserts, but I was simply too full. Instead, once the tray and linens from my meal had been cleared off, I attempted to locate the electrical outlet and plug in my laptop for a bit of work on this trip report.
Oman Air’s A330s may certainly wear their colors well, but I found their Business Class seats to be poorly designed. The controls are balky and slow and the IFE is extremely limited compared to Qatar’s Oryx One Thayle System. My immediate issue, however, was that the electrical outlet was very poorly placed, way down low in a dark and hard to reach area in the console to the side of the seat cushion. Unless you were familiar with it, there’s no way you’d be able to figure out exactly where and how to plug in a three pronged plug. You can’t see it and so are limited to feeling for it. Thankfully, the FA’s were somewhat more familiar with it and two of them helped me out, but even they ended up having to use the outlet on the empty seat across from me.
The rest of the flight proceeded smoothly and before much longer we were subjected to the usual cacophony of chimes and pre-landing announcements and instructions. The lights on the desert floor beneath us increased steadily in both density and intensity, and soon we were on our way to a nice smooth landing, gliding over the brightly lit perimeter fence and runway threshold of Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport before touching down softly with only mild reverse thrust.
You know, I remember when landings could be a bit more adventurous – and I also remember when people used to use air sickness bags more often. There’s a reason why people used to ask – and still do – “How was your flight?” Fifty or more years ago, some of those flights provided a bit more… excitement… than passengers signed up for. These days, with the advent of glass cockpits, seriously advanced weather radar and much busier skies where pilots often give heads-up information about enroute turbulence, along with computerized instruments that automatically make minute, indiscernible in-flight adjustments, flights and landings are overall much smoother. These days, when people ask me “How was your flight?” 99 times out of 100 it seems like my answer is “It was fine.” On those rare occasions that it wasn’t, the issue was more often related to passenger behavior.
* * * < + > * * *
So while my flight was fine, my experience on the ground in Amman was not so fine. It started off okay… My request for wheelchair assistance made two days ago in Houston apparently carried through my entire PNR, and so upon our arrival in Amman I was once again met by a wheelchair, right there at the doorway of the aircraft. While I’d have been happy to lurch to the top of the jetway and save the wheelchair attendant and uphill push, it’s almost as if they expect that if you’ve requested a wheelchair, you’re pretty well incapacitated. And, I should imagine that a significant percentage of their riders are indeed that.
Anyway, its instinctive for me to make the offer to walk up the jetway – and it’s sincere on my part – but if they decline, I don’t argue. I just sit back and enjoy the ride. And so, off we went, me and an assumedly Jordanian gentleman of very limited English skills. It took me a few tries and gesticulations toward various signs to get him to understand that I was a transit passenger. I get the sense that not many people coming in off this flight are transit passengers. We finally got on the same page though, and he dropped me off at a clearly marked Transit Passenger Check-In counter. It was 7:15pm. Nobody was working at the deserted counter, which I made a point of pointing out to my wheelchair driver.
“Soon!” he said. “Five minutes!’
Well alrighty then. Three other people were also seated nearby the counter, though I never did discern if they were fellow transit passengers or not. My flight back to Doha was scheduled to depart at 835pm. We hadn’t traveled too far from my plane to the transit counter, so I knew my departure gate was not far away. Everything seemed okay.
Until it wasn’t.
7:30 came and went. Then 7:40. A man in a coat and tie came out of a nearby doorway, glanced at me, said something to a couple of nearby uniformed employees, and then went back inside wherever he’d come from. Another transit passenger showed up, and after I explained my experience thus far, he went over to the nearby security check point as asked around.
A couple minutes later, the man who’d wheeled me over here showed up again and began to wheel me to points unknown. I’d shown him my printed confirmation for my next itinerary – AMM-DOH-CGK – so he seemed to understand that I was transiting back onto the plane that brought me here in the first place, however odd that may have seemed.
As things turned out, we had to roll allllllllll the way over to the terminal next door, where we arrived at yet another transit counter, this one also deserted. My wheelchair attendant took my passport and printed Qatar Airways itinerary of my flights to Doha and on to Jakarta and disappeared down a hallway behind the transit desk.
About five minutes later, he returned with another gentleman and said I needed to provide proof of onward travel from Indonesia to another country before they could issue me a boarding pass to Doha.
Uh oh. I hadn’t thought to bring along a printed page of my Sri Lankan flights to Colombo and beyond. Wait! I had my laptop with me though. Do you guys have Wi-Fi in the airport? You do?! Right on! Hang on!
A couple minutes later, I pulled up my Alaska Airlines award itinerary, complete with ticket number and record locators for Sri Lankan Airlines flights. Time seemingly crawled at a glacial pace as the information was duly entered into a computer and eventually boarding passes were spit out. It was 805pm by the time we started back toward the other terminal and my 835pm departing flight. Though my wheelchair handler didn’t run, he made good time and we arrived at the departure gate with boarding still in process.
Sunday March 24, 2024
Qatar Airways Economy Class
Amman, Jordan to Doha, Qatar – 1080 miles
A330-200 ~ 835p – 1110p
Alas, Qatar Airways was not offering Premium accommodations on the Amman – Doha leg of its Amman to Jakarta Business Class award offerings between Amman and Jakarta, so I was relegated to a seat back in row 22 – a comfortable turquoise cloth upholstered seat about three rows back from the start of the economy cabin. As coach seats go, it reminded me of the nicely padded coach seats of forty years ago, before most airlines cut costs and comfort with the new, lightweight slimline type seats. The legroom was quite acceptable, too – about 32” of pitch.
I don’t recall the two dinner choices offered, but my tray of the Middle Eastern staple Chicken Machboos was both sizeable and tasty. I was reminded of those Chinese take-out cartons, some of which look small but hold a surprising amount of food. So too did my tray of seasoned rice and chicken.
The two hour and twenty minute flight passed smoothly, and soon we were taxiing up to a remote stand at Doha. Rather than descend a stairway to the tarmac and the waiting busses, wheelchair assistance meant that we – being myself and two other passengers – were loaded onto something akin to a food service truck, with the scissored arms underneath the box that rose up to the aircraft door on the right side. We were wheeled aboard, and then lowered down and put on our own private bus to the terminal.
Twenty minutes later, I was aboard the midnight departure of Radisson Blu’s shuttle bus back to the hotel. Thirty minutes after that, I was snoozing in air-conditioned ecstasy. I didn’t have much time to sleep with a 515 wake up call for the 600am shuttle back to the airport.
All in all, I had a nice day flying over to Amman and back.