Every time I’ve flown in or out of Charles de Gaulle it’s always been to or from Aerogare 1, so this was my first time in Aerogare 2, and it appears to be just as much of a pit as the original terminal. Since I was connecting from one international flight to another, I looked and looked for transit signs to Aerogare 1, but gave up and went through passport control where a bored young man took a quick look at the photo page and handed my passport right back to me. I thought I should probably have some sort of stamp to prove I had entered France, but didn’t see anyone else getting one, so just walked into the country. Funnily enough when I was leaving the country a couple of hours later, the officer asked when I had entered the country because he couldn’t find the stamp in my passport . CDG is almost as badly signposted as FRA but I somehow managed to figure out that the bus to Aerogare 1 left from stop number 12 on the arrivals level, despite an arrow that appeared to point downstairs. After a very chilly wait of about 5 minutes the bus appeared and I climbed aboard for the 15 minute journey to my destination via a couple of hotels and a car park.

Aerogare 1 hasn’t changed in the twenty plus years I’ve been using it. What must have seemed so futuristic when it opened, now simply looks dirty and dated, although a major renovation is under way. For those who haven’t had the “pleasure,” the terminal is designed like a giant cylinder. Large glass walls look into the hollow center of the cylinder and futuristic looking people movers crisscross the inside allowing passengers to change levels. The lower level of the terminal contains a few overflow check-in desks as well as some shops and restaurants. It was now 1900 but the Flybe counter didn’t open until 1910 and there was already a line of about 30 passengers. There were three agents sitting behind the desks but they were chatting amongst themselves or on cell phones until precisely 1910. At that point two of them started checking people in while the third read a magazine. It took 40 minutes for me to reach the front of the queue where I was asked to shell out 9 Euros to check by rollerboard since it was too large for the cabin. Since I wasn’t planning to stay in continental Europe, I didn’t have any Euros and asked about using US Dollars or a credit card, all the while telling the agent that I felt I was being “nickel and dimed” by Flybe. She finally pursed her lips, rolled her eyes and let out that little huff that only the French can do properly, then checked my bag, handed me a boarding pass and told me to be on my way .

To move from landside to airside requires riding the people mover through the glass tube to the next level and passport control, which was fast despite the officer not finding the stamp he was looking for. So I have a stamp leaving France but not a corresponding entry stamp in my passport. I stopped briefly to pick up a couple of bottles of Bordeaux and some pate, and then headed out to the gate area in Satellite Five. Gates at Aerogare 1 are grouped into satellites that surround the main terminal. These satellites are reached via lengthy moving walkways that snake under the taxiways and disgorge their occupants in the center of the satellite area containing security screening and the gates. The journey reminds me of the Eero Saarinen designed TWA terminal at JFK although it’s much longer from the main terminal to the satellite at De Gaulle than it ever was a Kennedy. The Flybe flight was the only one operating from Satellite Five that evening and judging by the gate area it was going to be full. Our brand new Dash 8 Q400 pulled up at 2015, so I was pretty sure we weren’t going to make our 2040 scheduled departure, but sure enough they turned it in 25 minutes and we departed right on time.

BE 1506 / CDG-EXT
De Havilland Dash 8 Q400 / Seat 19A / Economy Class
Scheduled 2040-2110 / Actual 2040-2134

Not knowing what to expect from Flybe, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The seats, while tight, were blue leather and about as comfortable as you will ever get on a commuter aircraft. The airplane appeared to be brand new. Two friendly flight attendants greeted passengers and assisted with finding seats and stowing cabin baggage. There were multitudes of families with children, and judging by the amount of Mickey Mouse ears, many had come directly from Le Kingdom Magique. I watched in amusement as a little boy kept staring out the window, then turning to his mother and repeating, “OH NO! OH NO! OH NO!” It had just started snowing and he wasn’t at all sure about the suitability of our turboprop careening down a runway at full speed and leaping into the white stuff. There were three empty seats on the aircraft and I was blessed to have one of them next to me, which made for a most enjoyable flight.

We departed at 2040, but then waited in line for almost an hour to be de-iced. According to the captain, there was only one de-icing station open for our departure runway when normally there would be two or even three. Don’t they have weather forecasters in France? Didn’t they know it was going to snow? Or maybe it was some bizarre French union rule that says only one de-icing station can be open on a Tuesday night for non-French carriers unless it’s the second Tuesday of a month that begins with the letter J and the moon is full. Of course that's a joke, but I've had my fair share of travel disruptions caused by France's militant trade unions, so it wouldn't surprise me if this was some sort of "work to rule" or other deliberate slowdown. With de-icing finally complete, we taxied to the active runway and immediately took off for the short hop across the La Manche to the land of Les Rosbeefs. And not a minute too soon as far as I was concerned. This type of delay is just plain irritating and clearly avoidable with proper planning .

Once airborne the flight attendants were out of their seats almost immediately and starting a full service on this short one hour sector; once again amazing me with the difference between what’s offered (or not) on short flights here in the US. One FA started at the front and one at the back, each with a cart containing all sorts of snacks and beverages. Everything is for sale on Flybe, but the prices weren’t bad with sandwiches and cocktails selling for about 5 Euros, and smaller items like cups of soup, candy bars, potato chips and so forth for about 2 Euros. Soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea and bottled water were about a Euro. Service was cheery and fast, and once the meal was done, they came back through with duty free goods, and finally trash collection. I wasn’t hungry or thirsty, but most people seemed to partake of something or other, so Flybe must be making some money here. The most popular selection seemed to be the “meal deal” with a sandwich, potato chips, a soft drink and candy bar for about 8 Euros. The flight attendants were equipped with small handheld devices into which they entered the meal (or duty free) selection, swiped the credit card, and printed the receipt. All very efficient.

We blocked in at Exeter at 2134, about 30 minutes behind schedule with apologies from the captain and crew, and were bussed to the shack that serves as the arrival terminal. It literally looks like a trailer and has two Immigration officers scanning passports and/or ID cards, and one baggage claim belt. Being the only Yank onboard I was asked to stop and fill out the arrivals form and have my passport stamped by the chatty officer. The first stamp I’ve ever had that says Devon & Cornwall, and one that was commented on by the officer as I left the UK with words to the effect that, “Not many Americans come in that way.” Baby brother was waiting in Arrivals, and it was a short drive down to Cornwall with a brief but necessary stop at the local pub in their village for a Boxing Day pint, then on to their warm and cozy farmhouse on a hill, and a welcome bed for a good night’s sleep.

The weather cooperated for the first two days of my stay, making two out of four days pleasant, weather-wise. Not a bad average for the UK in winter. The first day was spent walking on the beach with a nice pub lunch, followed by homemade sushi for dinner with some of the fabulously fresh fish available in the area. The second day was the annual Gentlemen’s Walk whereby all the gentlemen of the family (and me ) get together at the grandparents house for a hearty lunch of Cornish Pasties and some local ale. This is followed by a walk along the coastal cliffs into the village of St. Agnes (about three miles) and a pub crawl back up through the village, stopping for 2 pints at each of the six pubs. Six pubs in a village with a few thousand people … pretty impressive! The youngest member of the party (4 years old) and the dogs were picked up by the womenfolk after the first pub, and the gents continued well into the night, pushing through to all six pubs, conversation getting more interesting by the pint . All was accomplished without major incident, which was a relief after last year’s infamous tumble into hedge/dislocate shoulder stunt that one gentleman managed to pull . I don’t remember exactly arriving back home at my brother’s house, but apparently it involved a bus and a long walk up a steep hill through cow manure. And since we didn’t wake the baby, even with bacon sandwiches at midnight, we were allowed to sleep in until noon the next day.

The weather went steadily downhill the last two days, but fun was had by all with rainy walks on the beach and warm cozy pubs afterward, and all too soon it was time to head back across the pond to the chilly 75 and sunshine we call winter in San Diego . The weather forecast my last day was for gale force winds gusting up to 80 miles an hour, and expected flight delays for all UK airports. A call to Air Southwest to check the status of my departure that evening was greeted (skeptically) with the news that my flight was showing on time, and to be at the airport at least 60 minutes prior to departure. Of course when I arrived at Newquay airport to check in the flight was already posted as an hour late, and this later turned into over two hours. Air Southwest doesn’t appear to have a computer for check in. They have a printed list, cross your name off, and handwrite your seat number on a boarding pass. I was given the choice of a rear facing window in the first row, or an aisle in the last row, which I thought rather bizarre because there were only about twenty passengers in the departure area, and no other flights scheduled that evening. Oh well, I took 1D. I wasn’t all that impressed with the service at the airport, but the service onboard was good. At around 2000 we were called to go through security and into the departure gate. The aircraft finally arrived at 2021, and we began boarding at 2030, walking across a windy, chilly ramp to board another Dash 8, this time a 300 series.

WOW 110 / NQY-LGW
De Havilland Dash 8 300 / Seat 2A / Economy Class
Scheduled 1815-1925 / Actual 2041-2137

I deliberately waited until everyone had boarded because I still wasn’t convinced that I had been offered a choice of a decent seat. I counted 31 passengers in the departure gate, and I knew that a Dash 8 300 holds more than that, unless this was some sort of combi configuration or there were some through passengers. It turned out to be the latter, with a few through customers from Plymouth to Gatwick via Newquay. However, 2 A&B were empty, so I asked the flight attendant if I could move there. Not a problem. The captain came on and apologized for the delay, attributing it to “one of those days” with an earlier mechanical issue with this particular aircraft, compounded by the weather. He said he would like to buy everyone a drink to make up, which I thought was an appropriate gesture (and one we haven’t seen here in the USA for about 10 years.) He also advised that the takeoff and climb out from Newquay would be extremely bumpy due to the winds, as would the approach and landing at Gatwick. The good news was the expected flight time of 44 minutes. As promised, we made an amazing takeoff with a strong crosswind forcing the pilot to turn the airplane almost perpendicular to the runway immediately after leaving the ground, and one of the bumpiest rides I’ve had in a long time. The occupants of 2 C&D decided it was appropriate to vomit, but managed to do so into the sick bag that was provided for days just like this. By the time the FAs were released, they had about 15 minutes for a service, but accomplished it with lightning speed, one working front to back, the other vice-versa. Things were made less complicated by the fact that they didn’t have to collect money for the drinks. Air Southwest, like Flybe, charges for absolutely everything onboard.

Once again as forewarned by the captain, descent and landing at Gatwick was a bumpy affair, but our vomit comet made it quickly to the gate upon landing, and after a lengthy walk to baggage claim, my bag was already on the carousel. Again like Flybe, Air Southwest made me check my rollerboard, only they didn’t try to charge me for it. As luck would have it, a National Express bus was leaving for Heathrow just as I approached the counter, and the agent issued not only that ticket, but my onward tickets for the Heathrow Hoppa bus that would take me to and from the Sheraton Skyline. My luck continued upon arrival at Heathrow with the correct Hoppa bus waiting for me, and I found myself checked into a newly refurbished room at the Sheraton Skyline just after 2300. And with a room upgrade to boot … to an Executive room for my 30 Pound travel agent rate. Excellent! A good night’s sleep in the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed, and I was refreshed and ready for action at 8AM the next morning. As luck would have it, a Hoppa bus was waiting for me when I reached the lobby, but that luck ran out when the hotel computer went down as the front desk was trying to check me out. After fifteen minutes, and with the next bus now outside, I decided I didn’t have any more time to waste and told the agent to email me the bill.

I figured that New Year’s Eve day would be pretty quiet, as evidenced by my 10 Pound ticket to Frankfurt that morning, and sure enough there was hardly a soul at the Lufthansa check-in area at Terminal 2. I used the Etix check-in machine to select my seat and print my boarding pass, noting that it gave me the option to enter a Miles & More number, but not my Mileage Plus number for credit. When I made the booking online I entered my Mileage Plus number, but it didn’t seem to be appended. There was no line at security and I thought I’d made it past the hand baggage enforcer when she called me back and told me to combine my carryons into a single unit or go back to the check-in counter. I stuffed my computer bag in my rollerboard and passed on through security, then proceeded to the Lufthansa Business Class Lounge that my Star Alliance Gold status entitled me to use, even though I was seated in economy. The lounge attendant entered my Mileage Plus number for me and invited me to make myself comfortable in the near empty facility. A couple of cappuccinos and some cereal later, it was time to head to the gate.

LH 4725 / LHR-FRA
Airbus A321 / Seat 27D / Economy Class
Scheduled 0950-1220 / Actual 1012-1220

As I walked slowly along the corridor towards gate 8, a dark and handsome stranger approached and commented on my FlyerTalk bag tags. It turned out to be our very own TravelManKen, who happened to be on the same flight with me to Frankfurt, and even continuing on to San Francisco on United with me! He was doing a year end mileage run to retain his 1K status with Mileage Plus. The gate agent was kind enough to re-seat us in aisles across, although we told him we would simply move once the door was closed since there were only going to be about 20-30 passengers on the A321 this morning. Departure time came and went, although I hardly noticed whilst engrossed in conversation with TravelManKen. No announcement was made about the delay (or I could have missed it) and we finally began boarding at 1000, but with so few people joining us this morning, we were buttoned up and ready to go at 1005. The captain announced a minor delay due to flow control into Frankfurt, but with a short 52 minute projected flight time, anticipated an on time or slightly early arrival. Lufthansa managed a drinks and sandwich service on the short flight, coming through with a second round since the load was so light. The sandwiches were ham or cheese, and all beverages were complimentary. The engaging conversation made the time pass quickly and soon enough we were on the ground at FRA and pulling up to a real gate, ending my streak of remote stands the last few times I’ve been through the German mega-hub. We had to transfer from the A gates to the C gates, and I had to stop at the United connections counter at the B gates to check in and obtain my onward boarding passes. We planned to meet up in the Red Carpet Club where I would bring TravelManKen into the first class section as my guest.

Boarding passes now in hand, I passed through the additional security screening for flights to the USA, found TravelManKen in the Red Carpet Club, cleared it with the front desk agent that he was my guest, and entered the inner sanctum. Peace and quiet prevailed with only two other guests in the lounge. I actually like the Red Carpet Club at Frankfurt anyway, and the first class section is nicely furnished with plush chairs, sofas and coffee tables, and has large picture windows overlooking the always active ramp. The self service bar contained mid-range liquors and wines, as well as some bubbly (Italian, I believe, although I didn’t partake.) The hot food offering was some rather dismal looking mini pizzas, but there was a fine selection of cured meats and cheeses, with bread and crackers, as well as pastries and cookies, and some bar snacks consisting of olives and pretzels. TravelManKen fixed himself a Bloody Mary, and I a gin and tonic, and we settled in to chat for the last few minutes before he would be relegated to the upper deck for the onward journey, whilst I would luxuriate in the nosecone of our waiting 747-400. All too soon the flight was called and we joined the very long queue to get into the boarding gate. TravelManKen had to approach the podium to have his boarding pass reissued since apparently his Lufthansa/London issued pass was not acceptable. So much for seamlessness. The boarding area setup is odd for these particular gates at Frankfurt. You descend a level into the gate area where they check your documents and boarding passes, then climb two flights of stairs to the jet bridge. Boarding was by the second door only, and we wished one another a pleasant flight as TravelManKen ascended the stairs to the upper deck United Business cabin, and I made the fabled left turn towards United First.

The final installment is coming soon. Stay tuned folks!