Trip Report: STR-AMS-IAD
Feb 9, 2000 | 12:21 pm
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Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: This year we're going to the BAFTAs!
Posts: 5,518
Trip Report: STR-AMS-IAD
The long awaited STR-AMS-IAD half of most recent trip to Europe. With luck this one will be shorter than the first - and will only be posted once.
My flight out of STR is scheduled for an early 7am, and upon check-in I am told that there are 150 of us booked for the Airbus 319’s 142 seats. Regrettably (?), not everyone shows up and my willingness to accept compensation for an extra few hours in STR is all for nothing. Although we board, leave and arrive late (by one hour), the flight itself is fine. The EW snack is its usual good self, and still beats the NW served breakfast on my flights to AMS. But I am repeating myself at this point.
In AMS I check with the good people at KLM about the possibility of having a neighbor free flight back home. Seems that there are 135 free seats on this thing, so the odds look good. This lifts my spirits as I begin my round of the DC lounges, beginning with the one near gate C1. Once again I might note, the staff outnumber patrons (4 to 2), as I arrive. The 2-hour delay promises to be quite relaxing.
A last check about the seat situation at the gate brings the best news. It appears that there is one block of 5 middle seats free in row 34, and thanks no doubt to that French Canadian charm of mine, (well, surely there is a more plausible reason), the gate agent assigns me to that very special area. So, I write this from the comfort of seats 34C through G. This is definitely a great way to fly.
The plane is quite empty as my seat allocation indicates, and things move smoothly although we leave about 50 minutes late on account of weather problems. Service is nice, and I manage to get 2 meals for lunch, always appreciated given the size of those things. It was some kind of chicken with rice.
Although I have noted in earlier messages about the poor level of in-flight entertainment on NW, we are treated to the offerings from the Comedy Channel from Business Class following completion of the 2 movies. Speaking of which, the first (Dudley-do-Right), is one I saw in December on CO - also while flying back from Europe. On the same note, the feature on flights to Europe this month (Mickey Blue Eyes), is also one I saw while flying to Europe on CO in December. It somehow feels as though the CO/NW alliance involves CO lending its old movies to NW, though I presume this is not really the case. Hopefully.
We end up landing roughly on time, and this pretty much concludes this trip report. I will spare the details of my ride home or the mail waiting for me there.
As always, sympathies and apologies if anyone read this far!
Sebastien
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My flight out of STR is scheduled for an early 7am, and upon check-in I am told that there are 150 of us booked for the Airbus 319’s 142 seats. Regrettably (?), not everyone shows up and my willingness to accept compensation for an extra few hours in STR is all for nothing. Although we board, leave and arrive late (by one hour), the flight itself is fine. The EW snack is its usual good self, and still beats the NW served breakfast on my flights to AMS. But I am repeating myself at this point.
In AMS I check with the good people at KLM about the possibility of having a neighbor free flight back home. Seems that there are 135 free seats on this thing, so the odds look good. This lifts my spirits as I begin my round of the DC lounges, beginning with the one near gate C1. Once again I might note, the staff outnumber patrons (4 to 2), as I arrive. The 2-hour delay promises to be quite relaxing.
A last check about the seat situation at the gate brings the best news. It appears that there is one block of 5 middle seats free in row 34, and thanks no doubt to that French Canadian charm of mine, (well, surely there is a more plausible reason), the gate agent assigns me to that very special area. So, I write this from the comfort of seats 34C through G. This is definitely a great way to fly.
The plane is quite empty as my seat allocation indicates, and things move smoothly although we leave about 50 minutes late on account of weather problems. Service is nice, and I manage to get 2 meals for lunch, always appreciated given the size of those things. It was some kind of chicken with rice.
Although I have noted in earlier messages about the poor level of in-flight entertainment on NW, we are treated to the offerings from the Comedy Channel from Business Class following completion of the 2 movies. Speaking of which, the first (Dudley-do-Right), is one I saw in December on CO - also while flying back from Europe. On the same note, the feature on flights to Europe this month (Mickey Blue Eyes), is also one I saw while flying to Europe on CO in December. It somehow feels as though the CO/NW alliance involves CO lending its old movies to NW, though I presume this is not really the case. Hopefully.
We end up landing roughly on time, and this pretty much concludes this trip report. I will spare the details of my ride home or the mail waiting for me there.
As always, sympathies and apologies if anyone read this far!
Sebastien
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