Yes, interesting comparison between the two flights. I’d still take that second meal in preference to a KLM box of horrors but everything about the first flight was good, the second flight acceptable to mediocre. Not helped by it being on an ATR of course. I’ll happily fly TAROM on the 737 again, the plane may have been old but it was one of the most comfortable short haul flights I’ve done and was a lovely crew and a decent F&B.

I’ve cracked the plastic glass code. Drink it fast enough and they get fed up and offer you a large beer in a glass :D

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...853c9c119.jpeg

With around fifty minutes to boarding it’s time to enjoy the beer, watch the trainee bartender get his ... repeatedly handed to him by the supervisor sitting at the bar, and eventually wander off to the gate.

One of these days I'll have to get into the TK lounge for comparison. Been to IGA a bunch, and usually it's way too crowded, and they tend to run out of food, but otherwise I like the offer.

Interesting that RO is putting business class in ATRs up front. I'm used to it being in the back, by the door.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0ead0dc1f.jpeg
That has to be high on the list of most farcical gate performances ever! The flight had been rescheduled from 14:55 to 15: 10 and I arrived at the gate for 14:39, just as last call was announced!

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5d08563cc.jpeg


There was no priority lane into the holding pen

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cbb426cdb.jpeg

There was a passport and boarding pass check at the door, then a second check literally ten feet later

Boarding had already commenced and again there was no priority lane, but there was a third boarding pass check

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2f616b4fc.jpeg

And then a little queue on the jet bridge before finally reaching the plane

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f41fb39d6.jpeg

We are on G-EUYT this afternoon which I was last on just over a year ago from LHR-NCL

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...700ddf4bf.jpeg

Boarding complete at 15:00 and pilots announcement that we have a departure slot in 35 minutes time.

All buckled up and awaiting push back. Seems like a nice friendly crew so high hope for an engaging flight

Next stop, Heathrow airport

The food selection is still a disappointment, and still no baklava or Turkish delight. One would expect that they would offer it in Turkey.

Pushback started at 15:14 and we were off on another marathon taxi around Istanbul airport.

After a full fifteen minutes there was the double bong from the cockpit and away we went, leaving the ground at exactly 15:30

Service started shortly thereafter with a drinks run and followed quickly by the meal. Continuing my “what was I thinking” run of meals for this trip it was the diabetic meal. The fish had not been deboned and was incredibly dry, and it was accompanied by my least favourite desert. I dread to think what I ordered for the final segment of this trip! After the meal it was coffee and baileys and then back on the champagne for the remainder of the trip.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...efaf7eddc.jpeg


The first half of the flight I snoozed to an episode of the blacklist, clearly last nights late arrival from Bucharest had caught up with me. The second half of the flight I spent chatting on and off to the crew and generally staring into space! The crew on this flight were an absolute delight and once more proved that it is the people that make the difference.

Around half an hour from landing the flight deck announced that there had been strong headwinds on the way over and that we were expecting to be landing at around our scheduled arrival time and therefore 10-15 minutes late at the gate.

We eventually landed at 16:15 absolutely on the nose of the rescheduled landing time.

Having landed slightly late and being on a short connection, of course it was a bus gate! The bus driver was a pain and we sat around whilst he herded excess people back onto the steps to the plane, the point of which I have no idea given the second bus was immediately behind us.

Walking quickly over to domestic transfers passport check was not too bad but the security lanes were log-jammed! I then picked the lane behind all the people that did not know what liquids, iPads, or belts were and were incapable of removing the same from their luggage until asked at the checkpoint!! End result of this farce was that I was looking at being late to the gate.

Silly me, of course I should not have worried, it’s a Newcastle flight so assured to be late and boarding is going to be a farce, which it was!

Groups 1 and 2 were corralled into the tensa lines and I counted 38 people.

On board now, boarding still In progress and already late, and I am in a serious bad mood :D.

Only an hour and then it’ll be Uber and home.

I definitely had baklava in that lounge before.

Too bad you made it :D I'm just sat down at my hotel with the welcome drink, I'd happily have popped on the Elizabeth line to grab a dinner with you, had you been forced to overnight

pushing back 13 minutes late we then sat and waited and waited and, you get the idea. After some excruciatingly slow taxiing and jogging we finally left the ground fully thirty minutes late

As we were climbing food service commenced… well, food service almost commenced, until first one, then two, then a third fully laden food tray slipped from the trolley and hit the floor! With eight full rows this evening I’m guessing that the crew wanted to get a jump on the service. Row 8 may be out of luck tonight.

Talk of being out of luck, I had ordered the low fat meal to finish off my quartet of ‘what on earth was I thinking’ meals and this may look familiar, this meal made an appearance outbound as the Jain vegetarian meal.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cb32f4a92.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...050364ba9.jpeg


Despite the early mishap the crew managed to get everyone fed and watered and the cabin cleared just as the pilot issued the ten minute warning

Landing was a little bumpy but we were down and over to the standard walking gate 3 in quick time. Straight through as usual, Uber arrived within the
minute, and writing this update as we head home

Next stop: home, and a kebab :D

Now you tell me! I could have walked slower :D

And home! Another fun trip, thanks to everyone that followed along,

This coming weekend I’m keeping my feet on the ground with a business trip Sun-Thurs and then back in the air at the weekend for a hop and a skip to Aberdeen, via Heathrow! I’m going to have some fun and try something a little different with the reporting for the trip as otherwise it could be even more boring than usual ;)

One last update, just for fun


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...61630af3a.jpeg

This is half a portion, and yes, battered chips :D

Oh my god - heart attack on a plate and sacrilege after all those nice Turkish kebabs - bet it was good though LOL

Tell me about it. I ended up at the local 'Spoons.

....nah I'm kidding. I'm desperate, but not that desperate.

It was a Nicholsons.

Great trip report as usual. I don't blame you getting the kebab after all those delicious looking special meals:D