Trip Report: LGW-CHQ on FCA (charter).
Jul 15, 2004, 4:33 am
#1
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Join Date: May 2001
Location: RNO, NV, USA.
Programs: UA 2MM
Posts: 5,087
Trip Report: LGW-CHQ on FCA (charter).
LGW-CHQ FCA650C (Charter)
0605-1155 July 13,2004
Aircraft: A320 . one class, seat 2F
My first trip report! I've read many definitive trip reports here, in the 3 years I've been on FT. This is a more modest effort. No photos <sigh>. I've wondered, what should my first report be? I've decided to use my recent LGW-CHQ flight, which perhaps few FTers have taken.
Every year I spend a week in Chania, Crete (Greece), visiting friends, drinking too much of the local wine, and other activities. Now CHQ is Crete's second and smaller airport. Unlike HER, it is not easy to get here. The only scheduled flights are ATH-CHQ on Olympic or preferably Aegean Airlines (more reliable). London-Chania on scheduled carriers is expensive and always involves hours wasted at the ATH airport. Hence the attraction of a charter flight. Several British operators fly (British) holidaymakers directly to the various Greek islands. FCA is First Choice Airlines, formerly Air2000. I booked this from the USA last Xmas. www.firstchoice.co.uk The price is right - 194 GBP. (Could someone tell me how to get a pound symbol on foreign keyboards, please.)
I spend several hours wondering how I was going to get to Gatwick at 4am for this 6 am flight. I could of course have booked Le Meridien Hotel at Gatwick, N.Terminal. An expensive choice, though. My usual hotel at Gatwick, Ibis Gatwick, requires a bus trip to/from the hotel. Doubtful the minibus would run at 4 am. My solution: a hotel near Victoria Station, take the 3 am train to Gatwick. Now experienced London travellers will know that the Gatwick Express doesn't run after midnight. But there is a local train service on Southern Trains. Actually costs less too - 8 GBP. This runs hourly.
0300 at Victoria Station. The place is deserted. About 30 people wait for the track to be announced. This is the only train, until the 0400 train, also to Gatwick. As I said, this is a local train: stops at Clapham Junction, Selhurst, East Croydon, Purley, Horley, then Gatwick Airport, before heading off to Three Bridges. Nobody got on or off at these other stops. Arrives at 0343.
With First Choice, seat assignment is at check-in. If you don't want a middle seat, it is wise to check in at the 2 hour mark. Baggage allowance is only 20kg! My hand baggage was weighed. "You are over weight, Sir". Only 5kg allowed. I've never had my hand luggage weighed on UA. Unlike other years, there was an on-time departure and from a gate. No busing to the tarmac. They have adopted the EasyJet a la carte approach this year. At the time of booking, you can request the hot meal for 10 GBP or decline it. All drinks, except tea/coffee, are extra. The A320 was configured for 185 seats (I believe). I didn't measure the pitch, but it reminded me of the RJs that fly the RNO-SFO route. One class only: "steerage class". Of course I'm spoilt flying C on UA. One gets used to the wine list, the RCC, 2x2 seating on the UD of a 744,...
The movie was "50 Dates". But of course headsets are not free, nor is there personal TVs. Reminded me of my flying in my student days.
The CHQ airport is a former military airport, dating back to WWII. One runway only. Flights come in from the Med, so I always like a window seat to watch. (No channel 9!) Deboarding is always to the tarmac. When you leave the a/c plane and walk through the aircraft door, the heat hits you. It is like an oven here.
I was probably the only person on the flight not on a UK passport. Most folks would have bought a package holiday - flight and accomodation. This makes a lot of sense for first time travellers to Crete, who just want a planned sun & sand holiday.
So I was very pleased with First Choice and can recommend them. Thank you, dear reader, for indulging me on my first trip report.
0605-1155 July 13,2004
Aircraft: A320 . one class, seat 2F
My first trip report! I've read many definitive trip reports here, in the 3 years I've been on FT. This is a more modest effort. No photos <sigh>. I've wondered, what should my first report be? I've decided to use my recent LGW-CHQ flight, which perhaps few FTers have taken.
Every year I spend a week in Chania, Crete (Greece), visiting friends, drinking too much of the local wine, and other activities. Now CHQ is Crete's second and smaller airport. Unlike HER, it is not easy to get here. The only scheduled flights are ATH-CHQ on Olympic or preferably Aegean Airlines (more reliable). London-Chania on scheduled carriers is expensive and always involves hours wasted at the ATH airport. Hence the attraction of a charter flight. Several British operators fly (British) holidaymakers directly to the various Greek islands. FCA is First Choice Airlines, formerly Air2000. I booked this from the USA last Xmas. www.firstchoice.co.uk The price is right - 194 GBP. (Could someone tell me how to get a pound symbol on foreign keyboards, please.)
I spend several hours wondering how I was going to get to Gatwick at 4am for this 6 am flight. I could of course have booked Le Meridien Hotel at Gatwick, N.Terminal. An expensive choice, though. My usual hotel at Gatwick, Ibis Gatwick, requires a bus trip to/from the hotel. Doubtful the minibus would run at 4 am. My solution: a hotel near Victoria Station, take the 3 am train to Gatwick. Now experienced London travellers will know that the Gatwick Express doesn't run after midnight. But there is a local train service on Southern Trains. Actually costs less too - 8 GBP. This runs hourly.
0300 at Victoria Station. The place is deserted. About 30 people wait for the track to be announced. This is the only train, until the 0400 train, also to Gatwick. As I said, this is a local train: stops at Clapham Junction, Selhurst, East Croydon, Purley, Horley, then Gatwick Airport, before heading off to Three Bridges. Nobody got on or off at these other stops. Arrives at 0343.
With First Choice, seat assignment is at check-in. If you don't want a middle seat, it is wise to check in at the 2 hour mark. Baggage allowance is only 20kg! My hand baggage was weighed. "You are over weight, Sir". Only 5kg allowed. I've never had my hand luggage weighed on UA. Unlike other years, there was an on-time departure and from a gate. No busing to the tarmac. They have adopted the EasyJet a la carte approach this year. At the time of booking, you can request the hot meal for 10 GBP or decline it. All drinks, except tea/coffee, are extra. The A320 was configured for 185 seats (I believe). I didn't measure the pitch, but it reminded me of the RJs that fly the RNO-SFO route. One class only: "steerage class". Of course I'm spoilt flying C on UA. One gets used to the wine list, the RCC, 2x2 seating on the UD of a 744,...
The movie was "50 Dates". But of course headsets are not free, nor is there personal TVs. Reminded me of my flying in my student days.
The CHQ airport is a former military airport, dating back to WWII. One runway only. Flights come in from the Med, so I always like a window seat to watch. (No channel 9!) Deboarding is always to the tarmac. When you leave the a/c plane and walk through the aircraft door, the heat hits you. It is like an oven here.
I was probably the only person on the flight not on a UK passport. Most folks would have bought a package holiday - flight and accomodation. This makes a lot of sense for first time travellers to Crete, who just want a planned sun & sand holiday.
So I was very pleased with First Choice and can recommend them. Thank you, dear reader, for indulging me on my first trip report.
