FlyerTalk Forums - Insane Trip + Joke

My first trip report... and not half as eleborate as most trip reports...

Most of my trips are fairly direct, short and sweet (except for the Nigeria ones which are typically organised as being extremely short but nevertheless always discouraging or is it disgusting...).
However, occasionally the odd weird trip creeps in and this was one of them :

AMS-SIN-PVG-SIN-BWN-SIN-EWR-MSY-EWR-AMS

AMS-SIN SQ323 DEP APR23 11:50 ARR APR24 06:30 Seat 12F
SIN-PVG SQ826 DEP APR24 08:05 ARR APR24 13:25 Seat 1D
PVG-SIN SQ805 DEP APR27 16:35 ARR APR24 21:50 Seat 3F
SIN-BWN BI430 DEP APR30 22:20 ARR MAY01 00:30 Seat 2A
BWN-SIN BI427 DEP MAY01 20:50 ARR MAY01 22:55 Seat 1A
SIN-EWR SQ22 DEP MAY02 11:10 ARR MAY02 17:50 Seat 17G to 17H/K
EWR-MSY CO716 DEP MAY03 07:15 ARR MAY03 09:35 Seat 1F
MSY-EWR CO 617 DEP MAY04 10:10 ARR MAY04 14:13 Seat 1F
EWR-AMS CO102 DEP MAY04 17:15 ARR MAY05 07:00 Seat 4F

All on SQ except for SIN-BWN-SIN on Royal Brunei and EWR-MSY-EWR-AMS on CO.

I am extremely fortunate that my employer allows us to fly C-Class on all flights over 3 hours, with my 1.93m length I do the same if I have to pay for it, just don't fit in Coach. So...all in C-Class except for SIN-PVG (upgrade on points), PVG-SIN (upgrade at cost - RMB2900, less than Euro 300), SIN-BWN-SIN and EWR-MSY-EWR in F (which is actually C).

I left AMS on Monday on the old 2-Class SQ 777-200 in my regular PPS secured seat 12E, flight was full (as it always is) which didn't interfere with the SQ-FA hospitality. Food was good, FA's friendly, busy and cheery and VOD was OK (seen most movies but saw a very interesting Enron post-mortem).
Sleeping well on these flights, I arrived in SIN early morning on Tue and had a leisurely stroll through Changi (next to Schiphol and KLIA probably the most convenient airports known to me... with perhaps the notable exception of PHC which actually has the only designated smoking area to be the gents lavatory!).

Anyway, F to PVG and had a very nice breakfast, comfortable seats and again a reasonable rest. In Shanghai I had an entertaining workshop and, this being the first time China for me, ate the obligatory deep fried Chicken Feet, Duck Feet and (boiled) Sea Cucumber, none of which by the way, according to my personal palate and taste, belong in the Top 1000 global culinary delights.... morning snot tastes better.

Back to SIN on an uneventfull flight with pretty good food (yes the delta between C and F food is significant) and exemplary service. F was completely full. Arrived in SIN and stayed in my favourite hotel the Regent which is always very pleasant. Naturally I stopped over at Jumbo's at East Coast Seafood center for the mandatory Black Pepper Crab with some business partners.

On Sunday the hectic part started in earnest, one day meetings in Brunei and then onto N' Awlins with the SQ22. You just have to love this A345, unbelievable plane with very long legs... 18 hours for some 15,600km. Second section was half full and I did get the chance to move away from the Indian couple with the crying infant. Normally I don't prefer a window seat and stay in the middle of the 2-2-2 configuration but now I found a window with empty aisle seat adjacent - excellent. Timing was great as the new May movie selection went into effect. Played with my new camera and took a vid of the plane taking off - majestic movements. Pretty cool turbulence watching the outboard engine and wing tip wobble and flap. Those Trent engines are pretty impressive.
Interesting to see that the first 2 hours or so were at 8350m... burning of fuel to get higher ? Never went over 10.5km which kinda surprised me. Good tailwinds and a groundspeed of 1132km/h - pretty fast.
I have done the SIN-LAX a couple of times but for some reason I experienced this flight different, dunno what it was but it was very relaxing (perhaps because the old laptop stayed in the overhead during the whole flight).
3 Meals and 3 attempts at sleep later we landed in EWR and I tried to get the evening flight to MSY - no go. Quick overnght in the Hilton at Elizabeth and the following morning through to MSY.

Interesting confusion when I arrived in EWR... with SIN there is a 12 hour difference so I did not have to change my watch but try what I wanted I just couldn't figure out if it was am or pm....

An afternoon of meetings later went on a Rita damage viewing trip and ended up in the best restaurant for BBQ shrimp of N' Awlins (Deaney's at the Riverfront).

I think I have done all the ultra long sectors now HKG-EWR on CO B777, SIN-LAX and LAX-SIN on the SQ A345 and now SIN-EWR on SQ. Left over is the EQR-SIN leg, isn't that the one that flies over the NP ? Maybe ours did as well because the Flighttracker map was not displayed for about 4 hours of the flight (only the text bits) and there was a gap in the route. Didn't seem we went that far North though.

Trip back home was also uneventfull and CO service on both flights better than you will ever see from KLM. Which brings me to the joke.

Guy sitting in the Changi lounge next to a very good-looking lady. he thinks this must be a FA and toys with the idea on how to start a conversation. He suddenly blurts out... "Work hard, Fly Right" and the lady looks at him in total incomprehension.. hmmm, not CO then. Maybe Thai and he says... "Smooth as Silk", again she looks at him with a puzzled face... hmmm, "Making the sky the best place on earth" (AF)h e says in another attempt... again the puzzled look. As he thinks of what to say next he opens his mouth but before sound comes out, she glares at him in the most aggressive way and hisses "what the f$&^* do you want Mister?".
His eyes sparkle as he thinks... "ahaaa... KLM!"

Cheers,
M.