A month or so a go a friend of mine alerted me to the fact that there was an airline memorabilia fair being held in Atlanta, Georgia. This peaked my curiosity not only for all the geeky things I could buy but also the chance to go to a new city and to fly on some wide body jets again. So, off to the interweb I went to see if I could find a reasonable fare for this aviation adventure. I came up with a very good option with KLM and Delta - two new airlines and one new plane - which of course means new models too!
I did try to convince S to come with me and he was on the verge of agreeing and then sense and reason took over!
Friday 5 October 2012
So 5 October came and off I set to the Zurich Aerodrome on the famed Swiss railways. It was very odd heading off on my own without S. Checked in at KLM for my flight to Atlanta via Amsterdam's Schipol Airport. Headed up to the very uninspiring Air France Lounge (liberally called a Salon). I whiled away the time and then it was time to take a bus to my little blue Boeing 737. I was in Euro Business Class which as I have said before is essentially economy with a spare seat in the middle.
Once we were all settled the captain announced that we were going to be delayed for about one hour as there were thunderstorms in Amsterdam. The gentlemen who was next to me was not happy as it meant missing his connection. He did not believe the captain! Anyway after about five minutes we got the all clear and off we went and Mr Grumpy got told he would make his connection.
The flight passed uneventfully and a light lunch was served which consisted of a choice of three rolls. The closest they got to champagne was Cava, a Spanish sparkling - meh! Please note the "teaspoon" next to the cup which is more like a swizzle stick!!
So we arrived into Schipol and then I went to find the Crown Lounge which was some distance, up some stairs, through middle earth and required an adjustment to the space time continuum to find. Enjoyed a light beverage and watched some TV on the iPhone - marvel this technology - what next?
Then it was off to my new jet - well it is actually quite an old jet but I had never flown on one before. It is a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and has three engines and is very old school! Brace yourselves for some exterior and interior shots!
There was no doubting that you were on KLM with all the (Delft) blue surrounding you. Seats were fine and comfortable but looked weird with the "ears". I did have loads of legroom though.
Being the geek I am I made the cabin crew aware that this was my first time on the MD-11. They all said how much they enjoyed flying the plane and were sad to see it being retired in a few years. There was some real champagne before take off (Billecart Salmon) and some small Dutch delicacies - not pickled herring. Main course orders were then taken by the girls in blue. At this point I should add that I got chatting to the fellow next to me who is a private pilot flying Gulfstreams. He was an amicable sort of a bloke but had this very odd habit of spitting out a brown fluid into a water bottle every few minutes - it was quite gross. Thankfully he went to sleep so I did not have nine hours of this.
Then it was meal time. Now KLM was proud to be having "Dutch Month" celebrating all foods from Holland. Now, if you did not know, I am half Dutch and although the food is fine, Holland is not necessarily a country known for its cuisine. So I braced myself and the results are below. I did love the salt & pepper clogs which were a permitted souvenir.....and the cutlery...which was not...but...
I liked the orange on the tray but main course was, well, I think a picture speaks a thousand words, since when is brown, brown, and brown a good idea?
Watched a few movies to pass the time all washed down with a French red. Have to say the flight attendants, although friendly, had mastered the art of ignoring the call bells. Maybe they do not work in jets this old.
Arrival was pretty seamless and the car was there to take me to the Mandarin Oriental. Warm welcome and a lovely hotel in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.
Saturday 6 October 2012
Saturday arrived and it was time to head out to the airport to the Delta Flight Museum where the memorabilia show was being held. Best way to get there was by train which was pretty straight forward - yes I am on more suburban trains. It was a pretty warm day in Atlanta (about 30 degrees) and the hanger where the fair was being held was roasting.
It was a fascinating study of the human (geek) condition to see all these die hards trawling through models, cutlery, badges, safety cards etc, etc, etc. I was very restrained and only bought a couple of things but had a nice wander about and considered my own human condition. Here are a few shots:
Perfect for the home theatre or mock-up cabin in the cellar.
I thought the landing gear could be lovely fitted with a table and an umbrella, a real talking point for those summer soirees.
It was then back to the hotel with my few purchases and had a bit of downtime before heading to dinner in the hotel's restaurant. Was a lovely spot to eat other than the proximity of the bar which included a television broadcasting the local football came. The staff and patrons were really getting into it....I had wine to try and drown them out. Food was pretty average.
Sunday 7 October 2012
I had most to of the day on Sunday before jetting back home and tossed up a few tourist options. Did you know Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola? I didn't and they have Coca Cola World here! It is also the HQ for CNN!
I elected to go to the Georgia Aquarium instead which is like a giant version of Underwater World. Have to say it was pretty neat but the dolphin show was a bit lame. No reflection on the dolphins of course - they were cool.
Very cool seahorses
And just for good measure, the bloke who invented Coca-Cola. Looks like they modelled him in Coca-Cola brown!
It was then time to head back to the airport to head home. I tossed up on the best mode of transport, limo, taxi, horse drawn carriage but decided on the train again. Not the most glam but certainly economical.
Checked in and then off to the Delta Sky Club for a pre-take off beverage. Very bright and clean lounge with great views across the apron of all the Delta jets.
So, Delta is another new airline for me and I had pretty low expectations having flown on American Airlines a number of times. If you think there has been cost cutting in the Australian airline industry you should fly in America. So I braced myself knowing that I had an older style Boeing 767 to take me back to Zurich on this overnight flight.
As expected the cabin looked a bit tired but this was made up for by the friendliness and enthusiasm of the crew. They may have been on the mature side but they seemed to genuinely enjoy their job and very proud of Delta (and they thought I was a delight!). Of course now it is time for some random cabin shots.....
It was then meal time which was served with some urgency and they forgot to warm my nuts!
The food was a lot better than I expected and I quite liked the "kind to trees" tray. Yummy duck and a pumpkin soup to start followed by a stuffed chicken and then ice cream sundae.
Well, that was it folks! I know this one was very airline heavy so if you made it to the end I applaud you for your dedication, perseverance and loyalty - perhaps I need to start a Frequent Reader Program - you get points for each page you read....now for a name....
No comments:
Post a Comment