It’s been ridiculously hot on the continent recently, so when I got 4 consecutive days off on last week’s duty roster, I decided to head home and at least get a sea breeze.
My preferred option would have been to go BA, as it gave me the option of an early flight on Saturday, returning by Thursday evening, which wasn’t really feasible with easyJet, unless I wanted to spend Wednesday night at Stansted. Unfortunately, while flying BSL-LHR on the Saturday wasn’t a problem, the cheapest quote I could get for Saturday for LHR-GLA was £132 one way. not a hope I was paying that. So, I ended up booking easyJet Basel-Berlin-Glasgow for £147 one way all in, and BA Glasgow-Heathrow-Basel for £88 one way all in.
And so to BSL on Saturday morning, July 22nd, for EZY4634, the 8:45am flight to SXF.
I arrived at the Airport at 7:20am, yet still only managed to get in boarding group D. I had a little look over the Apron, once I’d cleared security, and was presented with TunisAir TS-IOM right in front of the Terminal.
Unfortunately, being in group D, there was no way I was getting a window seat, so I didn’t manage to get any pictures onboard, although the flight was, as usual, thoroughly enjoyable. The aircraft was A319-111 G-EZEC, and flight time was 65 minutes. Here she is after disembarkation at an even hotter Schönefeld.
As EZY6958 to Glasgow wasn’t due for departure till some five an d a hlaf hours later, I wondered what I could do. While there is a viewing terrace upstairs it costs a couple of € to get in, and I had a fair bit of luggage that would have had to be scanned through the Metal detector to get out, so I didn’t bother. I instead went for a walk along to Airportworld BBI, an exhibition on SXF’s proposed expansion to become Berlin Brandenburg International. However, this was closed on Saturdays, so I strolled back to the Terminal. I had contemplated getting the Train into Berlin to kill some time, but in the event I didn’t feel up to it, and just stayed in the Terminal, and read the Paper.
at 13:25, 5 minutes before check-in opened for my flight, I was in teh check-in queue, but still only got Boarding Group B. I’m now convinced Group A is just a myth. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but why wouldn’t easyJet be pushing the orange theme with flights to Glasgow checking-in? :diablo:
I had a bit of a contre-temps at security, as they wouldn’t let me take my backpack onboard as I had my scanner in it. Aside from the fact it had been unmentioned by anyone earlier at Basel, or, for that matter, on my trip earlier that month Basel-Hamburg-Basel, I was a bit surprised, but, as requested by the guy, I took my backpack back to check-in and put it on as hold luggage (having taken the battery out the scanner first).
My Aircraft for the flight was A319-111 G-EZIA, and, armed with my group B boarding pass, I managed to get a window seat, 21A, from where I was presented a view of G-EZNC…
As we pushed back, I could see how hot it really was, as I attempted to snap egyptair 321 SU-GRU, but was kind of foiled by the heat haze.
As we headed to the runway, I tried to get a picture of the ex-Niki A320 parked up, which, I reckon is the one mentioned in this month’s AW as having been sold to the Germany. Unfortunately, I’d turned my camera dial to film mode, with the idea of getting a takeoff picture, which explains teh small size of this pic. I didn’t get a takeoff film, either, but can hopefully come back with a video shortly…
By: G-CDFF - 7th August 2006 at 10:40
Great report there! 😀
By: T5 - 6th August 2006 at 15:28
Excellent report and photographs. 🙂
By: 007peter - 5th August 2006 at 20:09
great report and shots
regards
peter
By: steve rowell - 5th August 2006 at 08:49
Great report and photos my friend!!
By: bmi-star - 5th August 2006 at 08:30
Nice set of shots there, Emirates Stadium looks amazing from the air!
By: OneLeft - 5th August 2006 at 00:42
That’ll be THE Stansted that IS in Kent then, rather than the other, lesser known one.
1L.
By: Mark L - 4th August 2006 at 23:16
Interesting read! That ASA A310 gets everywhere, quite remarkable when you consider they have just the one aircraft in the fleet.
By: Oasis747 - 4th August 2006 at 18:53
Nice report the Bhoy lovely pics to accompany it!!!
By: EK. - 4th August 2006 at 15:18
Great report and fantastic pics. Good to hear that the Berlin-Glasgow flights are doing well. That Emirates stadium is well impressive!!
By: Bhoy - 4th August 2006 at 15:07
We were on a remote Stand at T4, so after a short bus trip, I got to take a pic of boarding A319-131 G-EUOF, which was operating BA754 to BSL that afternoon (I gather from other threads that the aircraft was diverted to LGW on the way back due to Thunderstorms last Thursday).
I was in row 15 this time, so missed out on the legroom, although it was still passable.
Takeoff was from 27L, and on the way there, I got some more shots, a BA 777 also heading to 27L, Air India 747 in teh distance, as well as B-Med A321 G-MEDG on 27L. Also on 27L was bmi RJ G-RJXA, which I hadn’t expected to see at Heathrow, being such a small aircraft, and considering the gold dust quality of slots.
We then overtook KLM 737 PH-BTB, which was also taxi-ing from terminal 4 to 27L
There was also a BA 744 on the far side of the runway
After a pretty quick takeoff, looking out to the left, I managed to get a pretty good pic of the Southern half of Heathrow as we banked left.
As we continued our climb, I wondered just who exactly thinks that Stansted is in Kent?
It was a pretty uneventful flight, so I had some time to get worked up about my favourite bete noir, the All Day Deli.
But eventually, I just sat back and enjoyed the vivid colours outside
Before commencing our descent over the forests of Alsace towards Basel
Having landed on 16, with the Breaks pretty hard on, due to the displaced threshold (which work is however finished again now), so I had some difficulty getting the camera straight to get a picture of DHL 757-236 G-BIKP
Leaving me with just one last photo opportunity as we turned onto the Apron, with hello MD-90-30ER HB-JIE parked on Stand, alongside African Safari Airways A310 5Y-VIP.
Hope youse enjoy!
By: Bhoy - 4th August 2006 at 14:44
So, for the return trip on Thursday morning, flying on BA1479, I’d checked in online the night before, and managed to get myself the overwing exit row. Check out the leg room. 🙂 The flight was operated by A319-131 G-EUPB
As we taxied towards the holding point for 23, I squeezed a couple of shots of G-BVVK off.
Also at the Terminal was Aer Lingus A320 EI-DEB
BA A320-111 G-BUSE was parked by the BA Maintenance facility.
There were some pretty impressive Cloud formations as we climbed
And with Airshow displaying maps all the way down, time seemed to fly by, as did the cuppa.
Anyway, I mentioned football grounds before, and we passed over one or two as we made our approach to 27R at Heathrow. I knew Ashburton Grove was close to Highbury, but I didn’t know it was this close…
a closer look at just the brand new Emirates Stadium
it is nice to see London, though, but don’t ask me to pick out landmarks, you’ll need to get locals to do it, I try to avoid the place as much as possible.
But that place over there, I can name. Still don’t understand why it takes so long to build it.
Having landed, I took a couple of pics, bmi A321 G-MIDK and EI A321 EI-CPE, notably.
After parking, I had a quick opportunity to snap a picture of the aircraft that’d carried me down to London in 54 minutes.
I had been hoping to get some pics at LHR as I got the transfer bus to terminal 4, but the Bus had BA logos all over the windows, and was too close to get decent photos without a fisheye lens, anyway.
By: LBARULES - 4th August 2006 at 14:28
Fantastic report and shots, really enjoyed it :).
By: Bhoy - 4th August 2006 at 14:05
Berlin-Glasgow was sold out, I asked at check-in if it was busy, and she said it was full. As for G-EZEK, dunno what she was doing over there. Didn’t see CP, judging by the position of Fir Park, it’d have been on the Starboard side of the aircraft, I think? We did pass right over Murray Park, mind.
By: EK. - 4th August 2006 at 13:56
Good report and nice pics, any shots of CP on the approach?
Any idea why the other EZY aircraft was on the intl pier? Never seen them their before. Also what was the loads like on the Glasgow-Berlin flight? Its quite a new service so just wondering how its doing.
By: Bhoy - 4th August 2006 at 13:40
I did manage to get a bit of a video as we lifted off. It was a little bumpy, climbing through the heat layers.
http://www.youtube.com/?v=gQGa65haH0I
In response to my question after my last set of easyJet flights about whether or not they’d done away with the Slimline stuff, it appears it’s only on the Swiss based aircraft this is the case. Hardly surprising, no one here has heard of the stuff.
There were some Thunderstorms forecast over the German/Dutch border, so we skirted around it and headed straight out over the North Sea.
As we commenced our descent, there were some threathening looking clouds
But it soon cleared, and left nothing more worring looking than Fir Park, Motherwell, the first of several Football stadia I got pics of on approach that Week.
We came in over the West End, landing on 23.
As we taxi-ed in, I saw easyJet A319 G-EZEK at the International Pier, so I assumed we’d head there to join her.
There’d been a KLM cityhopper Fokker70 holding short as we’d landed, and, being sat on the Port side of the Aircraft, I saw it lift off during our Taxi.
Surprisingly, however, we taxi-ed to the LoCo pier, where the crew informed us they had 8 minutes to turn the Aircraft around before it’s subsequent Domestic mission, and we’d be bussed round to International arrivals.
While awaiting disembarkation, I managed to get a couple more pics, Loganair Saab SF340B G-LGNE and Air Contractors ATR72 EI-SLG
It took ages to reclaim our luggage, as it, too, had to be bussed over.
I’ll go into the return flights later.
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August 4, 2006 at 1:00 pm