AMS And A Few Other Places

Be warned. This is possibly the world’s longest trip report. It’s so long I’ve had to split it into a few different sections, so it’s only suitable for viewing by those with nothing whatsoever better to do!

Well, things have been a little crazy lately. In the 10 days covered by this trip report I had a total of 12 flights, going through 6 different countries. I had 8 days in Scandinavia with work, so I decided to book flights for the two days before this started, and have a 10-day Flyathon.

Day 1 – Tuesday 8th November – AMS/LTN

I decided, just for the fun of it, to see how many flights I could squeeze into one day. I managed four (gotta love those LCC prices!) My journey starts at my good old home airport, LBA. Flight No. 1 takes me to AMS.

Flight No. 1
ROUTE: LBA-AMS
AIRLINE: JET2
FLIGHT: LS201
AIRCRAFT: Boeing 737-300
REG: G-CELU
DEPART: 07:00
ARRIVE: 09:15

I arrive early at LBA, as I always do. Depending on the time of day, I like having a coffee or beer before flying, and generally just relaxing (if that’s possible in a busy airport). Check in at 05:00 is effortless, and after a nice cup of tea, I venture through to departures.

Opportunities to take photos of aircraft from the departure lounge at LBA are virtually non existant, especially when it’s still pitch black dark, so I don’t even bother trying and head straight for cup of tea No. 2 (remarkably managing to walk past the bar and NOT order a beer).

We board, push back, and are swiftly in the air. As we burst through the first layer of clouds, I’m greeted by one of the most amazing and vibrant sunrises I’ve ever seen, either from the air, sea, or on land. It’s an incredible sight.

As we reach cruising altitude, the light is making its presence known more and more, and the cloud layer below us begins to look more like a barren Polar wasteland than water vapour.

We land at AMS on the Polderbaan, the furthest runway from the terminal buildings. Once on the ground you face a 15 or so minute taxi to your stand. We disembark at the new Pier H, which is used by the LCC’s. It’s…Err…Rather bare, but there are good facilities in Lounge 3 before you enter Pier H.

AMS is by far the most polite airport I’ve been through. The Dutch always seem, to me at least, to me to be a very friendly and helpful bunch of people. I’m continually impressed by their general attitude, especially their welcoming nature towards visitors in their home country. Even going through security I’ve found them incredibly polite, without ever seeming false. Many people from here in the UK could learn a hell of a lot from them.

As usual there are some interesting sights at AMS. Not knowing how long it will take to get through security (and also needing to eat) I give Panorama Terrace a miss for now, although I do get some shots from the terminal. As luck would have it, KLM’s A330 PH-AOA was in.

I wonder how the guy next to the main landing gear made his way through school. He must have been teased an awful lot about the fact he’s so short. He can’t be any taller than 20 inches! (OK I’ll admit, it’s actually a really, really big plane).

As always there are plenty of Northwest aircraft around. A nice old DC-10 heads up this long line of NW tails.

After a rather nice (albeit expensive) sausage roll, I head to catch my next flight to take me to Luton, a new airport for my list.

Flight No. 2
ROUTE: AMS-LTN
AIRLINE: EasyJet
FLIGHT: EZY2158
AIRCRAFT: Boeing 737-700
REG: G-EZJZ
DEPART: 11:50
ARRIVE: 12:00

Previous to this day I’d only ever flown with Easyjet once (15th December 2003 EMA-FAO), and having done a fair amount of flying since then, I couldn’t really remember what they were like, so it was nice to be able to make a fair comparison between U2 and the likes of LS and FR.

It’s a good flight. My only problem was not having allocated seating, although Easyjet’s boarding system seems to work very well. Passengers are split into four or five groups according to the time they checked in. Group A (being the first to check in), are boarded first, group B second, and so on.

We depart from the Polderbaan, involving the typical long taxi to reach the runway. I chose a seat right in front of engine No. 2, which makes for a few nice photo opportunities as we leave the Dutch coast behind and head over the North Sea.

Arriving at Luton my initial thought was something along the lines of ‘what a dump!’ There are far more pleasant terminals to arrive at, although as I make my way through to the arrivals hall it becomes clear there are fairly extensive improvements being made here. After a quick XL bacon double cheeseburger from good old BK, my priority is finding a spotting spot. I kind of succeed. 5 minutes walk out of the front of the airport I find a place next to the control tower from where I can get limited shots of aircraft on the runway, and also as they taxi to the terminal after landing. The light was disappointing though, and when I feel the drizzle start I head back inside. These are about the best of my Luton shots.

There are plenty of Monarch aircraft at Luton. From inside the terminal I manage a few snaps of an A320 and a 752.

Here’s a nice size comparison between a Ford Escort van and RB-211 No.1 of G-DAJB

The time comes to head through security and make my way to flight No. 3. In a very new and pleasant departure lounge, I acquire myself a pint of Carling, and sit looking through huge windows, watching planes and listening to my iPod. With music, aircraft and alcohol, I am in my element.

Flight No. 3
ROUTE: LTN-AMS
AIRLINE: EasyJet
FLIGHT: EZY2163
AIRCRAFT: Boeing 737-300
REG: G-IGOP
DEPART: 15:40
ARRIVE: 17:50

Now this is a fun flight, mainly because of the light-hearted nature of the cabin crew. There’s a very relaxed atmosphere on this flight, and the crew were clearly up for a laugh in a way I haven’t experienced since I flew LIS to MAN with PGA Airlines in June of this year. There are some very comical announcements over the PA system, one of which was “we will be dimming the cabin lights in preparation for landing, which will create a very romantic atmosphere, so keep your hands to yourself!” They’ve found the perfect balance between an informal attitude and an attentive, professional way of working, and it’s an absolute pleasure being in their company.

We land uneventfully on the Polderbaan, although it’s slightly amusing when it becomes obvious our pilot was somewhat lost! After a brief land tour of various piers at AMS, we finally park at our stand and disembark.

I have a little time to kill, so I head up to Panorama Terrace. Exactly what I plan to photograph in the dark I don’t know, but nonetheless, I’m willing to try. The only problem with my little plan is that Panorama Terrace, where I’ve wasted many an hour over the last year, is CLOSED! Damn these winter opening times! I venture outside planning a little walk around the front of the airport, but soon chicken out of that on realising it’s bloody cold out there! Only one thing for it… Self-check in, and through to departures for a few beers (why don’t more airlines use self check in? It’s so easy!)

For the second time in one day I find myself in lounge 3. Tired, I head to the bar, get a pint of proper Heineken, and sit by the window to be kept company by my iPod and KLM 744 PH-BFS, which was boarding right outside the window. 15 minutes later, BFS is pushed back for departure, and I begin to feel strangely alone in this enormous airport, knowing the space she had previously filled was now occupied by the cold and dark night.

A few pints later and it’s boarding time. I head to H4 to meet my final flight of the day back home.

Flight 4
ROUTE: AMS-LBA
AIRLINE: JET2
FLIGHT: LS206
AIRCRAFT: Boeing 737-300
REG: G-CELV
DEPART: 20:45
ARRIVE: 21:00

This was an interesting flight. At self-check in I almost changed my allocated seat (4A) to further down the plane, but in darkness the light on the end of the wing of the 733 makes it difficult to see the ground, so I decided to stay put.

Boarding the plane a well-spoken lady in 4C was on the phone. I politely ask her if I can get through, she politely obliges. We get talking about travel, and that leads onto work (as I fly with work on a semi-regular basis). I discover she’s also, like myself, a sound engineer. It turns out we’d met before at a concert 5 or so years ago (although neither of us could remember which one), and we had a very interesting conversation over a can of Stella from leaving AMS to arriving in the terminal at LBA. It’s incredible how people who meet once, can meet again in the strangest of places. I call a taxi and head home, in serious need of sleep.

Day 2 – 9th November – DUB

Day 2 starts with a **** up as I foolishly (and for the first time ever), forget to reset my clock to GMT, leading me to arrive at LBA an hour earlier than I had planned to! Needless to say I feel a little stupid, and decide not to tell the taxi driver. An hour early isn’t too bad. I have an hour and a half before check in to sit upstairs and drink tea listening to music. I can live with that.

Check in is uneventful. I head into departures, and somehow again manage to stay away from the bar. I heard a rumour this flight might be a 738, but sure enough as we were called to gate 5a, a good old trusty 732 pulls up, although I’m slightly disappointed it was an aircraft I’d flown on before.

Flight 5
ROUTE: LBA-DUB
AIRLINE: Ryanair
FLIGHT: FR153
AIRCRAFT: Boeing 737-200
REG: EI-CNX
DEPART: 10:50
ARRIVE: 11:40

The sunrise for flight No. 1 was stunning, and the skies are pretty awesome on day 2 as well. It’s a typical winter day. Temperatures are cold, but the sky is a deep shade of blue, hidden in parts by patches of cloud.

There seems to be regular patchy cloud over the Irish Sea. Today the cloud makes the sight from the window of our 732 a spectacular one.

I only have a few hours to kill in Dublin, so I wander outside the airport to see if I can get any shots of aircraft on approach. After 15 minutes or so walking I find myself right under the flight path to one of the runways (not sure which one). The cloud formations that fill the sky are incredible. Quite different to the rain clouds I’m more familiar with in Bradford.

If only the first letter of this company’s name was G:

Whoever said you couldn’t take photos towards the sun was lying. You can, you just can’t read the registrations!

On my way back to the terminal to check in, I see a rather disturbing sign. I know Ryanair have their problems, but they have their own MORTUARY?!

Of course I know the mortuary is nothing to do with Ryanair (at least I hope it isn’t).

I check in and head to the Skybar upstairs, and sit gazing out of the window. I’m in a strange mood. An observant, contemplating, thoughtful mood. I sit and observe people, and aircraft, and start seeing things in a slightly different way. I look at old aircraft next to their newer cousins, and feel there’s something very different about the two.

I look at a 732 and think of it almost in Human terms. This is an old girl. She’s been there and seen it all before. What she hasn’t seen isn’t worth seeing, and what she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing. New and more comfortable aircraft have moved in and selfishly pushed her aside, but, ever dedicated and faithful to her purpose in life, she is still here, proudly fighting to keep her memories alive in an existence she knows is almost at an end.

Then, my view shifts, and I see the 732 in another way. As a record of past events, with the aircraft having an atmosphere much like buildings do. Here is an aircraft that has transported hundreds of thousands of people from all imaginable walks of life, in countless different circumstances. People like myself who fly frequently and thoroughly enjoy the experience. Families taking their first holiday abroad seeing our planet from the air in a way even their wildest dreams couldn’t have realised. Business travellers for whom flying is no different to getting on a bus or train, and fearful flyers, who gaze through the window at a sunset of unspeakable beauty, only to have the moment darkened by an overwhelming fear it may be the last time they ever see our life giving Star.

The inner walls of that 732 echo the emotions of all who have travelled on her. Events and moments of the past are embedded in every component that makes that aircraft the 25-year-old 732 it is. That 732 has a unique character, and there is no other quite like it. It has energy, built up after years of Human interaction, and even when half ripped apart and engine-less, never to leave the surety of the ground again, that energy can still be felt.

Anyway…Enough of the deep stuff. I guess I have a soft spot for old planes… It’s time to go home.

Flight 6
ROUTE: DUB-LBA
AIRLINE: Ryanair
FLIGHT: FR154
AIRCRAFT: Boeing 737-200
REG: EI-CNX
DEPART: 15:10
ARRIVE: 16:05

On my return I have the same plane as my inbound flight, and in fact the same seat. 20F for both flights. I chose this seat because I suspect these two flights may well be the final times I ever get to see the bucket reversers of the JT8D’s deploy, and I intend to make the most of them.

The sky is a little clearer now. We depart DUB, and after a 180-degree turn we have a superb aerial view of the airport, although unfortunately the image from my camera is a little hazy

Once over the Irish Sea I get a coffee, relax and take in the view. Our route takes us over Liverpool, and almost right along the M62 motorway (which I’ve travelled on hundreds of times so it was interesting to see it from the air).

We fly to the East of Leeds with Ferrybridge power station clearly in view, and turn to fly over Leeds city centre heading for LBA’s Rwy 32. Again I’m tired, but it’s been a good day. I leave LBA and say in my mind ‘see you tomorrow’. I arrive home and sleep with the thought that I have all this to do again for the next 8 days.