#1927 – AvGeek Weekend Trip #8 (AMS – BOD – CDG – AMS)

May 25, 2017May 27, 2017 zilko2 Comments

ENGLISH

Posts in the AvGeek Weekend Trip series:
1. AvGeek Weekend Trip #1 (AMS-CDG-STR-AMS)
2. AvGeek Weekend Trip #2 (AMS-MAD-FRA-AMS)
3. AvGeek Weekend Trip #3 (AMS-LYS-NCE-AMS)
4. AvGeek Weekend Trip #4 (AMS–CDG, ORY–LYS–AMS)
5. AvGeek Weekend Trip #5 (AMS-CPH-ARN-AMS)
6. AvGeek Weekend Trip #6 (AMS-CDG, ORY-MRS-BOD-AMS)
7. AvGeek Weekend Trip #7 (AMS–CDG–LYS–AMS)
8. AvGeek Weekend Trip #8 (AMS–BOD–CDG–AMS)

Twelve days ago I went on another AvGeek Weekend Trip. As I said, at some point I hesitated going on this trip but in the end, and I am glad I did this, I decided to put aside the hesitation and still went. And here is the story of the trip 🙂 .

***

My first flight was scheduled to depart at 14:30, but I arrived at Schiphol at around 11:00 so that it was on time for brunch at KLM’s Crown Lounge, haha 😆 .

Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1317
Equipment: Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGP (“Pelicaan”)
ATD: 15:05 CET (Runway 18L of AMS)
ATA: 16:25 CET (Runway 23 of BOD)

At 13:45 I went to the gate only to find out that a Transavia’s Boeing 737 (in SunWeb livery) was still there but was already ready for pushback. However, this was a sign that my flight would be delayed. This was not the best circumstance especially for today where my connecting time in Bordeaux was quite tight, so I got a little bit anxious, haha 😣.

Well, at least about two minutes after the Transavia flight’s departure, the KLM’s Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGP that would operate my flight parked at the gate. Indeed it was really quick! Good job, Schiphol!! Haha 😆 .

A KLM’s Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGP named “Pelicaan” arrived at the gate some two minutes after the departure of the Transavia flight.

Nonetheless, boarding commenced about 20 minutes behind schedule. There was also a queue for take-off at runway 18L so the plane left the ground 35 minutes after the scheduled departure time, haha.

There was nothing I could do at this point beside to just be in the moment and enjoy. So along with my complimentary snack, I ordered white wine (and this was after a couple glasses of sparkling wine earlier in the lounge). This worked, though, as I felt calmer afterwards.

The complimentary snack service on board KLM’s flight KL1317 to Bordeaux.

Anyway, at 16:25 we landed at runway 23 of Bordeaux Airport. We parked at the gate next to an easyJet’s flight that just arrived from the UK. Knowing there would likely be a border control at the airport, I rushed after deboarding. Indeed there were already quite many people forming lines at the border control, but luckily the lines went quite fast, haha.

I had to change terminals in Bordeaux because I was transferring to a domestic flight but luckily the airport was not really big. I could immediately went to the security check because I already had my boarding pass. And guess what, it was still 10 minutes ahead of boarding time! I made it! Haha 😆 .

Air France’s Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAK at Bordeaux Airport

Of course, though, I had no time to drop by at Air France’s lounge there as boarding started not long after. Interestingly (I had never experienced this before), we were told to board as quick as possible because the airport would be closed for two hours starting from 17:30 for a training. So we had to make our 17:25 departure otherwise we would be delayed at least until 19:30.

Flight: Air France AF 7637
Equipment: Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAK
ATD: 17:29 CET (Runway 23 of BOD)
ATA: 18:27 CET (Runway 27L of CDG)

Boarding went efficiently where I settled onto my comfortable seat 1A. I found it quite funny that at 17:19, when boarding was still ongoing, the captain announced we had 11 minutes for departure, lol 😆 . We took off at 17:29, just in time before the airport closure!! 😀

A few of these planes were already in position as we were taking off from Bordeaux

It was a pleasant domestic flight with Air France; and I especially enjoyed seat 1A! Haha 😛 . About one hour later, we landed at runway 27L of Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris.

After getting my boarding pass back to Amsterdam, I went to an Air France’s lounge. I came in with no expectation after my latest experience there just one month earlier where I was very disappointed with the meal offers. This time, though, Air France redeemed itself and the service went back to pretty much how it was before. Phew!!

Btw, the brownies in the right picture above was really, really good!

Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1246
Equipment: Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGX (“Scholekster”)
ATD: 20:29 CET (Runway 27L of CDG)
ATA: 21:10 CET (Runway 18R of AMS)

At 19:45, I left the lounge and went to the gate nearby. Not long after, boarding started for flight KL1246, which would be operated by a KLM’s Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGX. The flight was not full today so boarding went quite quickly.

Boarding a KLM’s Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGX as flight KL1246 to Amsterdam.

This was a normal Paris – Amsterdam flight. Probably because it was a late flight, KLM only served a small bag of crackers instead of the usual sandwich/wrap. At least it tasted good, though. Anyway, at 21:10 we landed at the Polderbaan in Schiphol, just six hours after taking off to Bordeaux!! Hahaha 😆 .

The “Kaagbaan” (runway 06/24) was under maintenance

Seat 1A on board F-GTAK. I really, really like Air France’s peach cabin lighting

Snack service on board Air France’s flight AF7637

Snack service on board KLM’s flight KL1246

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri AvGeek Weekend Trip:
1. AvGeek Weekend Trip #1 (AMS-CDG-STR-AMS)
2. AvGeek Weekend Trip #2 (AMS-MAD-FRA-AMS)
3. AvGeek Weekend Trip #3 (AMS-LYS-NCE-AMS)
4. AvGeek Weekend Trip #4 (AMS–CDG, ORY–LYS–AMS)
5. AvGeek Weekend Trip #5 (AMS-CPH-ARN-AMS)
6. AvGeek Weekend Trip #6 (AMS-CDG, ORY-MRS-BOD-AMS)
7. AvGeek Weekend Trip #7 (AMS–CDG–LYS–AMS)
8. AvGeek Weekend Trip #8 (AMS–BOD–CDG–AMS)

Dua belas hari yang lalu aku pergi dalam rangka AvGeek Weekend Trip lagi. Seperti yang waktu itu kuceritakan, aku sedikit ragu untuk pergi dalam perjalanan ini tetapi akhirnya, dan aku lega aku memutuskan ini, aku tetap pergi. Dan berikut ini ceritanya 🙂 .

***

Penerbangan pertamaku dijadwalkan berangkat jam 14:30, tetapi aku tiba di Schiphol sekitar jam 11:00 supaya waktunya pas untuk brunch di Crown Lounge-nya KLM, haha 😆 .

Penerbangan: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1317
Pesawat: Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGP (“Pelicaan”)
ATD: 15:05 CET (Runway 18L of AMS)
ATA: 16:25 CET (Runway 23 of BOD)

Jam 13:45 aku menuju ke gate dimana ternyata sebuah Boeing 737nya Transavia (dengan livery Sunweb) masih terparkir tetapi sudah siap untuk pushback. Hanya saja, ini adalah pertanda bahwa penerbanganku akan terlambat. Dan ini bukanlah situasi terbaik untuk hari ini dimana waktu transitku di Bordeaux amat singkat, jadilah aku sedikit merasa khawatir, haha 😣.

Yah, setidaknya sih sekitar dua menit setelah pesawatnya Transavia berangkat, sebuah Boeing 737-700nya KLM dengan rego PH-BGP, yang akan mengoperasikan penerbanganku, langsung parkir di gate-ku. Sigap dan cepat banget ya! Good job, Schiphol!! Haha 😆 .

Sebuah Boeing 737-700nya KLM dengan rego PH-BGP bernama “Pelicaan” tiba di *gate* sekitar dua menit setelah keberangkatan pesawatnya Transavia.

Toh walaupun begitu, boarding berlangsung 20 menit di belakang jadwal. Kebetulan juga ada antrian untuk lepas landas dari landasan pacu 18L sehingga pesawatnya baru terbang 35 menit terlambat dari jadwal, haha.

Nggak ada yang bisa kulakukan di waktu ini kecuali untuk be in the moment dan menikmatinya. Jadilah untuk menemani snack komplimennya, aku memesan anggur putih (dan ini setelah dua gelas sparkling wine di lounge, haha). Dan trik ini bekerja loh, aku merasa kalem setelahnya.

Layanan *snack* komplimen di penerbangan KL1317nya KLM ke Bordeaux.

Jam 16:25, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 23 Bandara Bordeaux. Kami parkir di sebelah sebuah pesawatnya easyJet yang baru saja tiba dari Inggris. Karena aku tahu akan ada pemeriksaan paspor di bandara ini, aku berjalan cepat-cepat setelah turun dari pesawat. Benar saja, sudah ada banyak orang di pemeriksaan imigrasi sehingga antrian panjang terbentuk. Untungnya sih pemeriksaannya berlangsung cepat, haha.

Aku harus pindah terminal di Bordeaux karena aku transit ke penerbangan domestik. Untungnya sih bandaranya kecil. Aku dapat langsung menuju pemeriksaan sekuriti karena aku sudah mendapatkan boarding pass. Dan ternyata waktu itu masih 10 menit sebelum jadwal boarding dong! Aku berhasil dan ternyata tidak terlambat! Haha 😆 .

Sebuah Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAK milik Air France di Bandara Bordeaux

Tentu saja tidak ada waktu untukku mampir di lounge-nya Air France di sana karena boarding berlangsung tak lama kemudian. Menariknya (belum pernah kejadian kepadaku sebelumnya), penumpang diminta untuk naik pesawat secepat mungkin karena bandaranya akan ditutup jam 17:30 selama sekitar dua jam untuk latihan penerbangan. Jadi kami harus berangkat tepat waktu yaitu jam 17:25 sesuai jadwal. Jika tidak, kami harus menunggu setidaknya sampai jam 19:30.

Penerbangan: Air France AF 7637
Pesawat: Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAK
ATD: 17:29 CET (Runway 23 of BOD)
ATA: 18:27 CET (Runway 27L of CDG)

Boarding berlangsung efisien dan aku duduk nyaman di kursi 1Aku. Lucu juga rasanya jam 17:19, ketika sebagian penumpang masih boarding, kapten mengumumkan bahwa kami memiliki waktu 11 menit untuk berangkat, haha 😆 . Akhirnya, kami lepas landas jam 17:29, pas banget sebelum penutupan bandaranya!! 😀

Beberapa pesawat ini sudah berbaris ketika kami lepas landas dari Bordeaux.

Ini adalah penerbangan domestik dengan Air France yang nyaman; dimana aku terutama menikmati kursi 1A! Haha 😛 . Sekitar satu jam kemudian, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 27L Bandara Charles De Gaulle di Paris.

Setelah mendapatkan boarding pass-ku untuk kembali ke Amsterdam, aku pergi ke sebuah lounge-nya Air France. Aku masuk tidak dengan ekspektasi apa-apa akibat pengalaman terakhirku kesana sekitar satu bulan sebelumnya dimana aku dikecewakan dengan layanan makanannya. Kali ini, Air France menebus dirinya kembali dan level layanannya kembali ke sedia kala. Fiuh!!

Btw, brownies di foto sebelah kanan enak banget loh!

Penerbangan: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1246
Pesawat: Boeing 737-700 reg PH-BGX (“Scholekster”)
ATD: 20:29 CET (Runway 27L of CDG)
ATA: 21:10 CET (Runway 18R of AMS)

Jam 19:45, aku beranjak dari lounge dan berjalan menuju gate tidak jauh dari sana. Tak lama kemudian, boarding penerbangan KL1246 dimulai, yang mana akan dioperasikan dengan Boeing 737-700nya KLM dengan rego PH-BGX. Penerbangan ini tidak penuh hari ini sehingga boarding berlangsung cepat.

*Boarding* sebuah Boeing 737-700nya KLM dengan rego PH-BGX sebagai penerbangan KL1246 ke Amsterdam.

Ini adalah penerbangan normal Paris – Amsterdam. Mungkin karena penerbangan malam, KLM hanya memberikan satu bungkus kecil crackers bukannya sandwich/wrap seperti biasanya itu. Tetapi crackers-nya enak sih, haha. Anyway, jam 21:10 pesawat mendarat di Polderbaan di Schiphol, hanya sekitar enam jam setelah aku lepas landas ke Bordeaux!! Hahaha 😆 .

Aviation · EuroTrip · Trip Report · Vacation · Weekend Trip

#1906 – AvGeek Weekend Trip #7 (AMS – CDG – LYS – AMS)

April 13, 2017April 9, 2017 zilko15 Comments

ENGLISH

In mid-March, I went on another Avgeek Weekend Trip. At the time I wasn’t sure whether I would write the story or not. Well, as it turned out, I have decided that I would 😀 .

My routing this weekend. Created with gcmap.com

Posts in the AvGeek Weekend Trip series:
1. AvGeek Weekend Trip #1 (AMS-CDG-STR-AMS)
2. AvGeek Weekend Trip #2 (AMS-MAD-FRA-AMS)
3. AvGeek Weekend Trip #3 (AMS-LYS-NCE-AMS)
4. AvGeek Weekend Trip #4 (AMS–CDG, ORY–LYS–AMS)
5. AvGeek Weekend Trip #5 (AMS-CPH-ARN-AMS)
6. AvGeek Weekend Trip #6 (AMS-CDG, ORY-MRS-BOD-AMS)
7. AvGeek Weekend Trip #7 (AMS–CDG–LYS–AMS)

***

While boarding for my Amsterdam-Paris flight AF1341 was on time, I felt a little bit anxious today because it took awhile to complete. You see, my connecting time in Paris was only 50 minutes and two years ago this short transit time backfired on me. At the time I missed my connecting flight in Paris due to delayed departure from Amsterdam (because of de-icing).

The first flight today was with this Air France’s Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAD

Anyway, the flight today was operated with Air France’s Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAD. And, as usual, it was a regular pleasant Amsterdam – Paris flight. As the last time, I felt like the complimentary snack service on board an Air France’s mainline short-haul European flight had decreased in quality a little bit.

The complimentary snack on board flight AF1341. The snack used to be better. This was like HOP!’s level of service last year.

Thank to the buffer time in the schedule, we only got in Paris 5 minutes late. It was not bad at all given that my connecting flight would depart from the same pier.

But then, as it turned out, my connecting Paris – Lyon flight AF7644 was delayed for about 1 hour due to technical problem! Lol 😆 . They had to find a replacement aircraft, which meant they would have to “downgrade” the flight from an A321 to an A320 that was smaller. Consequently, a few passengers were called in the gate, presumably because they needed to be moved to some other flights because of this downgrade. Thankfully, I wasn’t one of them.

Lunch at Air France’s Lounge at Paris-CDG

Anyway, I used this now extra time to have lunch at an Air France’s lounge. The lounge at the pier was closed due to some renovation work so I had to go to the lounge in the next pier. Due to capacity constraint, they did not let qualified passengers to invite guests into the lounge, which infuriated one guy in front of me.

When it was boarding time, I went to the gate. And for the first time ever, my flight would depart from a remote stand of Paris – Charles De Gaulle Airport!! 😍 So they had to take the passengers to the plane with buses, and we got to board via stairs! 😀

Second flight today with this Air France’s Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXO. We gotta board via stairs!

The flight today would be operated with an Air France’s Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXO. I was originally seated in seat 1A but I was asked to move to seat 1C because I had two toddlers and their mother sitting next to me, and the older toddler would need to sit in a window seat 😣. Anyway, it was another regular flight to Lyon.

At Lyon Airport, I checked-in for my flight back to Amsterdam. After passing security, I went to an Air France’s salon there. I just intended to ask whether the lounge after immigration still welcomed SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers (It did in August, see AvGeek Weekend Trip #4). Luckily I asked because apparently it did not anymore, even though the attendant did not seem to be really sure about it.

Artsy stuff at Lyon – St. Exupery Airport

I waited there a little bit, but then I was bored. You see, Air France’s lounge at Lyon Airport was really underwhelming (read AvGeek Weekend Trip #3). And so I decided to leave, pass the immigration, and try my luck at the lounge after that. It turned out the attendant was correct, the lounge no longer took SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers 😦 . As there was no way to go back to Air France’s lounge, I just waited at the departure hall.

Third flight today with this KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer ERJ190 reg PH-EZB.

The flight back to Amsterdam would be operated with a KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer ERJ190 reg PH-EZB. It went on time, really smooth, very efficient, and pleasant; just like any other typical KLM flight 🙂 . Just after 19:30, I was already back at Schiphol, haha 😆 .

I had dinner at the airport before heading back to Delft. And here, this short AvGeek Weekend Trip of mine ended 🙂 .

On board Air France’s Airbus A321-200 F-GATD

The complimentary snack on board flight AF7644

On board KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer ERJ190 PH-EZB

The complimentary snack on board flight KL1416

I actually start to like aisle seats even more nowadays 🤔

BAHASA INDONESIA

Pertengahan Maret lalu, aku pergi dalam sebuah Avgeek Weekend Trip yang lain. Waktu itu aku nggak yakin apakah ceritanya akan kutulis atau tidak. Ternyata, aku ada waktu sekarang sehingga aku akan menceritakannya 😀 .

Ruteku akhir pekan ini. Kubuat dengan gcmap.com

Posting-posting dalam seri AvGeek Weekend Trip:
1. AvGeek Weekend Trip #1 (AMS-CDG-STR-AMS)
2. AvGeek Weekend Trip #2 (AMS-MAD-FRA-AMS)
3. AvGeek Weekend Trip #3 (AMS-LYS-NCE-AMS)
4. AvGeek Weekend Trip #4 (AMS–CDG, ORY–LYS–AMS)
5. AvGeek Weekend Trip #5 (AMS-CPH-ARN-AMS)
6. AvGeek Weekend Trip #6 (AMS-CDG, ORY-MRS-BOD-AMS)
7. AvGeek Weekend Trip #7 (AMS–CDG–LYS–AMS)

***

Walaupun boarding penerbangan AF1341 Amsterdam-Parisku berlangsung tepat waktu, aku sedikit merasa was-was karena prosesnya berlangsung lama. Begini, waktu transitku di Paris hanya 50 menit saja dan dua tahun lalu waktu transit yang singkat ini membawa pengalaman buruk. Waktu itu, aku ketinggalan penerbangan koneksiku di Paris akibat terlambatnya keberangkatan dari Amsterdam (akibat de-icing).

Penerbangan pertama hari ini adalah dengan Airbus A321-200nya Air France dengan rego F-GTAD ini

Anyway, penerbangan hari ini akan dioperasikan dengan Airbus A321-100nya Air France dengan rego F-GTAD.Dan, seperti biasa, ini adalah penerbangan yang nyaman dari Amsterdam ke Paris. Seperti yang lalu sih, aku merasa layanan snack di kelas ekonominya Air France di penerbangan jarak pendek intra-Eropa kok sedikit menurun ya kualitasnya.

Layanan snack di penerbangan AF1341. Snack-nya dulu lebih oke nih. Ini sih seperti level layanannya HOP! tahun lalu.

Untung akibat buffer time di jadwal, pesawat hanya terlambat 5 menit saja di Paris. Nggak masalah lah karena penerbangan lanjutanku kan dijadwalkan berangkat di pier yang sama.

Tetapi kemudian, ternyata penerbangan lanjutan AF7644 Paris – Lyonku terlambat 1 jam dong karena masalah teknis, haha 😆 . Mereka harus mencari pesawat pengganti, yang mana artinya pesawatnya harus di-“downgrade” dari A321 ke A320 yang lebih kecil. Sebagai akibatnya, ada beberapa penumpang yang dipanggil ke gerbang, aku duga sih mereka harus dipindahkan ke penerbangan lain karena downgrade ini. Untungnya, aku bukan lah salah satu dari mereka.

Makan siang di Lounge Air France di Paris-CDG

Anyway, waktu ekstra ini kumanfaatkan untuk makan siang di lounge-nya Air France. Lounge di pier-ku sedang ditutup karena sedang direnovasi sehingga aku harus pergi ke lounge di pier sebelah. Karena keterbatasan kapasitas, kali ini mereka tidak mengizinkan penumpang dengan akses ke lounge untuk membawa tamu ke dalam, yang mana membuat bapak-bapak di depanku marah besar.

Waktu naik pesawat, aku pergi ke gerbang. Dan untuk pertama-kalinya, penerbanganku akan diberangkatkan dari tempat parkir remote di bandara Paris – Charles De Gaulle!! 😍 Jadi mereka harus membawa penumpang dengan bus dan kami naik pesawat melalui tangga gitu deh! 😀

Penerbangan kedua hari ini dengan pesawat Airbus A320-200nya Air France dengan rego F-GKXO. Naik pesawatnya dengan tangga!

Penerbangan hari ini dioperasikan dengan Airbus A320-200nya Air France dengan rego F-GKXO. Awalnya aku diberikan kursi 1A tetapi aku kemudian dipindah ke kursi 1C karena dua batita dan ibunya yang duduk di sebelahku. Dan batita yang besar mesti duduk di kursi jendela gitu deh 😣. Anyway, penerbangannya sendiri adalah penerbangan reguler ke Lyon.

Di Bandara Lyon, aku check-in untuk penerbanganku ke Amsterdam. Setelah melewati sekuriti, aku pergi ke lounge-nya Air France. Aku hanya berniat untuk bertanya apakah lounge yang berlokasi setelah imigrasi masih menerima penumpang SkyTeam Elite Plus (Agustus lalu sih iya, baca AvGeek Weekend Trip #4). Untung aku bertanya karena ternyata tidak lagi demikian, walaupun petugasnya juga nampak kurang yakin sih.

Hiasan berseni di Bandara Lyon – St. Exupery

Aku menunggu di sana sebentar dan kemudian merasa bosan. Jadi lounge-nya Air France di bandara Lyon memang kurang oke gitu deh (baca AvGeek Weekend Trip #3). Jadilah aku memutuskan untuk keluar, melewati imigrasi, dan untung-untungan dengan lounge setelahnya. Ternyata petugasnya benar, lounge ini tidak lagi menerima penumpang SkyTeam Elite Plus 😦 . Karena tidak mungkin lagi kembali ke lounge-nya Air France, aku menunggu di gerbang keberangkatan saja.

Penerbangan ketiga hari ini dengan Embraer ERJ190nya KLM Cityhopper dengan rego PH-EZB.

Penerbangan kembali ke Amsterdam dioperasikan dengan Embraer ERJ190nya KLM Cityhopper dengan rego PH-EZB. Penerbangan ini tepat waktu, mulus, efisien, dan nyaman lah; sama seperti standar penerbangannya KLM lainnya 🙂 . Sekitar jam 7:30 malam, aku sudah kembali lagi di Schiphol, haha 😆 .

Aku makan malam di bandara sebelum pulang ke Delft. Dan di sini, perjalanan AvGeek Weekend Trip singkat ini berakhir 🙂 .

Aviation · Trip Report · Weekend Trip

#1894 – AvGeek Weekend Trip #6 (AMS – CDG, ORY – MRS – BOD – AMS)

March 20, 2017March 19, 2017 zilko7 Comments

ENGLISH

In mid-February, I did my first Avgeek Weekend Trip of 2017 to Marseille (via Paris on the outbound and via Bordeaux in the inbound 😛 ). At the time I wasn’t sure whether I would write the story or not. Well, as it turned out, I have decided that I would 😀 .

The routing this weekend :P . Created with gcmap.com — The routing this time 😛 . Created with gcmap.com

***

Posts in the AvGeek Weekend Trip series:
1. AvGeek Weekend Trip #1 (AMS-CDG-STR-AMS)
2. AvGeek Weekend Trip #2 (AMS-MAD-FRA-AMS)
3. AvGeek Weekend Trip #3 (AMS-LYS-NCE-AMS)
4. AvGeek Weekend Trip #4 (AMS–CDG, ORY–LYS–AMS)
5. AvGeek Weekend Trip #5 (AMS-CPH-ARN-AMS)
6. AvGeek Weekend Trip #6 (AMS-CDG, ORY-MRS-BOD-AMS)

AF 1341 (Amsterdam – Paris CDG)

Flight: Air France AF1341
Equipment: Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAM
ATD: 11:42 CET (Runway 09 of AMS)
ATA: 12:30 CET (Runway 09L of CDG)

The weather in Amsterdam was not quite cooperative this morning. The fog was quite thick which limited Schiphol’s runways use for safety reason. Consequently, my 10:40 flight was delayed to 11:30. Luckily I spared quite a lot of transit time in Paris so I wasn’t worried at all. I just enjoyed my now extra time at KLM Crown Lounge, haha.

Anyway, today’s flight was operated with Air France’s Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAM. It was a regular Air France’s Amsterdam-Paris flight so I wouldn’t get to too much details here. However, I did feel that the quality of the complimentary snack they served on the flight had been reduced, though.

Landing at runway 09L of Paris - Charles De Gaulle Airport — Landing at runway 09L of Paris – Charles De Gaulle Airport

Paris – Orly

Just like in my 4th AvGeek Weekend Trip, I had to change airports in Paris, haha. Thank to my Flying Blue Gold membership, I was entitled for free transfer between the two airports with Le Bus Direct (one way journey would have cost €21).

Unlike in my 4th AvGeek Weekend Trip, this time my flight was scheduled to depart from Hall 20 of Orly Airport. And there was an Air France lounge in this hall, yeay! Haha 😆 . Anyway, the lounge was descent, though the food selection could have been more substantial especially given that it was the after lunch-time period, in my opinion.

AF 6016 (Paris ORY – Marseille)

Flight: Air France AF6016
Equipment: Airbus A319-100 reg F-GPMF
ATD: 16:18 CET (Runway 08 of ORY)
ATA: 17:19 CET (Runway 31L of MRS)

My flight AF6016 departed on time today. It was operated with an Air France’s Airbus A319-100 reg F-GPMF. After boarding, I settled onto my 1F seat. It wasn’t a full flight today. In fact, the two seats next to me were empty, so it was really nice! Haha 😛

Taking off from runway 08 of Paris - Orly Airport — Taking off from runway 08 of Paris – Orly Airport

We took off from runway 08 of Paris – Orly Airport, and then made a southward turn towards Marseille. Again, it was a pleasant uneventful flight with Air France. A mini snack and drink service was provided about halfway through to Marseille. About an hour later, we landed at runway 31L of Marseille Provence Airport.

Marseille

As you know, just a week before, I also spent my weekend in Marseille. So it indeed felt quite “weird” for me to be back there this weekend, haha 😆 .

Obviously there was not much difference; but the weather was much better this weekend. There was almost no cloud and on Sunday, the sun was shining and it was about 16°C!!

AF 7017 (Marseille – Bordeaux)

Flight: Air France AF7017
Equipment: Airbus A320-200 reg F-GXG
ATD: 15:15 CET (Runway 31R of MRS)
ATA: 16:04 CET (Runway 23 of BOD)

The lounge at Marseille Provence Airport was small but, in my opinion, provided really good service. I really loved it! 🙂

Anyway, the flight today was operated by Air France’s Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXG. Luckily, it departed on time (I had quite a tight connection time in Bordeaux). I settled onto my bulkhead 2A seat after boarding. Again, the domestic flight was not full this afternoon.

As before, this as another pleasant and uneventful flight with Air France. At 16:04, we landed at runway 23 of Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport. Here is the landing video:

Quick Transit in Bordeaux

My domestic flight from Marseille parked at Terminal B while my connecting international flight to Amsterdam was scheduled to depart from Terminal A at 17:00. So I was quite in a rush to move between the two terminals given my quite tight transit time. Having said that, I found our gate in Terminal B to be super convenient as it was basically next to the airport exit door! Lol 😆

KL 1318 (Bordeaux – Amsterdam)

KLM Cityhopper logo

Flight: KLM KL1318 operated by KLM Cityhopper
Equipment: Embraer ERJ190 reg PH-EZF
ATD: 17:07 CET (Runway 23 of BOD)
ATA: 18:46 CET (Runway 36C of AMS)

This flight to Amsterdam was quite a full flight with a lot of connecting passengers (out of Amsterdam). So no wonder the crew tried to leave Bordeaux as soon as possible given the headwind to Amsterdam we would face today.

KLM Cityhopper's Embraer 190 reg PH-EZF — KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer 190 reg PH-EZF at Bordeaux Airport

Anyway, the flight would be operated with KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer ERJ190 reg PH-EZF. Not long after settling in my seat 9A, we departed and took off from runway 23.

At around 17:30, the complimentary snack service (a wrap, which was quite nice) was distributed. Overall it was a pleasant flight with KLM, as usual. Btw, this flight also highlighted the noisiness of an Embraer ERJ190, hence enhancing further my take on ERJ190 vs CRJ1000, haha.

At 18:46, we landed at Schiphol Airport. The taxiing was quite long today, despite we were not landing in the Polderbaan, haha. We parked at the famous Fokker Farm and were taken by a bus to the airport terminal. I had my dinner at a restaurant at the airport before heading back to Delft with train.

Complimentary snack and drink on board flight AF1341

Le Bus Direct between Paris – CDG and Paris – ORY

Complimentary snack and drink on board flight AF6016

Landing at runway 31L of Marseille Provence Airport

Complimentary snack and drink on board flight AF7017

Complimentary snack (wrap) and drink on board flight KL1318

BAHASA INDONESIA

Di pertengahan Februari, aku pergi dalam rangka Avgeek Weekend Trip pertama tahun 2017 ke Marseille (via Paris sewaktu berangkat dan via Bordeaux pulangnya, haha 😛 ). Waktu itu aku tidak yakin apakah aku akan menulis ceritanya atau tidak. Nah, ternyata, aku sudah memutuskan aku akan menuliskannya 😀 .

***

Posting-posting dalam seri AvGeek Weekend Trip:
1. AvGeek Weekend Trip #1 (AMS-CDG-STR-AMS)
2. AvGeek Weekend Trip #2 (AMS-MAD-FRA-AMS)
3. AvGeek Weekend Trip #3 (AMS-LYS-NCE-AMS)
4. AvGeek Weekend Trip #4 (AMS–CDG, ORY–LYS–AMS)
5. AvGeek Weekend Trip #5 (AMS-CPH-ARN-AMS)
6. AvGeek Weekend Trip #6 (AMS-CDG, ORY-MRS-BOD-AMS)

AF 1341 (Amsterdam – Paris CDG)

Penerbangan: Air France AF1341
Pesawat: Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAM
ATD: 11:42 CET (Runway 09 of AMS)
ATA: 12:30 CET (Runway 09L of CDG)

Cuaca di Amsterdam sedang kurang bersahabat pagi ini. Kabutnya cukup tebal sehingga penggunaan landasan pacunya Schiphol jadi terbatas untuk alasan keamanan. Akibatnya, penerbangan jam 10:40ku jadi ditunda hingga jam 11:30. Untungnya, aku memiliki waktu transit yang lumayan lama sih di Paris sehingga aku tidak khawatir. Jadilah aku menikmati waktu ekstraku di KLM Crown Lounge ini, haha.

Anyway, penerbangan hari ini dioperasikan dengan Airbus A321-200nya Air France dengan rego F-GTAM. Ini adalah penerbangan regulernya Air France di rute Amsterdam-Paris sehingga aku tidak akan menuliskan banyak detail. Hanya saja, aku merasa bahwa kualitas snack yang dibagikan di penerbangan ini kok agak menurun yah, hmm.

Paris – Orly

Seperti di AvGeek Weekend Trip ke-4ku, aku harus berganti bandara di Paris, haha. Berkat keanggotaan Flying Blue Gold-ku, aku bisa mendapatkan transfer gratis di antara dua bandara ini dengan Le Bus Direct (tiket satu arahhnya dijual normal dengan harga €21).

Tidak seperti di AvGeek Weekend Trip ke-4ku, kali ini penerbanganku dijadwalkan di Hall 20 Bandara Orly. Dan di sana ada lounge-nya Air France loh, hore! Haha 😆 . Lounge-nya cukup nyaman, walaupun pilihan makanannya terlalu ringan sih apalagi waktu itu kan setelah jam makan siang ya, menurutku loh.

AF 6016 (Paris ORY – Marseille)

Penerbangan: Air France AF6016
Pesawat: Airbus A319-100 reg F-GPMF
ATD: 16:18 CET (Runway 08 of ORY)
ATA: 17:19 CET (Runway 31L of MRS)

Penerbangan AF6016ku berangkat tepat waktu. Airbus A319-100nya Air France dengan rego F-GPMF digunakan hari ini. Setelah naik pesawat, aku duduk di kursi 1F-ku. Penerbangan hari ini tidak penuh. Malahan, dua kursi di sebelahku kosong dong. Asyik ya! Haha 😛 .

Kami lepas landas dari landasan pacu 08 Bandara Paris – Orly, dan kemudian berbelok ke arah selatan menuju Marseille. Lagi, ini adalah penerbangan yang nyaman dan uneventful dengan Air France. Layanan snack mini dan minuman juga dibagikan di tengah perjalanan. Sekitar satu jam kemudian, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 31L Bandara Marseille Provence.

Marseille

Seperti yang sudah pada tahu, seminggu sebelumnya juga aku menghabiskan akhir pekan di Marseille. Jadi memang “aneh” rasanya aku kembali lagi ke sana akhir pekan ini, haha 😆 .

Jelas tidak ada banyak perbedaan; tetapi cuaca kali ini jauh lebih enak nih. Hampir tidak ada awan dan di hari Minggu, matahari bersinar cerah dengan suhu udara 16°C!!

AF 7017 (Marseille – Bordeaux)

Penerbangan: Air France AF7017
Pesawat: Airbus A320-200 reg F-GXG
ATD: 15:15 CET (Runway 31R of MRS)
ATA: 16:04 CET (Runway 23 of BOD)

Lounge di Bandara Marseille Provence kecil tetapi, menurutku, layanannya oke banget loh. Aku sukaa! 🙂

Anyway, penerbangan hari ini dioperasikan dengan Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXG milik Air France. Untungnya, penerbangannya tepat waktu (waktu transitku cukup ketat di Bordeaux). Aku duduk di kursi 2Aku setelah naik pesawat. Lagi, penerbangan domestik ini tidaklah penuh.

Seperti yang lalu, ini adalah penerbangan nyaman dan uneventful dengan Air France. Jam 16:04, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 23 Bandara Bordeaux–Mérignac. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Transit Kilat di Bordeaux

Penerbangan domestikku dari Marseille diparkir di Terminal B sementara penerbangan koneksi internasionalku dijadwalkan di Terminal A jam 5 sore. Jadilah aku agak terburu-buru untuk pindah terminal akibat waktu transitku yang mepet. Eh, walaupun begitu, aku merasa gerbangku di Terminal B itu nyaman banget loh karena pada dasarnya berada tepat di sebelahnya pintu keluar bandara! Haha 😆 .

KL 1318 (Bordeaux – Amsterdam)

KLM Cityhopper logo

Penerbangan: KLM KL1318 dioperasikan oleh KLM Cityhopper
Pesawat: Embraer ERJ190 reg PH-EZF
ATD: 17:07 CET (Runway 23 of BOD)
ATA: 18:46 CET (Runway 36C of AMS)

Penerbangan ke Amsterdam ini cukup penuh dan ada banyak penumpang transitnya (via Amsterdam). Jadi tidak heran krunya berusaha untuk berangkat dari Bordeaux secepat mungkin akibat headwind yang akan kami hadapi di perjalanan ke Amsterdam hari ini.

Anyway, penerbangan hari ini dioperasikan dengan Embraer ERJ190nya KLM Cityhopper dengan rego PH-EZF. Tak lama setelah duduk di kursi 9Aku, kami berangkat dan lepas landas dari landasan pacu 23.

Sekitar jam 5:30 sore, layanan snack dibagikan (berupa sebuah wrap, yang mana cukup enak juga). Secara umum, ini adalah penerbangan yang nyaman dengan KLM, seperti biasanya. Btw, penerbangan ini juga menggaris-bawahi keberisikan Embraer ERJ190, sehingga memang mempertegas pendapatku akan ERJ190 vs CRJ1000, haha.

Jam 18:46, kami mendarat di Bandara Schiphol. Taxiing-nya lumayan lama hari ini, padahal kami tidak mendarat di Polderbaan, haha. Kami parkir di Fokker Farm dan kemudian dibawa bus ke gedung terminal bandara. Aku makan malam di sebuah restoran di sana sebelum kembali ke Delft dengan kereta.

EuroTrip · Weekend Trip

#1891 – My Saturday Story

March 13, 2017March 13, 2017 zilko14 Comments

ENGLISH

Soo, my Instagram followers (@azilko) would have known by now that this Saturday I went on my second AvGeek Weekend Trip this year! Haha 😆 .

I booked these flights a few months ago when I was looking at my 2017 calendar and realized that I had not yet made any flying plan for March, lol 😆 🙈 . At the time I was browsing for some possibilities, and booked one that was reasonably priced and scheduled (Nowadays, schedule is even more important to me because I don’t want to get up way too early on a Saturday!)

So consequently it became a little bit difficult to find an “interesting” routing (no need for an extra dimension to be added there!). In the end, what I got was Amsterdam – Paris CDG – Lyon – Amsterdam, haha. Yep, very similar to my fourth AvGeek Weekend Trip last year, except that I did not need to change airports in Paris.

Anyway, just like my first AvGeek Weekend Trip this year, I am not sure yet if I will write a post about this short trip in more details (I haven’t even finished my Post PhD Trips series!). So just in case I won’t, here are some pictures from the trip! 😀

An Air France’s Airbus A321-200 reg F-GTAD

The complimentary snack on board flight AF1341

An Air France’s Airbus A320-200 reg F-GKXO

Arty stuff at Lyon – St. Exupery Airport

A KLM Cityhopper’s Embraer ERJ190 reg PH-EZB landing at Lyon

BAHASA INDONESIA

Jadii, followers Instagramku (@azilko) tentu sudah tahu sekarang bahwa Sabtu ini aku pergi dalam rangka AvGeek Weekend Trip keduaku tahun ini! Haha 😆 .

Perjalanan ini aku booking beberapa bulan yang lalu ketika aku melihat kalender 2017ku dan menyadari bahwa aku belum membuat rencana terbang apa-apa di bulan Maret (alasan macam apa ini), haha 😆 🙈 . Waktu itu aku langsung mencari kemungkinannya, dan membeli satu yang harganya oke dan jadwalnya enak (Sekarang ini, jadwal penting banget untukku karena aku nggak mau bangun pagi banget di hari Sabtu!)

Akibatnya memang menjadi agak sulit untuk menemukan rute yang “menarik” (semakin banyak dimensi yang ditambah tentu semakin sulit!). Akhirnya yang kudapatkan adalah tiket Amsterdam – Paris CDG – Lyon – Amsterdam, haha. Iyaa, memang mirip banget dengan AvGeek Weekend Trip keempatku tahun lalu, kecuali kali ini aku tidak perlu berganti bandara di Paris.

Anyway, seperti AvGeek Weekend Trip pertamaku tahun ini, sekarang aku masih belum yakin apakah aku akan menuliskan posting yang mendetail tentangnya (Bahkan aku belum menyelesaikan seri Post PhD Trips kan!). Jadi untuk jaga-jaga andaikata beneran tidak akan kuceritakan, di atas adalah beberapa foto dari perjalanan ini! 😀

Asia Trip · Indonesia Trip · Southeast Asia · Trip Report · Vacation

#1874 – 2016 Year End Trip (Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam)

February 7, 2017February 9, 2017 zilko23 Comments

ENGLISH

Posts in the 2016 Year End Trip series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

Transitting at PVG

This time, my luggage was tagged all the way to Paris so in Shanghai I would not need to pass immigration and recheck it in (read Part II); but of course this meant I would need to do that in Paris. But this was not a problem as I knew Terminal 2E, 2F, and 2G of Paris – Charles De Gaulle well (the terminals of SkyTeam flights 😛 ).

At least we parked at a proper gate at Shanghai Pudong

Anyway, my transit experience this time was not as seamless as in Part II mainly because there were two checks a transit passenger had to pass, and in each there was a quite long queueing line.

The first one was a document check. I chose to “take a risk” and took the shorter automatic line (where instead of being checked by a human officer, I would need to use the automatic machine myself to scan my documents). I saw some people in front of me failed to scan their documents so they went all the way to the back of the manual-check queue. Luckily, when it was my turn, it all worked well! The second check was the standard security check.

Buffet warm noodles dish at China Eastern Lounge

Obviously I went back to the awesome China Eastern Lounge. Unfortunately, though, all seats in the best spot of the lounge (read: the massage chairs area 😆 ) were already taken. Well, I was hungry after the non-existence of breakfast service on my earlier China Eastern flight MU5030 anyway (read Part VI), so I stayed downstairs in the restaurant area. The breakfast was good, actually, where they provided quite proper Chinese noodles dish!

AF 117 (Shanghai – Paris)

Flight: Air France AF 117
Equipment: Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG
ATD: 11:19 CST
ATA: 15:45 CET

My Air France flight to Paris today would be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG. I was really lucky because the cabin of F-GSQG had been upgraded to Air France’s newest one!! 😍😍😍

An Air France's Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG — An Air France’s Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG

Anyway, after boarding I settled onto my 31A seat. Luckily, seat 31B was left unoccupied for the flight!! Yeay!! So me and Mr. Seat 31C co-used it as our extra space, lol 😆 . Once boarding completed, we departed and took off from runway 17L of Shanghai Pudong Airport. The weather condition had not changed that much since I landed three hours prior, where low-hanging cloud was still there.

Not long after take-off, the flight attendants distributed the complimentary mini snack service along with some drinks. About an hour later, this was followed by the lunch service which options were French (beef and spaghetti) or Chinese (I didn’t even bother to memorize what it was). It was a super easy decision to always choose the French option on board an Air France flight! Haha 😆

First lunch service on board flight AF 117, the French option

The meal service was delicious enough, though I had had better ones on Air France. Throughout the flight, some snacks and drinks were provided for free in the galley as well; though Air France did not promote it as much as some other airlines (like KLM or Garuda Indonesia).

On board Air France's Boeing 777-300ER F-GSQG — On board Air France’s Boeing 777-300ER F-GSQG

As I said before, the cabin F-GSQG had been upgraded to Air France’s newest cabin. This meant: the newest generation of AVOD PTV!! First of all, the size of the screen was optimal. It was big enough without being too big that it hurt your eyes, lol. The content had improved a lot since the last time I flew long-haul with Air France too (flight AF 7 from New York to Paris last year). Air France branded their new AVOD as “Air France Touch”, possibly as it was a touch screen as well.

I watched three movies: How To Be Single (🙈), Zootopia (thanks to my new colleagues), and Crazy Stupid Love. The music collection was quite descent too, though I still found it to be really really “French-centric” 😛 . Anyway, one of the best feature of the new AVOD was the Map! It was really cool and the level of details was amazing.

I was able to sleep for about four to five hours in total on this flight, which was not bad considering it was a day flight. About two hours before landing, a second lunch service was provided. There was no option for this one, though, which was chicken and rice with tuna salad.

The second lunch service on board flight AF 117

The weather in Paris was also not in the best condition today where, just like in Shanghai, it was full of low-hanging cloud. At 15:45, we landed at runway 26L of Paris – Charles De Gaulle Airport. Here is the landing video:

Thankfully we parked at Gate K in Terminal 2E, so the walk to Terminal 2F would not be that far. Long story short, I passed immigration and took my luggage.

Transitting at CDG

Thanks for the ide, F-GSQG!! — Thanks for the ride, F-GSQG!!

From the luggage hall of Terminal 2E, I crossed the airport to Terminal 2F where I checked-in at Air France’s priority desks. I got my Paris – Amsterdam boarding pass, checked-in my luggage, and passed the security heading towards the lounge.

I wanted to check the flight status so I looked at my boarding pass for the flight number. And then I just realized that I had been upgraded to Europe Business Class!! 😍😍😍

Anyway, I waited for my flight at Salon Air France at Terminal 2F. At one point several lounge attendants went around distributing some champagne, haha.

KL 1244 (Paris – Amsterdam), Europe Business Class

KL Logo
Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1244
Equipment: Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXI named “Zilvermeeuw”
ATD: 19:04 CET
ATA: 19:51 CET

After boarding, I settled onto my 2D seat. The flight was full today so boarding took some time to complete. Anyway, as in the standard European flight, business class on board PH-BXI was “Europe Business Class”, i.e. the seats were as in economy but with some extra legroom and blocked middle seats.

The mandatory Europe business class selfie — Obviously the mandatory Europe business class selfie

Once we departed and reached the cruising altitude, the dinner service was distributed by the crew. It was just a mere 50 minutes flight so, indeed, it felt a little bit rushed. Anyway, the main course was mixed salad which was really delicious. They also served warm bread with it, though my favorite (aside from the salad) was the delicious mini mousse. For the drink, I chose sparkling wine.

Dinner service on board KLM's Europe business class — Dinner service on board KLM’s Europe business class

After I finished my meal, the purser took my empty tray and asked me what I wanted to drink. Well, considering a friend was waiting for me in Amsterdam and I was just coming back off a 36+ hours journey from Indonesia, I asked for a cup of warm coffee, haha.

Anyway, at 19:51 we landed at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. It took me about 30 minutes before I got my luggage (typical Schiphol 😆 ), and then I met my friend in front of Burger King.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Noodles for breakfast at China Eastern Lounge

My seat 31A on board Air France’s F-GSQG

Snack and drink service just after take-off

The left wing of F-GSQG, a Boeing 777-300ER

The front economy section on board Air France’s Boeing 777-300ER F-GSQG

The level of details of the map feature was amazing!

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri 2016 Year End Trip:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Amsterdam to Rome to Shanghai
3. Part II: Shanghai to Bali
4. Part III: Bali
5. Part IV: Yogyakarta
6. Part V: The Food in Yogyakarta
7. Part VI: Yogyakarta to Bali to Shanghai
8. Part VII: Shanghai to Paris to Amsterdam
9. Part VIII: A Weekend in Amsterdam

Transit di PVG

Kali ini, bagasiku langsung di-tag menuju Paris sehingga di Shanghai aku tidak perlu melewati imigrasi dan meng-check-in-ulangkannya lagi (seperti di Bagian II). Tetapi memang sih, ini artinya di Paris aku perlu mengurusnya lagi. Tapi ini bukan masalah karena toh aku cukup familier dengan Terminal 2E, 2F, dan 2Gnya Bandara Paris – Charles De Gaulle (terminal-terminalnya penerbangan SkyTeam 😛 ).

Anyway, pengalaman transitku kali ini tidak semulus di Bagian II karena ada dua cek yang harus dilewati setiap penumpang transit, dan untuk setiap cek itu kami harus antri super panjang.

Pengecekan pertama adalah pengecekan dokumen. Aku memutuskan untuk “ambil risiko” dan mengambil jalur pemeriksaan otomatis yang antriannya lebih pendek (jadi bukannya dicek petugas, aku harus menggunakan mesin untuk pengecekan dokumen-dokumenku). Aku lihat beberapa orang di depanku gagal dalam pengecekan dokumennya sehingga mereka harus kembali dan mengantri di urutan paling belakang dari jalur pemeriksaan manual. Untungnya, ketika giliranku, semuanya berlangsung lancar! Pemeriksaan keduanya adalah pemeriksaan sekuriti.

Jelas dong aku kembali ke Lounge China Eastern yang keren banget itu. Sayangnya, kali ini semua kursi di bagian terenak dari lounge ini (baca: area kursi pijat, haha 😆 ) sudah dipakai orang lain. Yah, karena toh aku sedang kelaparan akibat tidak adanya layanan sarapan di penerbangan China Eastern MU5030ku pagi itu (baca Bagian VI), aku makan saja di area restoran di lantai bawah. Sarapannya sendiri enak loh, dimana mereka menyediakan menu masakan mie ala China yang enak!

AF 117 (Shanghai – Paris)

Penerbangan: Air France AF 117
Pesawat: Boeing 777-300ER reg F-GSQG
ATD: 11:19 CST
ATA: 15:45 CET

Penerbangan Air France-ku ke Paris hari ini akan dioperasikan dengan pesawat Boeing 777-300ER dengan rego F-GSQG. Aku beruntung karena kabin F-GSQG ini sudah di-upgrade ke kabin model terbarunya Air France!! 😍😍😍

Anyway, setelah boarding aku duduk di kursi 31Aku. Untungnya, hari ini kursi 31B kosong loh!! Horee!! Jadilah aku dan Bapak Kursi 31C menggunakan ruang ekstra dari kursi yang kosong ini, haha 😆 . Setelah semua penumpang naik, kami berangkat dan lepas landas dari landasan pacu 17L Bandara Shanghai Pudong. Cuacanya masih belum berubah dari tiga jam sebelumnya ketika mendarat, dimana awan-awan masih menggantung rendah.

Tidak lama setelah lepas landas, awak kabin membagikan layanan snack mini dengan minuman. Sekitar sejam kemudian, layanan ini diikuti dengan makan siang dengan pilihan Prancis (daging sapi dan spaghetti) atau China (yang mana aku tidak pedulikan, haha). Jelas adalah pilihan amat mudah untuk selalu memilih pilihan Prancis di penerbangannya Air France kan ya! Haha 😆

Layanan makanannya sendiri enak kok, walaupun aku pernah makan yang lebih enak sih di Air France. Di sepanjang penerbangan juga terdapat snack dan minuman cuma-cuma yang disajikan di dapur; walaupun Air France tidak terlalu mempromosikannya seperti beberapa maskapai lain sih (misalnya KLM atau Garuda Indonesia).

Seperti yang kubilang sebelumnya, kabin F-GSQG telah di-upgrade ke kabin terbarunya Air France. Ini berarti: generasi terbaru pula untuk AVOD PTV-nya!! Pertama-tama, ukuran layarnya optimal banget. Cukup besar tetapi nggak terlalu besar sehingga tidak menyakitkan mata, haha. Isinya juga sudah jauh lebih baik daripada terakhir kali aku terbang jarak jauh dengan Air France (penerbangan AF 7 dari New York ke Paris tahun lalu). Air France menamai AVOD baru ini “Air France Touch”, mungkin karena layarnya adalah layar sentuh.

Aku menonton tiga film di penerbangan ini: How To Be Single (🙈), Zootopia (gara-gara kolega baruku nih), dan Crazy Stupid Love. Pilihan musiknya juga cukup lengkap kok, walaupun menurutku sih masih agak terlalu “sentris Prancis” 😛 . Anyway, fitur terkeren AVOD baru ini adalah petanya!! Keren banget dah dan detailnya mengagumkan.

Aku bisa tidur selama sekitar empat sampai lima jam di penerbangan ini, yang mana lumayan juga mengingat ini adalah penerbangan di siang hari. Sekitar dua jam sebelum mendarat, layanan makan siang kedua diberikan. Tidak ada pilihan untuk layanan ini, yang mana berisikan nasi dengan ayam dan salad tuna.

Cuaca di Paris juga sedang kurang oke seperti di Shanghai, dimana penuh dengan awan-awan rendah. Jam 15:45, kami mendarat di landasan pacu 26L Bandara Paris – Charles De Gaulle. Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Untungnya, kami parkir di Gerbang K di Terminal 2E, yang mana artinya aku tidak perlu berjalan jauh ke Terminal 2F. Singkat cerita, aku melewati pemeriksaan imigrasi dan mengambil bagasiku.

Transit di Paris CDG

Dari aula pengambilan bagasi di Terminal 2E, aku menyeberangi bandaranya menuju Terminal 2F dimana aku check-in di konter prioritasnya Air France. Aku mendapatkan boarding pass Paris – Amsterdam-ku, memasukkan bagasiku, melewati pemeriksaan sekuriti, dan kemudian menuju ke lounge.

Aku ingin mengecek status penerbanganku sehingga aku mengecek boarding pass untuk melihat nomor penerbangannya. Nah, baru lah aku sadar kalau ternyata aku telah di-upgrade ke kelas bisnis Eropa!! 😍😍😍

Anyway, aku menunggu penerbanganku di Salon Air France di Terminal 2F. Di satu waktu, beberapa petugas berkeliling lounge sambil membagikan champagne, haha.

KL 1244 (Paris – Amsterdam), kelas bisnis Eropa

KL Logo
Penerbangan: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 1244
Pesawat: Boeing 737-800 reg PH-BXI bernama “Zilvermeeuw”
ATD: 19:04 CET
ATA: 19:51 CET

Setelah boarding, aku duduk di kursi 2Dku. Penerbangan hari ini penuh sehingga boarding memakan waktu cukup lama. Anyway, sesuai standar penerbangan di Eropa, kelas bisnis di dalam PH-BXI adalah “kelas bisnis Eropa”, artinya kursinya sama seperti kursi di kelas ekonomi tetapi dengan legroom yang sedikit lebih lapang dan kursi tengah yang diblok/tidak digunakan.

Begitu kami berangkat dan mencapai ketinggian jelajah, layanan makan malam dibagikan kru. Karena penerbangan ini hanya sepanjang 50 menit saja, memang rasanya agak terburu-buru. Menu utamanya adalah mixed salad yang mana rasanya enak loh. Mereka menyajikannya dengan roti hangat, walaupun favoritku (selain saladnya sih) adalah mousse mini yang enak banget!! Untuk minuman, aku memilih minum sparkling wine.

Setelah aku selesai makan malam, purser-nya mengambil nampan kosongku dan bertanya aku ingin minum apa. Berhubung temanku sudah menungguku di Amsterdam sementara aku baru nyaris tiba setelah perjalanan selama 36 jam lebih dari Indonesia, aku memilih segelas kopi hangat, haha.

Anyway, jam 19:51, pesawat mendarat di Bandara Schiphol di Amsterdam. Aku harus menunggu sekitar 30 menit sebelum mendapatkan bagasiku (Schiphol banget deh 😆 ), dan kemudian bertemu temanku di depan Burger King.

BERSAMBUNG…

Aviation · North America Trip · The Caribbean · Trip Report · Vacation

#1826 – September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: The Caribbean (Part V: Back to the Netherlands)

November 3, 2016October 23, 2016 zilko14 Comments

ENGLISH

Posts in the September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: The Caribbean series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Getting to Sint Maarten
3. Part II: Sint Maarten
4. Part III: The Maho Beach
5. Part IV: Saint Martin
6. Part V: Back to the Netherlands

***

As I said in the Introduction, I enjoyed my time in Sint Maarten so much and was a little bit sad that one week went by really fast just like that, haha 😆 . It was already time to go back home to the Netherlands.

Princess Juliana International Airport. One week went by so fast.

We were also flying KLM to go back to the Netherlands. Of course, we needed to maximize our time flying the 747s, right? Haha 😆 . While KLM’s flight from Amsterdam was non-stop, the returning flight to Amsterdam was not. KL 785 was a triangular flight and so from Sint Maarten we had to make one stop in Curaçao. Well, I was not complaining at all obviously, as this meant I had more time flying 😊.

Flight map of today. Created with gcmap.com

KL 785 (Sint Maarten – Curaçao)

KL Logo
Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 785
Equipment: Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFN named “City of Nairobi”
ATD: 12:06 AST (Runway 10 of SXM)
ATA: 13:17 AST (Runway 11 of CUR)

After returning our rental car, we were taken by a shuttle to the airport. We were a little bit too early this morning so the check-in counter had not yet been open. Long story short, we checked-in, upon which all our luggages werre given the priority tags and the check-in lady issued three lounge invitation cards (instead of two, yeay!) for us. We passed the security check, cleared immigration, and then waited at the lounge.

A KLM's Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFN — A KLM’s Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFN

Anyway, at about 10:45, our ride landed at runway 10. Today, the flight was going to be operated with KLM’s Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFN named “City of Nairobi”. The transit passengers from Amsterdam to Curaçao were asked to remain in the plane and I doubt they did any (significant) cleaning on the seats that were occupied by the Sint-Maarten-bound passengers. Anyway, after boarding at 11:30, I settled on my 22K seat. Luckily the seat still looked clean and seat 22J was empty! Yeay! 😀

At about 11:50, the pushback began and so the flight departed. We taxied on the runway towards the end of runway 10 for take-off. And when we made the final 180° turn, I could see Maho Beach was full of jet-blast chasers! Haha 😆 .

At 12:06, we took off from runway 10 of SXM. We were taking off towards the east and, as I said in Part III post, there was a small mountain range in this direction. So quickly after take-off, the plane had to make a right turn to avoid the mountain. Consequently, the take-off was super cool!! 😀 Here is the departure and take-off video:

So, see you, Sint Maarten!

Sint Maarten – Curaçao was just a short segment. The AVOD was, however, fully functional 😀 . There was a snack service provided in this short-haul flight; and the standard was pretty much like other KLM’s intra-European flights: a sandwich and a selection of drinks. There were two options for the sandwich, though: chicken or cheese. I chose the chicken one, which was quite good.

The flight to Curaçao was smooth all the way. About one hour after departure, we started the decent and at 13:17, we landed at runway 11 of Curaçao International Airport, here is the landing video:

Transitting in Curaçao

The crew change took place in Curaçao, so all passengers were asked to disembarked the plane as the plane was going to get cleaned as well. So here I was, technically (though not officially) in Curaçao, the closest I have ever been to South America! Haha 😆 .

The small lounge at Curaçao International Airport

We went to the lounge at the airport, and the receptionist was strict that I could only guest one other passenger. So we decided that my dad would stay at the lounge while my mom would window-shop. It was not a long transfer anyway. The lounge at Curaçao International Airport, though, was small yet very busy at the time. We did not find any two adjacent seats that were unoccupied, haha 😆 .

KL 785 (Curaçao – Amsterdam)

KL Logo
Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 785
Equipment: Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFN named “City of Nairobi”
ATD: 15:40 AST (Runway 11 of CUR)
ATA: 06:10 CET (Runway 18R of AMS)

There was a small problem while boarding where Sky Priority passengers (including me 😛 ) had been allowed to enter the air bridge. But there, we were made to wait as it turned out that there was a small technical problem with the plane’s door and they were busy repairing it. So we were asked to go back to the lounge. Luckily it did not take too long and in less than ten minutes, the boarding was reopened.

Long story short, I got back to my 22K seat and settled there. Unfortunately the two seats next to me were taken. Anyway, at about 15:20 the flight departed and we took off from runway 11 of Curaçao International Airport.

Just after take-off, a small snack service (a bag of peanuts) and a selection of drinks were provided. Anyway, as visible in the map above, the route from Curaçao to Amsterdam actually passed Sint Maarten. So about one hour into the flight, I was able to see the island from above! It was beautiful!! 😀

Just before sunset, the dinner service was provided. The options were beef meatballs or penne pasta. Obviously I chose the beef meatballs, which turned out to be good!

Dinner service on board flight KL 785 to Amsterdam (beef meatball)

Just after dinner, we were already in the area where the sun had started to set. I looked out the window, and I got this magnificent view:

A glorious golden window view somewhere above the Atlantic!

Very beautiful, isn’t it? The wing and engines of the Queen of the Skies, flying above the golden cloud! 😍

As we were flying eastward, we would have a very short night time. So I would actually prefer to sleep if I could and, I think, ideally they should try to maximize the sleeping time of the passengers. However, one negative aspect about this flight was that the cabin light was not dimmed for quite a long-ish period of time. They eventually did but it was already just four hours before landing. Maybe in a way it was my mistake too that I did not prepare myself with an eyepad, though.

As I could not sleep, I decided to just be on warrior-mode (which contributed to the jetlag 😆 ) and watched Pitch Perfect, The Big Short, and an episode of How I Met Your Mother at the AVOD screen. As I mentioned in the Part I post, the KLM’s AVOD system in their Boeing 747s was actually good!

Snacks in the galley :D — Snacks in the galley 😀

About 1.5 hours before landing, the breakfast service was distributed. There was no option for breakfast, but it was nonetheless okay: a serving of omelette with cuts of fruits and yoghurt; and a selection of drinks, of course.

Breakfast service on board flight KL 785 to Amsterdam

Overall, the flight was smooth so we were approaching Schiphol ahead of schedule. At 06:10 Dutch time, we landed at Polderbaan. Again, this time I did not really complain for landing there as this meant I could enjoy riding the Boeing 747 a little bit longer! 😉 Then we got off the plane, cleared immigration and the custom checkS, and decided to combat the jetlag by going to Amsterdam. And here, the Caribbean part of my September 2016 Sabbatical Trip officially ended.

On board KLM’s Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFN

Boeing 747 is just SO good-looking and sexy!!

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: The Caribbean:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Getting to Sint Maarten
3. Part II: Sint Maarten
4. Part III: The Maho Beach
5. Part IV: Saint Martin
6. Part V: Back to the Netherlands

***

Seperti yang aku bilang di Pendahuluan, aku sungguh menikmati waktuku di Sint Maarten dan sedikit sedih juga satu minggu di sana kok berlalu begitu cepat ya, haha 😆 . Sekarang sudah saatnya untuk pulang ke Belanda.

Kami kembali ke Belanda juga dengan KLM. Tentu saja, untuk memaksimalkan waktu kami terbang dengan Boeing 747 doong, haha 😆 . Jika penerbangannya KLM dari Amsterdam itu non-stop, penerbangan kembalinya ke Amsterdam tidak. KL 785 adalah penerbangan rute segitiga sehingga dari Sint Maarten kami harus berhenti satu kali di Curaçao. Yah, aku sih tidak komplain lah ya, karena ini artinya kan terbangnya lebih lama 😊.

KL 785 (Sint Maarten – Curaçao)

KL Logo
Penerbangan: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 785
Pesawat: Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFN bernama “City of Nairobi”
ATD: 12:06 AST (Runway 10 of SXM)
ATA: 13:17 AST (Runway 11 of CUR)

Setelah mengembalikan mobil sewaan kami, kami diantar dengan mobil shuttle ke bandara. Kami agak terlalu awal pagi itu sehingga konter check-in-nya belum buka. Singkat cerita, kami check-in, yang mana ketika itu semua bagasi kami dilabeli prioritas dan petugas check-in-nya mengeluarkan tiga kartu undangan masuk ke lounge (bukannya dua, hore!) untuk kami. Kami melewati pemeriksaan sekuriti, imigrasi, dan menunggu di lounge-nya.

Anyway, sekitar jam 10:45, tumpangan kami mendarat di landasan pacu 10. Hari ini, penerbangannya dioperasikan dengan Boeing 747-400nya KLM dengan registrasi PH-BFN yang dinamai “City of Nairobi”. Penumpang transit dari Amsterdam tujuan Curaçao diminta untuk menunggu di pesawat dan aku kira kursi-kursi kosong yang ditinggalkan penumpang tujuan Sint Maarten tidak dibersihkan (secara signifikan). Setelah boarding yang dibuka jam 11:30, aku duduk di kursi 22K. Untungnya kursinya masih bersih dan kursi 22J kosong! Hore! 😀

Sekitar jam 11:50, pesawat didorong mundur dan penerbangannya berangkat. Kami taxiing di landasan pacunya menuju ujung landasan pacu 10 untuk lepas landas. Ketika kami berputar-balik di ujung landasan pacu itu, aku bisa lihat Pantai Maho sudah dipenuhi oleh para pengejar jet blast! Haha 😆 .

Jam 12:06, pesawat lepas landas dari landasan pacu 10. Arah lepas landas adalah ke arah timur dan, seperti yang kusebutkan di Bagian III, ada pegunungan kecil di arah ini. Jadilah ketika lepas landas pesawatnya juga harus segera berbelok ke arah kanan untuk menghindari pegunungan ini. Akibatnya, lepas landasnya kereeeen bangeet!! 😀 Berikut ini video keberangkatan dan lepas-landasnya:

Sampai ketemu lagi, Sint Maarten!

Sint Maarten – Curaçao adalah penerbangan jarak dekat. Toh walau begitu, AVODnya masih dinyalakan kok 😀 . Ada layanan snack di penerbangan ini; dan standarnya kurang lebih sama lah seperti layanan intra-Eropanya KLM: sandwich dan minuman. Ada dua pilihan sih untuk sandwich-nya: isi ayam atau isi keju. Aku memilih yang berisi ayam dan rasanya enak juga.

Penerbangan ke Curaçao berlangsung mulus di sepanjang jalan. Sekitar satu jam setelah keberangkatan, pesawat mulai turun dan jam 1:17 siang, pesawat mendarat di landasan pacu 11 Bandara Internasional Curaçao, berikut ini video pendaratannya:

Transit di Curaçao

Pergantian kru pesawat dilakukan di Curaçao, jadilah semua penumpang dipersilakan turun karena pesawatnya juga sekalian mau dibersihkan. Jadi, di sini lah aku, secara teknis (walaupun tidak secara resmi) berada di Curaçao, ini adalah posisiku yang paling dekat ke Amerika Selatan selama ini loh! Haha 😆 .

Kami kemudian berjalan ke lounge di bandaranya, dan resepsionisnya cukup ketat dengan peraturan sehingga aku hanya boleh membawa satu orang tamu saja. Ya sudah jadilah kami memutuskan bahwa papaku akan menunggu di lounge sementara mamaku melihat-lihat toko-toko di luar. Toh transitnya juga sebentar saja sih. Lounge-nya sendiri berukuran kecil dan ramai sekali waktu itu. Sampai-sampai kami tidak menemukan kursi berdekatan yang kosong, haha 😆 .

KL 785 (Curaçao – Amsterdam)

KL Logo
Penerbangan: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 785
Pesawat: Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFN bernama “City of Nairobi”
ATD: 15:40 AST (Runway 11 of CUR)
ATA: 06:10 CET (Runway 18R of AMS)

Ada sedikit masalah kecil ketika boarding dimana penumpang Sky Priority (termasuk aku 😛 ) sudah diizinkan masuk ke gabarata. Tetapi di sana, kami diminta menunggu karena ternyata ada sedikit masalah teknis kecil dengan pintu pesawatnya sehingga mereka sedang sibuk memperbaikinya. Jadilah kami diminta untuk kembali ke lounge. Untungnya, perbaikan tidak memakan waktu lama dan kurang dari sepuluh menit kemudian, boarding kembali dibuka.

Singkat cerita, aku kembali di kursi 22K-ku dan duduk pewe di sana. Sayangnya, dua kursi di sebelahku terisi nih. Sekitar jam 3:20 sore, penerbangan berangkat dan tak lama kemudian lepas landas dari landasan pacu 11 Bandara Internasional Curaçao.

Tak lama setelah lepas-landas, layanan snack kecil (sebungkus kacang-kacangan) dan minuman dibagikan. Ngomong-ngomong, seperti yang nampak di peta di atas, rute Curaçao ke Amsterdam sebenarnya melewati Sint Maarten. Jadilah kira-kira satu jam setelah berangkat, aku bisa melihat Sint Maarten dari atas! Keren banget deh!! 😀

Sebelum matahari terbenam, layanan makan malam dibagikan. Pilihannya adalah bakso daging sapi atau pasta penne. Jelas aku memilih bakso daging sapinya, yang mana ternyata enak!

Setelah makan malam, kami sudah berada di area dimana matahari mulai terbenam. Ketika aku menengok ke luar jendela, aku mendapatkan pemandangan luar biasa ini:

Indah banget kaan? Sayap dan mesinnya Queen of the Skies, terbang di atas awan-awan yang berwarna keemasan! 😍

Karena kami terbang ke arah timur, kami akan mengalami malam yang amat singkat. Jadi sebenarnya kalau bisa sih aku maunya tidur dan, aku rasa, idealnya seharusnya mereka juga berusaha untuk memaksimalkan waktu tidur penumpang. Namun, satu aspek negatif penerbangan ini adalah lampu kabinnya tidak dimatikan dalam periode yang cukup lama. Akhirnya dimatikan semua sih memang, tetapi itu dilakukan kira-kira empat jam sebelum mendarat. Mungkin salahku juga sih ya tidak membawa penutup mata.

Karena aku tidak bisa tidur, ya sudah sekalian aja aku memutuskan untuk tidak tidur sama sekali (yang berkontribusi terhadap jetlag-ku, haha 😆 ) dan menonton Pitch Perfect, The Big Short, dan satu episodenya How I Met Your Mother melalui layar AVOD. Sudah kusebutkan di Bagian I bahwa AVODnya KLM di pesawat Boeing 747-400 ternyata bagus!

Sekitar 1,5 jam sebelum mendarat, layanan sarapan dibagikan. Tidak ada pilihan untuk sarapan, tetapi rasanya toh oke-oke saja kok: seporsi omelet dengan potongan buat dan yoghurt; dan beberapa pilihan minuman, tentu saja.

Secara umum, penerbangan ini amat lancar sehingga kami sudah dekat dengan Schiphol lebih cepat daripada jadwal. Jam 6:10 pagi waktu Belanda, kami mendarat di Polderbaan. Lagi, kali ini aku sih tidak komplain karena mendarat disana karena ini artinya aku jadi bisa menikmati duduk-duduk di dalam Boeing 747 lebih lama kan! 😉 Lalu, kami turun dari pesawat, melewati pemeriksaan imigrasi dan beberapa pemeriksaan bea cukai, dan kemudian memutuskan untuk melawan jetlag dengan pergi ke Amsterdam. Dan di sini, bagian Karibia dari bulan sabatikal September 2016ku berakhir.

Aviation · North America Trip · The Caribbean · Trip Report · Vacation

#1818 – September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: The Caribbean (Part I: Getting to Sint Maarten)

October 17, 2016October 23, 2016 zilko19 Comments

ENGLISH

Posts in the September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: The Caribbean series:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Getting to Sint Maarten
3. Part II: Sint Maarten
4. Part III: The Maho Beach
5. Part IV: Saint Martin
6. Part V: Back to the Netherlands

***

KL Logo
Flight: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 785
Equipment: Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFG named “City of Guayaquil”
ATD: 08:15 CET (Runway 36L of AMS)
ATA: 10:48 AST (Runway 10 of SXM)

Amsterdam to Sint Maarten. Created with gcmap.com

Since the flight was scheduled to depart at 8:15, we left Rotterdam Centraal Station at 5:00. This allowed us to arrive at Schiphol at around 6:00. We checked-in at KLM’s priority check-in area; where the check-in lady had quite a hard time understanding our destination. I guess not a lot of people checking-in there were going to Sint Maarten, or that my pronunciation of “Sint Maarten” was not standard so the message got lost somewhere, haha 😆 . Long story short, after passing security and clearing immigration, my dad and I went to the KLM Crown Lounge while my mom window-shopped at the stores (I could only guest one passenger at the lounge for free 😦 ).

A KLM's Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFG — A KLM’s Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFG

Aside from finally being about to land at Princess Juliana International Airport, another aspect which excited me a lot about today’s flight was flying with a Boeing 747! Yeah, finally I was flying one of the Queen of the Skies! So I was super excited when boarding finally commenced at around 7:30! The flight today was operated with KLM’s 26 year-old PH-BFG, which they named “City of Guayaquil”. Even though PH-BFG was 26 year-old, the plane certainly did not look old especially in the inside. The cabin appeared very well-maintained and the seats were quite modern, even though not the newest generation for the obvious reason (KLM is phasing out the 747s).

After boarding completed (the flight was pretty much full today, I estimated the load factor in economy at about 95%), the flight departed. The safety demo was played via the personal AVOD screen; and it was the newest version with the animated Delft blue ceramics. The take-off would be at the Polderbaan. But today I did not mind the 15+ minutes taxiing as this meant I got to enjoy the ride on the 747 longer! Haha 😆 The take-off was very smooth; typical take-off with a jumbo-jet where the angle of climb was not steep at all thus (in my opinion) very comfortable for the majority of passengers.

Taking-off from runway 36L of Schiphol (the Polderbaan)

About 45 minutes into the flight, the breakfast service was distributed. There was no option for breakfast, which consisted of an egg dish with potato, fruit, and yoghurt. It was a typical economy class breakfast service. The flight attendant in-charge of my row was very attentive and active as well, where she kept going around offering drinks throughout the flight.

Breakfast service on board flight KL 785

To pass the time, obviously I used the AVOD system. To my delight, the content of the system has improved dramatically since the last time I flew long-haul on board a KLM flight (KL 868 from Osaka to Amsterdam); heck it has even improved from the last time I flew a KLM’s wide-body (the fifth-freedom segment of KL 810 from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur). The music selection is much better now (it even included a long list of BBC 1 Lounge covers! 😍). The movies selection is quite up-to-date and the TV-shows selection is sufficient, in my opinion. I decided to watch Me Before You (which turned out to be a good movie!) and two episodes of The Big Bang Theory 🙂 .

Somewhere above the Atlantic, the flight attendants distributed cups of ice cream. Then about 2 to 3 hours before landing, a lunch service was distributed. The options were chicken or pasta; and obviously I opted for the chicken one. As usual on board a KLM flight, the meal was delicious! It came with a salad, a dessert, and crackers and cheese.

The chicken option for the lunch service — The chicken option for lunch

About eight hours into the flight, we left the cruising altitude and started our descent as we were approaching Sint Maarten. I started to get all excited, haha 😆 . And then, in the distance I was able to spot the island. And then the super famous airport! 😍 Oh wow, this was happening!!

If up to this point I have mentioned here that the view upon landing at Innsbruck Airport is the most beautiful, this statement is (finally) no longer true now. For me, landing at Sint Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport provides the best view, ever! Here is the landing video:

😍😍😍 You just see how beautiful it was? 😍😍😍

Despite the short runway, the 747 landed smoothly at runway 10 of SXM. Not long after, the plane docked at the terminal. As the Curacao-bound passengers were asked to stay on board (KL 785 is a triangular Amsterdam – Sint Maarten – Curacao – Amsterdam flight), I noticed that only less than half of the passengers were travelling to Sint Maarten, hmm. Long story short, we passed the immigration with no problem and took our luggages afterwards.

And here, ladies and gentlemen, finally I was standing in the island of Sint Maarten!! 😍 And yes, my dream just came true!!

Safety demo with the Delft Blue ceramics

Warm tissue before the breakfast service

On board a KLM’s Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFG

The purser’s office on board PH-BFG. So cool!!

Complimentary snacks and drinks at the galley

Some stuffs to accompany my movie. The apricot bar was tasty!

BAHASA INDONESIA

Posting-posting dalam seri September 2016 Sabbatical Trip: The Caribbean:
1. Introduction
2. Part I: Getting to Sint Maarten
3. Part II: Sint Maarten
4. Part III: The Maho Beach
5. Part IV: Saint Martin
6. Part V: Back to the Netherlands

***

KL Logo
Penerbangan: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL 785
Pesawat: Boeing 747-400 reg PH-BFG bernama “City of Guayaquil”
ATD: 08:15 CET (Runway 36L of AMS)
ATA: 10:48 AST (Runway 10 of SXM)

Karena penerbangannya dijadwalkan jam 8:15 pagi, kami berangkat dari stasiun Rotterdam Centraal sekitar jam 5 pagi. Ini memungkinkan kami untuk tiba di Schiphol sekitar jam 6. Kami check-in di area check-in prioritasnya KLM; dimana petugas check-in-nya kesulitan menangkap nama tempat tujuan kami. Aku duga mungkin nggak banyak ya yang pergi ke Sint Maarten, atau mungkin pengucapan “Sint Maarten”-ku nggak mainstream sehingga malah jadi membingungkan, haha 😆 . Singkat cerita, setelah melewati pemeriksaan sekuriti dan imigrasi, aku dan papaku menunggu di Crown Lounge-nya KLM sementara mamaku cuci mata di pertokoannya Schiphol (Aku hanya bisa membawa satu tamu ke lounge-nya dengan tanpa biaya nih 😦 ).

Selain akhirnya sudah hampir kesampaian juga impianku untuk mendarat di Bandara Internasional Princess Juliana, satu aspek lain yang membuatku bersemangat sekali hari ini adalah akhirnya aku akan terbang dengan pesawat Boeing 747 juga! Iyaa, akhirnya aku akan terbang dengan salah satu Queen of the Skies ituu! Jadi jelas dong ya aku bersemangat sekali ketika boarding akhirnya dimulai sekitar jam 7:30! Hari ini, penerbangan dioperasikan dengan PH-BFGnya KLM yang berumur 26 tahun, yang diberi nama “City of Guayaquil”. Walaupun PH-BFG berumur 26 tahun, pesawatnya sendiri tidak menunjukkan tanda-tanda umur yang sudah uzur loh. Kabinnya nampak terawat dengan sangat baik dan kursinya juga cukup modern, walaupun memang bukan kursi generasi tipe terbaru sih karena alasan yang jelas (KLM telah mulai memensiunkan armada Boeing 747nya).

Setelah semua penumpang naik (penerbangan hari ini penuh juga loh, aku perkirakan load factor-nya sekitar 95% deh), kami berangkat. Pemeragaan keselamatan dilakukan melalui layar AVOD personalnya; dan videonya adalah versi terbaru dengan animasi keramik birunya Delft. Lepas landas akan dilakukan di Polderbaan. Namun, khusus hari ini aku tidak keberatan dengan taxiing 15+ menit yang lama ini karena ini berarti aku jadi bisa menikmati penerbangan dengan Boeing 747 lebih lama! Haha 😆 . Lepas-landasnya mulus sekali hari ini; tipikal lepas-landas dengan pesawat berbadan jumbo dimana sudut kenaikannya tidak terjal sama sekali sehingga (menurutku) sangat amat nyaman bagi kebanyakan penumpang.

Sekitar 45 menit setelah lepas-landas, layanan sarapan dibagikan. Tidak ada pilihan untuk layanan ini, yang mana terdiri dari masakan telur dengan kentang, buah-buahan, dan yoghurt. Yaa, standar layanan sarapan di kelas ekonomi lah. Pramugari yang bertugas di bagianku juga sangat perhatian dan aktif, dimana ia rajin berkeliling untuk menawarkan minuman sepanjang penerbangan.

Untuk menghabiskan waktu, jelas aku menggunakan sistem AVODnya. Yang membuatku senang adalah isi dari sistemnya kini sudah jauh lebih baik daripada ketika terakhir kali aku terbang jarak jauh dengan pesawatnya KLM (KL 868 dari Osaka ke Amsterdam); ah, bahkan sudah lebih baik daripada terakhir kali aku terbang dengan pesawat berbadan-lebarnya KLM (segmen kebebasan-kelima penerbangan KL 810 dari Jakarta ke Kuala Lumpur). Pilihan musiknya kini jauh lebih oke (bahkan ada satu daftar panjang BBC 1 Lounge covers loh! 😍). Pilihan filmnya juga cukup up-to-date dan pilihan acara TVnya cukup lah, menurutku. Aku memutuskan untuk menonton Me Before You (yang mana ternyata bagus yaa!) dan dua episode The Big Bang Theory 🙂 .

Di suatu tempat di atas Samudra Atlantik, pramugarinya membagikan layanan es krim. Lalu, sekitar 2 atau 3 jam sebelum mendarat, layanan makan siang dibagikan. Pilihannya adalah ayam atau pasta; dan jelas dong aku memilih ayam, haha. Seperti biasa, makanan utama di penerbangannya KLM itu enak-enak! Pilihan ini juga dilengkapi dengan salad, pencuci mulut, dan roti crackers dan keju.

Setelah terbang selama sekitar delapan jam, pesawat mulai meninggalkan ketinggian jelajah karena kami sudah mendekati Sint Maarten. Mulai deh aku merasa bersemangat lagi, haha 😆 . Dan tak lama kemudian, dari kejauhan aku mulai bisa melihat pulau Sint Maarten! Lalu bandaranya yang super terkenal banget itu! 😍 Oh wow, ini benar-benar menjadi kenyataan!!

Jika sampai saat ini kusebutkan bahwa ketika mendarat di Bandara Innsbruck kita disajikan pemandangan yang paling indah, pernyataan ini (akhirnya) tidak lagi benar. Untukku, pemandangan paling keren didapatkan ketika kita mendarat di Bandara Internasional Princess Juliana! Berikut ini video pendaratannya:

😍😍😍 Kereeen banget kaan? 😍😍😍

Walaupun landasan pacunya pendek, Boeing 747nya mendarat dengan amat mulus di landasan pacu 10 Bandara SXM. Tak lama kemudian, pesawat tiba di gedung terminal. Penumpang tujuan Curacao dipersilakan untuk tetap menunggu di pesawat (KL 785 adalah penerbangan rute segitiga Amsterdam – Sint Maarten – Curacao – Amsterdam) sehingga aku bisa memperhatikan bahwa hanya kurang dari setengahnya saja yang bertujuan Sint Maarten, hmm. Singkat cerita, kami melewati pemeriksaan imigrasi tanpa masalah dan mengambil bagasi kami.

Dan di sini, saudara dan saudari sekalian, akhirnya aku menginjakkan kaki juga di pulau Sint Maarten!! 😍 Yap, salah satu impianku menjadi kenyataan!!

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