Part 1 : IAD-AMS and stay in Amsterdam
Part 2: AMS-ZRH-BOM-VIE-IAD


Flight Info:

SA)">UA 946 IAD-AMS

Gate: C5
Equipment: Boeing 767-300

STD: 5:17 pm
ATD: 5:15 pm

STA: 7:00 am
ATA: 6:25 am

On the day of departure, we had requested Super Shuttle to take us to IAD. Based on departure time and their available pick-up slots, the shuttle was supposed to pick us up between 1:15-1:30 pm. He finally arrived at 2 pm - thank god IAD is just about a 15 minute ride from my house. At 2.15 pm, SA)">UA international check-in counters were not crowded at all. We had done OLCI but SA)">UA wouldn't let us print the boarding passes since document check needed to be performed at the airport. All that was quick and easy and by 2:40 pm we were through the security.

We caught the mobile lounge to the C Gates. Because I had had a very light and early lunch, I was starving to Potbelly Sandwich was a good place to grab a sandwich. We had plenty of time to kill - so decide to take a stroll through C & D concourse and see if I could do some plane spotting.

Southwest bird at a B-Gate:



SA 340-300 (ZS-SXC) and OS 772:





A SA)">UA 744 (N179UA)




By 4 pm, concourse C had gotten very crowded. We walked back to our departure gate C5. Boarding was supposed to begin at 4:32 pm and began almost on time. We were seated in 29 A, B. The flight was about 80-85% full in Y. There was a group of aerospace engineering students on their way back to Europe (forgot what school they were from) after a study tour of US and Brazil among other places.

Doors were closed and pushback was a couple of minutes before time at 5:15 (STD 5:17 pm). While we were taxiing; saw the just arrived QR 77W (A7-BAB).



A SA)">UA 757 taking off as we taxied:


Some more pictures as we taxied:



We took off from RWY 1R at 5:28 pm.

Some photos right after take off:





Passing over BWI:



Our scheduled flight time in the air was 6 hrs 58 minutes and we were scheduled to fly over PHL - New York City - Halifax - Gander and on to a 3.5 hr hop over North Atlantic and then making landfall over Ireland and heading over SNN and MAN onto AMS.

SA)">UA had said Indian Veg. Meal was an available option for this flight - so I booked the same for both me & mrs. I called twice to confirm the same because my online itin. was showing one VLML (Lacto-ovo-veg. - which I last time learned is nothing but vegan and bland and tasteless). I was assured that both were tagged as IVML (Indian Veg.). And then when it was dinner time - the FA brought our special meals and lo and behold- one was VLML and the other was IVML. We said to ourselves - no big deal - we will survive....and then as soon as I opened the one tagged "Indian Veg." - it had.....CHICKEN!!

So we asked the FA what the deal was and he profusely apologized for the screw up. Thankfully, one of the choices on the regular meal service was pasta with ricotta cheese and tomato sauce and he asked us if we would have that instead. We had no problem with that and so finally we did have two meals that we both could eat.

Beverage service before the meal:


Lacto-ovo. Veg. Meal:
This consisted of a sorry looking curry of chick peas and some tiny pasta along with a salad and balsamic vinegar dressing, a dinner roll and Walker

Shortbread cookies for dessert.



Characterizing this meal as "ordinary" is being quite generous. I could not believe this was the same SA)">UA that once (albeit several years ago) provided

a real good Indian Veg. Meal with real dessert on a 3 hour hop from IAD to DFW - even in Y.

I don't know if SA)">UA is staffing international flights also now in accordance with minimum FAA mandated number of FAs - but the service certainly seems quite lacking. During this meal service, the drink cart service that immediately follows the meal cart was done only on one side of the plane and that too after almost 30 mins after the meals were distributed.

Cabin lights were dimmed after dinner. I decided to forego any IFE and decided to take a nap. There was some moderate chop for just a few minutes when the captain had FAs sit down. Other than that the flight was fairly uneventful. I slept a good 3.5+ hours only to wake up 1.5 hours out when FAs began the pre-arrival snack service.

This snack was a Cinnamon Donut and a Fruit Bowl along with the regular beverage service. By the time this was being wrapped up, we had already begun our descent into AMS and touched down at 6:25 am on RWY 36L.

After taxing for a few minutes, the aircraft parked at the gate and we proceede to passport control. It was quick and easy and as we waited for our baggage to arrive, I headed to the nearest ATM (ABN-Amro) to get some Euro cash for our 4-day stay in Amsterdam. Customs control was a non-event and we proceeded to catch the shuttle to our hotel.

We stayed at the NH Hotel Schiphol Airport. The hotel was advertising free airport shuttle (to and from AMS) when I booked the trip and luckily I had printouts to prove that. However, they had stopped the free shuttle ride to AMS from the hotel. But the hotel staff was very gracious and allowed us the complimentary use of the shuttle both ways since that was what they had advertised earlier.

I liked the city very much - my first time there. However, I am yet to understand why they have made their public transport ticket system so convoluted and confusing. And the zone system is mind-boggling too. I however did find the trams and the buses to be very efficient way to get around and so were the NS trains.

Here are some pictures from my stay in Amsterdam and a side trip to The Hague:


























The AMS Schiphol Model at Madurodam:


















The Dam Square:




The Royal Palace:



Zaanse Schans:




Spotting at the Panorama Terrace at AMS:



The KL MD-11 PH-KCA - which incidentally is also featured at the Madurodam model and pictured here:


was also at AMS in real life and is pictured below:




Some more pictures from the Panorama Terrace:


















Coming up in the next part: AMS-ZRH-BOM-VIE-IAD