Hello(!),

Just thought I'd try to write a report this time with no pics (I left my camera on a plane returning from Zurich last week but hopefully I'll get it back from lost property). The flight is a quick afternoon/evening trip which I make sometimes with Ryanair (the total cost for the ticket is about 20 pounds so it's cheaper even than going gliding, and it doesn't depend on the weather so much). Shannon is a pretty cool airport to visit as it has connections with the U.S. (they have U.S. immigrations here I think) and now BA001 from London City airport stops here for fuel too it has quite a transatlantic feel. They also have a pretty nice bar/cafe here too with good food and free wireless internet so I normally bring my laptop (from where I'm writing the first part of this report now). On top of that there's a pretty cool observation deck which has photos on the wall of all the aircraft visiting Shannon from Ryanair 737-800's to the Boeing Dreamlifter I think there's quite a lot of scheduled and cargo flights visiting over time.

I left home at about 1pm this afternoon (the flight from London Gatwick was at 3pm and the return is at 7.50pm this evening). The traffic was good in the afternoon and I arrived at Gatwick at about 3.35pm where I parked in the long stay car park at the South Terminal. After taking the bus from the car park I headed into the South Terminal where I went direct to the departures/security control. Security was very fast (maybe because it was the afternoon and they weren't that busy?) and soon I was in the South Terminal airside (at about 2.05pm). The departures board had indicated the flight to Shannon (FR1183) was going to be called at 2.15pm, 45 minutes before the 3pm departure. However at about 2.10pm it indicated go to gate 12 so before I had the chance to use the internet or anything I headed to gate 12. Gate 12 is in the main gate concourse of the South Terminal so rather than being in the smaller gate1-10 pier where most flights to the UK and Ireland stop I was closer to more European and even long-haul flights.

The wait at the gate was quite long (although we had already produced are passports at the entrance to the gate so we didn't have to do so again when the aircraft was ready). However the Boeing 737-800 with winglets didn't arrive until about 3pm so we ended up leaving a little late (not a problem for me since I was only going for leisure anyway). Later on the captain/first officer apologised for the delay and told us it was simply a delay they had picked up on an earlier sector. I don't know how Ryanair scheduling works but I guess from what I've seen that they fly quite a few sectors in a day's work and then maybe have a day off. However at about 3.10pm we started boarding the aircraft (I had purchased priority boarding as I wanted to have a window seat if possible and Ryanair's priority boarding is only 3 pounds each way which is quite cool).

I took seat 21A which was just at the back of the left wing by the flaps which was a nice window seat. Parked near us were a FlyBe Dash 8, another Ryanair 737-800 (heading a bit earlier to Cork) and I saw an Easyjet Airbus narrowbody (probably A319 or A320) heading probably to Edinburgh, Belfast or Glasgow as it was leaving from gates 1-10 (I think that's where they normally fly to the UK from). By 3.30pm we were fully loaded and the doors shut and we pushed back from the gate with engine start too. We headed for the short taxi to runway 26L (Gatwick has only 1 active runway 26L/8R depending on the wind direction). After a wait at the hold short point (the captain/first officer explained it was rush hour at Gatwick and apologised but it wasn't that long a wait) we entered runway 26L.

Takeoff roll was quite long (maybe as we were quite full, including quite a few children/families as I think it's still half term) and then we took off from runway 26L. There were some quite nice views while we climbed at low altitude, flying over farms and fields in Sussex while we made our departure west towards Bristol and the over the sea to Ireland. We continued the climb through a few clouds and pretty soon we were above the clouds heading towards our cruise altitude of 32,000ft.

Pretty soon after takeoff the cabin crew started their service (buy on board) with taking orders for hot food (Ryanair have burgers, paninis, hot dogs, I think pizza slices etc.) before selling drinks/snacks etc. I didn't buy anything but instead just enjoyed the views from cruise, flying towards the early setting sun above the clouds. It was nice and sunny in the cabin and the crew continued their service as we headed west. I saw I think Bristol and the Bristol channel with the motorway bridge over it but the setting sun made it quite hard to see what we were flying over. The flight was only 1hr 10minutes and after about half an hour in cruise the crew started selling duty free/gifts etc. and Ryanair scratchcards for 2 pounds/Euros. Pretty soon we started descending gradually and got closer to the clouds (the first officer had told us that weather in Shannon was not bad with a few clouds, a little light rain and light wind from the Southwest). We flew through the clouds a little and under them there were some nice view of rural Ireland, green but also a little brown as it is autumn now.

We continued descending towards the South-West approach and soon flaps were being extended and a little speed brake used. I like the North East approach to Shannon because you fly over the Shannon river/estuary which is quite cool but the South West approach is not bad too, flying over fields and then the motorway before touching down (quite lightly) on the runway. The runway was quite wet although it wasn't raining much so reverse thrust kicked up quite a lot of spray but soon we slowed down and taxied to the parking stand. The parking stand is just walking distance to the terminal at Shannon for all of their stands I think so soon we were in the terminal.

After passing quickly through passport/immigration (which always seems to be quick in Dublin or Shannon) I soon headed into the airport, where I am writing this article now (having a little dinner in the bar/restaurant upstairs). I'll finish this Guiness and then head maybe for a walk/visit the viewing gallery before heading back through security for the return flight, which I'll try to write about in the reply when I get home.

Anyway will try to continue the report for the return flight in the reply but any comments/criticism etc. welcome.

Hope people liked the written report (and it wasn't too boring without pics).

Many thanks,

Pierre