After spending a great Christmas day with my family, It was time to head out to the airport. It was exciting to be actually flying on Christmas Day, but it was sad that the day was half spent getting ready for the flight, last minute packing and other things that take up one's time before the ride to the airport arrives. I made my way thought the usual check in at the desk, customs, Immigration which is all done after you bid farewell to your loved ones, unlike airports here where you are still with family after checking in. The flight on Emirates was a bit of a worry as our schedule time of departure was 2235 with an arrival time of 2325 in Dubai. We took off an hour late and the only thing I could think about was my connecting flight. Fortunately my one bag were checked all the way to Toronto, even though I was travelling on two seperate tickets. I was greatful for that, which meant I would not need to go through the whole process again. But sometimes the transit passenger line ups in Dubai can be even more troublesome and have significant delays. As I've already documented a bit on Emirates Dubai-Karachi-Dubai run I won't go through it again. We landed in Dubai and were bused to the terminal where I joined the line of Transit passengers.

Some pics from the Karachi to Dubai flight. EK603 - Airbus A330-200. It was also the first time I flew on the EK Airbus A330-200  . Now in 2009 I've flown on practically the entire fleet except for the A340-300 & A380.






Fortunately even with the delay and landing in Dubai at 0025 I was able to get to the LH transit counter at around 0130 local time, with my departure at 0345. The flight did not seem to be full as the window seat I had requested was given to me. I was also handed my boarding pass to Toronto which had a shorter transit time in Frankfurt of just five hours. Dubai Duty Free was bustling as usual at this late hour of the night, and was also it's most busy times as flights are departing in all directions. I took some photos of the nice Christmas tree in the Shopping area, but nothing could compare it to the Gold tree around the Gold and jewellery counters and the other Palm trees that could be found at the far end of the terminal on the upper level.











Date: 26 Dec, 2007
Airline: Lufthansa
Flight No: LH 635
Dep: 0345
Route: Dubai to Frankfurt
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Aircraft Name: D-ABTA (Sachsen)
Duration: 6hrs 50mins
Seat: 50A

I found my gate and waited to board the flight to Frankfurt excited again to be on board a Boeing 747-400. The boarding announcements were made and as I was one of the last seats on the jumbo I started to line up with those first few passengers, after First and Business had proceeded. Unlike the new terminal 1 in Dubai, the old terminals airbridges allowed some really spectacular views of the jet you are about to board. The area is not very lit up which allows you to capture your bird as it stands at the gate waiting for you to board.




Though as you get closer to the main doors, the reflection from the airbridge shines on the glass and you have to try and get close enough to get the plane. I was busy doing this and trying to capture the jumbo's name "Sachsen" under the words Boeing 747-400 right after the L1 door (which is where the airbridge of the First and Business had connected), I heard a voice behind telling me that it was wrong to photograph a German plane. I almost thought I was hearing things and I turned around and asked my concerned German traveller if he was serious. He definitely seemed to be as he stood there in anticipation of me putting my camera away. I wasn't getting a very good shot of the plane due to the glare of the lights on the glass, so I did not push it. I felt relieved I had not come across this guy when I got those better shots of the front of the plane. Anyway I got on board and noticed my friend had already made himself comfortable on the seat on the right of the aircraft, and I was in 53A on the other side away from him.

We were welcomed on board by the captain, and hot towels were distributed as we pushed back. Dubai was busy with activity on the ground as much as it was in the terminal building. Our departure was to the East unlike most departures at night that take off to the West. However I could not have been happier with regards to what was to unfold. We raced down the runway a little behind schedule and the magnificent beast climbed out into the clear night Dubai sky. The city lights twinkled yet the skyline that I had seen on arrival from the West from the starboard side was now out of view as I sat on the port side, contributed less to the rather flat scene I saw in front of me. The jet banked to the right as it made it's way out to the Persian Gulf from where it would it proceed on it's short course back to Frankfurt. We continued to climb higher into the night and after making our right turn I could now see the skycrapers below reaching out from the rest of the twinkling lights. It was hard to take a photo from that height especially at night.

Then from under the wing the Al Burj (not to be mistaken with the Burj Al Arab, the sail structured building) started to take shape, and those skycrapers that I had seen reaching out towards the sky, now seemed so much closer to the ground than before as the mammoth building, the tallest building in Dubai if not the world, lay just under us, it towering upwards from the earth as it dwarfed the rest of the skyscrapers around it. A shiver ran down my spine thinking how close it seemed we had come to that structure though in reality we were indeed much higher. The Illusion of it almost touching our jet and the rest of the skyscrapers around seeming so much closer to the ground in comparison, is something I shall never forget. To see that building reaching up to the sky, from the ground is one thing, but to see it reaching up to the sky, while you are looking down from the sky itself is something else indeed. The passenger behind me too was almost falling out of his seat as we both bent forward to see the view unfolding in front of our eyes. I wanted to shut my eyes all the way to Frankfurt and keep that memory embedded in my brain forever.

Unfortunately the lights turned on and the usual good LH service kicked in. I was so tired by now that the moment I reclined my seat I fell into a deep sleep. We either had a light meal after departing or had breakfast served prior to landing, I cannot remember. The flight was not too long to begin, just a little over 6 hours. Like the dark night arrival that we had had into Frankfurt from Toronto, the Boeing 747-400 too had limited views outside, except the dark skies. We slammed onto the Runway at Frankfurt, again I am not sure which runway we landed on. I noticed on exiting the aircraft just a few of the female cabin crew had the full uniform on, that is with the hat on. I think the whole uniform should be worn when passengers are arriving and leaving the aircraft. It's really a wonderful unifrom. And I was a bit worried that all that yellow on board the Luthansa jets, seat back covers etc would be a bit too overwhelming, but I am happy to say it was very soothing actually.



Date: 26 Dec, 2007
Airline: Lufthansa
Flight No: LH 470
Dep: 1250
Route: Frankfurt to Toronto
Aircraft: Airbus A340-300
Aircraft Name: D-AIGH (Koblenz)
Duration: 8 hrs 55mins
Seat: 39A

It had started to snow during my transit at the airport in Frankfurt and this was already a sign of things to come. Having now been awake for over 48 hours considering that I had barely slept the night my cousins got in which was the 23rd, then had been doing stuff with them all day 24th, then practically no sleep again on Christmas Eve, except for three four hours and then all day awake on Christmas day, I was ready to fall asleep at any given spot in the terminal. I was too exhausted to try and photograph the planes again and just stayed lethargically for the flight to depart at 1250. However we were informed the flight was to be delayed for an hour and more due to de-icing. Finally our aircraft appeared at the gate and I was lucky to quickly photograph it just before it disappeared behind the airbridge with just it's tail visible.



Boarding commenced and it was a full load on board and we would all soon be in Canada on Boxing Day! Snow covered parts of my window which made viewing outside difficult. It did however clear in a while. Once on board the aircraft at 1410 almost an hour and more later, we did not push back for yet another 45 minutes till the whole de-icing process was completed. It was interesting to see your aircraft beign de-iced, the first time for me and during and after the process it felt like you plane had been taken through a car wash. The snow and ice that was outside my window had gone before the de-icing even began and my window had been replaced with a distorted view that formed wavy patterns of the world outside, like an appiration in a fortune teller's crystal ball. It really made the whole taxi to the runway the worst I had ever seen. I could see nothing outside, well I could but it was all so wavy and hard to see.








We even took off in those conditions. I sat in my seat hoping it would soon clear and not be this way for a major part of the journey. And clear it did in a few minutes but by then we were already high over the clouds or at least it appeared so, as in the distance a little shape peeked out from the white blanket of clouds that stretched in front of us. I looked hard at it and had to use maximum zoom to get a photo of it. I later realised it was the Frankfurt Tower and even though we had been flying for some minutes now, it appears we were actually not moving with tremendous speed. The jet glided on slowly and as we got higher going through an even higher ceiling of clouds, it darkened a bit, and by then the window had cleared up completely as we made our way over the Dutch coastline towards the UK from where we would begin our Atlantic crossing.







On the flight when reading the inflight magazine, I realised that the Herpa shop I was looking for was actually in the terminal as "Lufthansa Worldshop". I had known that name but for some reason I had thought that Herpa would be easily understood. It was too late to do anything about it now as we were heading back to Toronto. I cannot remember too much about that flight as I practically slept the entire way, just getting up from time to time first for the meals then to photograph the view outside and of course use the washroom. Yes one incident really stood out, and that was we had this FA in our zone, who while serving the meals had to indicate the choices avialable to obviously someone who could not read the menu card. She literally lifted her arms upwards towards her shoulders and started to flap them up and down.Then took her left and right index fingers and placed them at the side of her head and shook her head from side to side, while smiling yet very skillfully and hopefully getting the message across to the passenger, that the menu options were chicken and beef. I was thoroughly impressed to see her do that, regardless of what the other passengers may think of it. She did what was the only way to communicate with the passenger and ensure he had his meal with the right choice. Hopefully the choice was indicated back with the same dramatics as performed by the FA  

Even though LH had no seat back video enterntainment, though it is now on all their Airbus A330-300 and A340-600 flights, the crews really did compensate for that with their truly outstanding service. I found them to be very attentive, smiling at every passenger which is a big "yes" for me, and the consistency in level of service could be found on all sectors I had travelled on. If I have a chance to fly with Lufthansa again, I would do without a doubt. However more than that LH holds a very special place in my heart which I will disclose at the end of this report.

We had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and travelled the almost 9 hour run quite fast and we arrived over Toronto with cloudy skies. But that final right turn to line up with 6R at Toronto offered the most glorious view of a sunset, that sealed this trip with a lot of wonderful memories. We landed in Toronto under grey skies and horrible weather which was going to set the mood for the next few days regarding the events that were going to unfold the next day in the land I had left on Christmas Day.

Over the Atlantic Ocean

Over Quebec, Canada

Over Toronto, Canada

Turning right on Finals to Rwy6R at Toronto

Landing on a cloudy Boxing Day in Toronto



Now as I had mentioned that I am an avid aircraft model collector, and only in the 1:200 scale, I had bought a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 made by Risesoon in Taiwan and which is distributed under the Skymarks name in North America, I had written about my trip on this forum that deals with model aircraft. I was looking at my photos and noticed the registration on the Boeing 747-400 out of Dubai that was named "Sachsen" and it suddenly dawned on me that the aircraft was in my display cabinet. I rushed to confirm it and was overjoyed to find that I had a model of the aircraft I had actually flown on. Then a few months later, I realised that Herpa made a few 1:200 models as well of the Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 and one name was "Niedersachsen" in addition to others. That set me on a chase to finally get it and I did. I had the registration of our Airbus A340-300 from Toronto and I was aware that "Remscheid" was never made, and I never really got the registration of the model that I flew back to Toronto. In the meantime I got my hands on the only Herpa Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 out there and had it in my closet, along with the "Niedersachsen" as I have no space to display any more models.

Today while writing this report I zoomed in on the registration on the nose wheel gear and faintly made out the letters GH. I quickly looked up the name of the registration on the internet http://www.planespotters.net/Product...=A340-300&fleet=1612&fleetStatus=1 and found out that D-AIGH was "Koblenz". I stopped breathing for a while as I thought I was going to pass out, when I went to the closet and checked the registration on the Herpa 1:200 Airbus A340-300 box. It read "Koblenz". I could not believe that after almost a year of having this model, TODAY I would find out that it was another model of the actual plane that I had flown on. So here I am with three identical models out of the four planes I had flown with Lufthansa that I am proud to say I own. With the large number of fleet out there and the very insignificant number of actual models that represent it, the chances of actually being on an aircraft with the same registration of the plane you flew on is well slim, but I'm really lucky to have had a chance to fly on three of them and all in just one trip!! And I am especially ecstatic that I discovered the Airbus A340-300 is also added to that list tonight!!!

D-ABVZ - Niedersachsen (FRA-DXB)





D-ABTA - Sachsen (Check the registration on the nose wheel - Would have had a close up of the name   ) (DXB-FRA)






D-AIGH - Koblenz (FRA-YYZ)