LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 11974 times:
Hello dear readers, and welcome to my second report for this year. This report will cover my most recent trip Dalaman (Marmaris) in Southern Turkey, on SAS.
Before getting along with the report, I would like to remind you that some (not all) of the pictures used for this report are taken with my fisheye lens. So for those of you who are sensitive to the somewhat distorted images from my favourite lens, I may suggest you to switch to another report For the rest of you, I wish you a pleasant read.
Background
As is the case with all of my previous reports, it’s about a young man feeling utterly exhausted after six months of hard studying, and is in desperate need for a holiday (uhm, flying).
Having just graduated from school as a fully trained aircraft maintenance technician, with no intentions taking that job in the future, my summer was looking rather uncertain. Mainly due to the fact that I hadn’t booked any flights, since I was applying for an office internship at an airline maintenance company. Sadly though two days prior to my graduation, I was notified by a representative from the company telling me that my application had been rejected.
Without a job for the summer, and with most airlines charging top dollar for their flights, things were looking pretty dark for me. Until one morning, when I was woken up by my mom telling me that she’ve found a cheap last minute charter ticket to Marmaris, Turkey. She insisted I’d spend two weeks there living with my stepfather who runs a travel agency, rather than having me laying around the house all day.
As with all mother-and-son relationships, I was feeling very reluctant to her idea at first. This mainly due to the fact that it was a charter flight, to a holiday destination. I’ve never really been a fan of those mainstream holiday charter places, the decadent lifestyle, the drinking, the disorganised holiday charter crowd with their screaming children and oversized luggage, the cramped seating, the lack of in-flight service. These are all things that help creating my version of hell.
Knowing the fact that I would not be able to put out with this hell for two weeks, I rushed out of bed to prevent mom from clicking the ”CONFIRM” button on the booking page. But as I made my way down our kitchen, it was too late. The booking was confirmed, an e-ticked had been issued and was sent to me by e-mail. I was in despair, but despite that I decided on taking a look at what hell was awaiting me.
To my big surprise, the flights turned out to be operated by Scandinavian Airlines SAS, with my favourite mid-size aircraft the McDonnell Douglas MD-80. Not only that, it would also turn out that there will be some form of in-flight service offered on this flight, since I would be flying in something called ”SAS Charter Comfort Class”. A quick Google search revealed that amenities such as 30kg baggage allowance, an ”enhanced” meal service, free alcoholic beverages and seats at the very front of the aircraft, were included in this ticket. Another search on a Swedish travel forum, revealed that this product was also referred to as ”Charter Business Class”.
Given the fact that I (mom) had only payed €140 for the ticket, expectations were kept at a minimum, although I was still a bit excited to see what was in store for me. So given the circumstances, one could simply draw the conclusion that your mother is ALWAYS right
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 1, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 12074 times:
June 18th 2011
I woke up at 7am after a sleepless night, this as we all know caused by pre-flight excitement. But in my case also the anger and sheer frustration of not having a job for the summer, so in the midst of all this I got out of bed at 4am and started writing job applications. By 5.30am I had sent five applications to various businesses around town. From there on I went back to bed and passed out, only to be woken up 90 minutes later by my alarm clock.
With my flight leaving at 4pm in the afternoon, I decided on taking one of the earlier trains to Arlanda leaving at 10.14am. This mainly because the trains to ARN from Vasteras are always delayed, so I didn’t want to risk missing my flight by taking a later train.
Since I hadn’t done much packing the night before, I had woken up one hour earlier to do so. I decided to fit my two weeks of packing in the top-compartment of my Lowepro camera backpack. In other words, I would be traveling very light this time. By only bringing the bare essentials, which meant leaving my shiny white polycarbonate laptop at home. No biggie, since I wouldn’t get use for it anyway, and besides it would probably just get dirty as well.
At 10am I left my house for the 7 minute walk to the train station. As I arrived, I realised that I’d forgot to pack my stomach medicine. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t sleep. I would do without it for a few days, but it wouldn’t be very pleasant. Taking a later train would be a hard option, as I’d already booked a ticket and even if I were to be allowed to travel on a later departure, I would be loosing my 2hr delay margin and thereby risk missing my flight.
Luckily the train to Arlanda was bang on time, and after a smooth 1hr 46m journey, I arrived to the airport at 12am with 4 hours to spare.
. Smooth 1st Class train ride to ARN.
Upon arriving at the SkyCity train station, I made my way up the escalators and into Terminal 5, all the way up to the SAS concourse.
.
.
. View of both departure concourses at ARN T5
My tour operator Apollo (from where my ticket was issued) specified that airport check-in would open two hours prior to departure, also no OLCI is offered. Since I was tired and didn’t feel like spending two hours at land side, I tried typing in my booking number at one of SAS’s self-service machines. As it turned out, check-in was possible from these machines, but I wasn’t able to select a seat. Within less that a minute, check-in was complete and a boarding pass was issued. To my big surprise, the BP had ”Business Class” written on it. I was also lucky to have scored a window seat, 2F.
With my SAS ”C” class BP in hand, I decided on trying my luck at the fast-track security lane. The security agent looked rather surprised as I handed her over the BP, she took a close look at it before scanning it in the machine. Seconds later, the green light illuminated, and I was allowed to pass. The security check was a breeze, and within 30 seconds I was airside.
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 2, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 12006 times:
Flight: SK7809 ARN-DLM Date: June 18th 2011 Departure: 16.00 Arrival: 20.55 Duration: 3hrs 55min Seat & Class: 2F Business Aircraft & Reg: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 LN-ROT
. View of the new tax-free mall at ARN T5, near the F-Pier.
. Various cafés and bookstores, along with Sweden’s only WHSmith (not pictured).
As I made my way though the tax-free mall, I decided on trying my luck yet again. This time at the SAS Business Lounge. Knowing the fact that my chances of getting in are pretty slim since I’m traveling on a ”fake C ticket”, I felt it was still worth a try.
I later arrived at the Lounge, where I was greeted by a rather grumpy agent, in her mid 60s. She too had a long look at the BP before scanning it in the machine. As expected the red light illuminated, in other words a no-go. She told me that charter passengers can’t access the lounge, and despite my attempt of offering her cash, she strictly advised me to use the other lounge. Yes the infamous Menzies Lounge.
At the Menzies Lounge, I was greeted by a friendly male agent in his mid 20s, at first he found it a bit strange that I got kicked out of the SAS Lounge, but after telling him my story he quickly got the point. Since my mom no longer lends me her Gold Visa card, I had to pay the full admission fee of €20. A bit steep considering the low standard of this lounge, but then again I was dead tired, hungry and to sweeten the deal, I noticed this week’s issue of Newsweek on one of the stands. In the end, I guess it was worth it.
. Overview of the main seating area of the lounge.
. The poor F&B offerings.
. The infamous wine on tap.
. Settling down with some ham&cheese rolls, diet coke and Newsweek.
I took a seat in one of the armchairs in the section of the lounge that overlooks the apron, where I spent more than three hours reading Newsweek, and watching the action on the tarmac. After a while, I decided on saving my Newsweek for the flight, and switched to AF’s in-flight magazine. I had a couple more glasses of diet coke, along with some of that awful wine on tap and a cup of bitter vending machine coffee. There were some snacks available as well, but they did not look much edible.
At 3.15pm, I left the lounge and headed towards my gate which was located in the F-pier, approximately 20 minutes prior to boarding. Since my flight was leaving the Schengen area, I had to pass through the passport control, where I ran into the crew that turned out to be the ones operating our flight. At 3.25pm I arrived at gate F60, only to find the area already packed with people.
. Some cafés and tax-free shops post customs at the F-Pier.
.
. View of the gate area. Note those lovely brown wooden floors.
At 3.35pm, boarding was called right on time. To my big surprise not a single person seem to have moved, so I asked the guy standing next to me why nobody’s boarding, and he said it was because only pax seated at the back who were allowed to board. I found it pretty interesting how people really took there rules seriously, since people normally just flock the boarding gate. Since I had ”BN1” written on my BP, I was allowed to board at my leisure. By doing so I was the 2nd person to walk down the glass jetway.
. Walking down the glass jetway.
As I entered the aircraft, I was greeted by the friendly crew that ran past me earlier at the passport check. The crew for today’s flight consisted of four flight attendants, one male and female both seniors, serving my section of the plane, and two younger males in their mid 30s serving the back. All of them very friendly, as is the case with all SAS flights.
I quickly made my way to seat 2F, which was located on the 3-seater. The seat itself was in accumulate condition, and rather comfortable as well. Seat pitch was estimated at 34 inches. A pillow was placed on each row in ”C”.
. Cabin during boarding.
. Legroom shot.
. Lovely pillow designed by Marimekko, in Finland.
The boarding process was quick and surprisingly organised, during the boarding I noticed the senior male F/A placing headrest covers on the middle seats. So with that in mind, I should expect the seating to be standard Y class. As it turned out, the flight to Dalaman would be 100% full this afternoon, and soon a middle age couple occupied the aisle and middle seat of my row.
Minutes later, a crew member came over the PA announcing that boarding was complete. This was followed by pushback and a manual safety demonstration.
. Pushing back on time!
Following pushback was a five minute taxi to ARN Runway 1, also known as 01L/19R (You’re welcome, Eric!). This was followed by a surprisingly smooth, quiet and heavy take-off run. Normally on the MD-80 you’d expect a rocket like take-off, pushing you hard back into your seat and climbing like there’s no tomorrow. But given the fact that the flight was 100% packed with charter tourists with their oversized luggage placed in the belly, and the fuel tanks filled to the brim as the aircraft is pushed to its limits of range, it was no surprise this take-off came as a letdown.
Shortly after lifting off, the aircraft made a left turn to the east continuing our climbout above the Stockholm Archipelago.
. Reaching 10 000ft, seatbelts off!
Soon the aircraft passed 10 000 feet, the captain turned off the seatbelt sign, and the crew came over the PA welcoming us onboard once again. The crew also announced the meals that were to be served during the flight, a common practice on SAS flights it seems. Passengers in Y class will be served a cold meal box (= the same as normally served in Economy Extra on scheduled EU flights), and ”C” would be served a full three course hot meal. Drinks will be offered free of charge in ”C”, whereas in Y you had to pay for them. The curtain would remain open throughout the flight, however the people in the row behind insisted on shutting them.
Meanwhile, I put the seat in a slightly reclined position, and continued reading my Newsweek. Also to note, NO newspapers were offered neither at the gate or onboard the plane.
. My IFE for this flight.
Around 45 minutes into the flight, the crew commenced the pre-meal drinks service. We were offered a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, along with a small bag of salt pretzels. I settled for a Gin&Tonic and a Coke Zero. Normally I’d prefer a Diet Coke, but still Zero is better than the sugary version.
. Rather generous amount of drinks offered.
My fellow passengers seemed to take well advantage from the free booze, the couple seated next to me each had two bottles of wine, and the woman across the aisle had SIX miniature bottles of whiskey throughout the flight. Around 40 minutes after the drinks service, the crew began serving the meals.
Dinner Menu
Starter: Shrimp Cocktail.
Main: Fillet of beef with green pepper sauce, hashed potatoes, and summer vegetables.
Dessert: Blueberry pie with grated almonds.
Freshly baked bread, and organic butter.
Président camembert cheese, and crackers.
A selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Coffee or tea.
.
. Meal presented in SAS long haul Economy Class cutlery and tableware.
The shrimp cocktail starter tasted very nice and fresh, it had a perfectly lagom amount of shrimp, the vegetables had a nice fresh texture (i.e they provided a good chewing resistance and were not soggy), also the combination of water melon gave a nice melange of sweet and savoury flavours. On top of all this was a nice slightly sour dressing. All in all this starter tasted very well, although some added lemon juice wouldn’t have hurt.
The bread on SAS is perhaps the best bread in the industry. It’s ”home baked” sourdough, rye and wheat bread. It was nice and warm, tasting absolutely great!
The main course consisted of three medium thick slices of beef fillet, approximately 150 grams, along with the veggies and potatoes, soaked in the green pepper sauce. The beef tasted very nice and tender, although a bit on the bland side (some added salt and pepper helped solving that), the hashed potatoes was a somewhat strange alternative to the usual gratin. They did however have a nice and rich taste, perhaps a bit too rich since they were covered by a layer of greasy oil. Veggies were not much to write home about, bland and over boiled. The sauce on the other hand tasted pretty well, although some more green pepper seeds would’ve been nice as the peppery flavour was a bit on the low side.
After the meal, the crew came around offering coffee/tea and digestifs. I decided on taking some Bailey’s Irish Cream along with my coffee and dessert.
. A nice way to round off the meal.
The blueberry pie was just like any other airline catering dessert, dry and tasteless. I don’t really see how they can call this a pie, since the texture was more like a slightly enhanced sponge cake. It was also dry, and you could barely taste the blueberries. I had to request another cup of coffee to wash it down.
I was feeling rather full after the meal, hence a bit sleepy as well. So spent some time reading my Newsweek before dozing off.
. Relaxing after the meal.
. Enjoying a spectacular view from 39 000 feet.
I woke up one hour later from the captain coming over the PA announcing our cruising altitude of 39 000 feet, overflying southern Bulgaria on our way to Dalaman. Weather in DLM was sunny with no clouds in sight.
Having my somewhat bulky camera backpack placed under the seat in front of me, my legs were feeling pretty stiff. In order words, I was in need for a walk down the aisle to stretch my legs. Getting through the cabin turned out to be quite difficult, as the crew were busy conducting the in-flight sales. I managed to get down to row 10, before deciding on walking back to the front.
. The big front galley of the MD-82.
. Cabin view.
. View of the front lavatory. Love those added extras such as the wooden elbow rest by the toilet, the ”make up room” style mirror and plush fake leather on the wall.
As I got back to my seat we had already began our descent to Dalaman Airport. With some 40 minutes left of the flight, I spent the remainder of the flight enjoying the sunset and the spectacular views of the Aegean Sea.
. Beautiful sunset.
. Keeping myself hydrated with some OJ and mineral water.
. Overflying the sea as we’re coming in on our final approach.
The touchdown was very smooth, this was followed by a quick taxi to our gate at the International terminal @ DLM.
. View of the terminal, while taxiing to our gate.
The aircraft arrived to the gate at 20.55, right on time! Shortly afterwards the jetway was docked, door opened and passengers were now allowed to leave the aircraft. Since I wanted to have a look inside the cockpit, I remained seated until everyone had left the plane.
. View of my seat, picture taken upon arrival.
As I made my way towards the exit, I asked the crew whether it was okay for me to have a peak into the cockpit. They seemed pretty fine with that, so I stepped inside. Inside, I was not greeted by the first officer. He was more busy playing with his iPhone, and seemed very reluctant to talk, despite me making several attempts. No big deal really, since I at least managed to score a picture of the flight deck on this 25 year old machine.
. View of the cockpit.
I left the aircraft, saying goodbye to the crew and thanking them for the great service. As I made my way up the jetway, I noticed how it was connected to the lower floor, and thereby taking you almost directly to the passport control. As I arrived there, it struck me how long those lines were. Luckily however, things seemed to move on pretty smooth, and within 3 minutes my passport was stamped and I was allowed to enter the country.
The security check led out towards the baggage reclaims. Since I had done myself and the airline the huge favour of not checking in any luggage, I was able to proceed directly towards the exit.
. View of the baggage hall at DLM.
Upon reaching the airport’s curbside, I noticed representatives from the tour operators holding up signs for passengers who had booked transfer busses. I was quickly able to find the bus that would be taking me on the 90 minute ride to Marmaris. The bus ride was pretty smooth, and I was dropped off at a hotel in the city centre where my stepfather was waiting for me. After some late dinner at a restaurant in town, we headed back to his apartment, where I passed out on the bed and slept like a child for 12 hours.
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 3, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 11942 times:
The Stay
Turkey turned out to be nicer than I had first pictured. I was able to overcome the feel of the decadent lifestyle, I even started wearing flip-flops (the most hideous footwear on the planet). I spent most of my days sitting in the sun, reading magazines while getting a tan. Most nights were spent out, either clubbing or going to a restaurant.
After a while, my stepfather got tired of me just sitting around doing nothing all day, so he insisted in sending me away on various day excursions. I ended up going on jeep safari, driving a buggy in the mud, going on river safari, and scuba diving. I must say, the scuba diving was really the best one.
Here are some pictures from my stay:
. The building where I stayed.
. Nice view from my window.
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. The City of Marmaris.
. The beach.
. The marina.
. Also they sold my favourite drink in the supermarkets.
. The marina at evening.
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. The Castle Bar. Best view in town, but probably the worst coffee.
. The marina at night.
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. River boat safari.
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 4, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 11937 times:
July 2nd 2011
After two fantastic weeks in Turkey it was finally time for me to head back home to Sweden. With my flight leaving at 10pm in the evening, there was no need for me to stay awake all night. I woke up around 11am in the morning after a good night’s sleep, packed my belongings into the cramped upper compartment of my camera backpack, left the apartment, and headed down to my stepfather’s office downtown where I spent most of the day.
At 6.25pm, I was picked up by a transfer bus at Hotel Candan downtown. The bus was packed with Swedish charter tourists, most of them traveling with small children. I was lucky enough to get a seat near a young gentleman, in a part with not too many children around. The bus ride was estimated to take 90 minutes, but due to construction works on the mountain roads, the ride took nearly 2 hours. We did eventually arrive at Dalaman airport at 8.25pm.
. Exterior view of the international terminal at DLM.
Before entering the terminal building, the tour guide from our bus informed us that there will be two security check, one upon entering the terminal and one when getting to the gates. The first security check was a breeze, and within less than a minute I was in the departures hall.
. Crowded departure hall.
As I made my way inside the departure hall, I noticed how massive the check-in lines were. After locating the counters for my flight, I noticed that there was a separate lane for ”C” class. Two lines were dedicated for Y class, and both of them looked very long, the ”C” lane however was empty. I handed over my passport to the somewhat rude agent, requesting an aisle seat at the first row of the aircraft. Luckily my request was granted, the BP issued and I was able to proceed to security.
Flight: SK7810 DLM-ARN Date: July 2nd 2011 Departure: 21.55 Arrival: 01.55 (+1) Duration: 4hrs 00min Seat & Class: 1C Business Aircraft & Reg: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 LN-ROP
Passing security and passport control was a breeze, and within 5 minutes I was airside.
.
. Various tax-free shops.
There wasn’t much to see around the terminal, and with some 30 minutes prior to boarding I decided to kill some time with spotting, looking around the tax-free shops and exploring the terminal. Also took a visit to one of the lavatories to freshen up. They turned to be some of the most disgusting toilets I’ve ever come across in an airport. They smelled like urine, dirty mirror, no toiletpaper or soap.
. The terminal had an interesting architecture, although a bit sterile with all the concrete.
. The MD-82 that will be flying me home to Stockholm this evening.
Feeling somewhat disgusted, I headed towards gate 27 where my flight was leaving from. With 10 minutes prior to boarding, I was surprised to find the gate not being as crowded as the check-in. But given the fact that this is a charter flight, I was expecting the load to be 100%.
. Our boarding gate.
Soon boarding was called, and yet again everyone waited for their turn to board instead of flocking the gate. Since I had priority boarding, I was the first one down the jetway.
. Walking down the jetway.
. Entering the aircraft. Note the ”poem”.
Upon entrance I was greeted by the friendly SAS crew, that today consisted of four senior flight attendants. Two male attendants serving my section of the aircraft, and two female serving the back. I quickly made my way to my assigned seat 1C which was a 2-seater this time. A copy of the Swedish newspaper (uhm, tabloid) Aftonbladet was placed on every seat. Something that my fellow passengers seemed very happy about.
. Cabin during boarding.
Boarding was completed at 9.40pm, and to my big surprise the window seat 1A had remained empty. Being a true plane enthusiast I moved to that seat instead. The reason to why I chose the aisle seat in the first place was because it was a night flight with not much to see out the window, so I’d much rather have easy access to the aisle rather than having to climb over a sleeping stranger.
Soon the doors were closed, slides armed and the aircraft pushed back right on time at 9.55pm. This was followed by a manual safety demonstration, during our taxi to the runway. Taxi was followed by a slow and heavy takeoff from runway 01/19, in fact even heavier than the outbound flight.
Shortly after levelling off, the first officer came over the PA announcing our flightpath, which today would take us over Istanbul, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, The Baltic Sea, Visby, before reaching the Stockholm region, and finally touching down on Arlanda’s runway 01L/19R. Weather at ARN is slight overcast with a temperature of 19 degrees centigrade.
After the first officer’s announcement, we passed 10 000 feet and the lead purser came over the PA welcoming everyone onboard, and announcing the meal offerings for this flight. With this being an evening flight, and most passengers wanted to sleep, the service was a bit more rushed than usual.
20 minutes into the flight, the crew commenced the first drinks service. Just as on the outbound flight, we were offered a choice of two drinks and a bag of salty pretzels. I decided to go for some rum and cola, along with a ”Virgin Mary”.
. Pre-dinner drinks.
Less than 10 minutes our glasses were cleared, and the crew commenced the dinner service
Dinner Menu
Starter: Salad with tomatoes, lettuce, Mozzarella cheese and pesto.
Main: Roast chicken breast with oven potatoes, red bell pepper, onion and zucchini.
Dessert: Vanilla custard filled macaroon, covered in milk chocolate.
Bread and butter.
A selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Coffee or tea.
. Dinner.
The overall first impression of this meal came as a letdown. My expectations were set a bit higher mainly due to the fact that the meal was to be catered by Turkish Airline’s world famous Do&Co Catering.
The starter salad tasted pretty nice and fresh, generous amount of Mozzarella cheese. Lettuce was nice and crispy, but the tomatoes were a bit on the soggy side, also the amount of pesto could’ve been more. All in all a decent starter.
The bread was a bit of a letdown as well, since it wasn’t the same as on the outbound flight. I suspect the catering company didn’t feel like baking their own bread. The rolls weren’t heated either, something you would’ve expected when flying SAS. At least the bread was edible, and since I was feeling extra hungry this time, I took two.
At first glance, the main course didn’t look good at all. After having eaten chicken and nothing but chicken, I was expecting some read meat or a nice piece of fish. Then again, fish and red meat is very expensive in Turkey, and with airlines being very cost conscious the chicken was no surprise. The food did however taste better than it looked, the chicken breast was nice, juicy and tender. A bit more seasoning would’ve done it good, though. The potatoes and vegetables were a bit on the greasy side, still edible though.
No additional drinks were offered during the meal service, which was pretty bad. So I had to request a can of sparkling mineral water. The crew seemed more than eager to get the trays cleared away, but I insisted in finishing my meal at my own pace. After the meal, coffee and Bailey’s was offered.
As mentioned earlier, my expectations for airline desserts aren’t set high, but in this case they came to be exceeded. The macaroon had a more of a doughnut like texture, I found that positive since I’m normally not a big fan of macaroons. The custard filling had a lagom sweet taste, and the molten milk chocolate blended in just perfectly.
. Coffee, Bailey’s and dessert.
I was feeling a bit full after the meal, so I decided to get started on the newspaper. Not much to read really, as I’d already read the articles on their website earlier that day. So instead, I got up from my seat to take my customary walk down the aisle and a visit to the lav.
. View of the relaxed cabin.
. View of the rear lavatory. Not as fancy as the lav up front.
. Some basic amenities provided.
After my visit to the lav, I returned to my seat to spend the last hour of the flight relaxing and reading the SAS in-flight magazine Scanorama. Since I would be spending the night at ARN, I decided order in some more coffee and Bailey’s. Eventually, as we made our way over the Baltic Sea, I noticed the sun rising in the north. A pretty spectacular event, since it doesn’t happen on many places on this planet.
. Enjoying the northernly sunrise with some more coffee and Bailey’s.
10 minutes prior to touchdown, the F/O came over the PA announcing we’ve just made our way over the Swedish mainland over the city of Nynäshamn, following an approach over the Stockholm area. Since I was seated on the left side of the plane, I wasn’t able to get ant views of the Capital.
Shortly afterwards the aircraft lined up to Arlanda’s runway 01L/19R, and the captain made a smooth touchdown, that was followed by a round of applause from some of the passengers in the back. A common occurrence on charter flights. The aircraft then taxied to the non-Schengen concourse of Terminal 5 (not the F-Pier).
Soon the aircraft docked to the gate, doors opened and passengers were allowed to disembark the aircraft. I remained seated, since I wanted to make a visit to the cockpit, so I kindly asked the purser if it was okay for me to make a visit to the cockpit. I was allowed to enter the cockpit, and this time I was greeted by the friendly first officer. We had a nice chat about the MD-80, and I also managed to get some questions regarding the cabin pressurisation system on the MD answered. Turns out the outflow valve on these old birds is also controlled by the computerised pneumatic controller
I wished the cockpit crew a pleasant evening, and made my way up the jetway towards the terminal and the passport control. Within a few minutes I was in the luggage reclaim hall of T5. Since I didn’t check in any luggage, I was able to walk right through.
. View of the luggage reclaim.
I soon made my way out to the arrivals hall, and then up the escalator to SkyCity where I spent the night, before catching the bus back home to Vasteras at 5.50am.
Conclusions.
Normally I’m not a big fan of flying SAS these days, mainly due to them being a BOB airline. However with this being a charter flight, my experience with them was completely different. Most crews on SAS are as we all know remnants from the past, the good old days when SAS were a quality airline, famous for their great service, and genuine hospitality. To me they seemed to be at their best side providing passengers with the free service. In fact, many of my fellow passengers seemed to have felt the same, thanking the crew for their great efforts. I even remember one woman saying ”it was the best flight I’ve had in years!”.
SAS Charter Plus Class or ”Fake Business” was in my opinion closer to being a premium Y product rather than C. Mainly in terms of catering and seating, also the lack of lounge. The increased baggage allowance and fast track security are also amenities offered in SAS Economy Extra. For the additional cost of €45 this was however great value for the money! All in all, I must say this was one of the best SAS flights I’ve had in years, and I wouldn’t hesitate to make another charter flight with them again in the near future.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave any comments or questions!
//Jonas
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 6183 posts, RR: 79 Reply 5, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 11718 times:
Hi Jonas,
great report with many nice pictures! The product looks fine, I would have chosen the same. And the meals look really tasty.
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Before getting along with the report, I would like to remind you that some (not all) of the pictures used for this report are taken with my fisheye lens. So for those of you who are sensitive to the somewhat distorted images from my favourite lens, I may suggest you to switch to another report
It's fine if the fisheye lens is used for in-flight pictures, but it usually screws up normal (destination) pictures IMO.
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Normally I’d prefer a Diet Coke, but still Zero is better than the sugary version.
But Zero tastes better than Diet, doesn't it?
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): SAS Charter Plus Class or ”Fake Business” was in my opinion closer to being a premium Y product rather than C. Mainly in terms of catering and seating, also the lack of lounge.
I'd say the meals are quite decent even for a Business Class product. It's a European flight after all.
oa260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24875 posts, RR: 60 Reply 6, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 11582 times:
Hey Jonas,
So thats where you dissapeared to LOL....
Great report and great value for money. Nice photos as usual and really nice to see positive feedback from SAS. I have to say I only ever had good flights on them.
Love the Poem on the door actually its my favourite one of all of theirs.
Where is the next trip ??
Regards
Philip
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
swedenflyer From United States of America, joined Dec 2010, 48 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 11462 times:
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): SAS Charter Plus Class or ”Fake Business” was in my opinion closer to being a premium Y product rather than C.
You're right. The food presentation looks more Y+ than C. Good pictures and good report.
akhmad From Netherlands, joined Sep 2005, 2325 posts, RR: 53 Reply 8, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 11400 times:
Hi Jonas,
Awesome report with many beautiful pictures. You really deserved the trip after the dreadful six month studying. And what a timing! You came back on time to have another personal celebration!
I was wondering how SK premium charter product would like. I must say, it looks well worth the money! OK, no lounge access but that was it. You were still allowed to use the Premium security lane, get complimentlary hot meal and free flow of (non) alcoholic drinks on board.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): I found it pretty interesting how people really took there rules seriously, since people normally just flock the boarding gate
Truly exemplary to other (charter) passengers.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): My fellow passengers seemed to take well advantage from the free booze, the couple seated next to me each had two bottles of wine, and the woman across the aisle had SIX miniature bottles of whiskey throughout the flight. Around 40 minutes after the drinks service, the crew began serving the meals.
Ouch, I hope SK charter flights are stocked enough to cater the needs.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): Inside, I was not greeted by the first officer. He was more busy playing with his iPhone, and seemed very reluctant to talk, despite me making several attempts
Not quite welcoming. At least he was not as rude as the Qatar first officer I met last year.
airbuseric From Netherlands, joined Jan 2005, 4015 posts, RR: 52 Reply 9, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 11231 times:
Hi Jonas,
nice report, and you know, I've no problems with the fisheye pics. Nice quality in general!
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): I’ve never really been a fan of those mainstream holiday charter places, the decadent lifestyle, the drinking, the disorganised holiday charter crowd with their screaming children and oversized luggage, the cramped seating, the lack of in-flight service
How come?! Come on, you're a young guy not even in your twenties... have a bit of fun also
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): I would be flying in something called ”SAS Charter Comfort Class”
It's not really nice to say, you now exactly what Charter Comfort Class is meaning and includes, it's not a fake C product but made very clear by the airline and only offered on these charter flights. I think it's a very nice travel class to reach a holiday destination.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 1): I decided to fit my two weeks of packing in the top-compartment of my Lowepro camera backpack.
You're mad! How do you do that?! I know we've the same backpack, 2 weeks, no need for some extra clothes, underwear, shoes etc?
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): I decided on taking some Bailey’s Irish Cream along with my coffee and dessert.
My drink Very bad to see it served in a plastic cup, a shame really.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): The blueberry pie was just like any other airline catering dessert, dry and tasteless.
Hmm,... I tend to disagree since I've eaten very nice desserts on board of aircraft, also in Y-class, but mostly in C.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): I spent the remainder of the flight enjoying the sunset and the spectacular views of the Aegean Sea.
Beautiful! I would've done the same
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): My expectations were set a bit higher mainly due to the fact that the meal was to be catered by Turkish Airline’s world famous Do&Co Catering.
What's in a name Brands doesn't mean much to me when it comes to catering these days. Many unbranded companies do 10x better imho
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): SAS Charter Plus Class or ”Fake Business” was in my opinion closer to being a premium Y product rather than C
Nice conclusion, and you hit the spot. I am sure this class is meant to be a premium Y specifically on charter flights. Therefore I think your title on this report is not really 'nice' towards SAS, which is delivering a topclass service on these flights.
Any other reports coming up?
Regards
Eric
"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going"
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6079 posts, RR: 56 Reply 10, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 11103 times:
Hi Jonas!
Very nice report with nice pictures! Meals on SK looks very good for an intra-Europe flight even in Business. Very good deal for EUR 140.00 all the way to DLM. Not sure why you'd want to pay to get in to a lounge when there are better places for free for spotting.
Nice to see you our flying again (less train rides) and that you tried a new destination. I did a trip to Italy to see a friend of the family and went on a charter flight to get there. I was a bit younger (12) but had a great time and did a lot of excurions as well. Flew on Sterling Airways 727s here and back. I liked it so much I went back the next year as well. It was a while ago though, in 1979 and 1980........
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 11, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 11084 times:
Looks like you had a great holiday, even if you didn't want to go! And E140 for a return 'business' class flight to Turkey is amazing value! I bet most people in Y paid more than that. What wesbite was that booked on?
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 12, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 10972 times:
Hello guys, thanks for your replies!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 5): great report with many nice pictures! The product looks fine, I would have chosen the same. And the meals look really tasty.
Hi PH, thanks for reading!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 5): It's fine if the fisheye lens is used for in-flight pictures, but it usually screws up normal (destination) pictures IMO.
The fisheye is perhaps the ultimate lens for cabin photography. I have an 18-55 as well, but the pics come out really bad on it, so I chose to use the fisheye as my walk-around lens during my stay.
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 5): But Zero tastes better than Diet, doesn't it?
I guess it's a matter of taste, but I find Coke Zero to have the consistency of water. Same goes for the taste
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 5): I'd say the meals are quite decent even for a Business Class product. It's a European flight after all.
The meals were very nice, in fact the beef fillet is a genuine business class dish. True, some airlines seem to serve similar meals in EU C, at least KLM. Their EU C meals were exactly the same presentation as long haul Y.
Quoting oa260 (Reply 6): Hey Jonas,
So thats where you dissapeared to LOL....
Hey Philip! So nice of you to take some time off work to read my report
Quoting oa260 (Reply 6): Great report and great value for money. Nice photos as usual and really nice to see positive feedback from SAS. I have to say I only ever had good flights on them.
Nice that you enjoyed reading! Yes, I love flying SAS as a proper legacy (and not the LCC they've become these days.)
Quoting akhmad (Reply 8): Awesome report with many beautiful pictures. You really deserved the trip after the dreadful six month studying. And what a timing! You came back on time to have another personal celebration!
Hello Suryo, thanks for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
True, I was in desperate need for some sun therapy Yes flying back home on my birthday was nice, even nicer was turning 19 while in the air
Quoting akhmad (Reply 8): I was wondering how SK premium charter product would like. I must say, it looks well worth the money! OK, no lounge access but that was it. You were still allowed to use the Premium security lane, get complimentlary hot meal and free flow of (non) alcoholic drinks on board.
Yes, I shouldn't complain about the lack of lounge, although that place looked really nice compared to the dump = Menzies Lounge. Three alcoholic drinks are offered for free, which is more than enough for me.
Quoting akhmad (Reply 8): Ouch, I hope SK charter flights are stocked enough to cater the needs.
Oh yeah, in case the miniature bottles run out there's plenty of tax-free booze
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 9): nice report, and you know, I've no problems with the fisheye pics. Nice quality in general!
Hey Eric, thanks for stopping by! Yes, the fisheye is a great lens. It's super sharp making it worlds better than the fuzzy 18-55.
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 9): How come?! Come on, you're a young guy not even in your twenties... have a bit of fun also
I did go to a foam party, you know
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 9): It's not really nice to say, you now exactly what Charter Comfort Class is meaning and includes, it's not a fake C product but made very clear by the airline and only offered on these charter flights. I think it's a very nice travel class to reach a holiday destination.
Well, at the time of receiving my e-ticket I had no idea what "SAS Charter Comfort Class" was. It was a great product though. But the airline did not provide the information about the product, the tour operator did. In fact the people on SAS (Facebook) had no idea what it was.
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 9): You're mad! How do you do that?! I know we've the same backpack, 2 weeks, no need for some extra clothes, underwear, shoes etc?
I only pack my bare essentials, i.e an extra pair of shorts, some t-shirts, underwear, socks, miniature bottles of shampoo. I see no point of bringing a suitcase since I have access to washing facilities at my destination. Last year I packed nearly a months of clothes in my Samsonite shoulderbag
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 9): My drink Very bad to see it served in a plastic cup, a shame really.
Very true. In fact if it was served in one of those lovely Orrefors glasses, I would've changed the title of the report
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 9): Hmm,... I tend to disagree since I've eaten very nice desserts on board of aircraft, also in Y-class, but mostly in C.
Not all airline desserts are bad, I once had a mouth watering piece of Sacher chocolate cake in AF Y, ARN-CDG. Probably the best one I've ever had.
Quoting airbuseric (Reply 9): What's in a name Brands doesn't mean much to me when it comes to catering these days. Many unbranded companies do 10x better imho
I know you would've said that! Still TK have perhaps the best food in the industry, so what could explain that?
Quoting The777Man (Reply 10): Very nice report with nice pictures! Meals on SK looks very good for an intra-Europe flight even in Business. Very good deal for EUR 140.00 all the way to DLM. Not sure why you'd want to pay to get in to a lounge when there are better places for free for spotting.
Hey Lars, thanks for reading! €140 was indeed a killer deal! I wouldn't have paid for the lounge if I'd arrived to the airport two hours later, also I was feeling dead tired and was not in the mood grabbing a seat in the public area.
Quoting The777Man (Reply 10): Nice to see you our flying again (less train rides) and that you tried a new destination.
Yes, the X2000 trains have been covered enough. Also they've become really bad lately, awful crews who don't know how to treat their pax. It's a shame I'm soon a Black Card holder with that company.
Quoting The777Man (Reply 10): Flew on Sterling Airways 727s here and back. I liked it so much I went back the next year as well. It was a while ago though, in 1979 and 1980........
Yes, those were the days! Wasn't Sterling a 100% charter airline back then?
Quoting gabrielchew (Reply 11): Looks like you had a great holiday, even if you didn't want to go! And E140 for a return 'business' class flight to Turkey is amazing value! I bet most people in Y paid more than that. What wesbite was that booked on?
Hello Gabriel, thanks for reading! Yes €140 was an amazing price considering the duration of the flight and level of service onboard. Most people had probably paid for their tickets as a part of their holiday packages, the reason why I got it so cheap was because I booked it as a last minute flight. Booking was done at the Swedish tour operator Apollo's website.
Quoting oa260 (Reply 6): Where is the next trip ??
Quoting akhmad (Reply 8): Thank you so much for sharing and looking forward to more. So, to follow Philip's example, what is next?
I actually booked a weekend trip to Paris on Air France, with a very close friend of mine in August. I actually booked the trip the same day as my trip to Turkey. I am however free the whole summer, and with SAS offering cheap last minute tickets to EU destinations, I'll might do another trip until then
//Jonas
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1173 posts, RR: 29 Reply 14, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 10502 times:
Hey Jonas,
A most delightful report, some nice pics with your fisheye in there! A nice treat to fly on SAS and not a holiday charter, and have the MD82 as bonus for a 4h journey. And the meals look very tasty and generous.
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): one could simply draw the conclusion that your mother is ALWAYS right
Indeed, no need to argue with the 'mom'
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): But given the fact that the flight was 100% packed with charter tourists with their oversized luggage placed in the belly, and the fuel tanks filled to the brim as the aircraft is pushed to its limits of range, it was no surprise this take-off came as a letdown
Well, at least she did get off the ground now, did she?
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Since I wanted to have a look inside the cockpit, I remained seated until everyone had left the plane.
Same trick I try to pull everytime, works fine most of the time
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 3): I even started wearing flip-flops (the most hideous footwear on the planet)
Hey man, flip flops are great footwear, I use them all the time in summer. No smelly feet ha ha ha!
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): They smelled like urine, dirty mirror, no toiletpaper or soap
Due to not being cleaned or people lacking respect in using them?
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Turns out the outflow valve on these old birds is also controlled by the computerised pneumatic controller
That's Chinese for me but I guess an aircraft maintenance technician surely knows what this means
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6079 posts, RR: 56 Reply 15, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 10489 times:
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 12): Wasn't Sterling a 100% charter airline back then?
Yes, they had Caravelles as well back and I flew on one of those as well.
Sterling was a pure charter carrier then and also managed to fly to as faraway places as CMB and FLL; to both places with 727s but with multiple stops. Sterling is one of the carriers that have flown the 727 trans-Atlantic.
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 16, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 10473 times:
Hi Jonas,
Great to see your report coming up so fast! Congrats on becoming a fully trained aircraft maintenance technician! What do you plan to do since you do not plan to go into that line in the future?
I must say your mum is pretty cool by helping you book flights, contary to mine who always opposes me flying around! Best of all, she paid for it!
ARN looks nicer as it is and your fisheye lens make it even nicer. Wooden flooring in an airport certainly makes it feel more homely as compared to the usual carpet flooring.
SK's service on a charter flight looks great and nice to see you going around the aircraft to take photos. Marmaris is a place I have never heard of but thanks for introducing me to this place who looks pretty pleasant for a holiday. I am also amazed by the activities you engaged in while there, beats staying at home going on flight simulator and Facebook the whole day!
Hope to see more great reports from you, and your camera in the future!
RvXKaz From Singapore, joined Apr 2011, 182 posts, RR: 3 Reply 17, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 10420 times:
Hello Jonas,
A terrific report you've got there! I love the beautiful pictures and your comments are most amusing indeed. I am glad you took a chance and you've had a good time in Turkey! The pictures tell me its a lovely place there indeed!
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): it’s about a young man feeling utterly exhausted after six months of hard studying, and is in desperate need for a holiday (uhm, flying).
I know that feeling!
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Having just graduated from school as a fully trained aircraft maintenance technician
Congratulations!
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): She insisted I’d spend two weeks there living with my stepfather who runs a travel agency, rather than having me laying around the house all day.
LoL your Mom's really awesome!
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): To my big surprise, the flights turned out to be operated by Scandinavian Airlines SAS, with my favourite mid-size aircraft the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.
What a nice surprise!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): All of them very friendly, as is the case with all SAS flights.
I believe you.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): the couple seated next to me each had two bottles of wine, and the woman across the aisle had SIX miniature bottles of whiskey throughout the flight. Around 40 minutes after the drinks service,
This is quite bemusing actually. I'd read a long time ago, that Scandinavians have this thing for ordering alot of drinks, particularly alcoholic beverages and your TR gives testimony to this interesting Scandinavian habit! haha
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): and to my big surprise the window seat 1A had remained empty. Being a true plane enthusiast I moved to that seat instead.
Good for you!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): Eventually, as we made our way over the Baltic Sea, I noticed the sun rising in the north. A pretty spectacular event, since it doesn’t happen on many places on this planet.
Wow, this is an interesting phenomenon indeed!
I'm glad to see that you've enjoyed your SAS experience! Sorry to hear that the food back wasn't to your liking but hey, at least you've got a full meal service! And to add to that, you've scored two cockpit visits!
Thanks for this delightful insight into SAS charter operations! I especially enjoyed the excellent pictures and your amusing style of writing! Keep up the good work!
Cheers,
RvXKaz
They say that I'm a dreamer. But I'd only Dreamt Skyward.
CrimsonNL From Netherlands, joined Dec 2007, 1614 posts, RR: 42 Reply 19, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 9938 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW CHAT OPERATOR
Hey Jonas, thanks for sharing. Very interesting this charter flight! You were lucky to log 2 more flights in those awesome DC-9s, I'm thinking of a farewell trip before they leave the SK fleet.
DunaA320 From UK - England, joined Feb 2009, 610 posts, RR: 9 Reply 21, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 9761 times:
Hej Jonas!
I've just got home from DLM so this was a nice and appropriate report to be reading! Nice to be back on a Mad Dog too! I was surprised to see flight times from ARN-DLM were about the same as from the UK. I thought they would be a bit longer.
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): I’ve never really been a fan of those mainstream holiday charter places, the decadent lifestyle, the drinking, the disorganised holiday charter crowd with their screaming children and oversized luggage, the cramped seating, the lack of in-flight service.
Why not? I love these destinations, espically crewing flights to them!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 2): Overflying the sea as we’re coming in on our final approach.
This view looked beautiful tonight on sunset.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): The terminal had an interesting architecture, although a bit sterile with all the concrete.
Thanks for sharing pics from the inside. I was having a look in from the read steps tonight. Certainly quite modern looking.
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 4): that was followed by a round of applause from some of the passengers in the back. A common occurrence on charter flights.
I still don't get this? It's always Spanish and Italian flights where this seems to happen (with me anyway)
Parton87 From Sweden, joined Sep 2008, 524 posts, RR: 2 Reply 22, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 9644 times:
Hej Jonas!
Thanks for a great report! A very enjoyable read and top-quality pictures! I wish I had a camera like yours.
It looks like you have two good flights with SK. It seems like w e have the same opinion about SK. Great airline except the BOB-service.
Interesting that they use a MD-80 on charter flights. I thought they only used the 738 these days.
Also some nice pictures from Turkey. I´ve been there once back in 2002 in the town of Cesme. I enjoyed it very much but I´m like you not to much for these charter-flights. I prefer a weekend in London instead
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Before getting along with the report, I would like to remind you that some (not all) of the pictures used for this report are taken with my fisheye lens. So for those of you who are sensitive to the somewhat distorted images from my favourite lens, I may suggest you to switch to another report For the rest of you, I wish you a pleasant read.
I love it! No problems for me!
Thanks again for the great report!
Greetings
Robert
FlyingFinn76 From Finland, joined Jun 2009, 1705 posts, RR: 42 Reply 24, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 9576 times:
Hej Jonas,
A great report with lots of nice pictures (but see the below comment). That's a nice way to spend some of your summer "holiday". Looks like there was plenty of sunshine in Turkey.
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Before getting along with the report, I would like to remind you that some (not all) of the pictures used for this report are taken with my fisheye lens
Well, if you ask me, you went a little over the top with your fiskögon - they are cool here and there to spice up the pictures, but too much is just too much.
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): As with all mother-and-son relationships, I was feeling very reluctant to her idea at first. This mainly due to the fact that it was a charter flight, to a holiday destination
Come on. You are offered a pair of flights and two weeks somewhere warm and nice for free and you are having second thoughts? Hell I'd gladly accept the offer even if it meant I had to fly on the middle seat of an AY sardine can 757. If you go to a touristic destination, it doesn't mean that you have to act like one. It will be warm and nice anyway.
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Given the fact that I (mom) had only payed €140 for the ticket,
Now that's a last minute bargain if any! I guess there are no miles to be had on these flights, though. Although some programs might erroneously give you some if they forgot to add the flight numbers to their excluded range...
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): I got out of bed at 4am and started writing job applications. By 5.30am I had sent five applications to various businesses around town.
Oh dear. I've spent half a lifetime in this lounge. It is quite terrible, the only good parts are the relatively decent beer on tap, the great apron view and the free wifi.
Well, I'm not so sure. For 20 EUR you could've picked up your Newsweek from WHSmith's, had at least three cups of coffee and still had some money for a sandwich. But if you drank enough of the wine I guess it was worth it...
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): My fellow passengers seemed to take well advantage from the free booze, the couple seated next to me each had two bottles of wine, and the woman across the aisle had SIX miniature bottles of whiskey throughout the flight.
Good to hear that all the Nordics are the same. HEL airport is famous for the Finns drinking beer at 5AM in preparation for their charter flights to sunnier places. And once at OSL I had to help a Norwegian man coming from LPA who was so bloody drunk that he couldn't even stand up any more.
Actually for the last few years they've been showing this reality TV show in Finnish TV about a bunch of package tourist guides in Alanya, Turkey. They cater for both Finns and Swedes and judging from that show, both nationalities are equally drunk there and behave just as bad...
Quoting LH4116 (Thread starter): Inside, I was not greeted by the first officer. He was more busy playing with his iPhone, and seemed very reluctant to talk, despite me making several attempts.
That's a bit unprofessional and rude. If they didn't want anybody in the cockpit they could've just denied you the permission.
See, now the mood is completely different. Aren't you glad you went after all.
Look forward meeting you on Sunday!
25 LH4116: Hey guys, thanks again for your wonderful replies! Hello Martin, thank you for reading! Well, my expectations for the airport terminal were set much l
26 EL-AL: Hey Jonas, Thx for great report with great photos. Lucky you got a relatively long flight on the MD-80, rare thing now days. I have been to Marmaris m
27 LH4116: Hello Jonathan, thank you for reading! Yes, that's exactly my thought. I don't recon there being any scheduled MD flights in Europe with a flight time
28 knightsofmalta: Hey Jonas, Thanks for posting such an interesting report on such a magnificent aircraft! You lucky devil, 4 hours in each direction on the MD-80, oh h
29 FLIEGER67: Hi, Jonas, finally found the time to read your story. Well done text and pictures, also you´re stay in Turkey seems nice. Good service on SK and all
30 abrelosojos: = Aaah the tough life of a student. Jonas, wanna trade? Though, I do believe the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side . = Why no intention? = I
31 LH4116: Hello William, thanks for reading! Hehe, I knew you would say that The MD-80 is indeed an amazing aircraft, very beautiful as well (say what you want
32 ronerone: Mr. Casablancas, Very interesting -and rare- report on SK's premium charter business. This is a new concept to me, and i must say that i am quite impr
33 LH4116: Hey Roni, so nice of you to stop by! True, this was really a nostalgic experience = Scandinavian Hospitality at its best. We don't get to see that ver
34 SR 103: Great report Jonas. Looks like the hybrid SAS business class experience turned out great. The meals in particular look really nice. While I have not h
35 LH4116: Hi Anosh, thanks for reading! True, that trip was really a blast from the past. And their lounges are indeed great, don't really mind the IKEA'ness /
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