infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1245 posts, RR: 34 Posted (4 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 4238 times:
Dear readers,
Welcome to my latest trip report.
When I received my roster for December I had a few more days off than expected so decided see if I could fit in a little daytrip. I looked at LX’s one way fares from GVA and saw that their prices were ridiculously low on the NCE route, just 33Euros. There was a mid-morning flight from NCE-GVA available, but could I be in NCE early enough to make it? Yes, I could, thanks to easyJet, and booked a BSL-NCE ticket with seat reservation for 40E. SBB would help get me back to Basel, with a 3 hour train journey from Geneva.
I never intended to write a report about this trip. On paper it looked pretty ordinary: airports, aircraft & airlines all familiar to me. Yet the weather conditions were just perfect and I decided to share my photos with you.
OLCI with easyJet worked just fine, as always, but with Swiss it wasn’t so smooth. It was a good 6 hours late opening. Just as I was selecting my seat, the internet connection failed. Yes, our internet provider had performed an update which went horribly wrong and we were left without a connection for 3 days. Thankfully a neighbour helped out and I was able to complete check-in and print out my boarding pass on his computer.
It looked like the weather certainly on my side, a couple of days previously we’d had a lot of snow, thankfully for my day of travel just freezing temperatures were forecast.
Saturday 1st December
I’m really quite desperate for a lie in after a run of early shifts, but no, my alarm wakes me from a deep sleep at 04:30. I’m on the road at 5am and reach Basel without any problems. I can see there’s quite a queue at security so decide to join the line of waiting passengers. It’s a good decision as I spend over 20 minutes there. The queue moves painfully slowly, there are too few lanes open and more and more passengers keep turning up. Eventually, French style and definitely not Swiss, some more staff turn up, chewing gum and decide to open a third lane, after which things move somewhat faster.
Today’s flights
Festive decorations
I pick up a free newspaper and wander down to the gate. It’s a rather surreal experience, not seeing masses of people pushing and shoving to board, but a very calm and orderly gate area.
There were other flights boarding, AMS & SXF and they were missing a few passengers, no doubt due to the problems at security.
Indeed, once the AMS flight had departed and the gate had been unattended for a good 10 minutes, a couple appeared running like the wind, only to see the gate closed.
BSL-NCE
EZS1001
A319 HB-JZL
STD 0725 / ATD 0737
STA 0840 / ATA 0825
Seat 7F
Load: 60-70%
63rd flight on the A319, 2nd on this aircraft
An orderly queue forms as soon as the gate agents arrive, it’s quite amusing to watch knowing that there is no need to hurry. Passengers sitting in row 15 and behind are told to use the rear stairs, and this seems to work. Boarding starts at 06:50 and I have never been so relaxed prior to an easyJet flight. I am one of the last to pass the gate, can take my time on the tarmac, it’s just great. As I board I greet the purser in German, she asks to see my boarding pass and takes note of the fact it’s in English and proceeds welcomed me on board in English.
My ride down to Nice
I’d booked row 7 and am pleased to end up with the whole row to myself. There are only 3 passengers in the rows in front, obviously people don’t want to pay the higher prices that come with those seats. I notice that a lot of the other rows behind are full and I’m wondering whether the check-in system tries to block off the seats next to someone who’s paid for a seat reservation, if the flight isn’t full.
There are 4 female FAs on today’s flight and we get a brief welcome from the cockpit and are told our journey to Nice will take 1hr5.
Pushback is on time at 07:25 and much to my surprise no deicing takes place. Perhaps it was done before we started boarding, we certainly need it with these subzero temperatures.
We trundle along to runway 15 and at 07:37 take off into the sky.
Sunrise on this cold December morning
I was hoping for good weather today, as my previous flights in and out of Nice were in bad conditions. It looks like my luck’s in. Sure enough, before long, the mountains start to slowly peak out of the cloud.
When the BOB trolley comes along, I buy a bottle of water. The crew also pass through collecting money for Unicef.
Legroom
Outside, the best IFE you could wish for continued….
..and the tips of the peaks are bathed in sunlight
What a day to be flying!
One of my favourite pictures
As the sun rises, the pink tinge fades and the white snow glistens
Snow diminishing, must be close to the coast
The Med is in sight
Hello Nice
The approach over the sea is equally as stunning and gives me some great photo opportunities
Snow and sea, so close together
Nearly there
Land in sight
Bienvenue à Nice. We land early at 08:25 after less than 50 minutes of flight on runway 04L.
A UK visitor
Must be France then
This one seems unusual
For the rich and maybe famous
A very orange easyJet
Another local
"Do nothing in haste, look well to each step and from the beginning think what may be the end" - Edward Whymper
infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1245 posts, RR: 34 Reply 1, posted (4 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 4219 times:
NICE
Au revoir!
The not-so-impressive Christmas lights
Changing terminals at Nice is a smooth process. I’m at the appropriate bus stop just a couple of minutes after leaving the aircraft and the bus is already waiting. It sets off shortly after and before I know it I’m over at T1. Although it’s a beautifully sunny day I don’t linger outside, there’s a stiff breeze which is rather chilly so after a few deep breaths of Mediterranean air I head back inside and up to departures.
My shuttle bus at T1
A winter’s day in Nice
On the way to departures
FIDS
Up to security
Before security I bought myself this rather cute snack:
I’m somewhat disappointed by the airside set up at T1. Only a small selection of shops & quite a crowded gate area, but at least there are some big windows at one end with some apron views. I treat myself to something from L’Occitane and have a wander through duty free, before finding myself a spot near the window where I do some reading.
Airside
L’Occitane goodies
Traffic
I hadn’t realized that LX have a GVA & ZRH departure within 5 minutes of each other. My flight to GVA was supposed to be an RJ100 but sadly there was a schedule change shortly after I booked and so it was to be a 319, albeit less than full half.
My ride back to GVA
And here’s the aircraft for ZRH. Yes, ZRH gets an Avro instead of an A319, damn!
NCE-GVA
LX521
A319 HB-IPT
STD 1035 / ATD 1036
STA 1135 / ATA 1117
Seat 7A/7F
Load: 57 pax
64th flight on the A319, 2nd on this aircraft
With such a light load, boarding is done in a jiffy. There’s an off duty pilot with a Flying Blue gold card on his bag and an FA. They don’t seem to be acquainted but strike up a conversation where he explains he got stuck in NCE overnight due to a technical problem with an aircraft the day before.
It’s an all female cabin crew on this flight, they have a little difficulty with some of the French announcements as does the pilot. There’s a family on the row in front of me with two small kids, who take delight in kicking everything in sight.
I checked the fares on the flight the day before departure and it was still possible to book for 79E one way. With a load this light, work out how much money Swiss are losing on this rotation.
Legroom
Pushback view
Snowy mountains, blue sky & planes, what more could you want?
Turning
After take-off at 10:36 we have some brief views over the city before doing a huge bank over the Med so that we can fly North over the airport. Almost immediately we leave the coast behind and the terrain becomes more and more mountainous. As soon as the seatbelt sign is turned off, I move over the right as it seems the better views are on that side. In fact, I spend most of the flight changing seats, much to the amusement of some of the other passengers.
Au revoir Nice!
Today’s route
Farewell to the Med
Hello to the Alps
After changing sides….
Out of this world
The cloud builds up briefly
Back to the left
Much to my surprise, there is a proper drinks service, but I just have a bottle of water which I don’t open anyway, as I’m too preoccupied with taking photos.
For a while, you could almost think you’re flying over Greenland, as the cloud cover looks like ice
The views just keep getting better & better. I am mesmerized.
The pilot is on the PA again, telling us we’ve just overflown Albertville & Courchevel on the left (damn, wrong side!) and that now, on the right, you can see Mont Blanc (horray!) At this moment the seatbelt sign is turned on, so I decide to stay in 7F.
The almighty Mont Blanc, highest peak of the Alps.
The big 4000m peaks of the Valais. The Toblerone shaped one on the right is the Matterhorn
Here’s the Monte Rosa. Always reminds me of a big ice cream coupe.
Nearing the Swiss border
Before long we sadly descend into the clouds and emerge into this delightful weather:
Over the motorway
Hello BA
We land at 11:17 on runway 05
Here’s one we don’t see at Zurich: MEA
One of the few transatlantic flights to GVA:
Privatair’s B752
A Belgian visitor
Geneva
We are bussed to the terminal and on entering the building a lot of the passengers are confused by the fact there are two exits, one for France and one for Switzerland. Yep, just like Basel. Although strange here is that the exits are separated before baggage claim.
The ubiquitous arrival duty free
Arrivals
Geneva airport has changed since I was last here. Although it’s still dreary in some parts, there are lots of new restaurants and attractive cafes that quite frankly beat some of the landside establishments at Zurich. The new information/hotel reservations desk is also rather smart.
The train journey back to Basel takes about 3 hours and I have to change once. I’m unlucky enough to get a tilting train on both legs, I really hate them. I spend the first 90 minutes eating my lunch, watching the view and playing on my phone, but by the time the train reaches Biel where I have to change I feel positively queasy. So after boarding the next train I get out my ipod and promptly fall asleep. When I wake up we’re not far from Basel and I’m actually rather cross, as the line between Biel & Basel is one I’ve never travelled on before and I miss the scenery.
Arriving at Basel SBB I buy a few Christmas cards from one of the shops, take the bus back to the airport, collect my car and am back home shortly after 4pm.
My verdict:
Sometimes the spontaneous decisions in life are the best. I booked these flights for a bit of fun as they were cheap and I was treated to some of the most beautiful views I’ve ever had in the air. In fact, the NCE-GVA leg ranks as one of my all-time favourite flights.
Once again easyJet impressed me. For a fare that cost peanuts I had and good flight with a friendly crew, it landed early and I had some wonderful views. I’m delighted with the assigned seating and am happy to pay the small fee and know that the boarding scrum is a thing of the past. Whether the price will slowly creep up remains to be seen.
I didn’t have much interaction with the crew on LX, they were polished and correct, but not as outgoing as the ladies on easyJet. It’s good that they’re experimenting with one way fares, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to intimidate EZY at Geneva. All that remains is to hope that they introduce these one way fares across the board.
Thanks for reading and if you’ve made it this far then please leave a comment,
Happy flying
Infodesk
"Do nothing in haste, look well to each step and from the beginning think what may be the end" - Edward Whymper
rogerbcn From Andorra, joined Sep 2006, 1137 posts, RR: 19 Reply 2, posted (4 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 4057 times:
Hola Hannah!
Mouth dropping pictures. Impressive. Stunning. It is a good vocabulary exercise trying to get as many adjectives as possible to decsribe such a scenery. Great! Time to have a look at my thesaurus dictionary
CaptainRed From Germany, joined Oct 2010, 578 posts, RR: 19 Reply 3, posted (4 months 2 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 4034 times:
Hi Hannah,
great little report, and what a good idea to spend a day at the Mediterranean. Spectacular approach into NCE, something I have yet to do. And indeed some stunning pictures, the crisp winter air often offers very clear views, especially of course over the mountains.
Good to read that Swiss now offers decent one-way fares as well, kind of like LH from Tegel occasionally. Hope these fares will be around for a while.
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 784 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (4 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 3941 times:
Hi Hannah,
Great report with many many nice pictures, really enjoyed them!
Looks like you had a fantastic day trip here, what an amazing scenery, WOW!
Fly over the Alps many times a year and they always look impressive!
I never intended to write a report about this trip. On paper it looked pretty ordinary: airports, aircraft & airlines all familiar to me. Yet the weather conditions were just perfect and I decided to share my photos with you.
Fantastic pictures. Lucky me that you decided to take the camera with you.
knightsofmalta From Malta, joined Nov 2005, 1419 posts, RR: 17 Reply 6, posted (4 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 3899 times:
Hi Hannah
Thanks for sharing. Those are some really lovely pictures you've got there of the alps. So how much time did you actually spend in Nice?
I see you approached Geneva from the south. I'm just wondering, given that the mountains are actually rather close in Geneva, was the arrival route unusual in any way?
roberts87 From Netherlands, joined Dec 2011, 660 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (4 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 3886 times:
Hannah! I am so jealous! I had to have these views on my trip to Nice past June (AMS-ZRH-GVA-ZRH-AMS) but all I had was overcast al the way At least now I have some idea of what the views would have been like, with a little bit less snow of course
Also interesting to see that they had proper drink service on NCE-GVA, on my GVA-NCE it was just water and chocolates.
infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1245 posts, RR: 34 Reply 10, posted (4 months 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 3082 times:
Great to see so many replies, they are very much appreciated, thank you!
Roger,
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 2): Hola Hannah!
Mouth dropping pictures. Impressive. Stunning. It is a good vocabulary exercise trying to get as many adjectives as possible to decsribe such a scenery. Great! Time to have a look at my thesaurus dictionary
Gracias! Even as a native speaker I sometimes have that trouble too
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 2): You mean you did not fly this back to ZRH?
Sadly my Christmas bonus didn’t quite stretch to chartering that bird…..
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 2): Really, I would expect something more elegant for an airport like NCE at the Côte d'Azur.
Agreed. Mind you, I think no airport can top Zurich’s lovely lights (ok, I’m biased, I know!).
Quoting rogerbcn (Reply 2): LX seems to enjoy having all their flights squeezed in 15 minutes. At BCN they have:
.LX 1955 to ZRH at 14.40
.LX 1943 to GVA at 14.50
.LX 1935 to BSL at 14.55
and they usually use contiguous gates, so if lucky you have in the same picture an A321, an A320 and an AVRO
I never realised that. Strange in a way, but it must be quite a nice sight at BCN.
Captain,
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 3): great little report, and what a good idea to spend a day at the Mediterranean. Spectacular approach into NCE, something I have yet to do
Thank you. NCE sure is something worth doing, but you need the good weather to get the most out of that approach.
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 3): And indeed some stunning pictures, the crisp winter air often offers very clear views, especially of course over the mountains.
I think when it comes to flying in winter you’re either incredibly lucky and get gorgeous views or it doesn’t stop snowing and your plane goes nowhere!
Quoting CaptainRed (Reply 3): Good to read that Swiss now offers decent one-way fares as well, kind of like LH from Tegel occasionally. Hope these fares will be around for a while.
Yes, I’ve seen those LH fares from TXL. It’s a start at least!
Brendan,
Quoting adamspotter (Reply 4): Great report with many many nice pictures, really enjoyed them!
Looks like you had a fantastic day trip here, what an amazing scenery, WOW!
Fly over the Alps many times a year and they always look impressive!
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks! I don’t think I could ever get bored flying over the Alps, when the weather’s on your side it’s breathtaking every time.
Markus,
Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 5): Fantastic pictures. Lucky me that you decided to take the camera with you.
I never, ever get on a plane without a camera!
Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 5): Its a "real" airline now. I should check it also this way in April, you know.
It was very tasty, but very messy. That chocolate decoration went everywhere.
Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 5): No chance to forget this special flight!.
No, never ever!
William,
Quoting knightsofmalta (Reply 6): Thanks for sharing. Those are some really lovely pictures you've got there of the alps. So how much time did you actually spend in Nice?
I had 2 hours in Nice! This trip was just about the flying.
Quoting knightsofmalta (Reply 6): I see you approached Geneva from the south. I'm just wondering, given that the mountains are actually rather close in Geneva, was the arrival route unusual in any way?
This was my first flight into GVA for nearly 3 years, so I’m honestly not that familiar with the approach. All that thick murk didn’t really help either, but I’m guessing quite a lot of the approach was over French territory.
Wonderful! I will write a report on the trip. Watch this space……
Robert,
Quoting roberts87 (Reply 7): Hannah! I am so jealous! I had to have these views on my trip to Nice past June (AMS-ZRH-GVA-ZRH-AMS) but all I had was overcast al the way At least now I have some idea of what the views would have been like, with a little bit less snow of course
I totally understand your frustration, that was exactly how I felt the first time I flew into Nice. I was rewarded for my patience though!
Quoting roberts87 (Reply 7): Also interesting to see that they had proper drink service on NCE-GVA, on my GVA-NCE it was just water and chocolates.
That surprised me too. I wonder whether it had anything to do with the light load.
Lars,
Quoting The777Man (Reply 8): Very nice report with stunning pictures !
Thank you!
Quoting The777Man (Reply 8): Great choice to fly to Nice which is one my favorite cities in Europe. You should stay longer sometime. Lots of things to see and do there.
Oh yes, I should indeed. We did visit the city about 10 years ago when we stayed down the coast. High time for a return visit.
Quoting The777Man (Reply 8): Very good fares both ways and you were very lucky with the weather.
infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1245 posts, RR: 34 Reply 13, posted (4 months 2 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 2731 times:
Hi J,
Quoting LXM83 (Reply 11): Fantastic pictures, I especially love the ones from the BSL-NCE leg. Also the snowy mountains behind Nice look stunning!
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it!
Quoting LXM83 (Reply 11): Nice LX one-way fare, unfortunately I doubt we will ever see those in ZRH. Not enough low coast competitIon.
I doubt it as well, we can but hope.
Quoting LXM83 (Reply 11): So how much was the seat reservation on easyJet?
5CHF, bargain. Compared with what they charged for speedy boarding I think it's very fair. The seats up front cost more though, I wonder just how popular they are.
Marc,
Quoting MSS658 (Reply 12): Great report, thanks for sharing this one with us today!
I really enjoyed watching the pics of the Alps and the Approach in NCE!
My pleasure and thanks for your feedback.
Happy flying
Infodesk
"Do nothing in haste, look well to each step and from the beginning think what may be the end" - Edward Whymper
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1188 posts, RR: 29 Reply 14, posted (4 months 2 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 2713 times:
Hi Hannah,
Good to see this picturesque tale of your latest explorations ‘just for the flying’ sake. Indeed, these very simple trips can be very rewarding as well, as shown by your photos. A true delight and I hope you didn’t had too much troubles on de-glueing your face from the window
Quoting infodesk (Thread starter): I never intended to write a report about this trip. On paper it looked pretty ordinary: airports, aircraft & airlines all familiar to me. Yet the weather conditions were just perfect and I decided to share my photos with you.
I’m most glad you did. What views you had! So even A32X or B73X flights can be great fun as well!
It looks as if you caught up jst a bit too much with FLIEGER67 lol!
Quoting infodesk (Thread starter): Boarding starts at 06:50 and I have never been so relaxed prior to an easyJet flight.
An excellent move of the folks at the orange airline. Finished with the boarding scrum and I’m happy to pay a few €’s surplus for my window seat.
I remember that one, yes. In today’s season, I guess you probably wouldn’t have bothered
Quoting infodesk (Thread starter): In fact, I spend most of the flight changing seats, much to the amusement of some of the other passengers.
You could be very well on YouTube by now in the ‘freaks’ category, just like me
Quoting infodesk (Thread starter): I booked these flights for a bit of fun as they were cheap and I was treated to some of the most beautiful views I%u2019ve ever had in the air. In fact, the NCE-GVA leg ranks as one of my all-time favourite flights.
palmjet From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 1051 posts, RR: 16 Reply 15, posted (4 months 2 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 2618 times:
Hi Hannah
Quote: I never intended to write a report about this trip. On paper it looked pretty ordinary: airports, aircraft & airlines all familiar to me. Yet the weather conditions were just perfect and I decided to share my photos with you.
Sometimes the least planned trips turn out to contain some of the best experiences. I am glad you decided to share your photos - they are fantastic. I really enjoyed your report.
Quote: The approach over the sea is equally as stunning and gives me some great photo opportunities
Isn't the light in the south of France just beautiful - no matter what time of the year.
Quote: Although it’s a beautifully sunny day I don’t linger outside, there’s a stiff breeze which is rather chilly so after a few deep breaths of Mediterranean air I head back inside and up to departures.
lol I thought I was the only one who spent 5 minutes landside before going back airside again....Gabriel thinks I'm nuts!
Quote: I’m somewhat disappointed by the airside set up at T1. Only a small selection of shops & quite a crowded gate area, but at least there are some big windows at one end with some apron views. I treat myself to something from L’Occitane and have a wander through duty free, before finding myself a spot near the window where I do some reading.
Totally agree - what an uninspiring space it is. I was really underwhelmed both times I have flown through there. Not even any real decent viewing areas because of all that double glass (which is mostly dirty)! At least you were able to treat yourself!
Quote: Snowy mountains, blue sky & planes, what more could you want?
That's pretty much all I need.
Quote: As soon as the seatbelt sign is turned off, I move over the right as it seems the better views are on that side. In fact, I spend most of the flight changing seats, much to the amusement of some of the other passengers.
Hilarious! Don't worry - I would have probably done the same if the views were as amazing as your pics show. Some people need to be reminded that windows in planes are made to be looked out of - not an annoying light source in which to pull down the shade as soon as you board. The earth is a beautiful place from the air and your pics demonstrate that. On behalf of the few people today who like looking out of plane windows and do it on every flight - thank you!
infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1245 posts, RR: 34 Reply 16, posted (4 months 2 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 2480 times:
Hi Nils, hi Palmjet,
Thanks so much for your kind words and detailed replies, great to read!
Nils,
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): Good to see this picturesque tale of your latest explorations ‘just for the flying’ sake. Indeed, these very simple trips can be very rewarding as well, as shown by your photos. A true delight and I hope you didn’t had too much troubles on de-glueing your face from the window
Well, leaving all that sun behind and descending into the grey murk once again was not something I enjoyed!
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): I’m most glad you did. What views you had! So even A32X or B73X flights can be great fun as well!
They certainly can. And for me the inflight views are probably my favourite part about flying.
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): It looks as if you caught up just a bit too much with FLIEGER67 lol!
Oh yes, he got me started on all these early departures from BSL
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): An excellent move of the folks at the orange airline. Finished with the boarding scrum and I’m happy to pay a few €’s surplus for my window seat.
My sentiments exactly.
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): Isn’t NCE usually flooded with these? But perhaps not in winter time.
I’m sure that’s the case. Still quite interesting to see though, they’re always well hidden at ZRH.
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): Ha ha, the perfect swap for you today... not!
Well, you can’t win them all!
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): remember that one, yes. In today’s season, I guess you probably wouldn’t have bothered
Maybe a sauna would have been ok to keep away those winter chills!
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): You could be very well on YouTube by now in the ‘freaks’ category, just like me
Should I be worried now?
Palmjet aka Mapleprop (you just have to love this new user name of yours!),
Quoting palmjet (Reply 15): Sometimes the least planned trips turn out to contain some of the best experiences. I am glad you decided to share your photos - they are fantastic. I really enjoyed your report.
Thanks & very true, it is often the way.
Quoting palmjet (Reply 15): Isn't the light in the south of France just beautiful - no matter what time of the year.
Gorgeous (well, when you get the right weather…)
Quoting palmjet (Reply 15): lol I thought I was the only one who spent 5 minutes landside before going back airside again....Gabriel thinks I'm nuts!
I think my total time landside was 15minutes max, so you’re not alone!
Quoting palmjet (Reply 15): Totally agree - what an uninspiring space it is. I was really underwhelmed both times I have flown through there. Not even any real decent viewing areas because of all that double glass (which is mostly dirty)! At least you were able to treat yourself!
It just doesn’t fit in with the whole Cote d’Azur atmosphere, does it? Thanks goodness for L’Occitane!
Quoting palmjet (Reply 15): Hilarious! Don't worry - I would have probably done the same if the views were as amazing as your pics show. Some people need to be reminded that windows in planes are made to be looked out of - not an annoying light source in which to pull down the shade as soon as you board. The earth is a beautiful place from the air and your pics demonstrate that. On behalf of the few people today who like looking out of plane windows and do it on every flight - thank you!
Well said. I noticed on my last flight back from MLA how many people pulled the blind down. Come on, it was a glorious day with views the whole way. Flying is a wonderful thing and people should appreciate it more
Quoting palmjet (Reply 15): Thanks again and Happy New Year to you!
All the best to you too,
Happy flying
Infodesk
"Do nothing in haste, look well to each step and from the beginning think what may be the end" - Edward Whymper
akhmad From Netherlands, joined Sep 2005, 2335 posts, RR: 53 Reply 20, posted (4 months 1 week 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 1867 times:
Dear Hannah,
Oh wow! It’s truly Winter Wonderland. I am so glad that you decided to share this unique experience with us.
Like you have said here.
Quoting infodesk (Reply 1): The views just keep getting better & better. I am mesmerized.
You have made us mesmerized as well!
Quoting infodesk (Thread starter): Eventually, French style and definitely not Swiss, some more staff turn up, chewing gum and decide to open a third lane, after which things move somewhat faster.
Chewing gum? C’mon! You’re not supposed to do that on duty in front of the public.
Quoting infodesk (Thread starter): a couple appeared running like the wind, only to see the gate closed.
If the security did make the couple miss the flight, it would be outrageous!
Quoting infodesk (Thread starter): As I board I greet the purser in German, she asks to see my boarding pass and takes note of the fact it’s in English and proceeds welcomed me on board in English.
She tried to be accommodating.
Quoting infodesk (Thread starter): I’m wondering whether the check-in system tries to block off the seats next to someone who’s paid for a seat reservation, if the flight isn’t full.
If that’s true, it should be worth paying additional reservation fees!
infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1245 posts, RR: 34 Reply 21, posted (4 months 1 week 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1779 times:
Great to see some more replies!
Rahulrahul,
Quoting rahulrahul (Reply 17): Hey! Great Report. I love Geneva, and this summer we went to Matterhorn. Great View!
Thank you. Count yourself lucky to have seen the Matterhorn, some people that go to Zermatt never get a glimpse as it’s covered in cloud the whole time.
Philip,
Quoting OA260 (Reply 18): Great report . Love the bread Man snack lol.. My fav photos of course are the snow capped mountains. Just cant get enough of those. Such beauty .
Good to read your comments. Yes, the little fellow was very tasty. I’m a sucker for the big snowy mountains too, although I’m sure you’ve all noticed that already !
CPAir,
Quoting CPAir (Reply 19): Wonderful pictures, great report. Thanks for share!
Thanks for your feedback.
Suryo,
As always your kind and copious comments are much appreciated.
Quoting akhmad (Reply 20): Oh wow! It’s truly Winter Wonderland. I am so glad that you decided to share this unique experience with us.
Thank you. And I’m pleased that you agree with my decision.
Quoting akhmad (Reply 20): You have made us mesmerized as well!
I’m glad to hear that
Quoting akhmad (Reply 20): Chewing gum? C’mon! You’re not supposed to do that on duty in front of the public.
Absolutely. It looks so unprofessional.
Quoting akhmad (Reply 20): If the security did make the couple miss the flight, it would be outrageous!
Well, their answer would be: get to the airport in enough time. Hence why I’m always way too early for nearly every flight I take!
Quoting akhmad (Reply 20): She tried to be accommodating.
Oh yes, she did, and she was also very observant.
Quoting akhmad (Reply 20): If that’s true, it should be worth paying additional reservation fees!
As long as EZY keep the fees reasonable, I will be happy to pay to secure my preferred seat.
Quoting akhmad (Reply 20): And it says 29 inches!
The slimline seat design can indeed make a difference!
The legroom was better than I ever remember it.
Quoting akhmad (Reply 20): Maybe it’s just me. But a private jet seems so boring!
Not as impressive as the big stuff for sure. Nevertheless interesting to see when quite a few of them are lined up.
jwhite9185 From United Kingdom, joined May 2007, 723 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (4 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 1664 times:
Hi Hannah,
Nice little day trip there (sorry couldn't resist!) brings back the memories of my trip back in May. You're right, the terminal is pretty dull there - although the lounge wasn't much better.
I seem to remember there being quite an interesting approach and departure from there too. Something to do with noise abatement if I remember correctly.
And some great pics of the Alps too! Shame it was a little bit cloudy the last time I flew over them - which reminds me I must get round to finishing that report as those flights were ages ago....
infodesk From Switzerland, joined May 2006, 1245 posts, RR: 34 Reply 23, posted (4 months 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 1451 times:
Hi James,
Thanks for your feedback.
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 22): Nice little day trip there (sorry couldn't resist!) brings back the memories of my trip back in May. You're right, the terminal is pretty dull there - although the lounge wasn't much better.
Yeah, there are lot of puns with Nice, aren't there?!
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 22): I seem to remember there being quite an interesting approach and departure from there too. Something to do with noise abatement if I remember correctly.
Ah, ok, I didn't know about the noise abatement but then it doesn't surprise me, guess they have to keep the rich residents and holiday home owners happy.
Quoting jwhite9185 (Reply 22): And some great pics of the Alps too! Shame it was a little bit cloudy the last time I flew over them - which reminds me I must get round to finishing that report as those flights were ages ago....
Thanks! It's such a lottery with the Alps, you win some you lose some. When you get the perfect conditions, it's amazing.
Happy flying
Infodesk
"Do nothing in haste, look well to each step and from the beginning think what may be the end" - Edward Whymper