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Air Travel

Flying eh? I hate turbulence, take-off is apparently the most dangerous time, and landings have been described by pilots as a "controlled crash". I really don't like flying, it is just 20 minutes of terror at each end, with a long boring section in the middle. However, apart from getting me where I want to go, it does also offer some of the most spectacular views that you could imagine. Some of the things I've seen from a plane surpass most of the things I've seen from the ground. I've seen several mountain ranges, including the Alps, the Zagros mountains in Iran, the Rockies in Colorado and the Himalayas. The London-Hong Kong route flies across the top of the Himalayan plateau, and if you are lucky as I was, you'll get a full moon and little cloud, allowing you to watch the snowy peaks pass slowly by the plane. The peace and tranquillity below seem divorced from the plane and it's hundreds of sleeping passengers, and it lasts literally for hours, mile after mile of hilly snow. It's almost like watching TV, and just serves as a further reminder that there's a 80 degree temperature difference between the air around your face and the air 15cm away on the other side of the window. Whilst passing over this plateau the first time I flew this route, there was also a thunderstorm, but not near enough the plane to do anything, just far enough to watch the fluffy clouds glow as the lightning inside them lit them up. Mountains also make for spectacular sunsets, as I have seen whilst flying over the Alps and watching them slowly fade into darkness from the peachy orange colour the sun makes hitting the snow.

The London-Hong Kong route also passes over the endless Russian steppe, which is also spectacular, if a little boring after while. I've seen many cities from the air also, including London both during the day and night, Chicago at night, which is a like a big orange square with an even brighter orange grid over the top of it, Istanbul, Birmingham, New York, Delhi and Bangkok. Most places seem to look pretty similar from 30,000 feet, especially at night. Even coming in to land they don't seem very different until you're really close.

I've had my share of good and bad flights, and long and short. My current record for longest flight is a 14 and three quarter hour nonstop flight from Kuala Lumpur to London, which was made worse by the proclamation of the guy sitting next to me who 10 minutes after take off said to no-one in particular, "Right, I'm off to get drunk". Happily, "I'm off" was exactly that and he disappeared to who knows where on the Boeing 747 for at least 5 hours. The worst landing I've had was during a tropical thunderstorm/monsoon at Bangkok's Don Muang airport, which was only done after the pilot had circled for 30 mins waiting to see if it would get better. It didn't. The worst thing I've heard before landing was on a Lufthansa flight from Istanbul to Frankfurt, where the German pilot (Bless, English is not his first language after all, I'm sure he meant well) said over the intercom "We hope you have had a pleasant flight, and we will be landing soon. There is a little wind so it may be bumpy on the way down. Thankyou for flying Lufthansa and wish for us all a good landing". Wish?? Wish is too close to"pray" for my liking. It was a bumpy descent, but a smooth landing, especially compared to some I've had where the landing gear has slammed hard into the concrete. The best thing I've heard over the intercom was on an Air Canada flight, "This is Air Canada flight 736 to Newark, If you are not flying to Newark today, then you are on the wrong plane, please make yourself known to any of the cabin crew."

I've been on quite a few airlines. There doesn't seem to be much to choose between them, but Singapore airlines have good screens in the backs of the seats, pretty decent food and cute hostesses. They also give you the most complete "activity pack" on long haul flights, with socks, eyeshades, toothpaste, bag and toothbrush. Singapore was the first Airline I used where I saw the map on the screen that shows you where the plane is, and how far you are from your destination. Watching it for more than 1 min can be like watching paint dry though. Time to destination: 10 hours and 37 mins. Oh no, how am I going to fill so much time? Watching 3 movies in a row will only fill half of this. It's like being in a high speed tubular prison with wings. Thai Airways are pretty close to Singapore in all these quality areas too, as are Cathay Pacific. Malaysia Airways are also ok, if a little bland. In my experience of Asian airlines, I have found most of the pilots are either Brits or Australians. Emirates Airlines have tastefully coloured beige interiors and seats, with a stylish and flattering hostess uniform too, but both Emirates flights I took were late. Lufthansa predictably have very german grey leather seats on their planes, the only airline I've used with leather seats. All four recent flights I've made with Lufthansa were late, one of them by 90 mins. I'd been flying regularly for 10 years until I experienced my own flag carrier, British Airways. Apart from being late, the service was fine. As a fine for them being late enough for me to miss my coach from the airport, I now own a blue BA blanket tagged with the label "Not to be removed from aircraft". The worst airline I've used is the charter holiday line JMC, flying to Crete. Cheap but predictably low quality of service and small, narrow seats, with the cabin crew in jeans and jumpers. It's funny, when I started flying a lot in 1994/5, all the planes I used were Boeing or McDonnell Douglas. Now I seem to be on an Airbus more than 50% of the time. I like Airbus, because at least you know that they're new, rather than something which has experienced 20 years of metal fatigue. I've flown on propeller planes a few times as a child, taking a city hopping Fokker Friendship plane to Dublin and back. More than anything, I'd love to fly on JAL Japan Airlines, but they were a lot more expensive than British Airways when I flew to Tokyo, so cash wins over desire.

Airports are generally dull places, though the best of this bunch I've experienced so far is Hong Kong's new airport, Chep Lap Kok, which at least has some decent architecture and newness to liven it up. A few are now starting to get Internet cafes which is by far the best way of passing the time. The internet cafes are free in Kuala Lumpur's new airport. If you've a lot of time to kill, then the best airport is Frankfurt in Germany, as the city centre is only 11 minutes by train from the Airport and since it's Germany, you know it really will be 11 mins, on time, no more and no less. It's only 3.30 Euros each way, which is nothing when you've 6 hours to fill before your next flight. Dubai airport is a giant shopping mall, but unless you're rich then you're not going to get anything there in this world of Rolex, Gucci and Rolls-Royce.

I have an irrational fear of crashing whilst flying, but this is balanced by an equally irrational superstition of choosing to watch a film with a plane (and often a crash) in it during the few weeks before long trip. Movies I have watched before taking flights include Die Hard 2, Final Destination, Fearless, Executive Decision, Alive and Red Eye.

One of the more recent flights I've taken was amongst the worst for fear factor. Only 50 mins between Dublin and East Midlands, but it certainly was memorable and for all the wrong reasons. 1) The disembarking passengers passed me by whilst I was queing at the departure gate and more than 50% of them were muttering to themsleves or each other that they were glad their flight (the inbound version of my flight) was over. 2) We were further delayed as our runway was switched at the last minute because of the wind. 3) Despite the unflinching faces of the cabin crew, everyone else aboard was looking unhappy as the engines gave our a piercing screaming on takeoff, which lasted for a good 15 minutes. I've never heard engines make that kind of noise before, they sounded like they were dying on the wings. I wondered if he had them on 110% 4) Everyone was kept buckled in and sitting down for the duration of the flight because of turbulence. Luckily it was at least only a short flight. 5) The landing at East Midlands was in pretty strong crosswinds, you could easily see the plance moving side to side as it was coming in for the landing approach. What's more, I swear the plane landed on one side before the other, but I didn't really want to enquire afterwards. Its a bizarre feeling, with the warmth and relative comfort of the inside of the 737 compared to the cold and wind outside. It's pretty easy to disassociate your environment with the one not very far away, the plane feels like it can't possibly be part of that world. Flying could all be some elaborate trick and the distance covered achieved by some other unknown means. That is until it starts being buffeted by the wind, and then comes the realization that you're really just helplessly sitting in a metal tube hurtling towards the ground far faster than you could ever drive a car. Still, as they say, it's safer than crossing the road.

After my trip to Las Vegas, I have been reminded just how bumpy it can be to sit at the rear of the plane. Both my flights on Virgin Atlantic found me either a few rows from the back, or right at the back. This is not a great combination with the air pockets caused by the hot weather around Las Vegas. The descent into LV was a series of steps. A few of the passengers were making noises like they would if on a rollercoaster. When leaving Las Vegas, the takeoff was also not very smooth. The plane is shaken for a good long time after leaving the ground. None of this is any reflection on Virgin Atlantic however. I'm sure BMI, Southwest, Continental and all the other airlines that serve LV have the same problems. On the whole, Virgin seems a good airline to fly on, there's plenty of food, decent movies and the hostesses are friendly - although they cannot touch Singapore Airlines for cuteness.

Air China

I read a lot about Air China on the internet - after I booked my tickets. I booked purely on price and availability, which at the time (Oct 2006) was £470 for return flights to Beijing, with a free return flight from Beijing to Shanghai thrown in. This is not bad. Most of the reviews commented on the age of Air China's planes. I can say they are not new, not for long-haul anyway. The internal flight planes were a lot newer and they also code-share with Hong Kong based DragonAir, so the flight back from Shanghai was with DragonAir. However, the main thing is the long-haul, which involved a pretty grumpy looking group of cabin attendants, and the oldest Boeing 747 I have ever flown on. The configuration of the rear end galley and toilets was unlike any I've ever been on before, and somewhat less efficiently laid out. I'd guess that a long long time ago, Boeing changed it. But this plane is older than that, and it sure did look very worn out, as did the flight attendants. I was happy to get off. None of that TV in the back of the seat business either. All you get on the back of the seat is advertising for China Citic Bank, who I promise not to bank with now after being forced to stare at their logo for 12 hours, twice. There is also advertising on the fold down table too, once you fold it down. The in-flight entertainment is handled the old-school way of TV screens placed every so often hanging from the ceiling, and a larger screen on the bulkheads. There is a choice of Chinese films and a few western ones. So, on the downside, the planes are not very new at all, and the IFE is lousy. On the upside, the food is ok and the landings were very very smooth. The stewardesses did speak reasonable English, unlike some of the reviews I had read. I'm not sure I'd use Air China again for long haul, but I'd certainly use them for domestic flights within China, as then it's a whole different experience, with new planes and a happy crew. The only down thing was beyond their control, a 1.5 hour delay, sitting in the plane at Shanghai waiting for Beijing's busy airport to allow them to takeoff. (They were already planning the landing slot at this stage).

If you are looking for more opinions on airlines and airports, I'd recommend this website www.airlinequality.com

Below is a complete list of the flights I have taken.

  1. 1984. East Midlands to Dublin (British Midland)
  2. 1984. Dublin to East Midlands (British Midland)
  3. 1985. East Midlands to Dublin (Aer Lingus)
  4. 1985. Dublin to East Midlands (Aer Lingus)
  5. 1994. London Heathrow to Bombay (Singapore Airlines)
  6. 1994. Bombay to Singapore (Singapore Airlines)
  7. 1994. Singapore to Sydney (Singapore Airlines)
  8. 1995. Sydney to Melbourne (Ansett Australia)
  9. 1995. Melbourne to Auckland (United Airlines)
  10. 1995. Auckland to Los Angeles (United Airlines)
  11. 1995. Los Angeles to New York Newark (United Airlines)
  12. 1995. Newark to Toronto (Air Canada)
  13. 1995. Toronto to Newark (Air Canada)
  14. 1995. Newark to London Heathrow (United Airlines)
  15. 1996. London Heathrow to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific)
  16. 1996. Hong Kong to Bangkok (Cathay Pacific)
  17. 1996. Bangkok to London Heathrow (Thai Airways)
  18. 1997. London Heathrow to Bangkok (Thai Airways)
  19. 1997. Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur (Thai Airways)
  20. 1997. Kuala Lumpur to London Heathrow (Malaysia Airlines)
  21. 1998. London Heathrow to Singapore (Singapore Airlines)
  22. 1998. Singapore to Bangkok (Singapore Airlines)
  23. 1998. Bangkok to London Heathrow (Thai Airways)
  24. 1998. London Heathrow to Dusseldorf (Lufthansa)
  25. 1998. Dusseldorf to Vienna (Lufthansa)
  26. 1999. Vienna to Dusseldorf (Lufthansa)
  27. 1999. Dusseldorf to London Heathrow (Lufthansa)
  28. 2002. Manchester to Crete Chania (JMC)
  29. 2002. Crete Chania to Manchester (JMC)
  30. 2002. East Midlands to Dublin (Ryanair)
  31. 2002. Dublin to East Midlands (Ryanair)
  32. 2003. East Midlands to Prague (BMI Baby)
  33. 2003. Prague to East Midlands (BMI Baby)
  34. 2003. London Heathrow to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific)
  35. 2003. Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Airlines)
  36. 2003. Kuala Lumpur to Penang (Malaysia Airlines)
  37. 2004. Penang to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Airlines)
  38. 2004. Kuala Lumpur to Dubai (Emirates)
  39. 2004. Dubai to London Heathrow (Emirates)
  40. 2004. Birmingham to Prague (Czech Airlines)
  41. 2004. Prague to Birmingham (Czech Airlines)
  42. 2004. London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita (British Airways)
  43. 2004. Tokyo Narita to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  44. 2005. London Stansted to Brno (Ryanair)
  45. 2005. Brno to London Stansted (Ryanair)
  46. 2005. Birmingham to Munich (Lufthansa)
  47. 2005. Munich to Istanbul (Lufthansa)
  48. 2005. Istanbul to Frankfurt (Lufthansa)
  49. 2005. Frankfurt to Birmingham (Lufthansa)
  50. 2005. East Midlands to Dublin (Ryanair)
  51. 2005. Dublin to East Midlands (Ryanair)
  52. 2006. London Gatwick to Las Vegas (Virgin Atlantic)
  53. 2006. Las Vegas to London Gatwick (Virgin Atlantic)
  54. 2006. London Stansted to Amsterdam (Easyjet)
  55. 2006. Amsterdam to London Stansted (Easyjet)
  56. 2006. Birmingham to Edinburgh (BMI Baby)
  57. 2006. London Heathrow to Beijing (Air China)
  58. 2006. Beijing to Shanghai (Air China)
  59. 2006. Shanghai to Beijing (Dragonair)
  60. 2006. Beijing to London Heathrow (Air China)
  61. 2007. London Stansted to Copenhagen (Easyjet)
  62. 2007. Copenhagen to London Stansted (Easyjet)
  63. 2007. Coventry to Barcelona (Thomsonfly)
  64. 2007. Barcelona to Coventry (Thomsonfly)
  65. 2007. Birmingham to Dubai (Emirates)
  66. 2007. Dubai to Osaka (Emirates)
  67. 2007. Osaka to Dubai (Emirates)
  68. 2007. Dubai to Birmingham (Emirates)
  69. 2007. East Midlands to Edinburgh (BMI Baby)
  70. 2008. Edinburgh to East Midlands (BMI Baby)
  71. 2008. Birmingham to Dublin (Aer Lingus)
  72. 2008. Dublin to Birmingham (Aer Lingus)
  73. 2008. Birmingham to Frankfurt (Lufthansa)
  74. 2008. Frankfurt to Beijing (Lufthansa)
  75. 2008. Tianjin to Hong Kong (Air China)
  76. 2008. Hong Kong to Tianjin (Air China)
  77. 2008. Beijing to Munich (Lufthansa)
  78. 2008. Munich to Birmingham (Lufthansa)
  79. 2008. East Midlands to Berlin (Ryanair)
  80. 2008. Berlin to East Midlands (Ryanair)
  81. 2009. Birmingham to Dubai (Emirates)
  82. 2009. Dubai to Beijing (Emirates)
  83. 2009. Beijing to Lijiang (Deer Air)
  84. 2009. Lijiang to Kunming (Deer Air)
  85. 2009. Kunming to Beijing (Deer Air)
  86. 2009. Beijing to Dubai (Emirates)
  87. 2009. Dubai to Birmingham (Emirates)
  88. 2009. East Midlands to Rome (Ryanair)
  89. 2009. Pisa to East Midlands (Ryanair)
  90. 2009. London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita (ANA)
  91. 2009. Tokyo Narita to London Heathrow (ANA)
  92. 2010. Manchester to Chicago O'Hare (American Airlines)
  93. 2010. Chicago O'Hare to Manchester (American Airlines)
  94. 2010. Manchester to Dublin (Aer Lingus)
  95. 2010. Dublin to Manchester (Aer Lingus)
  96. 2010. London Heathrow to Bangkok (EVA Air)
  97. 2010. Bangkok to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific)
  98. 2010. Hong Kong to London Heathrow (Cathay Pacific)
  99. 2011. Birmingham to Dubai (Emirates)
  100. 2011. Dubai to Colombo (Emirates)
  101. 2011. Colombo to Dubai (Emirates)
  102. 2011. Dubai to Birmingham (Emirates)
  103. 2011. London Heathrow to Lisbon (TAP)
  104. 2011. Lisbon to London Heathrow (TAP)
  105. 2011. East Midlands to Venice Treviso (Ryanair)
  106. 2011. Venice Treviso to East Midlands (Ryanair)
  107. 2011. Liverpool to Nice (Easyjet)
  108. 2011. Nice to Liverpool (Easyjet)
  109. 2011. London Heathrow to Seoul (Asiana Airlines)
  110. 2011. Seoul to London Heathrow (Asiana Airlines)
  111. 2012. London Gatwick to Oslo (Norwegian Airlines)
  112. 2012. Oslo to Tromso (Norwegian Airlines)
  113. 2012. Tromso to Oslo (Norwegian Airlines)
  114. 2012. Oslo to London Gatwick (Norwegian Airlines)
  115. 2012. London Heathrow to Bangkok (EVA Air)
  116. 2012. Bangkok to Phuket (Bangkok Airlines)
  117. 2012. Phuket to Bangkok (Bangkok Airlines)
  118. 2012. Bangkok to London Heathrow (EVA Air)
  119. 2012. Birmingham to Dublin (Aer Lingus)
  120. 2012. Dublin to Birmingham (Aer Lingus)
  121. 2012. Birmingham to Dublin (Aer Lingus)
  122. 2012. Dublin to Birmingham (Aer Lingus)
  123. 2012. London Gatwick to Santorini (Thomas Cook)
  124. 2012. Santorini to London Gatwick (Thomas Cook)
  125. 2012. Manchester to Budapest (jet2)
  126. 2012. Budapest to Manchester (jet2)
  127. 2012. Birmingham to Dublin (Aer Lingus)
  128. 2013. London Heathrow to Hong Kong (Air New Zealand)
  129. 2013. Hong Kong to Tianjin (Air China)
  130. 2013. Tianjin to Hong Kong (Air China)
  131. 2013. Hong Kong to London Heathrow (Air New Zealand)
  132. 2013. London Luton to Pisa (Easyjet)
  133. 2013. Pisa to London Luton (Easyjet)
  134. 2013. Birmingham to Munich (Lufthansa)
  135. 2013. Munich to Birmingham (Lufthansa)
  136. 2013. London Gatwick to Marrakech (Easyjet)
  137. 2013. Marrakech to London Gatwick (British Airways)
  138. 2013. London Heathrow to Prague (British Airways)
  139. 2013. Prague to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  140. 2014. Birmingham to Dubai (Emirates)
  141. 2014. Dubai to Osaka (Emirates)
  142. 2014. Osaka to Dubai (Emirates)
  143. 2014. Dubai to Birmingham (Emirates)
  144. 2014. Manchester to Brussels (Brussels Airlines)
  145. 2014. Brussels to Manchester (Brussels Airlines)
  146. 2014. London Luton to Catania (Easyjet)
  147. 2014. Catania to London Luton (Easyjet)
  148. 2014. London Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare (British Airways)
  149. 2014. Chicago O'Hare to Seattle (American Airlines)
  150. 2014. Seattle to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  151. 2015. London Heathrow to Madrid (Iberia)
  152. 2015. Madrid to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  153. 2015. Liverpool to Malaga (EasyJet)
  154. 2015. Malaga to Liverpool (EasyJet)
  155. 2015. London Gatwick to Verona (British Airways)
  156. 2015. Venice to London Gatwick (British Airways)
  157. 2015. London Gatwick to Seville (Easyjet)
  158. 2015. Seville to London Gatwick (British Airways)
  159. 2015. Birmingham to Dubai (Emirates)
  160. 2015. Dubai to Mauritius (Emirates)
  161. 2015. Mauritus to Dubai (Emirates)
  162. 2015. Dubai to Birmingham (Emirates)
  163. 2015. London City to Billund (British Airways)
  164. 2015. Billund to London Southend (British Airways)
  165. 2015. London Heathrow to Helsinki (British Airways)
  166. 2015. Helsinki to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  167. 2015. London Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare (British Airways)
  168. 2015. Chicago O'Hare to Washington Reagan (American Airlines)
  169. 2015. Washington Dulles to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  170. 2015. Manchester to Split (Easyjet)
  171. 2015. Dubrovnik to Manchester (jet2)
  172. 2015. London Heathrow to Rome (British Airways)
  173. 2015. Rome to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  174. 2015. Birmingham to Paris (Air France)
  175. 2015. Paris to Birmingham (Air France)
  176. 2016. London Heathrow to Beijing (British Airways)
  177. 2016. Beijing to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  178. 2016. London Heathrow to Seattle (British Airways)
  179. 2016. Seattle to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  180. 2016. London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda (Japan Airlines)
  181. 2016. Tokyo Haneda to London Heathrow (Japan Airlines)
  182. 2016. London Heathrow to Las Vegas (British Airways)
  183. 2016. Las Vegas to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  184. 2016. London Gatwick to Verona (British Airways)
  185. 2016. Verona to London Gatwick (British Airways)
  186. 2016. London Heathrow to Madrid (British Airways)
  187. 2016. Madrid to London Heathrow (Iberia)
  188. 2016. London Heathrow to Stockholm (British Airways)
  189. 2016. Stockholm to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  190. 2016. London Gatwick to Pula (Easyjet)
  191. 2016. Pula to London Gatwick (Easyjet)
  192. 2016. London Heathrow to Madrid (British Airways)
  193. 2016. Madrid to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  194. 2016. Manchester to Porto (Easyjet)
  195. 2016. Porto to Manchester (Easyjet)
  196. 2016. London Heathrow to Lisbon (British Airways)
  197. 2016. Lisbon to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  198. 2016. London Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare (British Airways)
  199. 2016. Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  200. 2016. London Heathrow to Lisbon (British Airways)
  201. 2016. Lisbon to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  202. 2016. London Heathrow to Billund (British Airways)
  203. 2016. Billund to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  204. 2017. London Heathrow to Miami (British Airways)
  205. 2017. Miami to New Orleans (American Airlines)
  206. 2017. New Orleans to Dallas Fort Worth (American Airlines)
  207. 2017. Dallas Fort Worth to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  208. 2017. Manchester to Keflavik (Easyjet)
  209. 2017. Keflavik to Manchester (Easyjet)
  210. 2017. London Gatwick to Verona (British Airways)
  211. 2017. Venice to London Gatwick (British Airways)
  212. 2017. London Heathrow to Shannon (Aer Lingus)
  213. 2017. Shannon to London Heathrow (Aer Lingus)
  214. 2017. Liverpool to Barcelona (EasyJet)
  215. 2017. Barcelona to Liverpool (Easyjet)
  216. 2017. London Heathrow to Athens (British Airways)
  217. 2017. Athens to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  218. 2017. Manchester to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific)
  219. 2017. Hong Kong to Tokyo Narita (Cathay Pacific)
  220. 2017. Tokyo Narita to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific)
  221. 2017. Hong Kong to Manchester (Cathay Pacific)
  222. 2017. London Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare (British Airways)
  223. 2017. Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  224. 2017. London Heathrow to Brindisi (British Airways)
  225. 2017. Brindisi to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  226. 2017. Manchester to Milan (Easyjet)
  227. 2017. Venice to Manchester (Easyjet)
  228. 2017. London Heathrow to Dublin (British Airways)
  229. 2017. Dublin to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  230. 2017. London Heathrow to Lisbon (British Airways)
  231. 2017. Lisbon to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  232. 2017. Manchester to Eindhoven (Ryanair)
  233. 2017. Eindhoven to Manchester (Ryanair)
  234. 2017. London Heathrow to Helsinki (British Airways)
  235. 2017. Helsinki to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  236. 2018. London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda (British Airways)
  237. 2018. Tokyo Haneda to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  238. 2018. London Gatwick to Las Palmas (Easyjet)
  239. 2018. Las Palmas to London Gatwick (Easyjet)
  240. 2018. London Heathrow to Prague (British Airways)
  241. 2018. Prague to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  242. 2018. London Heathrow to Dusseldorf (British Airways)
  243. 2018. Dusseldorf to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  244. 2018. Manchester to Amsterdam (KLM)
  245. 2018. Amsterdam to Manchester (KLM)
  246. 2018. Manchester to Basel (Easyjet)
  247. 2018. Basel to Manchester (Easyjet)
  248. 2018. London Heathrow to Oslo (SAS)
  249. 2018. Oslo to Trondheim (SAS)
  250. 2018. Trondheim to Oslo (SAS)
  251. 2018. Oslo to London Heathrow (SAS)
  252. 2018. London Heathrow to Doha (Qatar Airways)
  253. 2018. Doha to Kuwait City (Kuwait Airways)
  254. 2018. Kuwait City to London Heathrow (Kuwait Airways)
  255. 2018. London Heathrow to Cork (Aer Lingus)
  256. 2018. Cork to London Heathrow (Aer Lingus)
  257. 2018. London Heathrow to Bologna (British Airways)
  258. 2018. Bologna to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  259. 2018. London Heathrow to Madrid (British Airways)
  260. 2018. Madrid to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  261. 2018. Manchester to Milan Malpensa (Easyjet)
  262. 2018. Milan Malpensa to Manchester (Easyjet)
  263. 2018. Birmingham to Naples (Tui)
  264. 2018. Naples to Birmingham (Tui)
  265. 2018. London Heathrow to Billund (British Airways)
  266. 2018. Billund to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  267. 2018. London Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare (British Airways)
  268. 2018. Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  269. 2018. London Heathrow to Mexico City (British Airways)
  270. 2018. Mexico City to Mexicali (Aero Mexico)
  271. 2018. Mexicali to Mexico City (Aero Mexico)
  272. 2018. Mexico City to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  273. 2019. London Heathrow to Belfast City Airport (British Airways)
  274. 2019. Belfast City Airport to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  275. 2019. London Heathrow to Rome (British Airways)
  276. 2019. Rome to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  277. 2019. London Heathrow to Bilbao (British Airways)
  278. 2019. Vigo to Tenerife (Binter Canarias)
  279. 2019. Tenerife to Madrid (Air Europa)
  280. 2019. Madrid to London Heathrow (Iberia)
  281. 2019. Manchester to New York JFK (Virgin Atlantic)
  282. 2019. New York JFK to Manchester (Virgin Atlantic)
  283. 2019. London Heathrow to Brussels (British Airways)
  284. 2019. Brussels to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  285. 2019. London Heathrow to Helsinki (Finnair)
  286. 2019. Helsinki to Oulu (Finnair)
  287. 2019. Oulu to Helskini (Finnair)
  288. 2019. Helsinki to London Heathrow (Finnair)
  289. 2019. London Heathrow to Beijing (British Airways)
  290. 2019. Beijing to Changsha (Hainan Airlines)
  291. 2019. Changsha to Beijing (China Southern)
  292. 2019. Beijing to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  293. 2019. London Heathrow to Frankfurt (British Airways)
  294. 2019. Frankfurt to Tokyo Narita (Japan Airlines)
  295. 2019. Tokyo Haneda to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  296. 2019. London Heathrow to Budapest (British Airways)
  297. 2019. Budapest to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  298. 2019. London Heathrow to Madrid (British Airways)
  299. 2019. Madrid to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  300. 2020. London Heathrow to Belfast (British Airways)
  301. 2020. Belfast to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  302. 2020. London Heathrow to Johannesburg (British Airways)
  303. 2020. Johannesburg to Cape Town (British Airways)
  304. 2020. Cape Town to Johannesburg (British Airways)
  305. 2020. Johannesburg to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  306. 2020. London Heathrow to Naples (British Airways)
  307. 2020. Naples to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  308. 2021. London Heathrow to Valencia (British Airways)
  309. 2021. Valencia to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  310. 2022. Manchester to Malta (Easyjet)
  311. 2022. Malta to Manchester (Easyjet)
  312. 2022. London Heathrow to Lisbon (British Arways)
  313. 2022. Lisbon to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  314. 2022. London Heathrow to Warsaw (British Airways)
  315. 2022. Warsaw to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  316. 2022. London Heathrow to Stuttgart (British Airways)
  317. 2022. Stuttgart to London Heathrow (British Airways)
  318. 2022. Manchester to Singapore (Singapore Airlines)
  319. 2022. Singapore to Bangkok (Singapore Airlines)
  320. 2022. Bangkok to Singapore (Singapore Airlines)
  321. 2022. Singapore to Manchester (Singapore Airlines)
  322. 2023. London Heathrow to Tokyo (Japan Airlines)
  323. 2023. Tokyo to London Heathrow (British Airways)

Airline log (more than 2 flights only):

British Airways: 104 flights
Easyjet: 33 flights
Emirates: 22 flights
Aer Lingus: 15 flights
Lufthansa: 14 flights
Ryanair: 14 flights
Cathay Pacific: 9 flights
Singapore Airlines: 9 flights
Air China: 7 flights
American Airlines: 6 flights
Norweigan Airlines: 4 flights
Malaysia Airlines: 4 flights
United Airlines: 4 flights
Thai Airways: 4 flights
SAS: 4 flights
Virgin Atlantic: 4 flights
Finnair: 4 flights
Japan Airlines: 4 flights
Deer Air: 3 flights
EVA Air: 3 flights
jet2: 3 flights
Iberia: 3 flights

Country Log

  1. Ireland (Uncountable/5)
  2. Italy: 17 (10/7)
  3. Czech Republic: 13 (11/2)
  4. USA: 12 (3/9)
  5. Spain: 12 (4/8)
  6. Japan: 9
  7. France: 8 (7/1)
  8. China: 7 (5/2)
  9. Germany: 7 (6/1)
  10. Hong Kong: 6
  11. Portugal: 6 (1/5)
  12. Thailand: 6
  13. Denmark: 4 (1/3)
  14. Austria: 4
  15. Sweden: 3 (2/1)
  16. Greece: 3 (2/1)
  17. Netherlands: 3 (1/2)
  18. Belgium: 3 (1/2)
  19. Finland: 3 (0/3)
  20. Singapore: 3
  21. Croatia: 2
  22. Malaysia: 2
  23. UAE: 2
  24. Norway: 2 (1/1)
  25. Hungary: 2 (1/1)
  26. Poland: 2 (1/1)
  27. Switzerland: 2
  28. South Korea: 1
  29. India: 1
  30. Indonesia: 1
  31. Australia: 1
  32. New Zealand: 1
  33. Mauritius: 1
  34. Monaco: 1
  35. Montenegro: 1
  36. Morocco: 1
  37. Bosnia-Herzegovina : 1
  38. Slovakia: 1
  39. Slovenia: 1
  40. Sri Lanka: 1
  41. Turkey: 1
  42. Canada: 1
  43. Iceland: 1
  44. Qatar: 1 (0/1)
  45. Kuwait: 1 (0/1)
  46. San Marino: 1
  47. Mexico : 1 (0/1)
  48. South Africa : 1 (0/1)
  49. Malta : 1

Business trips: 9 times to the USA, 8 times to Spain, 7 times to Italy, 5 times to Ireland, 5 times to Portugal, 3 times to Finland, 2 times to the Czech Republic, 2 times to China, 3 times to Denmark, 2 times to the Netherlands, 2 times to Belgium and once each to Kuwait, Poland, Qatar, South Africa, Hungary, Norway, Greece, Sweden, Germany and France. 58 trips.


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Copyright © M.F.Hughes 2005 - 2015

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