A nightmare of a journey.....

Well I'm sufficiently recovered to now post my nightmare of a journey to Australia a few weeks ago...

I, for some unknown reason, prefer to fly the wrong way round...

I go this way...

Most people go this way... although that's a lot of ocean to fly over!

Oh I know why I go that way.....

• LAX sucks big style if you have to be there more than an hour... nothing to do / see / buy etc etc... everyone rude... and I'd have an 8 hour wait if I flew from Orlando in morning... so bugger that!
• I like to fly on new planes...with attractive staff... not that it isn't nice to be with the mouldy old staff on some of the US long haul flights.. but I wonder if they know where the emergency exits are, let alone how to open the doors!
• Emirates gold membership has upgraded me to business for free every other flight at this point... In sing song voice 'love them'
• Emirates staff are pretty, speak about 40 languages and even economy has the ICE system that has 600 channels to choose from...
• I don't get jet lag if I fly this way going.. mental probably but seems to work

So it was at 5am a few Fridays ago I found myself checked in and making my way to my Jet Blue flight 6.10am to JFK. I've taken this flight numerous times and its always been a breeze.... until this last time...

As I arrived at the gate my flight was saying delayed til 7am.. hmmm that would just about get me there, it would be tight though..but I was checked in with Emirates so I'd be fine...

7 am rolled around and we were still not on the plane... OK time for some affirmative action..

I called Emirates... Hello Mrs Jones (I phoned Dubai gold line for my personal travel assistant) how can we help you today?. Ermmm I'm stuck at Orlando and I don't think that I will make my JFK flight to Dubai.. OK Mrs Jones let me assist you with that... No you probably wont.. shall I book you on the evening flight 11pm..? Yes please... There will be a $200 change fee (no choice!).. Yes just get me on it please...OK all done Mrs Jones, have a safe flight and thank you for flying Emirates...


Too simple!

OK so dreading the wait I was now going to have at JFK at least I was still going to make Australia.. I'd change all those other flights once I got to New York...

Eventually I arrived at Emirates check in and it looked like this when I got there...

Not good!

I went to the Emirates desk, and fortunately was able to confirm that I was on the next flight and as a Gold member I could come back to 4pm to get my boarding pass for the next flight (3 hours early than the rest of economy ;-)... so no lounge til 4pm? Emirates lounge is after security... Arrrggghhh... I had to hatch a cunning plan...
A quick search on the Blackberry and I found a lounge you could pay for ....and at 10am I was the only person.. $40 for 5 hours of free food, drink, showers, TV, Internet etc etc... I could have spent that much in McDonald's in JFK!



Cheers.. to me the only one in the lounge...Its always Gin O'clock!

So the hours rolled on.. I watched True Blood on iTunes, re-arranged my flights (I'd now miss a days work) and caught up on my email...

Soon it was time to go back to Emirates to get that boarding card...

Hello.. can i have my boarding card please.. oh and I need to give you $200 as I was transferred off my earlier flight...
Hello Mrs Jones... are you sure you have a seat as we are 28 overbooked...
Yes.. I confirmed it earlier...
Oh Mrs Jones, I see you are Gold, you have a seat ...so some poor bugger had been bumped for me :-( . Ermmm if the flight is that full is there any chance of an upgrade? (Don't ask.. don't get!)
Hmmmm.. no too many associates above you today.. although if you use some miles you'll take priority....

50,000 miles later

Dumped my bags with the nice girls and I was off to the lounge.... Jack Daniels and Cokes, a shower and dinner before boarding my first business class flight on the A380 (that's the plane with the two layers!)

I can't remember what airport toilets look like there days.. (Snob!)

Welcome to my seat



My little mini bar!



Its a hard life...

There's even a bar on board for business.. how ace is that.. JD & Coke please

Hardly surprisingly Dubai arrived very quickly...and I had another 6 hour wait, time to see if I could blag another upgrade...

I went to see the Skywards lovelies in the lounge

Sorry Mrs Jones.. the flight is so empty I can't give you an upgrade... how about 4 seats to yourself...

That will do nicely...

My little economy nest!

Tomorrow my journey continues on into Melbourne... and another delay..