03-28-2018, 11:47 PM
Onboard wit Andromeda Aviation flying from London to Sydney.
Yes it is time again for an other trip report, this time I have to fly from one end of the common world to the other, as always at the generous expense of my employer which I shall still not name. However to make things interesting this time around I decided to book some tickets with Andromeda Aviation. Now while my employer is generous there are limits so I am terribly sorry I will have to take a rain check on telling you all about their Concorde flights. No instead we start of on the all British Vickers Super VC10 and then transfer at Abu Dhabi to a McDonnell Douglas MD-11. I shall spare the you the dreadful rail journey to heathrow and start there.
Check in:
I arrived 2 hours in advance and the que is dealt with in just a few minutes as a young fellow takes care of things behind the sole open desk. Now as Always I do travel with my gear so 2 large suitcases to check in and my carry on. I will say it is clear they recruit people to match the light heartiness of their company messages and with a quick joke and some words my bags and myself are checked in and he drops me some advice on where to get some refreshments or food if I desire. I am of course well familiar with the airport, but I do like a little extra touch of service.
The lounge:
The lounge of Andromeda Aviation is shared with some other airlines, though it is clear they are the ones who run and operate it. It has a very futuristic appeal to it and the staff is again easy going, but professional. They simply ask for my ticket once and that is everything dealt with as they serve me up what I ordered and I have to say they serve high quality produce well prepared. Seeing it is quiet I get to chat with the staff and bit and ask them about the airline. They state that they got hired a while back and had been send all over for training which had been great and that now they started to work things where getting even better. When I asked about the group of people in charge I got a smile and a few remarks along the lines of they are crazy, but in a good way. Now I am not sure what to think about it, but some more people arrive and work resumes for them and I decide to get some done as well and open up my laptop.
At the gate:
It is an odd feeling sitting at a gate with just over 60 people for such a long flight and you may arc an eyebrow at that number and wonder if their load factors are that bad. However that is not the case while some of their planes have economy class seats not all are configured with them. In case of the Vickers Super VC10 they only have 22 premium economy class seats, 42 business class seats and 12 first class seats. I think it is fair to say their pricing reflects this all, as well they are without question not the cheapest way to fly, but they claim they make up for it in ease of use and service which so far seems to work out.
Boarding:
Seeing an 50 year old jet is an odd sight, truly something you think belongs in a museum and yet here I am boarding it for a scheduled line flight which happens every day. There is something to be said about keeping these old birds flying and doing what they are designed for, but part of you do wonder if it is truly such a good idea to get onboard one. Anyhow that is of course exactly what I do and the process is easy, with so few people it happens calmly and relaxed, no rush rush feelings here. I find my assigned seat, store my carry on and lean back being wonderfully supported in my seat. Sitting there I reflect on the contrast of the space age interior vs the fact that I did very much look at a 50 year old jet just moments before.
Take off:
Well take off surely reminds you that this is not a modern turbofan airliner, holy shit the noise of those jet engines is staggering when they go full throttle. I mean not to say it is to loud, but you can clearly notice the difference. That said she gets in the air quickly and the climb is steep and fast and before you know it we are on cruising altitude and the staff get's to work. Believe it or not despite caring less than 70 people on this flight there are 4 stewards onboard, it seems you see where your money is going to.
The trip:
At one exactly I get my lunch served, I like a hot meal at mid day in more ways than one, I mean not to cater tot he stereo type to much, but yes I love my curries. Seeing you can select your meals when you book your ticket you can at least choose what you eat, of course the fact if it is good or not depends. Now of course despite the best will in the world the pressure inside the VC10 is a bit lower than we are used to and this affects your taste, but it is clear they have worked with these facts and I did enjoy my lunch. With it over with I decide to get some more work done and when I feel like a drink or a snack I press the service button and one of the stewards is with me shortly to take care of it. I have to say I do like the concept they simply wait until you call them over so you are only disturbed when you want to.
Now for my work I am glad for the power outlets and the free wifi they offer, which is shockingly fast for onboard a plane, I wonder how it will hold up if everyone tries to get everything out of it, but I guess it is build with the idea in mind that such scenarios are unlikely to happen.
We had a choice of selecting an early supper on the plane, or to have one at the airport which being their home base has lounges on both sides of security. I opted for the later option when I booked my tickets, but seeing some food going by I did feel a desire for a bite and I inquired if there was anything on offer for a lighter bite and to my surprise I had a small selection and I decided to go with some Sushi. The Sushi was quite decent, but I think the low cabin pressure really is hard to deal with when you considers foods like Sushi.
Arrival:
Over 6 hours in the air before we finally touch down in Abu Dhabi. The landing went smooth and soon we where parked at our gate and it was time to say goodbye to the VC10. I went to collect my suitcases and it took me a moment to remember at check in I was asked if I needed both my suitcases for my overnight stay and I told them I only needed one. So they keep the other one waiting for my flight tomorrow to Sydney leaving me only with the suitcase I needed. Suitcase in hand I checked in at the airport hotel and headed out to the Lounge for my dinner which was late by local time standards, but of course to me it was just early evening. After my meal I decided to get some rest after all, tomorrow I could perhaps spend a few hours looking around seeing my flight to Sydney would depart at 2 in the afternoon. The downside of Andromeda Aviation is the lack of a well connecting flight schedule at this time, but perhaps as they grow they will sync things up better.
Anyhow I will see you tomorrow for part 2 in this 3 part series as we fly to Sydney and I know I normally I only cover 1 leg of the trip, but this time I got something special for the final part. I give you a hint if you read this all you will understand the hint: "British weather"
Yes it is time again for an other trip report, this time I have to fly from one end of the common world to the other, as always at the generous expense of my employer which I shall still not name. However to make things interesting this time around I decided to book some tickets with Andromeda Aviation. Now while my employer is generous there are limits so I am terribly sorry I will have to take a rain check on telling you all about their Concorde flights. No instead we start of on the all British Vickers Super VC10 and then transfer at Abu Dhabi to a McDonnell Douglas MD-11. I shall spare the you the dreadful rail journey to heathrow and start there.
Check in:
I arrived 2 hours in advance and the que is dealt with in just a few minutes as a young fellow takes care of things behind the sole open desk. Now as Always I do travel with my gear so 2 large suitcases to check in and my carry on. I will say it is clear they recruit people to match the light heartiness of their company messages and with a quick joke and some words my bags and myself are checked in and he drops me some advice on where to get some refreshments or food if I desire. I am of course well familiar with the airport, but I do like a little extra touch of service.
The lounge:
The lounge of Andromeda Aviation is shared with some other airlines, though it is clear they are the ones who run and operate it. It has a very futuristic appeal to it and the staff is again easy going, but professional. They simply ask for my ticket once and that is everything dealt with as they serve me up what I ordered and I have to say they serve high quality produce well prepared. Seeing it is quiet I get to chat with the staff and bit and ask them about the airline. They state that they got hired a while back and had been send all over for training which had been great and that now they started to work things where getting even better. When I asked about the group of people in charge I got a smile and a few remarks along the lines of they are crazy, but in a good way. Now I am not sure what to think about it, but some more people arrive and work resumes for them and I decide to get some done as well and open up my laptop.
At the gate:
It is an odd feeling sitting at a gate with just over 60 people for such a long flight and you may arc an eyebrow at that number and wonder if their load factors are that bad. However that is not the case while some of their planes have economy class seats not all are configured with them. In case of the Vickers Super VC10 they only have 22 premium economy class seats, 42 business class seats and 12 first class seats. I think it is fair to say their pricing reflects this all, as well they are without question not the cheapest way to fly, but they claim they make up for it in ease of use and service which so far seems to work out.
Boarding:
Seeing an 50 year old jet is an odd sight, truly something you think belongs in a museum and yet here I am boarding it for a scheduled line flight which happens every day. There is something to be said about keeping these old birds flying and doing what they are designed for, but part of you do wonder if it is truly such a good idea to get onboard one. Anyhow that is of course exactly what I do and the process is easy, with so few people it happens calmly and relaxed, no rush rush feelings here. I find my assigned seat, store my carry on and lean back being wonderfully supported in my seat. Sitting there I reflect on the contrast of the space age interior vs the fact that I did very much look at a 50 year old jet just moments before.
Take off:
Well take off surely reminds you that this is not a modern turbofan airliner, holy shit the noise of those jet engines is staggering when they go full throttle. I mean not to say it is to loud, but you can clearly notice the difference. That said she gets in the air quickly and the climb is steep and fast and before you know it we are on cruising altitude and the staff get's to work. Believe it or not despite caring less than 70 people on this flight there are 4 stewards onboard, it seems you see where your money is going to.
The trip:
At one exactly I get my lunch served, I like a hot meal at mid day in more ways than one, I mean not to cater tot he stereo type to much, but yes I love my curries. Seeing you can select your meals when you book your ticket you can at least choose what you eat, of course the fact if it is good or not depends. Now of course despite the best will in the world the pressure inside the VC10 is a bit lower than we are used to and this affects your taste, but it is clear they have worked with these facts and I did enjoy my lunch. With it over with I decide to get some more work done and when I feel like a drink or a snack I press the service button and one of the stewards is with me shortly to take care of it. I have to say I do like the concept they simply wait until you call them over so you are only disturbed when you want to.
Now for my work I am glad for the power outlets and the free wifi they offer, which is shockingly fast for onboard a plane, I wonder how it will hold up if everyone tries to get everything out of it, but I guess it is build with the idea in mind that such scenarios are unlikely to happen.
We had a choice of selecting an early supper on the plane, or to have one at the airport which being their home base has lounges on both sides of security. I opted for the later option when I booked my tickets, but seeing some food going by I did feel a desire for a bite and I inquired if there was anything on offer for a lighter bite and to my surprise I had a small selection and I decided to go with some Sushi. The Sushi was quite decent, but I think the low cabin pressure really is hard to deal with when you considers foods like Sushi.
Arrival:
Over 6 hours in the air before we finally touch down in Abu Dhabi. The landing went smooth and soon we where parked at our gate and it was time to say goodbye to the VC10. I went to collect my suitcases and it took me a moment to remember at check in I was asked if I needed both my suitcases for my overnight stay and I told them I only needed one. So they keep the other one waiting for my flight tomorrow to Sydney leaving me only with the suitcase I needed. Suitcase in hand I checked in at the airport hotel and headed out to the Lounge for my dinner which was late by local time standards, but of course to me it was just early evening. After my meal I decided to get some rest after all, tomorrow I could perhaps spend a few hours looking around seeing my flight to Sydney would depart at 2 in the afternoon. The downside of Andromeda Aviation is the lack of a well connecting flight schedule at this time, but perhaps as they grow they will sync things up better.
Anyhow I will see you tomorrow for part 2 in this 3 part series as we fly to Sydney and I know I normally I only cover 1 leg of the trip, but this time I got something special for the final part. I give you a hint if you read this all you will understand the hint: "British weather"