 |    |
|
|
You are here: Articles > Flight stories > Flughafen #3
|
Aviation articles |
Movie reviews |
Flight stories | ||||||
Article overview After two weeks in Germany, a teenager flies back home, but first, he goes on a B757, from Düsseldorf to Toronto. The flight is a lot better this time. Originally published in September 2000. |
 wo weeks in Germany (with a week-end in Paris) passed very quickly. The language barrier was thin (in every shop, almost everybody speaks "a little" English), and I was able to learn a few words of German. Many things impressed me about that country, like the absence of speed limits on the highways, the presence of tobacco vending machines almost everywhere (and the absence of non-smoking areas in many restaurants), the absence of free water fountains, the computer or typewriter keyboards where the "Y" and the "Z" are inverted... But the trip was overall very enjoyable and I would go back any time. But before that, I have to head back home!
 Quick check-in? Our trip starts at the Düsseldorf International Airport, once more. Unlike scheduled airlines, my flight, TS243, non-stop to Toronto, leaves from Terminal D, located apart from the main terminal, and using remote aircraft parking locations. The terminal resembles more a very large hangar, and could be easily compared to Terminal T9 at Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris. On one side of the large room are the check-in counters, and on the other side are the travel agency counters, restaurants, lavatories, and smoking areas. And on the far side of the room, the restricted area. My friend assures me that the main terminal where she always leaves from (with LTU) looks more like a conventional airport!
3 hours before our scheduled departure time of 11:15 AM CET, I get in line along with about a dozen people to the empty check-in counters, bearing numbers from 300 to about 340 or 350. Our counters are 327 to 329. None has the insignia of an airline, but instead, behind the counters, nothing but advertisements for the duty-free shops. On the television monitors, one for each counter, while they are closed, there is an animation displaying a few of the airlines operating from Terminal D. After about half an hour of waiting, three personnel members approach the counter and start preparing their baggage labels, boarding passes, etc. In the meantime, two security guards, by a small table in front of the counters, start calling people to check their passports and flight coupons. Both are marked with a small "FIS - Security" sticker and some initials. As the agents do that, I get the usual questions such as: "Is this all your luggage? Have you packed the luggage yourself? Did you leave your luggage unattended at any time?" The ideal seatWhen finally, it is my turn to approach the counter, I place my suitcase, a lot less heavy than last time, on the scale. Phew! No excess weight this time! Knowing I should be more careful about the legroom I should get for this flight, which will be, as all Westbound trans-Atlantic flights, a little longer than the inbound flight, I made a special request. Knowing the seat arrangement on an all-economy Boeing 757-200, and knowing that there are only four seats in total right next to an emergency exit (with however only two of those seats being windows), I asked if I could have specifically a seat either next to exit L3 or R3. My request is granted, after the agent makes sure I am not handicapped in any way. My seat is 30A, with plenty of legroom! The sticker on my boarding pass is red, to identify it as an emergency exit seat. Boarding time
After two hours of waiting, it is time, at last, to board. The agent at the restricted area is reading a tabloid (probably Bild, which means "image" in English, the most read newspaper/tabloid in Germany). I show her my boarding pass, and within a fraction of second, goes back reading her paper. It is time for me to walk around the duty-free shop I have heard so much about in the advertisements. After finding nothing too interesting to purchase, I keep walking and it is time to stand in a very short line for the passport control. This time, the agent takes a longer time to contemplate my passport, with a very serious look, and to stamp it with the "exit" stamp.
My flight leaves from gate D08, so I stand in line at about 10:40. Actually there are two lines, perpendicular to each other. At last, at about 10:50, boarding starts, and the line moves slowly. Small detail: usually, on Air Transat, the passenger keeps the larger portion of the boarding pass, but this time, the agent tears off the large portion and gives me back the small one. One of the transborder buses, once crowded enough, leaves, and another empty one takes a while to arrive. I board the bus, and of course, the driver waits until it is completely crowded to start the engine, and move for the short distance to the aircraft. But just as the bus comes right next to the plane, it stops. Two minutes, and the bus is still by the plane, with the doors closed. The driver then starts the radio, and it plays some kind of very modern rock music, with an Indian touch, enough to make some passengers giggle. More than five minutes after the arrival of the bus, the doors finally open, and I have the choice between the forward or aft stairway to board the plane. Knowing my seat is in the near-aft section, I choose the aft stairway. Oops!"Houston, we have a problem." And many passengers notice that. Besides noticing that airport staff members are leaving the aircraft with tons of headrests, pillows, and bags of garbage (meaning they just finished cleaning the aircraft), something else is wrong. This is the first time ever I see such a thing, but there is water splashing from a small hole in the belly of the aircraft. Tons of water. Almost like Niagara Falls. A passenger asks me: "That's not fuel, I hope!"... I reply: "Of course it isn't! If it really was fuel, we wouldn't be boarding right now, and there would be fire trucks all over." The water keeps splashing until I reach the door of the plane. As the two previous times I boarded an Air Transat aircraft, there is tropical music in the background and vacation images in the monitors. I quickly locate my seat, and it is only now that I realize how ideal my seating area is. Not only do I have a window right next to me, plus an emergency exit, but best of all, two of the four lavatories are right in front of me, and I can get to them, if needed, without disturbing my seatmates (it's a German couple in the late fifties). Only problem is that the legroom is not as large as I expected (because the exit is blocking almost half my legroom), but still impressive, compared to last time. I ask a flight attendant nearby, almost with a very low voice: "I saw water leaking from the belly of the aircraft. Can you tell me what is going on?"... She comes up with the classical answer a flight attendant would give, in order not to worry passengers. "It's this lavatory. It's occupied right now". In other words: it is probably being serviced. A passenger nearby asks, more loudly: "We're losing THAT much water?!?" 11:20 already pass. We should already be in the air. Half an hour later, we are still on the ground. The faulty lavatory is now being serviced by two LTU mechanics, but that doesn't stop at least 20 passengers from going to the lavatory in front during boarding time. Pushback?The chief flight attendant finally welcomes us aboard, in English and in French. For an unknown reason, no announcements will be made in German for the entire flight. He apologizes for the delay, caused by the late arrival of the aircraft... which explains why the cleaning team was just leaving the aircraft. Capt. Turmel is now talking over the P.A. and comes with the words everyone was waiting to hear: "Some passengers noticed there was water coming out of the aircraft. That was caused by a valve which was open, but now everything is fixed, everything is alright." The safety instructions video starts normally, as the aircraft slowly moves from its remote parking area, and rolls towards the active runway. As usualy, I pay attention, especially since I am seated next to an emergency exit and should be aware of how to use it, shall the worst happen. All of a sudden, the sound is cut, and the image dissapears. A few seconds later, the image and sound get back on. About a minute later, while a flight attendant, on the screen, is explaining the use of the life jacket, the image and audio are cut again. The chief flight attendant says: "Ladies and gentlemen, the safety video will resume shortly." One more minute later, our chief flight attendant says: "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for this, but we will have to re-start the safety video, since one of the television monitors wasn't turned on. So... you get to see it again!" A few passengers laugh, and a mother and her children, seated a couple of rows next to me, cheer and applaud! We all see the safety video on "rewind", including the portion we never see. A comment on white letters on black background. "Safety video B757. Air Transat. Duration X minutes X seconds." 
So, the video restarts and ends as we are just about to hold short of runway 23L. The Captain was kind enough to tell us we would be next for take-off and to mention the runway in use. Runway 23L, in my case, offers the large advantage of letting me see, one last time, Düsseldorf Airport's terminals. So, as the aircraft reaches VR, I think mentally: "Auf Wiedersehen, Deutschland!" (So long, Germany!)... It is 12:05 PM, CET.
Ascent10 minutes after take-off, and after we cross the thick cloud layer of this cloudy and previously rainy day, the seat belt sign turns off. As last time, the same introductory video is playing, starting with the "cruising altitude" small lie. The trailers of the two movies we will see on this aircraft, the "movies of the month", are displayed. This is when I notice that there is no inflight entertainment guide. The only thing the inflight magazine, "AIR", mentions, is the selection of inflight radio onboard. I take advantage of the presence of a flight attendant near my seat to ask if I could visit the flight deck later on. I approach him, and say politely that last time, I was refused access since there were already a few people who visited it, the Captain was no longer taking people, and I wouldn't want the same thing to happen this time. The flight attendant replies that he will gladly ask the Captain for a visit, but after meal service. Our chief flight attendant announces that meal service will start shortly. Our main course this time is lemon chicken with vegetables. Immediately after the announcement, the first movie, Where The Heart Is, starring Natalie Portman, is displayed, with English and French soundtrack. Since service starts from the aft galley all the way to the center lavatories, row 30 is the last to be served. Cool!This time, my meal tray is served at the same time as the drinks. This time, my orange juice is served ice cold, and I am asked by the same kind flight attendant who answered my flight deck visit query if I would like some ice with that. Right after that, he says: "Just remind me of the visit to the flight deck later on, in case I forget". The chicken, just warm enough, is excellent. As usual, the flight attendants pass through the aisles offering coffee or tea. My tea is strong, but very good. Our row was one of the last to be served meal, and will be one of the last to be de-served. That was too bad, because I really needed to go to the lavatory, something not really possible with a folding tray in front. That is another big problem. You can't use your folding tray without slightly disturbing your seat mate, since in front rows, the tray is hidden below the armrest. Could this be?About 45 minutes into the flight, the Captain announces over the P.A. that we are currently flying over the North Sea. He describes our flight route, taking us over Scotland, along the 60° North latitude, then over Goose Bay, then to Toronto direct. He then says something I somehow expected to hear. Because of strong head winds, there is the slight possibility that we make a brief refueling stop at... Mirabel! A Montreal Airport! My final destination! I now have one more question to ask the Captain. Over the three weeks before departure, I was checking the progress of flights 242 and 243. Surprisingly, one time, flight 243, after leaving Düsseldorf with a delay of nearly one hour, made a unscheduled landing in Sept-Īles before resuming its route to Toronto. In the end, the plane landed with only a few minutes of delay in Toronto. When I called Air Transat to ask about this delay and unscheduled landing, the agent replied that this kind of situation is rare, but happened because of very strong head winds. Duty-freeLater on, as I wait patiently about 10 to 20 minutes before asking for the flight deck visit, the chief flight attendant announces the duty-free shop. Oops! Maybe I will ask for the visit later on. Much later! That doesn't stop me from asking for a scale model of the Airbus A330. The scale model is about the same size as the Herpa Wings snap plastic ones, however the quality is obviously lower. It costs 24 CAD, and since I have some U.S. money left, I ask how much it would be in USD. The other flight attendant says, in French: "Quick guess, about 18". The monetary conversion chart proves it right. I now say, in French, I have 20 USD left. One of the flight attendant says he doesn't have change. After a little reflexion, he says: "I'll leave it to you for 15 dollars". Great deal! Problems with the inflight entertainment?
About two and a half hours into the flight, the second inflight movie, Here on Earth, starts. Surprisingly, it is offered in either English or... Italian soundtrack! Since it doesn't sound interesting enough, I try to listen to what the inflight radio has to offer. The sound quality is, just like the previous flight, mediocre. But wait a second... the video quality is not very good neither! The movie, after a couple of minutes, suddenly stops, and is on rewind, all the way to the beginning. I see the flight attendant in the back, with an overhead compartment open, pressing some buttons to fix the tracking.
Visit, please!About four and a half hours into the flight, it is time for me to ask for the visit. But just as I am about to stand up and ask one of the flight attendants, there are a few heavy bumps, and the seat belt sign turns on. We experience heavy turbulence for a few seconds, then the bumps calm down, but don't stop. The Captain announces, over the P.A., that according to reports from the other aircraft flying around us, the turbulence should stop in about 10 minutes. The prediction is correct. As I ask a flight attendant if I could visit the flight deck, he asks his colleague about it. The colleague is the same man whom I asked about the visit the first time, and he replies: "The turbulence is over, come on!". So, the other takes the telephone receiver and asks quietly the Captain if a passenger could pop in. He puts the receiver back in place, and says I am free to have a look! So, I walk forward, all the way to the flight deck, where I ask the flight attendant nearby (a young man with a slightly bizarre, or modern haircut) if I could enter, in French. He replies: "The First Officer will be back from the lavatory shortly... ah, here he is!". As the First Officer gets back to his seat, the flight attendant adds: "You can talk to them either in French or in English". Le Commandant, et le Premier OfficierI finally reach the door, with my camera in hand, and present myself, in French, as an aviation fan, and say it is the second time I visit a Boeing 757/767 flight deck. (The first time was five years earlier, at the Montreal Air Show in May 1995, on an Air Canada static Boeing 767.) The Captain notices: "You have an accent from our area, where are you from?". I reply I'm from the suburbs of Montreal, which brings me to the subject of the unscheduled refueling stop. After making sure he DID say Mirabel Airport, I ask if, by any chance, I could leave the aircraft, along with my checked luggage, if the stopover is made. The Captain replies that "it wouldn't be impossible". It would be difficult, though, to find a customs agent on duty (in this underused airport), to have ground staff remove my luggage, and a staff member to escort me from the exit to the terminal. He adds that the winds are lighter than expected, and we should be able to make it all the way to Toronto non-stop. But he prefers to keep the passengers warned of any enroute unscheduled stopover. I ask where we are flying right now, and the Captain mentions the name of a waypoint (which I don't remember), located about 100 NM Northeast of Gander, Newfoundland. I am about to keep talking with these friendly airmen, but I look behind me and there is a lady waiting to talk to the flight crew as well. Before I leave, I ask and take a picture of the flight crew. The Captain tells the First Officer: "At least now you have an excuse to smile!". Then, I ask the lady waiting behind me to take a picture of me with the flight deck behind. After shaking hands with the flight crew, I walk back to my seat, just in time for the snack. Snack timeOur snack is served in the same type of rectangular box used for the "morning snack" of the previous flight. This time, I have a small ham and turkey sandwich on rye bread, a Minute Maid orange-passion fruit-guava juice (which reminds me of the name a particular airline gives to it: "Pass-o-Guava"!) and a plastic cup for coffee or tea. The sandwich is fresh and very good. As the same flight attendant whom I asked for the flight deck visit, and who offered me the discount on the scale model, comes to offer me tea, he takes a few moments to chat. He asks me if I enjoyed my visit to the flight deck. I reply that of course, I enjoyed it very much, especially since I am an aviation enthusiast. He asks me if I am German or French. I say: "No, no, I'm from Montreal! I asked the Captain if there would be any chance for me to leave the aircraft if we make the stopover at Mirabel. But he says it might be difficult". I add that I'm going back home on "your" 10 PM flight. He finishes by wishing me an enjoyable flight. It is perhaps the only time a flight attendant takes some of his/her busy schedule to at least talk to me for a minute, and that is, among the few times I flew. A small turbulence area appears again. The bumps are very light, but the Captain turns on the seat belt sign. Still, many passengers keep using the lavatories. The Chief Flight Attendant, obviously a bit disturbed, judging from his voice, says: "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to remind you we are still in the turbulence zone. I have to stress the fact that the seat belt sign is still on. It is not safe to use the lavatories at this time. Thank you." About 5 minutes later, the sign turns off. ArrivalIt is now nearly six and a half hours into the flight. The Captain talks over the P.A., both in English and in French, and announces some good news. We no longer have to make a refueling stop in Mirabel. We should be landing in Toronto at approximately 2 PM local time. It is good news for everybody but for me, it's a lost chance to go home earlier. On the other hand, it is perhaps the best thing to happen. It would have been the most ridiculous thing to be at home, at Mirabel Airport, and not being able to leave the aircraft, and having to fly all the way to Toronto, and go back to Montreal. At that moment, I keep in mind that I paid 220 CAD for a round-trip from Montreal to Toronto, non-refundable in any occasion. 
At 1:35 PM, we start a smooth descent into the Toronto area, and I see Toronto Downtown in the distance, along with the CN Tower. When the landing gear is down and locked, the Chief Flight Attendant, in respect for Transport Canada's regulations, reminds us of the locations of the emergency exits. After a smooth touchdown, and the loud noise of the thrust reversers, I hear a few quiet applauses. Seconds later, the passengers notice they are not the only ones wanting to do this ovation, and at that moment, the entire cabin applauds and cheers. It is 1:55 PM, EDT.
The chief flight attendant welcomes us to Toronto, first in English. He says: "Local time is 2:53 PM". Oops! He then makes the same announcement in French, now saying the correct time. Seconds after finishing this announcement, the chief flight attendant says: "Ladies and gentlemen, my apologies, I think I said local time was 2:53 PM, but in fact it is 1:53 PM.". Most of the cabin lets out an amused "Aaaaawww" of dissapointment, and a few applaud! At 2:02 PM, the aircraft docks at gate C26, but I don't step out of the aircraft until 2:11. It is time now for a long walk all the way to the immigration controls, after seeing a few signs with a classic: "Welcome to Canada. Bienvenue au Canada." I feel a little bit home now... except that first, I have to stand in line, along with passengers coming from about four or six flights, and just about the same number of counters open. I spend nearly 45 minutes waiting in line. In the meantime, my suitcase probably had time to make quite a few rounds in the carrousel! | ||||||
|
|
|
|
| ||||
|
|
This is part of a series of 4 articles on a trip from Montreal to Düsseldorf and back. Click on the numbers below for easy navigation.
 | ||||||
  |
All B757 pictures: by Sergio Ortega, captured and modified from Microsoft Flight Simulator 98.
© 1998-2008, airodyssey.net. All rights reserved. Disclaimer, trademarks, privacy policy. |
< Prev
1
2
3
4
Next >
| |||||
