intro
After a stressful few months,I decided that I just had to go abroad for my Birthday.
The Netherlands had remained on the low level of virus cases so it was settled on where I wanted to go.
Last year when I turned 40, I managed to visit my native Scotland,Pakistan and New York but not The Netherlands !
I got a mega cheap deal on a hotel in The Hague and Amsterdam plus an amazing deal for my flight. Initially I booked alone but my friend decided to join me and booked around 2 weeks before departure.
As this is my Birthday, a look at when easyJet turned 20 in 2015 and sent me this celebratory chocolate bar !
checkin
The then form which HAD to be carried at checkin,at the gate,onboard and on arrival. Not one person looked at it.
After a self checkin,we headed through Fastlane as it was the only one open.
I had bought Speedy Boarding as a birthday treat.
After clearing security,I saw three Pakistani ladies desperate to fit into a selfie so I offered to take the photo ! They were grateful and also took my photo ! They were flying on Turkish Airlines.
I don't usually get excited about Manchester Airport's overpriced shops but it seemed the Birthday love was evident today !
.
Upon entering the main hall, I saw this huge looking SAS tail. A nice bit of planespotting here.
SAS Scandinavian A320NEO (SE-ROS) "Helsing Viking" for Copenhagen. My second SAS Scandinavian A320 shot this year ?
Pegasus A320 TC-DCC "Melis" for Dalaman.
And Turkish Airlines A330 TC- JNS "Hattusas" for Istanbul New Airport.
Me and my friend arrived at gate 10 and sat down. I made a phonecall to my wife in Pakistan. I noted someone opening a door near the gate but as no announcement was made I thought nothing more of it. I noted some passengers walking through the door.
I then saw a sign which stated that the gate was downstairs !
boarding
Me and my friend arrived at gate 10 and sat down. I made a phonecall to my wife in Pakistan. I noted someone opening a door near the gate but as no announcement was made I thought nothing more of it. I noted some passengers walking through the door.
I then saw a sign which stated that the gate was downstairs !
I went down at 1025am and saw a gentleman whom I had seen at checkin. I told him last time I flew this route,around 30 non priority passengers had mixed into the Priority queue.
He ensured this did not happen and on seeing this begin to happen he did queue controlling. I scanned my Boarding Pass and Passport.
I literally walked to wait near the boarding door when it opened and a lady shouted to everyone "Amsterdam" ! Talk about luck for me to get Birthday Priority Priority !
I got some nice shots of my aircraft G-UZHY.
.
This is an A320NEO and in the 7 days before this flight had flown from Mamchester to/from
Preveza,Funchal,Alicante,Paphos,Dalaman,Tenerife,Belfast to Newcastle, then Newcastle to Belfast and then back to Manchester to fly to Corfu,Athens,Dalaman and several Amsterdam rotations !
I had been told by an easyJet contact that the crew were aware it is my Birthday.
I boarded and was welcomed onboard. Boarding continued and there cannot have been more than 40 passengers onboard. I had a WhatsApp video chat with my Morroccan best friend from my schooldays in The Netherlands. We had not seen each other in 25 years but would today !
The Hotseat 1F !
Enter text here…
.
.
pushback
Doors closed at 1045am and we pushed back. A prerecorded safety announcement was played in Dutch. The full manual safety demonstration by crew followed in English.
As we taxied out to Runway 2, Virgin's A330
G-VGBR " Golden Girl looked radiantly Red ! 3 days after this photo and whilst in The Netherlands,myself and all other British Pakistanis who regularly visit Pakistan,got the most amazing news that Virgin Atlantic would begin flying from Manchester and London Heathrow to Pakistan from December 2020 !
take off
After a short taxi to Runway 2, G-UZHY was wheels up at 1104 am !
We banked right over Salford and then over my neighbourhood before heading East over Sheffield and across Yorkshire then the North Sea.
.
inflight catering
This is my first flight since the pandemic began. Airlines have adjusted their inflight catering. As such this Mezze Snackbox Meal Deal was all I could purchase with my pre bought voucher. I showed my mobile boarding pass to the crew which has the Bistro Voucher details.
I would not partake in the food offer until I was on the train later !
are we there yet ?!
We continued our sunny journey over the North Sea. And then I saw The Netherlands in sight !( Later in the day I would visit my childhood home in The Hague and be reminded of how low aircraft flew over my home on finals into AMS). This same can be said of my birthtown near Glasgow where aircraft pass low over that home to join the approach into Glasgow !
.
.
welkom in amsterdam !
We landed ahead of schedule at 1310pm and after a short taxi arrived at the gate. After everyone had disembarked I got a souvenier photo with the crew upon request. This was the first mention of my birthday and a Steward wished me a Happy Birthday !
.
Those heading back…..
Enter text here…
Pegasus TC-CPN Ada E livery.
Enter text here…
planes @ plaza
For the Avgeeks in the house !
.
Have a photo with an engine outside Planes@Plaza - apparently it's real !
Time to buy Euros !
Off to The Hague we go !
As well as a huge Morroccan banquet for my birthday,my best school friend also very thoughtfully had this PIA cake made for me ! Now that is what you call love !
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my review ! See you on the way back to Manchester !
The form is said to be mandatory to be filled in, yet the government in our country has no rights to fine you for not doing so as it would be against our Constitutional right... It serves more as a purpose for our government to not be responsible for your own faults. It's also the reason why most things are an ''urgent advice'' in our country instead of it being mandatory.