intro
After an amazing week in The Netherlands,it was time to go home ….
And to a 14 day Quarantine.
Luckily (I say luckily) by this time I was jobless so did not need to worry about having to quarantine.
I got the tram from near my hotel to Amsterdam Centraal Station.
TIP * The 3 day Amsterdam Travel card allows unlimited Bus and Tram travel in and around Amsterdam from the first checkin.
Cash Payments were rare throughout my holiday in The Netherlands so to UK travellers I recommend a prepaid contactless card like Revolut.
I bought a one way ticket from Amsterdam Centraal to Schiphol for EUR5.50 which includes a 1 Euro tax.
Colourful train carriage !
Holland no more !
The Netherlands on the Airshow map on my Turkish flight to Lahore back in March.
checkin
Easyjet check in is in Hall 3 at desk row 28.
It was weird seeing Emirates checking in on the opposite row although this may be due to trying to keep all checkin in one place ? Wearing of masks and social distancing was strictly enforced.
Checkin took forever as there was only 1 staff member doing common checkin for all easyJet destinations. She did get up to shout for Milan Malpensa and Berlin passengers to come forward but no one did.
As I got to 1 away from being checked in,some guy tells the checkin agent he and his family are Priority and they get checked in ahead of me.
My Bag was labelled quickly and I hoped to go to the Panorama Terrace for some spotting. After a long walk I got told it is shut !
As if renovation is taking place. But it is pandemic proof shielding.
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Enter text here…
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I then went to clear security. The queue moves along steadily. My Passport is checked and I enter the Shopping area.
schiphol shopping heaven !
I am not one to get excited about Airport shopping but Schiphol offers an exciting range at great prices !
My Dad loves gardening so I got him some flower seeds. I already had gifts for my Mum ans family.
But my cash would not be accepted in this store so had to go to the Newspapers and Magazines store opposite. I bought my niece a lil gift which was giftwrapped in Gold paper.
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Pegasus again !
schiphol spotting !
My first ever sighting of an easyJet A321NEO
SE-RPS A Swedish registered 738 for Norwegian and getting ready for Oslo !
It is so annoying that you can only go Airside once you checkin but that in itself opens 2 hours before departure. I would love to have a bit longer to discover all of Schiphol's shopping.
At 1256pm ish I started walking to my gate.
gate fate
I went downstairs and had to remove my mask to show me as per my Passport. I was pleasantly surprised when he told me to wait in the Speedy Boarding area !
I think my Coke Bottle got more excited than me ! It splattered everywhere in front of everyone. I apologised to the male agent and asked if there was a wet floor sign and he advised there wasn't. I did prewarn one lady before she stepped onto Lake Cola !
The inbound flight from Manchester then began disembarking and I had a ringside view !
How cleaning protocol is managed I do not know as just 10 minutes later Boarding began !
I got a lovely shot of G-UZHA the first in this series of A320NEOs for easyJet. Her last flight had been from Prague to Manchester before being deployed this morning twice to Amsterdam. On landing at Manchester she would fly to Funchal.
boarding
Anyway I boarded and the lovely and happy Inflight Manager Alison welcomed me aboard. I got some nice photos as I headed to my seat on Row 27. I settled in and my friend who had been shopping then joined me.
A Steward was directing a group of older guys to ensure they wear their mask at all times unless eating.
I hope Traveller will be back !
There was a lovely Airhostess stood near my seat and I asked if she might mind retrieving my hand luggage. She did so and put it back too. I told her I had been here for my birthday and if I might get a photo with the crew later ?
Well…she comes back with not one but two bits of good news ! The photo is fine and…would we like to move to row 1 ?!
I did not need to be asked twice !
My new seat. Talk about ending this trip on a high ! There was a bit of food on the seat which I flicked away and sanitised my hands.
pushback
We pushed back at 1348pm and after the safety announcements,it looks like Ms Pegasus wanted more attention from me !
Pegasus have since begun Karachi service with easy connections to/from Manchester and Stansted via Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen.
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take off
At 1404pm local time it was lift off to head back to reality !
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Some Flight Info
inflight catering
The exact same as on the inbound to Amsterdam ! Come on easyJet !
The Mezze box was opened when I got home ! Very tasty and filling !
are we there yet ?!
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David Lloyd Sports Complex in Cheadle
welcome back !
We landed at 1350pm and I filmed the landing and accidentally hit stop a little into the landing announcement.
Had I carried on recording then I would have had a memory of the lovely Inflight Manager Alison making an announcement that I had been away to celebrate my birthday and would everyone give me a round of applause !
I felt so special as we taxied to the gate amid cheers and claps !
As it was Bank Holiday Monday in the UK, spotters were out in full forceat the Aviation Viewing Park !
Pegasus again !
A quick photo with the crew and farewell later,I made my way to Passport Control and Baggage Reclaim. The crews were lovely on both flights despite the pressure they must be under right now. easyJet should really be proud of my crews.
Last bit of spotting in a while !
G-UZLC on is an A320 having arrived from Alicante and being readied for Paris.
G-EZTM is also an A320,almost ready for pushback for Belfast,having arrived from Faro.
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Irn Bru from Glasgow and Doeito hoops from Amsterdam - let the 14 day Quarantine begin in International style !
Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed my last report of 2020. Stay safe and be kind, see you in 2021. God Bless !
