This is a continuation of my previous trip report on KLM 836 (DPS - SIN)
I woke up at 5 AM, prepared myself and checked out of Yotelair Changi T1. As I already had my boarding pass, I chose to get airside immediately. I had some tasty breakfast while spotting some widebodies in Changi T1…
Qatar Airways A350-900 (sorry for the backlight)…
Air China Airbus A333 (B-8579), powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700
After I finished my breakfast, I bought some coffee to help me stay awake for this daytime westbound flight. Didn't want to miss the scenery from my 36K window seat!
The flight would be flown on Boeing 787-9 (F-HRBF), boarding would be from Gate C20. Air France chose GEnX to power their 787s. AF181 is one of very few flights from Southeast Asia to Europe leaving in the daylight hours (almost all leaves near midnight).
As usual in Changi airport, the security check was located directly in front of the gate. Here, a security personnel checked my passport and boarding pass, and I noticed he opened Wikipedia on his phone to make sure that I could enter Chile without a visa (yes I could). Such is the reality of traveling without a passport from OECD or EU member countries…
It was very nice of him not asking me to step aside while others move through the line, though…
I filled up my water bottle, waited a little bit and then boarding started. This was my first time on Boeing 787, as well as my first ever long-haul.
Boarding was complete and the middle seat to my left was empty. Not a bad start for my first long-haul.
Other rows also had unoccupied middle seats, looks like this particular daytime flight had moderate demand…
Up and away we climbed out of Changi…
We climbed to FL 340 for an initial climb. Soon after take off, I went to the lavatory and snapped a photo through the window on the left hand side emergency door as I waited…
Meanwhile, the lady who previously occupied the aisle seat to my left had moved to another empty row, so I had 3 seats for me! So I used the middle seat to put my water bottle and my travel diary.
I noticed that Boeing 787 was indeed quieter than 777, and probably even quieter than 737 too…
I measured the cabin air pressure at FL340 at 843 hPa. That was up to 50 hPa higher than the Boeing 777, so I concluded that Boeing did not lie.
Our route took us above the Malacca Strait, one hour after departure…
That was my lunch menu, complete with a bottle of Bordeaux. Because it's already past 5 PM (in AKL and CHC) LOL. How proper it is for a French carrier to serve French wine in a flight to France.
About 2 hours after take off, we were above the Andaman Sea/Bay of Bengal
Meanwhile, several passengers have darkened their windows, while others kept them clear…
About 3.5 hours after take off, we made landfall in India (you can barely see the coastline here, because the air was hazy). And then about 4.5 hours after take off, we made our first step climb to FL 350 and stayed there for only 20 minutes before we continued to FL 360. Meanwhile, the ambient air pressure dropped to 831 hPa. That was still higher than on the Boeing 777…
I took several aerial photos of India…
We left the Indian airspace and entered Pakistan. Here we made the next step climb to FL 380, and the pressure dropped again to 812 hPa.
Our flight path took us at FL 380 above Afghanistan…I think this was the prettiest part of this flight. Snow-capped mountains to my right and clear atmosphere far from the seas allowing me to take sharp images…
We continued toward Turkmenistan…anybody knows what those were? Dry salt flats?
More aerial photos of Turkmenistan and its coastline with the Caspian Sea
We left the Caspian Sea and entered the Azeri airspace. I guess at this point (10 hrs after take-off) I began to feel a bit overwhelmed with the remaining flight time. But then, all I needed to cure my tiredness and boredom was simply to look out of the window. Ah…the joy of westbound daytime flight, without the crews locking the 787 windows…
Anyway, here are some aerial photos of Azerbaijan…
I believe that we entered the Georgian airspace next…here I saw more snow-capped mountains, but the snow went further down the peak than in Afghanistan.
And then we straddled the Turkish coastline with the Black Sea
I thought we would stay at FL 380 for the rest of the flight but no, we made the last step climb to FL 400 above the Black Sea. The ambient air pressure didn't drop lower, though…
Finally we entered Europe from Bulgaria. And here are more aerial photos…apparently Europe is covered in farmlands…
The cabin crew began distributing snack box about 2 hours before landing…
We finally entered France, and the next thing I knew was the speed brakes were deployed…
And as we descended below the clouds, here are aerial photos of the French countryside and Paris. I was lucky to be seated on the right-hand side, because I saw the Eiffel Tower from the distance. But it disappeared too quickly for me to react…
We landed on time at the CDG/Roissy airport and taxied to Terminal 2E Gate K
I will have a 5-hour layover here. But I can only transit airside here, because I would have needed a Schengen visa to get landside and I didn't have one. I will post my photos of the Roissy airport on my next trip report, together with the final and the longest segment of my trip: AF 406 from CDG to SCL.
I was the last to leave the plane, hoping to visit the cockpit but my request was denied. No problem, I would meet Boeing 787 again later…
