World's most gruelling flight
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Thanks NZScion. That makes me feel a bit better about it.
Can I risk thread drift please---it's my thread I started it--- I understand the return leg leaves Auckland at midnight. Smashing. Can you tell me what the meal situation is on board. At that time of night do they give you anything or not? I ask not to moan but to plan ahead. It could be a real bugger of a grueller if the fodder situation fouls up. Any advice most welcome.
Can I risk thread drift please---it's my thread I started it--- I understand the return leg leaves Auckland at midnight. Smashing. Can you tell me what the meal situation is on board. At that time of night do they give you anything or not? I ask not to moan but to plan ahead. It could be a real bugger of a grueller if the fodder situation fouls up. Any advice most welcome.
I think you will find that the midnight departure includes a dinner, plus a breakfast in the "morning". If you are heading back via VHHH on ANZ039, you may wish to try and stay up a little longer, to try and sync your body clock with Hong Kong (and London) time. Remember with regards to Jet Lag, it is usually easier when going west than east.
I hope this helps, enjoy your stay in NZ
NZScion
I hope this helps, enjoy your stay in NZ
NZScion
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NZ39
AKL dep 23:55 HKG arr 06:15 - Meals: Dinner, Breakfast
HKG dep 08:15 LHR arr 13:35 - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Coming back, NZ02 (via LAX) is quicker by two hours (flying with prevailing tailwind), but you'd need a RTW ticket, which is usually a lot more expensive.
PS Times change fairly drastically at the end of March, when NZ clocks go back and ours go forward an hour (or is it the other way round )
HKG dep 08:15 LHR arr 13:35 - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Coming back, NZ02 (via LAX) is quicker by two hours (flying with prevailing tailwind), but you'd need a RTW ticket, which is usually a lot more expensive.
PS Times change fairly drastically at the end of March, when NZ clocks go back and ours go forward an hour (or is it the other way round
)
Paxing All Over The World
I don't know about NZ clocks, but www.timeanddate.com show them as going forward by one hour.
UK clocks go Forward, PV. The link to remember it is:
"We leap forward into summer and fall back away from winter"
(unfortunately, the italics here only slope forward not kcab)
So, it looks as if we both step forward by one hour. But it's possible that we do them on different days and that will cause the offset to increase for a while - as happened this year with Europe and the USA. Previously, they had synchronised with Europe and then decided not to any more. I sit to be corrected.
UK clocks go Forward, PV. The link to remember it is:
"We leap forward into summer and fall back away from winter"
(unfortunately, the italics here only slope forward not kcab)
So, it looks as if we both step forward by one hour. But it's possible that we do them on different days and that will cause the offset to increase for a while - as happened this year with Europe and the USA. Previously, they had synchronised with Europe and then decided not to any more. I sit to be corrected.
Currently, it is summer in New Zealand (Southern Hemisphere), so you are half correct . We will be going back one hour into winter, while you go forward into summer. I'm not sure the exact date of the change, but in NZ we usually change back to standard time around the end of March.
. We will be going back one hour into winter, while you go forward into summer. I'm not sure the exact date of the change, but in NZ we usually change back to standard time around the end of March.
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My most grueling experience as a passenger in recent years has been Auckland to London via LA. The flight sectors are long enough but what should be a break to stretch the legs etc in LAX is spent standing in a queue for American 'immigration' procedures. Even transit passengers are subject to that, even if you are getting back on the same plane.
Personally, I find the North America route Europe to NZ more tiring than the Asia route but I dont have an explanation for this.
Personally, I find the North America route Europe to NZ more tiring than the Asia route but I dont have an explanation for this.
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Sorry PAXboy, I should've used the 'tongue in cheek' icon instead of a smiley. Antipodean time changes coincide with European ones, but go in the opposite direction, giving a net change of +/-2 hrs.
John Hill - thanks for confirming something I'd merely suspected, that flying AKL-LHR via LAX doesn't avoid the need for US immigration clearance. I suppose you just have to make something up for the 'location of first night's residence in the USA' box! I'm amazed that they can turn the flight around in only 2 hours.
John Hill - thanks for confirming something I'd merely suspected, that flying AKL-LHR via LAX doesn't avoid the need for US immigration clearance. I suppose you just have to make something up for the 'location of first night's residence in the USA' box! I'm amazed that they can turn the flight around in only 2 hours.
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They turn the flight around by having desks dedicated to the flight. The last trip I fley through there they actually had the desks set up in the entry to a transit holding pen. If you happen to be near the end of the queue you will spend the entire 2 hours waiting in a corridor to be 'processed' before entering the holding pen. I try to fly via Singapore instead.
No wonder that the route to EGLL via VHHH is more popular. Initially ANZ flew via KLAX with the B744, but that was very quickly changed to be the B772, once the HK route came online.
Paxing All Over The World
Pax V
Doh!!! 
I fell for your dastardly ruse, PV. All it required was for me to think about it for half minute ...
Sorry PAXboy, I should've used the 'tongue in cheek' icon instead of a smiley. Antipodean time changes coincide with European ones, but go in the opposite direction, giving a net change of +/-2 hrs.
I fell for your dastardly ruse, PV. All it required was for me to think about it for half minute ...
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The dopey bint in our office needed to get me to Sao Paulo, so she booked me.
Humberside - Schipol
Schipol - Paris CDG
Paris CDG - Sao Paulo.
Her reasoning was that a Business class fare with AF was slightly cheaper than with BA......
Humberside - Schipol
Schipol - Paris CDG
Paris CDG - Sao Paulo.
Her reasoning was that a Business class fare with AF was slightly cheaper than with BA......
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...and on the subject of dopey bints..
I needed a price for a fare New Zealand to Madagascar so I called our local airline (a well known international carrier!) for some indication.
She started by looking for sectors to Singapore, I 'ahemed' and she assured me that that would be the best route, next she was talking about Heathrow but I held my tongue then she started looking for connections to J'burg. At that point I asked 'What about Air Madagascar from Perth?' This induced a frantic rattling of the keys but she got her face saver "But that only goes on Tuesdays!"
I needed a price for a fare New Zealand to Madagascar so I called our local airline (a well known international carrier!) for some indication.
She started by looking for sectors to Singapore, I 'ahemed' and she assured me that that would be the best route, next she was talking about Heathrow but I held my tongue then she started looking for connections to J'burg. At that point I asked 'What about Air Madagascar from Perth?' This induced a frantic rattling of the keys but she got her face saver "But that only goes on Tuesdays!"
Last edited by John Hill; 20th Dec 2007 at 21:17.
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To the OP, even if you've got a chance to stay on the plane I'd get out. A couple of hours is long enough for a shower and a stretch.
Most annoying trip for me was Sydney-Heathrow-attempt to transit JFK on my way to Sao Paulo and miss flight due to American paranoia-Rio-Miami-LAX-Sydney.
Rio-Miami-LAX-Sydney really annoyed me as I was oringinally going Rio-Santiago-Auckland-Sydney but dopey travel agent managed to lose that part of the trip when changing my London dates. Took about 40 hours with stops to get home from Rio.
Most annoying trip for me was Sydney-Heathrow-attempt to transit JFK on my way to Sao Paulo and miss flight due to American paranoia-Rio-Miami-LAX-Sydney.
Rio-Miami-LAX-Sydney really annoyed me as I was oringinally going Rio-Santiago-Auckland-Sydney but dopey travel agent managed to lose that part of the trip when changing my London dates. Took about 40 hours with stops to get home from Rio.
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After Finishing work in Sao Paulo, my office informed me, i needed to go to Madrid, and the tickets/ travel itinery will be waiting for me at the hotel. Easy i thought, without knowing the airline schedules i presumed i could get a TAP flight from SP to Lisbon, and get an internal flight from Lisbon to Madrid, Simple eh?.
No.......
Sao Paulo - Miami
Miami - JFK
JFK - London
London - Madrid
Now i don't mind traveling. But stupid bookings like above and my previous post, make my blood boil. I dont pay for the tickets, the customer who wants to me to come and fix there machinery for them does, in a round about sort of way.
The only saving grace is, any flight over 2hours in duration, is allowed to be booked in business class...and when they forget that, i always have the company credit card!
No.......
Sao Paulo - Miami
Miami - JFK
JFK - London
London - Madrid
Now i don't mind traveling. But stupid bookings like above and my previous post, make my blood boil. I dont pay for the tickets, the customer who wants to me to come and fix there machinery for them does, in a round about sort of way.
The only saving grace is, any flight over 2hours in duration, is allowed to be booked in business class...and when they forget that, i always have the company credit card!
A couple of years ago....
Home to KBOS, KBOS-KLAX, KLAX-AKL, wx divert to Nadi for 2 hours (stuck on QF 744), back to AKL, hold, land, turn for BNE. 36 or 37 hours total in Y! Earlier this year overnight JFK-UUEE, sit for 6 hours overnight again for Petropavlovsk! Two consecutive nights flying.
GF
Home to KBOS, KBOS-KLAX, KLAX-AKL, wx divert to Nadi for 2 hours (stuck on QF 744), back to AKL, hold, land, turn for BNE. 36 or 37 hours total in Y! Earlier this year overnight JFK-UUEE, sit for 6 hours overnight again for Petropavlovsk! Two consecutive nights flying.
GF
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In the early 90's, Wellington to Prague via Auckland, Tahitti LAX, JFK, Frnakfurt.
A 'technical delay' at Faaa meant missed connections in the US and the new connections were disrupted by weather. Eventually I made it to Frankfurt to learn the next available CSA to Prague was 6 hours wait so I went into the city by train and had a look around. Arrived in the client's office at Prague 46 hours after leaving home to be greeted by "You are here at last! Now we can all go to the pub!". Four hours at the pub before I was allowed to go to the hotel. Fortunately I had been specially trained for that sort of thing!
A 'technical delay' at Faaa meant missed connections in the US and the new connections were disrupted by weather. Eventually I made it to Frankfurt to learn the next available CSA to Prague was 6 hours wait so I went into the city by train and had a look around. Arrived in the client's office at Prague 46 hours after leaving home to be greeted by "You are here at last! Now we can all go to the pub!". Four hours at the pub before I was allowed to go to the hotel. Fortunately I had been specially trained for that sort of thing!
