And right on cue…

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I was moaning yesterday. Sorry.
I was tired.
And justifiably irritated and disappointed.

Having said that I wouldn’t be using BA’s services for my Cape Town related air travel again (at least until they source some new aircraft to use on the LHR route) (and remembering that they have suggested that there will be 777-300s on the new LGW route from the end of the year), I received this missive from Emirates in my inbox this morning:

Dear Mr 6000,

When you’re planning your next adventure, choose a travel time that suits you. Our third daily flight from Cape Town to Dubai starts on 4 July 2016, so you’ll have more flexibility when it comes to exploring the world.

Good timing, Malcolm.
And it’s a bit of a gamechanger. That previous lack of flexibility was the reason that we didn’t use Emirates for our flights this time around, meaning that we missed out on:

  • Decent food
  • Wider seats
  • Bigger (working) touchscreens
  • Inflight wifi
  • Inflight live news and sport
  • 2,400 extra inflight entertainment options
  • Choosing seats when booking your flight
  • 30kg baggage vs 23kg
  • Flights to Manchester (handy for Sheffield)

(and that’s before my frequent flyer benefits)
But we gained:

  • 2 hour delays due to broken equipment
  • Cabins last updated in 2000
  • 7 pieces of broken trim visible from my seat in a quick check
  • Leaking air con system dripping on family sitting next to me
  • My armrest held together by duct tape

But now, with EK778 and 779 (to go with EK 770 and 771 and EK 772 and 773), things are easier still.

From 4th July, you’ll be able to do CPT-DXB like this (all times correct at local airports):

EK773 departing 1325 (arrives DXB 0110)
EK771 departing 1805 (arrives DXB 0530)
EK779 departing 2005 (arrives DXB 0735)

and come back:

EK772 departing 0350 (arrives CPT 1125)
EK770 departing 0850 (arrives CPT 1630)
EK778 departing 1050 (arrives CPT 1830)

And, in the bigger picture: more seats = greater flexibility, greater competition and that means prices should be kept in check as well.

It’s a win, win, win situation.

Hi, Honey

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I’m home!

And I have made the decision never to fly British Airways to or from Cape Town ever again.
We were nearly two hours late leaving Heathrow last night because yet another of their aging (G-BNLP is 26 years old) 747s had broken down. And then, once you’re on board, you have to deal with a cabin that was last updated 16 years ago. My armrest was held together by duct tape. Genuinely.

And don’t start me on the rest…

Emirates all the way for me from now on. Even if it does mean taking an extra day’s leave (as it would have done for this trip). It’s worth it.

Goodbye Again

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Time to head home. Seeing family and friends in Sheffield has been wonderful, but there is a wife, some kids and a damn beagle to tend to back in Cape Town.

It’s been an odd time. It seems to have flown by, packed with concerts, tourist stuff, appointments, tasks and pretty much no beagles. And yet it seems like an age since I left South Africa.

image

There was time to grab one last quick pic of a Sheffield institution in our way to the station.
Next time I’m over (whenever that may be) the old Hendos factory will have been sympathetically converted into a student pub, complete with Hendo’s inspired drinks.

I’ll obviously have to give it a go. Obviously.

Norway on Flickr

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I find myself pining for the fjords, and so I’ve been working hard to select some appropriate photos for Flickr from the nearly 1000 I took while we were away in Norway.

I’ve found that people get bored quickly when you show them all nearly 1000 (it almost finished my Dad off completely), so I’ve come up with a cunning two point plan.
Firstly, divide the photos into days: we were there for three, so there are now three albums on Flickr to reflect this:

Day One: Arriving in Bergen, going up Mount Floyen on the Floibanen Funicular.
Day Two: Wandering around Bergen before that concert.
Day Three: Sognefjord via Myrdal and Flåm.

And then, secondly, produce a highlights package, in case people only want to look at your (approximately) 50 favourite pics. The pic above didn’t make the cut, I’m afraid. Yes, there are 50 better images than that. 😮

They don’t really do it justice, but they’re still worth a look (in my humble opinion).