British Airways

I don’t know exactly what time it is right now. My internal clock is telling me it’s about 8:35 a.m. That means it’s about 3:35 p.m. in the UK. And I’m somewhere in the middle, over the Atlantic Ocean.

I’ve been traveling since midnight. I flew from Salt Lake to New York on Delta, and from New York I hopped on a British Airways flight bound for London Heathrow. Let’s just say I’ve been FAR more impressed with British Airways. Did you know Delta actually charges extra for you to check a second bag now? You used to be able to check two bags for free. I guess we’re seeing the effects of rising gas prices; airlines are trying to save money or get more of it wherever they can.

The flight to New York was decent. I was able to get a little sleep, however fitful it may have been. I’ll take what I can get. Oh, and sleeping in contacts = bad idea. I need to catch up with the times and get myself some of those night and day contacts so my eyes don’t feel like raisins when I wake up.

When I got to New York I had to scramble around a couple terminals and walk for what seemed like an eternity to find the Air Train to take me to where I was supposed to be. It was quite a feat, considering I was dragging 98 pounds of luggage behind me, plus carry-ons. When you’re going somewhere for two months, it’s difficult to pack light. I’m getting better at maneuvering my two large suitcases; hopefully, on the return flight, I’ll be a pro. In the meantime, I’ll just consider it a very taxing workout.

I was able to get checked in just fine (by the way, British Airways does NOT charge extra for the second bag), and even had a couple extra minutes to grab breakfast. It was about 7:45 a.m. EST, and I was starving. I bought myself a banana muffin, a yogurt/granola/strawberry parfait, and some juice. And I ate it all in about 15 minutes.

I boarded the British Airways 747 (which has two floors and a VERY nice first-class section, complete with footrest and room to fully extend your legs and recline your seat…someday, when I’m rich and famous, I will fly in that section.) We took off right on schedule.

Everyone that I’ve listened to on this plane has a British accent. I’m already starting to feel out of place.

The biggest surprise of the flight so far: about an hour into the flight the flight attendants came around with a hot breakfast. What? You mean we actually get real food instead of just peanuts and apple juice (courtesy of Delta…and many other American flights I’ve been on)? This was a full English breakfast spread: hash browns, sausage, ham, eggs, fruit, yogurt, muffin, orange juice, and a little chocolate cookie to wash it all down. Wow. I was really starting to wish I hadn’t eaten such a huge breakfast at the airport. Regardless, I ate most of the food that was in front of me and saved the rest in my seat pocket so I can pull it out later. It’s college student instinct. I can’t help it.

The TV screen in front of me has a little feature that tells me how much time is left in the flight. I’m trying not to look at it too frequently so the time will pass more quickly.

Only four hours and twelve minutes to go…