Round The World and other travel

Flight Log 6: AC993

Toronto Pearson (YYZ) - Mexico City (MEX)

Once again, I managed to be one of the first passengers to board the aircraft and, as I took my seat, I was absolutely delighted by the ample legroom available in 2A. Seatguru.com had been right; it was even better than in 1D/F. Being designated Executive Class, rather than Executive First, the Business cabin consisted of pairs of cradle-type seats, with four rows on the starboard side and three on the port side. Pillows and blankets were already positioned on the seats, but I was soon able to get rid of mine into empty 2C. Doors were closed at 0810 and it became clear that 1F, 2A/D/F, 3A/C and 4C were occupied, although moments later someone was apparently upgraded to 4D for reasons unknown. We left our stand seven minutes ahead of schedule and following our take-off from Runway 06L at 0825, I adjusted my watch for the one-hour time difference. The seat belt signs were quickly switched off, even before we banked over Lake Ontario to head in a more appropriate direction.

Cabin service began with a round of hot towels. Sometimes this little luxury is appreciated as a means of removing any layers of grime that may have built up during the day; at this time of the morning, it was simply a welcome aid to easing the body a little further into the waking state! My breakfast tray initially contained a fruit plate and some yoghurt. Orange juice was offered, but it wasn't a problem when I expressed a preference for apple juice. A selection of hot rolls and tea or coffee - I had the latter - were offered next. Service was then briefly interrupted by a short bout of severe turbulence over West Virginia. I remember being mildly startled that we had come so far already.

The main course was a choice of omelette or pancakes. My plate soon arrived containing a substantial omelette with sausage, fried potatoes, cream cheese and fried peppers. It all went down very nicely! When the trays were cleared away, I asked for a further apple juice with ice to keep me refreshed while I watched a movie. It needed a bit of a stretch to operate the bulkhead touch-sensitive screen, but I soon managed to fire up Wall Street 2, which kept me entertained for a while.

A little later, I had a cup of tea and was a little surprised to receive some roasted almonds with it. The nuts were perhaps a clue that most people were switching to something a little stronger around now, but I suspected that the drinks might be flowing freely later in the day and decided that tea was fine for the time being. Landing cards and customs forms were distributed with about one hour to go and the Captain made an announcement predicting an early arrival at around 1130 local time.

Shortly thereafter we began our descent and of course we would not be coming back down to the level we started at, as Mexico City is one of the highest urban areas in the world. Our approach over a seemingly never-ending built-up area, including what looked like the central business district, reminded me of flying into Sao Paulo two years previously. We touched down at 1133 and used very sharp braking plus reverse thrust to slow down. Despite the size of the airport, we were on-stand just five minutes later.