Round The World and other travels

A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries

This is: Far East 2009

Escape from Winter

I again set my alarm relatively early (0700) so that there would be no question of being in a rush. After quickly checking that the rain had stopped, I completed my morning routine and went down to the Club Lounge for breakfast. Once again, it looked as though I was first to arrive. Back at my room, I set about packing, slightly disappointed that my planned sight-seeing programme in Barcelona had been cut short by the previous day's foul weather. Still, that's one of the risks of travelling in winter. I returned to the Club Lounge to ensure a speedy check-out, although the main Reception area was deserted when I went downstairs to catch my taxi to the airport.

Although the roads were fairly busy, progress was good and I was soon at the terminal, with the Lufthansa desks right inside the door that the driver stopped at. I had no trouble at all checking in for my two flights, first to Frankfurt and then onwards to Hong Kong. From what I could see, my schedule wasn't going to be affected by the cold blast that was sweeping through central Europe. I made my way to the Spanair lounge, which was nothing special, but nice enough to spend the short time that I needed to wait.

I made my way to the gate prior to any announcement and was pleased to note that the aircraft was there and that preparations looked to be close to completion. I was pacing around passing the time and missed the boarding announcement and the sudden formation of a huge queue. Oh well, not that it mattered.

(Link to flight log in side panel)

I probably made an error of judgement at Frankfurt, but it wasn't of any great consequence. Being a transit passenger, I assumed that the best move would be to proceed towards the part of this very large airport from which my flight was leaving. In the event I had to walk for what seemed like miles, only to find that the best on offer when I eventually got there was a Senator lounge. I would almost certainly have been better to seek out the First Class Terminal, even though it's principally intended for Frankfurt-originating passengers. Not to worry - I would get to sample that particular facility before the month was out!

Soon enough, my long-haul flight was ready for boarding. At least I now had the advantage of being able to do so directly from the lounge.

(Link to flight log in side panel)