Round The World and other travels

I made my way nice and early to Gate 55D, where boarding started at 1000 and was completed within five minutes. The A319s were just starting to supersede the older Boeing 737s at Gatwick, so it was nice to be able to appreciate the extra cabin width of G-EUPB. The flight time was announced as 1hr and 5 mins, at a cruising altitude of a rather low 28,000ft. We pushed back slightly early at 1013 and taxied out to Runway 08 for a 1027 take-off. We routed right over Central London at 20,000ft, giving some good views, before continuing via Luton, Sheffield, Manchester and the Lake District. In-flight service consisted of the 'enhanced beverage service' : I had a diet coke and a cereal bar.

As we descended over Johnstone for a north-easterly landing, we suddenly abandoned the approach and climbed out over Clydebank, turning and re-crossing the Clyde over the SECC and the 'Armadillo', to the west of Glasgow City Centre. The Captain explained that a departing aircraft had reported hitting something - probably a bird - as a result of which the airport wished to carry out a runway inspection before allowing us to land. Soon enough, we were once more on the approach. Despite the last-minute hitch, we still managed to arrive exactly on schedule at 1140.