And this one has nothing to do with countries or people or food. Rather, it's about the mechanism of travel, specifically airports and airlines.
Personally, I like small planes and small ports--lines, especially for security* and baggage tend to be short, one gets to see the craft from the outside, and nothing beats ascending from the tarmac, only to turn around at the top of the stairs to flash the victory sign, just like Nixon (I've encountered ground crews who think this is hilarious, but never fellow passengers).
In that regard, Cambodia's airports and Angkor Air are great, though for my money, the afternoon commuter flight from PDX to SJC operated by Horizon and featuring leather seats and free microbrews is the best around. (On a side note, I'm sad to see San Jose's old terminal C go away: it had three checkpoints for two gates--15 and 16--meaning you could get to the airport with 20 minutes to go and still make your flight.)
But sometimes you have to fly big. In that case, don't fly American (the country, not the carrier). I've had pleasant experiences on British Air, Air Lingus, Orange, Ryan, AeroMexico, Aero Tucan and Al Italia. China Air (Taiwanese) pretty much sucks and Vietnam Airlines is nothing to write home about (he self-consciously conceeds). We got killed by extra baggage fees on low-cost carrier Easy Jet. And the toilets failed on Emirates while over Iraq (poignant irony?). Thai was nice enough; I'd like to try them again on a long haul. Virgin plays for style, which is cute but doesn't do anything for you in the long run. (Karen chimes in at this point: Virgin still offers a very comfortable trip to the UK, with good food, free drinks, and great attitude. Witness the power of branding.) And if you're super lucky, Mexicana will upgrade you to first for the asking (the only time I've ever sat in seat 1A). But right now, I have to give it to All Nippon--and not just because I'm 34,000 ft over the Pacific on ANA 8. Food is better than most, service is great, the beverages are free, the complementary headphones are noise-canceling, and the bulkhead seats in row 17 come with extendable footrests so you can stretch out (I'm stretched).
And with that, not to mention the free wine again, I'm off to bed.**
* We just encountered the "new" security in Tokyo: inter-plane security check, plus frisking and a bag search. Get ready for travel to start really sucking. Just what the "terrists" want.
Personally, I like small planes and small ports--lines, especially for security* and baggage tend to be short, one gets to see the craft from the outside, and nothing beats ascending from the tarmac, only to turn around at the top of the stairs to flash the victory sign, just like Nixon (I've encountered ground crews who think this is hilarious, but never fellow passengers).
In that regard, Cambodia's airports and Angkor Air are great, though for my money, the afternoon commuter flight from PDX to SJC operated by Horizon and featuring leather seats and free microbrews is the best around. (On a side note, I'm sad to see San Jose's old terminal C go away: it had three checkpoints for two gates--15 and 16--meaning you could get to the airport with 20 minutes to go and still make your flight.)
But sometimes you have to fly big. In that case, don't fly American (the country, not the carrier). I've had pleasant experiences on British Air, Air Lingus, Orange, Ryan, AeroMexico, Aero Tucan and Al Italia. China Air (Taiwanese) pretty much sucks and Vietnam Airlines is nothing to write home about (he self-consciously conceeds). We got killed by extra baggage fees on low-cost carrier Easy Jet. And the toilets failed on Emirates while over Iraq (poignant irony?). Thai was nice enough; I'd like to try them again on a long haul. Virgin plays for style, which is cute but doesn't do anything for you in the long run. (Karen chimes in at this point: Virgin still offers a very comfortable trip to the UK, with good food, free drinks, and great attitude. Witness the power of branding.) And if you're super lucky, Mexicana will upgrade you to first for the asking (the only time I've ever sat in seat 1A). But right now, I have to give it to All Nippon--and not just because I'm 34,000 ft over the Pacific on ANA 8. Food is better than most, service is great, the beverages are free, the complementary headphones are noise-canceling, and the bulkhead seats in row 17 come with extendable footrests so you can stretch out (I'm stretched).
And with that, not to mention the free wine again, I'm off to bed.**
* We just encountered the "new" security in Tokyo: inter-plane security check, plus frisking and a bag search. Get ready for travel to start really sucking. Just what the "terrists" want.
** Except they won't turn off the fucking cabin lights. Make sure to buy a furry eye mask like Karen has.
1 comment:
Welcome home guys - the blog was fun & sounds like the food, shopping and sights were amazing!
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