LITHUANIA: Vilnius and Star 1 Aero Laba diena, dear reader,
there is still a country of the Baltic States, that is not one yet in my logbook.
is to travel to Lithuania even more interesting with a Lithuanian airline.
The usual, night search through the schedules, show me a nice surprise, more on that later.
Here is the current route map:
reporter's trip flights on a larger map Ten days after my return from Edinburgh, I'm back on the road.
Monday, 19/07/2010
STR (Stuttgart Airport)
MXP (Aeroporto di Milano-Malpensa-Citta-di-Milano)
Service Airlines AB 8754 plans carried out by LGW / airline Walter
: 06.30 / / 07:40
The usual work with the online check-in is not so simple today. I'm busy
Lastminute.de. The dealer with the best offer for my flight, about 50, - Euro's, shows a reference number on the confirmation, but this is not accepted by airberlin.
A conversation with a nice agent of last minute does not help
triggers a call to airberlin the problem.
Another code works and the window in the back row is, I, 19F, two places for me then.
boarding clock 06.00, 03.45 on the clock Handy.
on time at the airport, the security checkpoint in Terminal 3 looks much better than T1 and T2, five minutes later I am well known in the gate area.
The screen in the early morning, my flight from Gate 331
An abandoned gate with comfortable seats
When boarding the bus begins just a few minutes later.
Will we see a new registration, or not?.
The apron in the early morning
This is my machine, D-ABQI, the second latest in the LGW fleet of Dash 8-400.
Since 08/06/2009 at work, one of 10 and actually a new registration. Flight No. 13 for me in the Dash 8-400.
This provides new propeller from
airline Walter, I will ask one of the other passengers if they have noticed, today is not to fly Emirates?.
The nose contact with a Fokker 100 next
then a nice conversation with another passenger on the tarmac, I make pictures and I am therefore most of the last one is signing up. He would probably be the last.
Now, before the flight attendant calls us, I decide to go and he told me that he was not right after getting back is, but next to the front, on the "Jump Seat" his son is the co-pilot on our flight.
The weather is very nice, sunny and 12 degrees at 06:30 clock, yes, I love you.
50 minutes to Malpensa with a workload of nearly 60%.
Some Italians among the passengers, many business travelers.
The cockpit crew is from Germany, the pilot with a very nice and detailed welcome aboard.
A very special launch of the web 07 today. accelerate
We drive slowly to the usual entrance, then make a turn and take one of the quick exits from the track 25, 1 / 3 down ok with the 07 Airlines 737 on the first hole
to start, after a few seconds we are in the air and join a sharp right curve, the departure path free
Two young and cute women now in service, the safety demo is manual.
A nice town, at least for me
is like a mountain crushed, clean the Holcim plant Dotternhausen
A look at the cabin in a modern style, dark blue leather seats, good sense of place.
The airberlingroup security card
This looks well known from
A sandwich, coffee, water is free
Blue and red colors
How about Zurich not from above
lakes far from Zurich
mountains above the clouds
A curve to the final approach to Malpensa
The gear down
The central taxiway with a fleet of orange machines after landing on 35R at the 3920 meter track clock 07.25, 15 minutes before schedule.
Light clouds and 22 degrees here
my seat, the backrest is in the back row of well-adjusted
Now that the weather is nice, Germany or Italy?
Air Italy Boeing 767-300 with a
And Cargo Italia with the MD11
the terminal and then into the audience area.
Monday, 07/19/2010
MXP (Aeroporto di Milano-Malpensa-Citta di Milano-)
VNO (Vilnius International Airport)
Service V9 402 plans carried out by a Star Airlines
: 10.30 / / 14.00
A view of the well-occupied before this morning
Star 1 Aero does not offer online check-in, it's been a rather special company.
No ticket-trader on the German market were the flights.
busy so directly on the site for about 50, - Euro's. Where is it now
for check-in?.
1/1/A does not really clear from
Now, that does Terminal 1, Check-in area 1, without a direct switch to the screen and then the gate area A.
in the check-in area 1 this morning Windjet to Catania, Vueling to Barcelona and a number of holiday flights to Tunisia and Turkey.
We know what that means!.
thousands of passengers with luggage without end, it seems that they want to spend the rest of the year at their vacation destination.
And without directly shown the switch is not recommended experience here at Malpensa.
I walk through the area. Is this a sign to look for a star?.
a sign. Yes, two women who are at the Vueling switches, papers read to the Star 1 logo, I'll wait here.
And it fits, begins two hours before departure here, the check-in.
done without luggage in a few seconds, the staff is nice and my usual question produces 26A, we'll see.
Looks more like an industrial building, but the terminal
99% on the line
Continental gate
A06 for me
No question, this is Star 1 Aero
see this trendy The Tower of
little red landing
Carthage in Tunisia
This is it, on the Taxiway
She comes closer
to my gate, it is LY-STG, a Boeing 737-700, operating for the German airline, and also for Hamburg International Hamburg-Chile from 27/10/1999 and Star 1 since 25.06.2009.
Flight 28 on that type for me.
The only machine in the fleet, amazingly, manage the entire flight plan so
to finger
Tailwind from Turkey on a mission for Tunis Air
Whynot?
Boarding begins slightly later than shown.
We are waiting at the train 35L
And start from the 35R, It is 10.40 clock, ten minutes after the plan is still cloudy at 22 degrees.
The flight time is 2 hours 10 minutes
Three nice, good looking women in the service, a manual safety demonstration here.
blankets and pillows are available, very good.
lakes towards Switzerland
the cabin, the load factor is about 70%, some Italian, but mostly
Lithuanians with thick shopping bags on the way home
The cockpit crew is from Lithuania, a detailed welcome during boarding, again and again in flight before landing, good job.
"Jusu saugumui" but sure, no question!
Not the best impression of the cabin from my seat 26A, three places for me back here.
Dark blue leather, very little leg room and not really clean
Innsbruck
south of Munich
The menu, service charge, water is free and the ladies served
clouds over the Czech Republic, altitude 36 000 feet
And better even than Poland
then near Vilnius
Approaching
And shortly before landing
arrival at 14.00 clock, 13.00 clock in Germany, in the 3200 meters of track 02 Also
here it is 22 degrees and it is cloudy
Well, that is an uneven path
My worn seat
Registration
Dark clouds over the machine
Bye
The nose
Parked aircraft in the background
Whenever there is a train into the city, yes please. see
Only 7 minutes, we will
With this device?
But no, this is the train, modern and clean, 2.50 litas per trip, payable from the conductor in Train
an idea of why many residents of Vilnius, the city of a thousand churches call
the well-kept downtown
The old city hall
A steeple
The tower of the castle
The Cathedral
And Uhrtum
A very large church
The entrance
Castle
The Museum of Modern
a side door to the cathedral
A beautiful old building
The Church
And the tower
A patio
back to the station
The tower in detail
Old-fashioned trolley buses to the railway station on the hill
old and new locomotives compared
To airport?. Not here. Oro uostas is the goal
The well-utilized to Klaipeda Express
Beautiful diesel locomotives
The train back at the airport
Monday, 19/07/2010
VNO (Vilnius International Airport )
FRA (Frankfurt-Rhein-Main International Airport)
performed Planned Service LH 3255 Lufthansa
: 19.55 / / 21.05
Airport
My flight does punctually from Frankfurt
If the Soviet-style, certainly not what we today of a Airport expected, but nice
This looks more like an old train station
These large chandeliers
Or like a hotel
This is the new part of the terminal
five times at the staff and I security check, no waiting time.
Online check-in on the Luth Ansa site functions very well, 24F, Window last row and then three places for me.
I've booked via Exp.de, with a price surprise, only 60.00 €'s as easy flight.
Finnair to Helsinki at the gate
Air Baltic from London Gatwick
The departures, Air Baltic to Riga with a small delay
KD-Avia and Skyexpress off
start flyLAL Charters
And the Embraer to Helsinki
The sophisticated terminal
Lufthansa to gate A01
It is D-ABEK, "Wuppertal" as a 737-300 on my confirmation in use for Lufthansa since 21/11/1991. One of 33 in the fleet.
Flight No. 41 on this type and a new registration
Anybody interested in Air Baltic leasing planes?.
The delay to Riga rises to 20.00 clock at the end.
A crew of Danu Oru Transportas at the gate, a very experienced pilot, a young Lithuanian Co-pilot and one that now is not particularly confidence-flight attendant.
also two Air Baltic pilots are at the gate, calling them several times and are not enthusiastic about the delay.
That is the machine to Riga, LY-DOT, Danu Oru Transportas, in my logbook with two flights Liepaja, and leasing for airBaltic.
We turn to the web 20, a fast and powerful start in the normal direction of flight.
The clock is 19.45 or 18.45 clock in Germany, ten minutes ahead of schedule, it is partly cloudy at 23 degrees.
The flight time is 1 hour and 55 minutes and the utilization is only 60%.
six seats for me here, dark gray leather, clean, good place feel like a very clean cabin
One man, two women in service, business friendly, but ok so far.
The safety demonstration is manual.
The cockpit crew is from Germany, the pilot with a very friendly Welcome during boarding.
The co-pilot also very nice, and then just before landing again.
just started
The security card
and the neat cabin
Magazine
is Lufthansa's service in these days on these routes, no complaints at this price.
A sandwich and a granola bar.
The flight attendant then goes after the service again by the car and asked if anyone would like a second sandwich.
Approaching close to Erfurt
A curve to train
Another hazy day in Germany
My seat with the partial window view, but ok so far, the backrest can be adjusted in the back row.
disembarking on the apron after landing on the track 07L.
It is 20.50 clock, 15 minutes ahead of schedule and it is very nice and sunny at 27 degrees.
Bye
by bus to the terminal, we'll see if it is possible for an earlier than planned to take ICE to Stuttgart main station.
Well, it seems possible at this early arrival and it would be good if we know that the last S-Bahn to the airport, leaving Stuttgart to clock 23.25.
Well, the German railway Summer fills the hole in the German newspapers these days with many technical problems and complaints.
25 minutes late on the screen for the earlier train and ten minutes later.
departure then 30 minutes late, the scheduled arrival at 23.21 clock.
I have a nice chat with a young employee of the railway, it is important in the first car to be to keep the path to the S-Bahn in Stuttgart as short as possible.
The first class is at the front today, now, no trial, no chance, and they offer me once at the first class to compensate for the delay.
Four minutes now to get the last train, no problem for me, but what are all the older passengers or people with kids and luggage, no chance.
home at 01.00 clock, that means 21 hours after the mobile phone alarm, we make the most of a day, or not?.
Airberlin / LGW with nice staff and interesting aircraft on the first track, very interesting to fly with star 1, not bad and quite recommendable. Lufthansa
And at this price, because there is nothing to complain.
And now, late summer travel to be about three weeks until the next story: "Belgrade / Serbia, JAT, what else"
and nothing should come between an espresso with a friend.
soon, the trip
Reporter
