Flying Business Class Across the Pond

My work (and holidays) entail quite a bit of flying and on occasion, I am fortunate enough to ride in Business Class across the pond.   I have ridden in Business Class on several of the major domestic carriers in
America and with this experience, I found it interesting to compare and contrast my first Business Class flight on a domestic carrier I have not flown for 8 years.  

Several minor differences were noticeable which made me completely unimpressed with this particular carrier (keep in mind some of these may just be part of the bad luck that follows me):

• No lounge inside security which is standard at every other major airport to which I have been – business class passengers are entitled to free admittance to the lounge to relax prior to flight but this particular airlines did not have a lounge by the boarding gates – you had to go out of security to go to this which is extremely poor
• No bottled water for pre-flight hydration – staying hydrated is very important and this is the first airline I have flown that did not provide this basic necessity
• No writing utensil in the ‘business class care package’ that includes socks, lotions, toothbrush, etc.. – at some point in the flight you need to fill out your customs forms and again seems like a simple item to include to provide convenience for the passengers
• The food portions and quality of food were not different from what they served in coach (I rode in coach on the return trip so I know this for a fact) – for what the ticket costs, you would hope they would not skimp on the food –  an example is the plentiful fruit plate served with breakfast – it included 3 halves of strawberries and 4 very small slices of melon or the salad that had 4 pieces of lettuce and a small cherry tomato

To be fair, there were a few things I noticed that were nice:

• The pre-dinner snack of warm collection of nuts also included pistachios which is a first for me
• The airline provided each business class passenger a set of Bose noise reduction headphones for use during the flight

All in all though, this particular unnamed airline was quite disappointing.  Fortunately since I did not pay for the flight out of my own pocket, I have nothing about which to be concerned.  However, when compared to my experiences in Business Class on other
US carriers, this one falls well short.

Saga of Iceland

I am half way there already in this year for reaching my annual personal goal of visiting at least 2 new countries each year.   Being in New York makes winter European travel very accessible for 3 reasons – a bountiful number of available flights on every imaginable airline, the cheapest fares known to North America during winter for European flights and of course, the journey time from New York is the shortest (or close to it) in North America.

This weekend jaunt to Reykjavic, Iceland met all 3 prescribed criteria – direct flight on Iceland Air, $400 round trip and under 5 hours over and approximately 5.5 hours back.   One word sums the planning up – fantastic.

I arrived on Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. and with a very short flight, one can imagine not a lot of sleep was gained.   It was still very dark on the bus ride to my hotel.  Normally Hotels do not allow you to check in until the afternoon but after only waiting for 1.5 hours, I was able to get a room that had become available.   It was nearing 10 a.m. and the dawn was just occurring on this windy and rainy day.   During the course of my hike around Reykjavic, I noticed a few peculiarities.   All the cars were making loud clickity sounds as they drove by me.  After a brief moment of thought, I realized that they were all wearing special metal studded tires to enhance winter traction.  Iceland being surrounded by water is very damp and thus with cold temperatures and dampness, roads and sidewalks are invariably very slick.    The other thing I noticed was that a lot of the places that I went into had automatic doors.  You would approach the door to walk in and it would just start opening.  Or you would start to pull it open and soon it was occurring by itself.  I had to adapt so I didn’t look so startled each time this happened.  The sun disappeared from the sky around 5:00 p.m.   During the shortest days in winter, the sun does not rise until 11 p.m. and sets at 4 p.m. However, on the reverse, the longest days in summer contain 24 hours of light so they experience both extremes with daylight.

Saturday involved hopping on a tour bus for a journey around the island to see some of the plethora of natural phenomenons.   One of the first facts we were presented was that Iceland is the youngest European country as far as the existence of the land mass.   It was formed by volcanic activity well after the main continent had formed.   The topography of the island was carved by the glaciers as they melted and moved off to sea.   This is definitely evident as you drive around the island.   Strangely you notice the lack of forestation everywhere.  This is explained by the unsuitable soil – lava rock – that covers the majority of the island.   However, they have successfully begun planting several forests in an effort to provide more trees.   With this current lack of trees, the uninhabited parts of the island make you feel as if you are the moon where you would see very little natural life.   Another stop was the Gulfloss waterfall which was amazing.   We then went to the sight of some active geysers.   The main geyser – strokkur, remains active today pouring forth bursts of water every 3 to 4 minutes.   I believe it is the 4^th largest (height of water spouting) in the world.   We continued on to see the riff caused by shifting tectonic plates that separate the European shelf and the North American shelf.   At one point you can see where the European shelf is sinking.  It is quite amazing to see.

Of course, no trip would be incomplete without sampling the local dining. The first evening, I went to a restaurant in my hotel which is one of the best in all of Iceland.   I already knew that whatever they had on the menu that involved Lamb, would be selection.   The lamb (and other animals) are raised on the island and are free of any kind of hormones.  Also, Iceland maintain s very strict laws about absolutely no other animals are allowed to be brought to the island in order to prevent the introduction of diseases and other petulance.  This combined with the natural pure and pollutant free environment, produces some of the best, if not the best, meat in the world – especially lamb.   You will know you have arrived when you have a lamb shoulder butchered, packaged and overnight via air to you for use at a party you host!    Surprisingly another item considered a ‘must-have’ was a good old hot dog!  Yes, these are everywhere and it is in all the tour books that you have to have a hot dog.   I of course indulged and will say that they are good – the casing gives the ‘crunch’ when you bite into much like an authentic Chicago-style Vienna hot dog would.   Unfortunately due to one not being in close proximity of where I was, I was unable to sample the local McDonald fare. 

The return flight was delayed a bit due to mechanical issues but also due in part to the 20 inches of snow that New York received late Saturday and Sunday morning.   Thus, my next entry will most likely involve the challenges of returning to my home country in the throngs of a blizzard and trying to travel 45 miles to a hotel.  Stay tuned…