Night Flight from SFO

            Night  Flight  from SFO                                

       

 

As we headed toward the International Check-in in the late evening we saw a 747 parked outside. It had an old, off white look but that might have just been the shadows in the twilight.

When we finally got to Gate 93 it was still there and it did look old and off white, like approaching retirement age.

 

Boarding was about to begin but then there was a delay …

 

‘Due to catering difficulties’.

 

Things were beginning to have a slightly uneasy feeling. The caterers got sorted out, supposedly, and boarding started.

 

However, a gridlock soon developed in the boarding walkway. It was more like the immigration/customs line than a smoothly moving boarding line. A couple of steps then a long wait for who knows why. As we finally get to the door and are greeted by the crew

things begin to make a little more sense.

 

This 747-400 could have been one of the originals from decades ago, but still reliable,

and the crew might have been the original as well, from decades ago, and probably not so reliable.

 

We get seated, finally, although the seats don’t appear to be as I chose on the seating plan.

Actually, the plane doesn’t appear to be as it was on the seating plan. The ancient galley is next to us and, possibly explaining the catering difficulties, I can see that many of the small containers have padlocks. Maybe the keys were rusty?

 

The Rolls-Royce engines fire up perfectly, though, so we feel more secure as we start moving out into the dark unknown.

A voice from beyond (or the past) rumbles through the PA system;

 

“Welcome to the flight. We will be departing pretty much on time.

                This is the 16^th of July  -- umm --  June and  we will be flying through the night.

                Enjoy your flight.”

 

As the pre-flight safety video is trying to be shown it becomes evident that;

   

“The entertainment system is currently experiencing difficulties

                and will be rectified shortly.”

 

We do get into the air and luckily have books and the safety pamphlets to read (and reread) until the entertainment system is fixed, possibly by MGM technicians (Butch and Sundance is a feature movie).

 

Another announcement,

 

                “We will be starting the dinner service soon, beginning with the special meals.

There are quite a few of them so the service will take about two hours.”