Random saturday afternoon thoughts: (this is not a TR, i've retired from those )
30 years ago today, on the 21st of December 1983 I went on a trip with my family.
Our routing was SZB-DMK-HKG (old Kai Tak of course)-TPE-HKG-DMK-SZB with a side trip TSA-HUN-TSA thrown in for good measure.
We flew TG on all the legs except the TSA-HUN which was on a Far Eastern Air Transport 737-200.
I remember:
1) We flew Y
2) All our TG legs were on an Airbus A300B2 (i think)
3) Back then the colourful seat covers were pretty cool, with pneumatic headsets
4) the SZB-DMK leg was in the morning, very similar to today's TG420 timing
4a) We got a rather nice breakfast of sausages and omelette on the SZB-BKK leg
5) The DMK-HKG-TPE leg was a transit stop and we weren't allowed to deplane in HKG whilst at a remote stand
6) We arrived into TPE on a rather dreary afternoon into I guess what is now T1 at Taoyuan airport, and i remember the bus ride into town being extremely long....
and that's it
This trip is more significant than anything else because it sparked and fueled an intense desire to go places. I'd flown a few times before but it was just to Paya Lebar and back. This was Taipei we were talking about! Far off and exotic! Many hours of flying no less!
It was terribly exciting and I couldn't sleep for days before this trip. I think i might have even packed my suitcase 3 weeks in advance.
It created a bit of a monster that won't go away and with every silly itinerary I book these days, I always look back on the trip that started it all.
I may have flown once or twice since then, the A300B2 is long gone, as are the pneumatic headsets. The excitement comes and goes sometimes, but I'm usually itching after being grounded a while.
As for exotic taipei? Just did a TPE run 3 weeks ago. Stuffed a dress and a pair of shoes in my carry on at 6.45am, went to the airport, flew up on MH366, back on MH409 the next morning and was home by 2pm the next day, with a few BAEC tier points in the bag and 9% closer to GGL.
The SQFG of 30 years ago would call the lack of enthusiasm of the SQFG now sacreligious I think.
30 years ago today, on the 21st of December 1983 I went on a trip with my family.
Our routing was SZB-DMK-HKG (old Kai Tak of course)-TPE-HKG-DMK-SZB with a side trip TSA-HUN-TSA thrown in for good measure.
We flew TG on all the legs except the TSA-HUN which was on a Far Eastern Air Transport 737-200.
I remember:
1) We flew Y
2) All our TG legs were on an Airbus A300B2 (i think)
3) Back then the colourful seat covers were pretty cool, with pneumatic headsets
4) the SZB-DMK leg was in the morning, very similar to today's TG420 timing
4a) We got a rather nice breakfast of sausages and omelette on the SZB-BKK leg
5) The DMK-HKG-TPE leg was a transit stop and we weren't allowed to deplane in HKG whilst at a remote stand
6) We arrived into TPE on a rather dreary afternoon into I guess what is now T1 at Taoyuan airport, and i remember the bus ride into town being extremely long....
and that's it
This trip is more significant than anything else because it sparked and fueled an intense desire to go places. I'd flown a few times before but it was just to Paya Lebar and back. This was Taipei we were talking about! Far off and exotic! Many hours of flying no less!
It was terribly exciting and I couldn't sleep for days before this trip. I think i might have even packed my suitcase 3 weeks in advance.
It created a bit of a monster that won't go away and with every silly itinerary I book these days, I always look back on the trip that started it all.
I may have flown once or twice since then, the A300B2 is long gone, as are the pneumatic headsets. The excitement comes and goes sometimes, but I'm usually itching after being grounded a while.
As for exotic taipei? Just did a TPE run 3 weeks ago. Stuffed a dress and a pair of shoes in my carry on at 6.45am, went to the airport, flew up on MH366, back on MH409 the next morning and was home by 2pm the next day, with a few BAEC tier points in the bag and 9% closer to GGL.
The SQFG of 30 years ago would call the lack of enthusiasm of the SQFG now sacreligious I think.
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