Homeward bound – take 2

Japan airlines

The flight from Australia to Europe, with its 35-40 hours of total travelling time, is not what I’d call an awesome time, even in business class. But it passes. So, when I was faced with what turned out to be almost 70 hours of transit time via Japan, I was not, what you might say, overjoyed. I was, however glad not to be going anywhere near the Middle East, especially in those early days when everything was very chaotic.

One of the reasons why the Emirates flight has been a long favourite of mine, is that the times are perfect for departure and arrival. The stopover is long enough, but not too long. And I can get to and from the airport via train without adding an overnight.

Sadly, this would not be the case this time. So… let’s compare the two.

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Homeward bound… oh no you’re not

Australia family dinner

It’s funny, cause I remember thinking on the way to Australia, that the journey could not have gone better. I was healthy. Trains and flights were all on time. Transfers were easy. I was upstairs on the A380 with the bar in my favourite seat for both legs. There wasn’t even a wait for shower at the lounge in Dubai.

So, I was quite looking forward to the return trip.

And then I woke up on Sunday morning, the day before I was due to fly, to news of war in the Middle East. A few hours later came reports of Dubai airport being bombed, and I suddenly knew this wasn’t going to be the straightforward way home I’d imagined.

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