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HEATHROW
I was at Heathrow's Terminal 2 checking in at Air France and the balloons, banners and TV cameras signified the arrival of a momentous occasion. Here's the story: I was in London, checking in for a nonstop flight to Los Angeles ... on Air France! I was one of the first people to check-in so TV cameras (especially from France), were pointing at me. I was just sorry that my voice was so hoarse ... I'm sure all my interviews got cut.
OPEN SKIES
What made this flight so special is that it signified the beginning of the Open Skies Agreement. Finally, airlines based in the United States and Europe can fly across the Atlantic between any two airports in each region. In short, they are treating Europe as a country not a continent. Before the pact, the airlines had to take off or land in their native countries, which of course limited them to certain airports. That's why Air France could only fly to the U.S. from France or French Polynesia.
HEATHROW
The airport that is benefiting the most from this has to be Heathrow since it's the most coveted. Airlines are jumping all over them, including Air France. The bad news is the place is already a zoo and flights from Heathrow are expected to increase 31% from 2,233 to 2,932 in July. The good news is that with the increased competition, Open Skies is bringing base airfares down but fuel prices are so high that the savings aren't significant.
AIR FRANCE
Check-in was quick and security didn't take longer than 10 minutes. The process is similar to what you find in the U.S. except that passengers don't have to take laptops out anymore. I had a business class ticket so I went straight to their lounge for some free snacks and drinks. Air France's lounge is nice but small and needs to offer free WiFi (T-Mobile controls it now) and add some bathrooms. You have to walk down a winding hallway to a dumpy little bathroom with two urinals and a stall and it's shared by a couple of gates.
LONDON TO L.A. ON AIR FRANCE
Air France didn't have as much of a celebration for the inaugural Open Skies flight as I had expected. There were just a sign and some balloons and a few camera crews on board. It was nothing like other inaugural flights I've taken (Iceland Air, MaxJet and Singapore Airlines, for example). There were no speeches, parties, champagne, cake, gifts or the celebratory water cannon salute. The flight on the 777-200 was pretty uneventful except that I got to hang out with CNN's Richard Quest. Flight time was 10 hours and 45 minutes and as usual, we flew over Iceland and Greenland but then went high over Canada and flew over Edmonton into L.A. (There were storms over the northeast). The food and service was excellent – especially the chicken Tajine and the chocolate cake. But the finger sandwiches for the mid-flight snack could have been better.
CUSTOMS AT TERMINAL 2
We arrived at Terminal 2 and had a much better customs experience than last week's at Tom Bradley International Terminal. There was no line for U.S. citizens at either immigration or customs and I went from the plane to the curb in five minutes. Wow! Just like my entire weekend trip to Europe.
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SOME OF LAST WEEK'S READER AIR-eMAIL
Thanks for all that you do and suggest! TIA Jim
I received my renewed passport last year. I requested addtional pages. As I do alot of traveling abroad, my pages fill up quickly with visa stamps. What should one do if all pages in the passport are stamped but one has a passport with many years before expiration? Thank you, Fred M - Passaic, NJ REPLY: Good question!
The paragraph below was taken from Johnny’s story about his trip to Prague in 2006 and should answer your question.
AMERICAN EMBASSY
The hotel was conveniently located across the street from the American Embassy. However, all cars driving past get searched, so I’m not sure how convenient it actually is, unless there’s been an international incident or you have a passport problem. As it happened, I needed more pages added to my passport, so one rainy morning I decided to take advantage of the embassy’s proximity. After going through airport-like security and leaving behind all electronic devices at the front desk, I found the line for U.S. citizens. The form for getting more passport pages only took two minutes to complete. I discovered that adding pages to a passport at an embassy is much easier, quicker and cheaper than mailing it in. The entire process took only 25 minutes and I did not have to part with my passport for the usual two weeks. The U.S. Embassy, Trziste 15, Praha 1 (tel.: 257-530-663), is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 11:30am and 2:30pm to 4pm.
You might also find this link helpful: U.S. Department of State: How to Add Extra Pages to Your U.S. Passport.
I just come back from a trip to Capri and checking for some information on the web I come across your newsletter. What a treat!!! How many places a missed to see. I enjoyed your pictures and all the information you posted. We are planning a second trip for next year and I will follow your advised to contact a guide. We stay in Anacapri in a B&B and love the place. Keep up your newsletter I will follow it. You are in my favorites already. Best regards, Linda Wernly
Loved the Vietnam article. Just returned from several weeks in Vietnam last November, as well (plus Laos and Cambodia). She really embraced the essence of Hanoi. And interestingly enough, my first stop in VietNam was Hanoi. Then I moved on to Hue, Hoian and Saigon. Hanoi, by far was my favorite stop. A wonderful, vibrant city with just the right amount of French influence. Anyway, I just wanted to drop a line to express how much I truly enjoyed the article. Regards, Karen Stern - Los Angeles, CA
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