Guys... Guess the location?
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Originally posted by airsrilanka View PostGuys... Guess the UL aircraft rego and location?? This picture taken in 2009.
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Originally posted by airsrilanka View PostGuys... Tell about your recent flights? Name the airline, route, aircraft used and your review.
Our first flight was Copa 357 from Washington Dulles (KIAD) to Tocumen International Airport, Panama (MPTO). This flight departs Dulles at approximaty 10:15 am, and arrives in Panama City at 2:15 pm, about a 5 hour flight (Panama is 1 hour behind Washington). Copa's fleet consists of 18 737s, 42 738s, and 26 ERJ-190s. They do not operate outside of the Americas and Caribbean, but do very well. Our flight that day would be operated by a Boeing 737-700. My Uncle and I boarded the flight right on time, and were lucky enough be be given an emergency exit row, 17D and 17E. These seats are best, as there are only 2 seats on each side, and ample leg room. The layout is identical to United Airlines domestic economy and business class, as United Airlines has a 50% stake in Copa from when Continental was still around. We settled in to our seats, and pushed back from the gate for an on-time departure.
Once in the air, refreshment and meal services began. We were served an early lunch. The meals were both Latin American options, chicken or beef with rice and black beans. The meal was quite tasty, and beat most meals I have eaten on international flights aboard airlines from the US. Dessert consisted of the Panamanian version of "Oreo" cream sandwich cookies, which were also quite tasty (I was able to snag a few more from the flight attendant to take home ). After the meal, I listened to some music on my iPod. The only set back is, most of the aircraft on Copa do not have personal TV's in economy class. There are communal TVs that come down, and play one movie during the flight. My uncle slept for a bit of the flight, so he did not see the film either. This was not a bother for me, as I usually just listen to music, but might bother those who rely on IFE.
About 5 hours later we touched down at Panama's Tocumen Airport. It is the most recently renovated, and in my opinion the most modern airport in Central America. An extension to the original terminal was recently built, and the inside of the terminal is brand new and sparkling clean. My uncle and I quickly went through passport control, and within 15 minutes of landing were in a van on the way to our hotel.
2 days later, we returned to Tocumen for our onward flight to Quito, Mariscal Sucre International Airport (SEQM). Today's flight was again aboard a 737-700. Check-in and security were a breeze, and we were soon at the gate awaiting our flight. Unfortunately, we were not able to snag the exit row for this flight, but my uncle was kind enough to take the middle seat. Our flight was again on time, and we were quickly on our way to Ecuador. Surprisingly, there was also a hot meal service on this flight, which would be unheard of on any 2 hour flight in the US. We were served extremely tasty chicken sandwiches with mustard, and to my excitement, more oreo cookies . This was a pleasant surprise, as we had not expected to be fed this well on the short hop. Time passed quickly, and we descended over the awe-inspiring Andes mountains. Quito's old airport, which we flew into at the time is now closed. It is located in the heart of downtown Quito, and planes hurdle overhead of the urban areas before slamming down on the short runway. On top of that, the airport is located at 2400 meters above sea level. It makes for a very scenic and exciting landing, let me tell you. We came in rather quickly, and I experienced the hardest landing of my air travel career as we touched down quite hard. We taxiied into the gate, past, to my surprise, a Garuda Indonesia A330-300. Apparently the Indonesian President was visiting Ecuador at the time, which made for a nice surprise on landing. We deplaned, and again went through a fairly short passport control line. We were quickly out, and in a taxi to our Quito hotel. The return journey was virtually the same, except that both return flights were on 737-800s, which had an identical set-up and IFE. I am glad we took Copa on this trip. I recommend it for anyone traveling from the United States or Canada to any point in Latin America. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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