Wednesday, May 07, 2008

IAH-DXB via EK 212

Dubai again.

This time I finally got to take advantage of the non-stop flight from Houston that Emirates began operating last December. It was about as I had suspected, with attentive service, decent food, good in-flight entertainment and (relatively) comfortable seats. My only disappointment was that, unlike the Airbus A340s in Emirates' fleet, their Boeing 777s don't come with footrests in coach class.


The flight was no more than two-thirds full, which was somewhat surprising but probably due to the fact that Monday just isn't a big travel day. Most of the passengers appeared to be Indians and Pakistanis on their way back to the Subcontinent via Emirates' hub at Dubai. Of those passengers whose final destination was Dubai, I was probably one of the few who did not work in the petroleum industry.


The flight was about fifteen hours long. I didn't sleep. I did listen to a lot of music. The CD-on-demand collection in Emirates' in-flight entertainment system is impressive.

But the best thing was this: I got on a plane in Houston, and off of a plane in Dubai. No connections. No transfers. No long layovers. Oh, and did I mention that I earned Continental OnePass miles on this flight, too? Hopefully, this is how I'll be able to travel between Houston and Dubai from now on.

But for now, it's time to get back to work. This rotation will last until June 3rd. A brief survey of the schedules for my projects here suggests that a third rotation from mid-June to early July is very likely, and a fourth trip in July-August is also a possibility.

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