However, the thought of an empty flight to Europe was more than I could hope for. I was mainly praying for an empty seat next to mine. Nothing worse than my bulk being squeezed in between people on an eight-hour flight!
Well, I am happy to announce that my flight was very empty and very pleasant.
No one in O’Hare had ever heard of the airline I was flying on: Air Baltic. My cab driver cruised the departures strip looking for their sign – it did not exist. Then I looked on the confirmation page I had printed on my computer and noticed in the smallest print:
Operated by SAS – Scandinavian Airlines.
Aha! So I bounded to the SAS desk and asked the reservations clerk. Actualy, I am on a Scandinavian Airline flight. The Air Baltic flight was the connecting flight I take once I get to Stockholm – after a seven-hour lay over…more on that later…
SAS has great service. We got dinner as soon as we took off and all beverages are free. I discover a wonderful beer from Denmark. And since there was no food to buy in Terminal 5, I really had no fattening junk to snack on and I didn’t miss it.
We had a huge movie selection and I had an entire row to myself. I pushed up the armrests and stretched out. Ahhhh…. Nice!
Unfortunately as usual, I could not fall asleep. And per my habit, I didn’t feel sleepy until the last hour of my eight-hour flight. We are served a nice light breakfast at 6:30AM which includes a ham and cheese sandwich – hmmm – I’m not in Kansas any more!
We land. My cell phone beep indicates a text message. It’s from Verizon Wireless:
“Welcome to Sweden!”
My phone automatically goes into international mode and I am ready to receive and make calls. Verizon Wireless rocks! The Network is with me! I text my niece who immediately asks me if there are any gorgeous Swedish men running about! Nope, it’s barely 8:00A.M., no Swedish hunks running around yet.
I have been awake for fifteen hours – eight of which were spent in an airplane.
Now I have a seven-hour layover in Stockholm followed by a two-hour flight to Riga on Air Baltic…
Up next: Arlanda: Stockholm International Airport and the great layover…
Hope you weren’t too exhausted to check out the Stockholm airport and give us the rundown on how it compares to O’Hare!
Hope you weren’t too exhausted to check out the Stockholm airport and give us the rundown on how it compares to O’Hare!
Loved the Stockholm airport!
Loved the Stockholm airport!
P.S. I was able to pull the tray table down in front of me and I did not need a seat belt extender. Lotsa room on SAS.
P.S. I was able to pull the tray table down in front of me and I did not need a seat belt extender. Lotsa room on SAS.