Text 31097, 79 rader
Skriven 2015-09-20 14:51:22 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: AU 262
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QF 730 ADL SYD 0600 0820 738 5C

The reservation through United failed to put an appropriate
program number in, so I'd been kindly assigned an aisle but
in the way wayback of the plane. After my OneWorld number
had been put in, I'd been offered 4C, but as I had two bags,
I opted for the row behind. When I arrived there was a
pleasant youngish woman in my seat, who was reasonably nice
about being evicted to the window. Turns out her flight the
previous day had been cancelled, and she was sitting in her
old seat. She was going to Indonesia to lecture on energy
conservation concerns in building design, and we had a good
chat about climate change and its implications for coastal
settlements. The flight went quickly, and we landed almost
half an hour early, with the expectable wait for a gate and
a marshalling crew. 

They allowed me on the inside-security Qantas transfer bus,
which saved me $5.50 ($17 to 22 if I'd been in a hurry and
needed to take a taxi) - another reason to hate and distrust
Sydney and then to forgive it.

I had to go outside to the checkin to get my onward boarding
passes. The agent was quick and efficient and informed me of
fast-track security and emigration and that I was welcome at
the Koru lounge to while away three hours.

After going through the this time not unpleasant Sydney exit
procedures, I ignored the young lady's advice and hied me to
the Silver Kris, hoping for better food than I'd get from
Air New Zealand. I think I may have been wrong - breakfast
was skimpy and aside from congee with scanty toppings was
the usual western-style starchy uselessness. I'd hoped for
dumplings and satay or at least fried rice or lo mein, but
I looked around in vain. I consoled myself with Martell VSOP
in a special Asian-style blend, harsher than what I am used
to and probably designed for manhood-proving drinking games.
Hennessy and Remy also offer such products, which are no
better. It's almost as though they take VS and jack up the
proof a bit somehow and put it into VSOP bottles.

At 10 savories came out; these were slightly more to my
taste - Moroccan-style chicken wings of appropriate aroma
and appearance but little taste other than salt, sided with
decent basmati, and also lean meatballs (that's what the
sign said) in basil-tomato sauce that were what you'd
expect. Oh, the wings were all drummers; I hope the
catering service didn't charge extra for that - maybe the
staff had eaten all the two-bone joints; I hope so, anyway.

It was 10:30, and a little private address system in my
head said "Annie," and so I trotted off to the Koru lounge
to see her. She was away from her desk, so I went to the
buffet to find ... breakfast, being replaced slowly by
altogether too-healthy-looking wraps and similar. Patience
is rewarded, this time by mini sausage rolls that were
actually really bad. The red wines on offer are both Kiwi
and not too bad - Thornbury Merlot 12 had a bit of oomph
though not much individuality, but the Villa Maria Pinot
Noir 13, a pretty standard-issue new world Pinot, killed
the taste of, er, went much better with the sausage rolls.

Annie, to explain, is a long-time United employee known for
her customer service and the last remaining non-contract
United worker at the station.

It was time to start heading out, but Annie was at the
desk again, and so we caught up (I hadn't seen her in
several years after being an occasional visitor to the
old subterranean digs in the late '90s and '00s). She is
hale and hearty but just a bit grayer than before, as am I,
and suggested that she'll see me a few more times, because
she proposes to work until she's 80! Quite a gal.

She invited me to hang around the club until as late as
possible, quarter of, but I got a little antsy and got
down there mid-boarding.
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