[10:00pm, Phoenix, Friday, August 4, 2006]
The morning brought with it an event not seen since the previous Thursday — rain. Heavy duty rain. It was an appropriate mood-setting as I bid farewell to my best friend and depart to the airport (her flight leave later) via taxi. The way to the airport was pretty long, ducking under a runway that was rebuilt to accommodate the Airbus 380 (double-decker plane bigger than the Boeing 747 that we all know of — that one with the hump). It was slightly tricky to discover the Air New Zealand check in booth, and this terminal in Sydney reminds me of the JFK American Airlines terminal (B, I believe) with the multiple vertical rows of check in booths. And unlike every other country I have travel through; Australia Customs mans a buffer zone between the check-in terminal and the security zone toward the departure gates. I do not know quite what they are looking for, other than to make sure we are not taking out a lot of money, or smuggling something.
This experience is specifically different than the way Amsterdam handle their security zone — it was clear that Customs did not really care for what you have done in Australia, while Amsterdam was more concerned on what you could export (explosive/drugs/et cetera).
The lounges for Air New Zealand are as usual top notch, but I was not pursuing any alcohol (way too early for that). The rain forced a cancellation of a flight to Auckland, and our plane arrived at the time we were supposed to depart. However, a quick turnaround, and departure was ensured, and we arrived not too much later than expected.
While in Auckland, I tried my best to find New Zealand currency proof set, but failed to secure anything more than two sets of coins. Apparently, on 31 July 2006, New Zealand decided to save money by changing their coin sizes. They dropped the 5 cents coin, and now have only 5 coins: 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, $1, and $2. The old sized sub-dollar coins are still recognized as legal tender, but only until 1 November 2006, where they will only be accepted at the Reserve Bank in Wellington.
One other thing about Auckland Airport — it is small. Not surprisingly so, but still quite a small size compared to many International airports around the United States. In fact, they have less gates for the International wing than Phoenix airport does – 13 gates compared with 14 (at my best count – this is the concourse B East of Terminal 4.) However, unlike Phoenix which only serves London, and Mexico (Canada flights are boarded pre-cleared by US customs at Canada airports — much easier to manage at about 10 airports there than 50+ here that Air Canada and WestJet serves), Auckland airport serves just about everywhere all over the world — Asia, South America, North America, and Europe (via Los Angeles). I am surprised they do not serve Africa (South Africa) directly yet. Plenty of Cricket and Rugby fans there!
Also, unlike before when I went through, the Air New Zealand lounge in Auckland were showcasing the lay-flat bed on their 747s, which is a very nice thing to see for anyone who have not had the experience. Once again, if we could eliminate turbulence, this kind of experience would be the best way to travel on long-haul flights as it will bring you there fresh and ready for the day ahead.
The meals were good, but forgettable, IFE was as enjoyable as ever (Ice Age 2 was hilarious as hell, even without captioning.) The service was great.
Arriving in Los Angeles, it was fairly easy for me to find my way to the US Airways/Southwest Terminal (which is sorely in a need for a reorganization — it is as if US Airways and Southwest are growling at each other tugging at each other’s gates to dominate the terminal, scaring all the other airlines away, as both fight over the left-behind gates.) I am surprised that US Airways still have not done a nonstop between LAX and FLL (Fort Lauderdale Airport), probably due to lack of planes, but I digress.
The flight back to Phoenix was uneventful, and I am home.
