We've had so much going on in the past few weeks, with finishing up our jobs in Brisbane, farewelling friends and colleagues, and preparing our house to rent out, that we haven't stopped to take in the holiday idea. All of a sudden the stress is gone and we're on our way!
Ten kilometers above the ocean, we are being very well looked after by the friendly Virgin Australia crew. A big thank you to Amy B @ Virgin for the special treatment!
Due to high tail winds, it was only a 12 hour trip across today - at an average ground speed of 1000kph.
For the second time this year we've arrived in LAX before Customs staff start work, so have had to remain seated on the plane until 6.30am. We had the pip on the other Aussie jets but by 6.30, two Qantas B747s had arrived as well. There are usually six heavy jets that arrive from the east coast of Oz at the same time in the morning, making the Immigration line very long.
Luckily we chose the right line this morning, but then the wrong one at Customs. Patience is definitely required!
We dropped our bags for the connecting flight and walked around to Terminal 3 to pick up some boarding passes. Virgin Australia checked the bags through to NY but we didn't get boarding passes from them. No problem, the kiosk provided them in minutes. Into another long line at security and then we were through!
Breakfast at Gladstone's in Terminal 3.
There isn't much to do in this terminal, but there is a Virgin America lounge called The Loft. It's not big or luxurious, but it has a great view of the 06-24 parallel runways. You can access the lounge even if you aren't a member by paying a one-time access fee.
There was a delay in boarding which saw us very tired and lacking in humour, but an hour later we were safely on board and fast asleep!
It's a 5.5 hour flight across to New York, and it was crowded.
I decided long ago that transiting to another flight in the USA after arrival in LAX is something I would avoid as my capacity for delays, lines and unexpected requirements is reduced due to fatigue. Twice this year we've carried on to another flight after arrival, and I can safely say that we're going back to the rule! It really does make for an extraordinarily long day if you can't sleep sufficiently on the aircraft.
The trip was 30 hours, door to door.
On arrival we were parked off the gate and ferried by bus to the terminal to collect our bags. No delay for a taxi and 45 minutes later we were standing in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt New York, at Grand Central Station, East 42nd Street!
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