Geoff Brock & Bruce Gamble
         
     
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Flying from Heathrow to Ushuaia
via Amsterdam and Buenos Aires
Thursday 23rd - Friday 24th March 2023
I decided to fly all the way to Ushuaia, at almost the southernmost tip of South America, without spending time in Buenos Aires, as most people do. It meant a very long spell of continuous travel, with plenty of waiting at airports en-route too, but it meant that I would be at the place from where my ship was due to sail and I could relax without worring about possible travel disruptions. Leaving home at 12 noon on Thursday, I finally walked into my hotel room in Ushuaia 36 hours later (9.00 pm local time).
 
Airport Lounge - Heathrow Terminal 4.
Departing from Terminal 4...
 
...on a KLM Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-190.
 
A delicious meal was served, with excellent service too, on the short flight to Amsterdam.
 
It wasn't long before we crossed the coast of the Netherlands.
 
 
 
It was interesting to fly over the North Sea Canal and see the car ferry that we had used when we visited Amsterdam in 2014 and were taken on a day tour (of what felt like most of the country!) by our friend Peter.
 
 
 
We landed at Schiphol Airport's most remote runway, so it took some time to get to the airport buildings. Even so, there is so much construction going on at the airport, that we were taken to a remote stand, before being bussed to the terminal building.
 
 
Once inside the terminal, it felt just like the old airport that most people like so much. Interestingly, we went directly into the main departure concourse. There were no special procedures for connecting passengers or any attempt to separate arriving passengers from those departing. I thought that a bit a strange, a feeling which was reinforced at the end of the holiday when I returned home via Lisbon and got the full experience of passport checks and security procedures whilst in transit to London. It doesn't say much for consistency within the European Union, but in this instance, I wasn't complaining and headed straight for the wonderful KLM Crown Lounge. I had at least 3 hours to kill and this was the perfect place to do it!
 
 
A small section of the large and quirky business class lounge at Schiphol Airport.
 
Reassuringly, I could see the plane for my onward flight to Buenos Aires from the lounge.
 
I made full use of the hospitality on offer in the lounge.
 
A late night departure for Buenos Aires on the beautiful Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It was my first ever flight on this aircraft type and I was really looking forward to it.
 
I was impressed by the seat. I was sure that I was going to be very comfortable here.
 
 
After a delicious, if rather late night meal, I settled down and had a really long sleep, awaking only shortly before breakfast was served prior to our arrival.
 
 
My sister, Jackie, would have appreciated this.
A free gift from KLM. Highly collectable, I believe.
 
Early morning approach to Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza (Greater Buenos Aires).
 
 
I knew that I had long wait after my early morning arrival until my onward flight to Ushuaia late in the afternoon. I could have travelled by taxi across the city to the other airport for an earlier flight, but I wasn't prepared to take the risk of disruption on the roads by the frequent strikes in the country, so I just accepted that it would be a long day and kept going for walks with my trolley for exercise and to get a change of scene. The day passed quickly enough.
 
 
I did manage to do a bit of plane-spotting while I waited.
 
The light meal I bought was surprisingly tasty.
 
 
It was finally time for my third flight, this time on a Boeing 737-800.
 
 
The service was very good and the staff were lovely,
but the snack was a bit of a come-down from my previous flights!
 
I had a whole row to myself!
 
Crossing the coastline of Tierra del Fuego province.
 
Despite the fading light, the views were wonderful.
 
First sight of the Beagle Channel, as we approached Ushuaia airport.
 
 
 
 
Exiting the terminal building, the strong wind was the first thing I noticed. I was thankful to be greeted by a car and driver from Los Cauquenes, the hotel where I staying. We had a nice chat as we drove the short distance to the hotel, where I was greeted warmly by the staff and had my luggage taken to my room, which was lovely. It was only 9:00pm local time (midnight back home), but I went straight to bed.
 
 
 
©Geoff Brock and Bruce Gamble