NZ Bound

I’m writing this on the A380 in economy class from Singapore to London. To be honest, the 777-200ER from Auckland to London was looking pretty tired and a little dated, and was very full. I didn’t sleep much, but about as much as  I needed to get through the next day. Killed 6 hours at the airport by lounge-hopping and going for a swim at the rooftop swimming pool in Terminal 1 at Changi Airport. However, the A380 is a different beast altogether. The flight is still pretty full, but I think it feels quite roomy. I am on the main deck but might try and go for a look around in a short while, perhaps to the upper deck economy section. I’ve been pretty lucky to get 45D, and though i have a sleepy infant in the bassinet just next to me – they seem very quiet and haven’t heard a squeak from them …yet.

We’re about 3 hours into the flight and I have watched Watchmen, which for an unfilmable graphic novel I thought they did a brilliant job. The soundtrack was very good too, though it was a little spooky when they played ‘All along the Watchtower’ at a key point in the movie. Kate and I have watched all 4 seasons of Battlestar Galactica over the last 3 months. If you’ve watched it, you’ll know how key that particular song becomes as the series unfolds. It has become a bit of a fixation of ours – although the BSG franchise seems to favour the Bob Dylan version, and Watchmen uses Jimmy Hendrix. Still, when I heard the first few riffs, I sat up bolt upright and expected to see Saul Tigh grimacing one-eyed into the camera, muttering, ‘…it’s coming from the SHIP!’

I don’t think this A380 is talking to me quite yet, though it has managed to keep the door to Singapore Airlines open. After the flight from Auckland to Singapore, I had decided to stick to Air NZ pretty much exclusively. However, if prices were considerably different, or Singapore airlines manages to smarten up the 777 Singapore – Auckland leg, they could be back in the game.