Perth to London

After years of flying Emirates, with a transit in frenetic Dubai, it was time for a change. I was keen to try the Dreamliner to LHR.

“Perhaps the Boeing 787, with its lower pressure altitude and higher humidity, is a time machine. That is the only explanation as to why the Qantas 17-hour non-stop flight passes so quickly.” So wrote the West Australian’s flight critic on Saturday. I wouldn’t go as far as that. It’s still a long night. A big advantage is the 6.45 pm departure from Perth which means that you can eat dinner at a reasonable time. (It’s after midnight with Emirates). Also, the schedule gets me into Madrid mid-morning, instead of mid-afternoon.

Check-in and bag drop-off is now entirely automated, but fortunately there are plenty of staff around to assist those passengers who are technologically challenged. Gone are check-in counters, just scanning/printing machines. Too hard!

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Arrived in dark, rainy London and LHR is just as frenetic as Dubai. I managed a few hours sleep, as they kept us in the dark for hours - no rush to serve breakfast which finally appeared after 9.00 am Perth time. Dinner had been at 8.30 pm, so it was a long fast!

Shop in Airport.