I had fun in Incheon airport due to the information on the internet being incorrect. There's always someone to ask and I was soon shuffling along queues and being herded into the departure lounge like human cattle. This is the first time I've been on a plane in 20 years! I was hoping the pilots had more training than the less than smooth local taxi and bus drivers.
I didn't expect much legroom so I wasn't disappointed when I didn't get any. Sitting behind the toilet wall and next to the galley was probably the worst seat on the plane but I was excited at moving on to another country.
Flying above the heavy rain over Seoul was a welcome change and by the time I'd identified most of the food precariously sliding around on my sloping table (my knees were too high...) I was looking down on the beautiful Japanese coastline. The weather was perfect and I guessed the huge volcano above the clouds must be mount Fuji, an awesome sight.
I had more fun at the check in desk at Tokyo airport. Apparently all Japanese tourists to the USA need an ongoing flight booked before entry otherwise they will be deported back to Japan. I said I'm British and this rule doesn't apply to me. They were adamant that this applied to everyone and told me to wait for a customs officer. Naturally I was less than impressed but the custom officer would not let me board the plane unless an onward ticket was purchased. I was lead across the airport to a United Airline desk where they assured me the ticket was fully refundable. It's all about numbers and I'm sure someone is making a profit from all these pre-booked tickets. It was getting close to boarding time and I was now at the back of the queue. Just to make me laugh even more I was chosen for a new type of search involving my bag and myself being searched and weighed so the airline can gauge an average weight of passengers. At least I was 18kg lighter! I soon relaxed into a large 'economy plus' reclining seat with almost enough legroom and a guy with a loud cough to keep me company for the next 9 hrs...
I didn't expect much legroom so I wasn't disappointed when I didn't get any. Sitting behind the toilet wall and next to the galley was probably the worst seat on the plane but I was excited at moving on to another country.
Flying above the heavy rain over Seoul was a welcome change and by the time I'd identified most of the food precariously sliding around on my sloping table (my knees were too high...) I was looking down on the beautiful Japanese coastline. The weather was perfect and I guessed the huge volcano above the clouds must be mount Fuji, an awesome sight.
I had more fun at the check in desk at Tokyo airport. Apparently all Japanese tourists to the USA need an ongoing flight booked before entry otherwise they will be deported back to Japan. I said I'm British and this rule doesn't apply to me. They were adamant that this applied to everyone and told me to wait for a customs officer. Naturally I was less than impressed but the custom officer would not let me board the plane unless an onward ticket was purchased. I was lead across the airport to a United Airline desk where they assured me the ticket was fully refundable. It's all about numbers and I'm sure someone is making a profit from all these pre-booked tickets. It was getting close to boarding time and I was now at the back of the queue. Just to make me laugh even more I was chosen for a new type of search involving my bag and myself being searched and weighed so the airline can gauge an average weight of passengers. At least I was 18kg lighter! I soon relaxed into a large 'economy plus' reclining seat with almost enough legroom and a guy with a loud cough to keep me company for the next 9 hrs...
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