My 5 Most Memorable Flights

What makes a journey really memorable ? Unfortunately, it is often due to disruption, delays or something very negative. But have you landed at the most dangerous airport in the World or had a journey disrupted by Air Force One ?

I have flown all around the World and the following are my 5 most memorable flights !

1. Kathmandu to Tenzing-Hillary airport (Nepal)

When I was planning my trip to Nepal I realised getting to the Himalayas, to start my hike, would be an adventure. I was scheduled to fly from Kathmandu to Tenzing–Hillary Airport. The history channel rated this the most dangerous airport in the world in 2010. It is also known as Lukla airport and Mount Everest airport

The airport has one asphalt runway and it is regularly closed due to high winds, cloudy weather and visibility issues. The runway is 527m (1,719 ft) long and has an 11.7% gradient. It is situated 2,845m (9,334ft) above sea level. It is protected by a chain link fence and Nepalese armed police patrol it 24 hours a day.

So reader you are probably expecting the reason this has been ranked as my most memorable flight, due to the statistics I just provided. However, it was the events which occurred before we left, which added to the dramatic nature of this flight.

We had an early morning flight (scheduled to leave at 7.15am) and arrived at Kathmandu airport about 90 minutes before we were due to leave. I was on a group tour and had just met everyone the night before. Two guides accompanied us. Kathmandu airport is busy but has limited facilities. We were told to wait at some chairs and the guides left us. At least 45 minutes passed by before they arrived back to tell us the flight was delayed. We had all read about the delays so no one reacted. A few people went to look out the widows to see the weather conditions. The time dragged by. One of the group noticed that the TV’s, which had previously been showing news, were now all off. Again we didn’t think much of this and people just chatted in small groups. I was travelling alone and was sitting with a Canadian lady, an Irish man and a German man, all of whom were travelling alone also.

I don’t panic during delays and am never the person who questions the people in authority constantly. But most groups have a so called leader who takes that role. It is always interesting in the first few hours to size up the dynamics in a travel group. A very confident American lady, travelling with her quieter husband, soon took charge. She went off to find our guides and she would come back every 10-15 minutes and complain about the lack of information. You could see from the departure board that no flights were leaving and the airport was getting busier and extremely noisy. After about an hour and a half, a large group of Australians walked by, talking loudly about a crash. Our “Leader” stopped them and asked where the crash was. They told us that the first plane that had left Kathmandu that morning had crashed. It’s never nice hearing about problems when you are travelling, but hearing about a plane crash before you fly isn’t particularly pleasant. People in our group were reacting in different ways, some were upset and some very quiet. When our guides arrived back, our self assigned “Leader” grilled them about what was going on. They confirmed that a light aircraft had crashed that morning and there had been fatalities. They said they didn’t know yet if we would be flying that day. I decided I didn’t want to be around too much drama. Ireland were just about to play in an important rugby match so I went into an internet cafe. The Irish man came with me and the German said he would come and get us, if anything changed. When we got online, he suggested we look for a news website to see if we could learn anything about the crash. I looked on RTE (The Irish National broadcaster) as I also wanted to see if it was being reported at home. There it was the first story on RTE, “Plane crashes in Nepal, no survivors”. I knew I would have to call home quickly. I had called the night before to say I would be starting the hike the following day. I had told my parents that I wouldn’t call for at least 23 days and no one was to worry about me. I knew that if I called my parents during a rugby match, no one would want to talk to me for too long. It was a difficult call but I was very vague. I said I was calling as I didn’t want them to worry as there had been a plane crash. I was vague about what airport I was flying from so they would think the one that had crashed was in a different part of the country.

We both made our quick phone calls and then the German man came and told us we were leaving. Some people were asking the guide if it was safe and several were raising concerns about flying. I wasn’t concerned about getting on the flight as I really thought the chances of a 2nd crash must be very slim. 

We were told to take our rucksacks to a scale and they were weighed. When they were given back to us we walked out to a small aircraft. The guide had everyone’s boarding passes. We were not asked for ID and there were no security checks. The airline was called “Tara Air” which made me smile as I hoped would bring me some Irish luck ! We dropped our bags on the ground and the guides started loading them into the hold. A female crew member greeted us and we took our seats. There was a young man I hadn’t seen before, on the flight. He didn’t speak to anyone. I presumed he was another guide or sherpa. The crew member then started counting heads and boarding passes and a discussion started with our guides. The lead got on the plane and started talking to the man. We learnt later that he wasn’t with them, didn’t have any documentation and was just hitching a ride to Lukla. The discussion continued but he wasn’t moving and it got a little heated for a while. The pilot also came and talked to him. But then the doors were closed and our plane started taxiing on the runway (at 1.45pm). The Irish man said to me “Okay, so we are about to land at the most dangerous airport in the World, an earlier plane has crashed and we have an unidentified person on our flight. Is this really a good idea? ” I just said, I am trying not to think too much right now. But I was wondering about the people who had died that morning. I wondered if they were tourists off on an adventure, just like me (1)

The airplane was tiny and I was sitting in an aisle seat. I could look straight into the cockpit and see what the pilot was seeing. The view was amazing and you could see the mountains and watch the plane navigating its way through them. Then all of a sudden a very small black line was visible. I realised this was the infamous runway. It was as if the pilot steadied the plane, positioned it and headed for this tiny line. It was the most spectacular landing I have ever experienced. We had barely landed, taxied for a few seconds and stopped right before the barrier. 

I really marvelled at how the pilot landed this tiny plane in such a remote location. 

So my most memorable flight was to the most dangerous airport in the world, after a fatal crash and flying with an unidentified person. I am not sure, I will ever beat this experience !

1. I found out when I returned to Kathmandu that 19 people had died on a Buddha Air flight which crashed at Lalitpur, while attempting to land at Kathmandu airport. It was a sightseeing trip and all passengers and crew died. May they all rest in peace !

2. Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar (Tanzania)

My trip to Tanzania was certainly one of the highlights of my travel escapades to date. You can read all about me summiting Kilimanjaro and great moments in the Serengeti in my short stories.

I also went to Zanzibar, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. My safari ended in Lake Manyara National Park where there is a small airport. I was one of 3 passengers who boarded the light aircraft. The pilot was South African and was the only crew member. Tickets or ID’s were not checked and I was driven, by my safari guide, right up to the plane. He placed my rucksack in the hold and I boarded the plane. The other 2 passengers were going to Kilimanjaro and we stopped and they disembarked. I was then the only passenger for the 72 minute journey to Zanzibar.

I was exhausted and fell asleep very soon after we took off. We then encountered a lot of turbulence which woke me up. It was very bumpy and uncomfortable. I am not a nervous flyer but I remember looking out the window and just seeing clouds. As I had been climbing I was well aware of how many mountains were in the region. I was sitting in the 2nd row of the small plane. The pilot had a newspaper open across the window. I could read the headlines and Boris Yeltsin had died. I remember feeling a little bit nervous and thinking of my Mothers reaction if I was in a plane crash. She has always told me she expects to get a call some day saying I got into bother somewhere in the World !! 

I said to the pilot “Are we going to be OKAY, can you see the mountains”. To my horror he replied “don’t worry, we are on auto-pilot”. This is just what you want to hear in those circumstances !!!

Thankfully after a while the turbulence stopped and we had the most beautiful view of Zanzibar and the Indian ocean as we landed in paradise !

3. Flight over the Grand Canyon 

I loved taking road trips during my few years living in the US. Several of my short stories are about adventures when driving around. In one of the first years I was in California, my cousin Roisin visited for a few days. I hired a convertible Mustang and off we went. We drove close to 3,000 miles in 5 days. We went into 5 States (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico).

I had been to the Grand Canyon twice before and had taken a small plane tour once. When Rosin and I arrived at the Grand Canyon, we managed to get places on a tour. The small plane seated 9 people and there was a family of 6 travelling with us.

If you get a chance to take this flight do consider it, as the views of the Canyon are stunning. Most people who visit the Grand Canyon just go to the South Rim as it’s easier to get to. On a plane, you see the North Rim, the Kaibab Plateau, the Zuni corridor, Imperial point and the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado river. 

This flight made my most memorable list for 2 reasons. Naturally the scenery was amazing and extremely beautiful. But all of the other passengers vomited for most of the flight. Rosin and I did our best to concentrate on the view and tried to ignore the sounds and odour around us.

We were both very glad to land, I can tell you !!!

4. LAX to Chicago (USA)

My Father had a serious accident when visiting me in LA in the autumn of 2013. I then travelled back to Ireland to see him and my Mother every 6 weeks for about 18 months after that. I used to fly on Thursday morning and return on a Tuesday. As there was no direct flight I used to fly via various cities. My favourite routes were taking JetBlue to JKF or United to Chicago O’Hare and then Aer Lingus to Dublin. 

The first few flights went like clockwork and I had my few days with my family. I used to leave my house at 4.00am to drive to LAX for my flight. If you have lived in LA or spent any time driving in the city, you will know the traffic can be a nightmare. After doing the journey a few times, I had it timed to perfection. That is until an accident occurred and the journey took hours and I was delayed. It really was the concertina effect as I had one delay after another. It took ages to find a car space, the shuttle bus was late, the queue for the customer service desk was long and it crawled. Thankfully I got a very helpful person and I explained I had a connecting flight to catch. She found me a seat on a flight direct to Chicago O’Hare which landed 45 minutes before mine took off. However, she wasn’t able to book my bag all the way (due to the original booking). She wouldn’t let me take my bag as a carry on, on the first flight.  

I got on the plane to discover I was in the dreaded middle seat. I didn’t care and was so relieved I had a chance of making my connection. The two men on either side of me were large men and it turned out that they were Father and Son. Before the flight took off, they started passing food across to one another. I offered to move and said I would sit in either seat but they declined. They told me they hated middle seats and always sat in the aisle and window. They really seemed oblivious to the fact it was uncomfortable for me. They were both practically sitting on each of my legs (I am small so this was quite an achievement). Passing the food back and forward was rather unpleasant also. I said nothing as I just wanted to focus on getting to Ireland.

How naive was I ? We didn’t take off on time, which allowed my two companions more time to eat. I watched the clock and was counting the time down. Then the captain came over the tannoy. He announced in a very excited tone that we were all in for a treat, something that not everyone would get to see but everyone (especially Americans ) would want to see ! He told us that the leader of the free world (his words) was just about to take off from an adjoining runway and that we were privileged to see Air Force One taking off. He told us all flights would be grounded until it left. People cheered. I groaned and tried not to say out loud what was in my mind. I also didn’t get to see it taking off, as the Father leaned across me and between him and the Son, you could see nothing.

I landed at O’Hare, ran as fast as I could, got my luggage and boarded the train to the International terminal. I didn’t stop until I got to the checkin desk. But it was closed. I ran down to security as I had my boarding pass. They wouldn’t let me through x-ray with my suitcase and told me my flight was closed.

So I spent one of my precious 4 nights at an airport hotel and thankfully flew the following day !

5. London Heathrow to Dublin (England to Ireland) 

I have taken this 80 minute flight more times than I care to remember. I lived in London for 8 years so I took it at least 4 times a year during that time. So why reader did this flight make my top 5 list ?

I had flown from LAX to LHR first and arrived in LHR on December 23rd. After 9/11, there were no direct flights to Ireland for several years so I took different routes. That winter a snow storm caused major disruption in several European countries. I had been keeping track of the weather for days before I left LA. I was meeting my cousin Roisin and her husband (they lived in London) at Heathrow. We were flying together to Dublin and then we were getting the bus to Arklow. My flight from LAX wasn’t very eventful but I didn’t sleep much. I was tired when I landed at Heathrow. I called Roisin when I was walking to the flight connections area, expecting to arrange to meet her somewhere. But she told me she was at home and not going to the airport. When I asked why, she said, have you looked at a departure board ? When I looked up, I realised all flights were cancelled. Roisin was heavily pregnant so had made the decision not to travel and they were frantically trying to figure out how to get food to salvage their Christmas. She told me to try and get to their house and I could see if I could get to Ireland in a few days. 

But I decided to stay at the airport and see if I could get a flight.

So for the next 36 hours, I drank coffee, ate airport food, slept on uncomfortable chairs, dragged my luggage around the terminal (it had been returned during the night so people could make alternative arrangements) and waited. Everyone flying to Ireland on Aer Lingus were all in the same area. We were told that flights might be available to other regional airports. I had no intention of going anywhere but Dublin as I knew it would be practically impossible to get to Arklow from another city in bad weather.

At about 7.30pm on Christmas Eve, we were told that Are Lingus had successfully landed a large plane and they were going to fill it and fly as many people back as possible to Dublin. As I was getting on the plane, I texted some family members asking if anyone had any idea how I could travel down to Arklow (usually a 90 minute bus journey). An uncle replied back telling me that bus services were limited but that the last one going down our way was leaving at 9.30pm. 

I made the 9.30pm bus by seconds. The driver told me when I was purchasing my ticket, that he couldn’t drive into the town and would leave me at the closest exit off the motorway. The bus stopped at 11.45pm, on Christmas Eve and my Dad and uncle were waiting for me. I was so delighted to get home and finish my 3 day journey from LAX to Dublin. I haven’t flown to Ireland via London Heathrow since !

I’d love to hear about your memorable journeys in the comments section or please send me links to your blogs. We all have had them !!!