Meeting an older version of Sheldon Cooper ....a pleasant flight to Chicago

So now I am already in Chicago, as always due to the jet lag I am awake at 7AM in the morning but at least now I have some time to write a quick review of the Air Berlin flight to Chicago.

Air Berlin has 2 different business classes today. One is "ok" and the other one is quite modern and actually pretty good. Latest piece of info was I would fly with the old business class but in the last second the plane had changed and I was able to enjoy this:

Before take-off I quickly checked in within 3 minutes because I was allowed to skip the line and then visited the British Airways lounge which was not very spectacular, I just grabbed a coffee to wake up and had a couple of bananas.

Boarding was more or less on time but pash back 30 minutes late...but I didnt really care anymore since I was SOOOO happy that i could enjoy the new lie flat seat.

2 hours into the flight the main dish was served. People who are hungry should stop reading right now ...

 

Marinated shrimps on Zuchini with diced peppers

Spicy Indian chicken breast with butter curry sauce and a lot of other things I forgot

 

Topped of with some 12 year old Glenfiddich...

Food in general was ok. Nothing too spectacular, not too bad. Rating: 6/10



The seat: As mentioned the seat is a lie flat seat, meaning it is basically a bed if you want it to be. As I am not the tallest person I was able to actually fully lie down and sleep for a good 4-5 hours. The entertainment system was decent as well so the whole flight I was in kind of in a "baby Mode":

-> being entertained-->drinking and eating-->sleeping-->being entertained-->drinking and eating-->sleeping-->arrival :)

In total the seat and the entertainment system were really decent. Rating: 8/10


Service: There were 2 flight attendants on that flight for all 12 business class passengers and the difference between both of them couldnt have been bigger:


The BAD:

A 50 year old, quite chubby unfriendly flight attendant. You felt like you were annoying here when asking for another glass of whiskey or wine (and I did that with my new friend Jim quite often). Hey by the way madam, there are people paying €2k for a return ticket, just at least be friendly, right?


The GOOD:

A really really really really good looking flight attendant (surprisingly I remember her name: Charlotte :) ) that was as friendly as it gets. Her English was fantastic, she knew you wanted something before you actually knew it yourself and well...again: she was really attractive :D

In total service was thus an up and down. Rating: 6/10, had I gotten charlottes number which I asked for it would have been a landslide 10/10 winner rating ...


Now the funny part of the flight: Already in the lounge I started chatting with an elderly couple which was from the Chicago area about what I was going to do and what they were doing in Germany and so on. Turns out the husband Jim was a Physics guest professor at Humboldt University in Berlin.

Jims seat was right next to mine so even during the flight we chatted quite a bit and discussed bit about differences of the school systems in Europe and the US. Eventually he saw me watching the Big Bang Theory which he had never heard of. That must have been with 5 hours left to arrival. I talked Jim into watching the show and he started watching the first episode....that was the last time I actually heard of him. He was sooooooo into the show that he watched the whole first season during the remainder of the flight. There was not even time anymore to have another drink with me :)

When leaving the plane he told me that he is going to by the DVD`s of the show right away on the airport now as Sheldon reminded him SO SO MUCH of his own son... (which I dont necessarily think is appealing).

Here he is in his TBBT mode:

 

When leaving the plane I said goodbye to both of them. We exchanged phone numbers so next time when he comes to Germany we can grab a couple of drinks. His wife told me in a secret moment that he must have just been in love with Penny as he "freaking loves blondes" :D

In total it was a great flight all the way through. Good food, enough sleep to gain some energy for the upcoming days and immigration was fast as well.  Transport to the Hotel was easy using public transport and the Hotel is right in front of Lake Michigan...cant ask for more.

Last night I watched the first NBA game but I will write about this in the next episode and summarize my time in Chicago.

So long

Peter