Away 1, Continued

Well, I didn't sleep for that last hour on the flight. I couldn't find the energy to continue with this either.

The next character from the departure lounge was a Spanish gentleman, probably in his early 30s. In tring to describe him, I get an image of Guy from Green Wing in my head. Just imagine him tanned and wearing an orange jumper and blue Clarkson-esque jeans. He received a call on his phone and then went on to talk fairly loudly in Spanish and wondered aimlessly around the lounge whilst talking.

The final character made everyone cringe internally. A woman of late 50s was accompanied with a small girl of 6 or 7 years. Talk about nannying. This woman, who dressed like she was trying to become part of the Beige Brigade early, had an apparent need to narrate her every action. They sat down in the row ahead of me. The woman asked the girl quite loudly (and in an awful English accent) if she needed "a tiddle". You could tell everyone in the vicinity was trying to look elsewhere and asking if this woman could say it any louder. She then told the girl she was going to the toilet, pointed out the location of the toilet, and then told the girl she would be back in a minute - which she then repeated another 2 times before finally going. The girl preached into a backpack to get her earphones and briefly and blankly looked at the people sitting opposite. What go me was that she didn't look embarrassed, nor did she look unembarrassed. The only word I can think of to describe what that glance said is internal.

Around half 7, the boarding call was broadcast. We talked up a hall painted light mint green. I don't know why they broadcast the call, as we then stopped and had to sit in plastic chairs that looked like they had been lifted right out of the local school. Memories of poorly heated/insulated classrooms filled my mind - there was also something so 70s-feeling about the design of the hall. Finally we were allowed through to board - I'm only used to walking to the plane on the taxiway at foreign airports. Though, to be fair, we didn't need a bus, the plane was almost parked like a car right outside.

The relief. It's not Ryanair.

I know the layout of Glasgow airport from years of taxiing there, about the only signs we had reached the start of the runway was the left turn and the roar of sudden full-thrust. Strikes me, as an amateur flight-simmer, that such piloting is dangerous and encourages impatience. The minute you cease to be sure of a machine's safety is the minute in which an accident becomes very likely.

I forgot to mention Prestwick's claim to fame: Elvis made his only appearance in the UK there - stopping over on his way back from military service in Germany. He was there for all of 5 minutes and ate fish 'n' chips, but from the way this fact is constantly mentioned, you'd think he lived here for a number of years - becoming engrossed in his adopted homeland of Scotland.

Anyway, is it just me or do all A320s have the same speckled line "wallpaper"? I think 757s have it too.

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