The flight from England to Paraguay is something I have taken numerous times over the years. And equally often in the opposite direction.
These were of course all pre COVID and so everything mentioned in this article refers to pre pandemic times. It may be a little while before flying between England and Paraguay is so simple once more.
Over the years I have flown with several airlines over different routes. All though departed from London Heathrow. The terminal and airlines changed but the airport remained the same.
Doing so I have been able to discover the route and airline which works best for me. This is via Sao Paulo with Latam. That is have I have flown on the past few occasions.
The journey begins in London in one of the busiest airports in the world. Heathrow Airport. Always a place full of people and activity. Somewhere where reading signs is vital so as to not get completely lost.
Over the years I have flown from Terminals 2, 3 and 4. Another reason for checking all the signs and information. A lot of time could be wasted by someone searching in vain around the wrong terminal for their flight.
My last flight was through Terminal 3. The trip prior to that my flight into London was one of the very last to fly into and almost deserted Terminal 2 before it shut for a refurbishment. I then flew out of Terminal 3. It was though a very long walk to the plane as although the terminal was closed the Terminal 2 gates were still being used.
This time it was more straight forward. Everything located in Terminal 3.
I did the electronic checking in and then went off to find the counter to hand over my bags.
Always I fly to London with one almost empty suitcase and then fly back with two very full ones. Full of all the interesting stuff that can be bought in England. Music, books and clothes mostly.
From there off over to customs control. I waste no time getting through customs control as there is far more to do in Heathrow air side than check in side.
Once through a glance up at the board to see how much time I have to fill before boarding. Also to see what gate I will need. For some reason the flights to Sao Paulo always seem to use the gate that involves to longest walk.
That done I settle down for a couple of hours doing things I won’t be doing again for a while. A look around the English shops and an English beer.
However there are only some many times someone can look through the duty free and eventually all that is left to do is take and seat, watch the information boards and wait for my flight to be called.
This is when time goes the slowest. When you run out of little things to fill the minutes with clocks seem to almost grind to a halt. Normally I get the fidgets and explore every last corner of the departure lounge hoping to find something interesting I had missed.
Eventually the message to head to the gate does appear. Then I can begin my long hike. Mostly walking but in part on moving floorways. They though travel at less than walking pace.
On the way to the gate I pick up two or three English papers. They are free to take and will give me something to read in Asuncion.
Then at the gate some more chairs and a bit more waiting. It is quite late by now as the Sao Paulo flight leaves after 10 pm so as to fly through the night.
Soon though everyone is on the move and filing into the plane. A smart Boeing 777 for the Latam flight to Sao Paulo.
I always take an aisle seat. A bit more room and no chance of being squashed either between two people or up against a wall. Sitting on the aisle the occasional collision with the food trolley is inevitable. That though is a price I am happy to pay for a bit of elbow room.
The plane slowly fills. My small bag goes in the overhead locker with ease. At the same time others are trying to squeeze in bags almost as large as my suitcases. I can never understand how people might think that was a good idea.
Then once loaded we are off. Down the runways and into the dark London air. The M25 is clearly visible but soon we climb so high that any pattern in the lights below that is not obscured by clouds is hard to make out.
The it is onwards clipping the corners of France and Spain before heading out over the Atlantic.
Every seat these days has its own DVD player so after a quick flick through the in flight magazine I find myself a film to watch for the next couple of hours.
As that reaches its conclusion the trolleys of food appear from the galleys and the plane fills with the aroma of hot food.
Many people complain about airline food but I always get something I enjoy and never let any go to waste. The couple of large glasses of wine that can also be obtained probably help.
Then once everyone is fed the lights dim. I try and get some sleep but sitting in a chair is never the best way to do that. I drift in and out of sleep for a few hours waking whenever my position becomes uncomfortable.
I am used to sleeping like that on planes. So I don’t get frustrated and am awake enough to do all that needs to be done at the other end.
Everyone gets a bit of sleep.
By the time the lights come on the plane has crossed the Atlantic and is travelling south over Brazil on the final leg of its journey.
Along again come the food trolleys. This time with some breakfast. It is still long before dawn but everyone needs waking.
That done and cleared away it is just one further hour before we descend towards Brazil.
As the sun starts to rise the plane lands in Sao Paulo. Early as it may be there it is already far warmer than it was in London.
The flight from London take approximately 12 hours. Such long haul flights come into the main Guarulhos airport which is some miles outside Sao Paulo.
This I find a very easy airport to use and one I enjoy travelling through. There are 3 terminals but they are all in the same building.
The airport building at Guarulhos is large and open plan. Downstairs is called Terminal 1 and upstairs the only indication that you have walked from Terminal 2 into Terminal 3 is the signage. The first half of the building called Terminal 2 and then the far end called Terminal 3.
At the far end there is a large glass window with seats looking out onto the runway from where the comings and goings of planes can be observed.
The gates themselves are simply doors along the sides of the building which lead directly to the aircraft. Never a need to go hunting down long corridors for a plane.
In Sao Paulo as all Latam flights are interconnected it is never more than a couple of hours to wait for the connecting flight onto Asuncion.
The airport is busy but far less so than Heathrow. Two hours is ample time to wander around the shops and maybe pick up a few Brazilian gifts. This still being very early in the morning many are only just opening for the day.
The plane to Asuncion uses Terminal 1. This lower level of the airport is just chairs and doors, no shops down there. it is used by short haul flights such as the one to Asuncion.
For here there is no walkway connected to the aircraft. Instead everyone must squeeze onto the bus and be driven out onto the tarmac where the plane is waiting.
This is a much smaller Airbus 320 and portable steps lead up from the ground to the cabin.
Inside there is still a magazine but no TVs with DVD players. For entertainment there is only the Latam app.
Once everyone in on board we head off down the runway and up into the hot Brazilian sky. The flight over to Asuncion takes about two hours.
Often the sky is blue and clear. Once the seeming never ending skyscrapers of Sao Paulo are left behind the ground looks green and rural with just the occasional settlement. On a clear day the great dam at Itaipu is visible from many miles away.
Over Paraguay the land becomes more rural still. Here everything is green trees, brown dirt tracks and wide slow rivers.
On this flight there is also refreshments. It though is little more than a snack designed more to pass time than fill stomachs.
Then in no time at all the plane is banking over the Rio Paraguay and heading down to land at Silvio Pettirossi airport in Asuncion. The airport only receives a few flights a day so every flight can come straight in without having to worry about circling in a holding pattern.
By now it is midmorning and the day is heating up.
Passing through a small airport one plane load at a time little time is needed between leaving the aircraft and passing though customs.
From there it is out of the terminal building and into one of the many taxis sitting waiting for passengers.
Soon I am out of the airport and heading once more for the heart of Asuncion. There a couple of days of sightseeing before finally heading home.
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