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Firstly apologies that this is a photo free trip report but I managed to pack my camera in my checked in luggage both ways.
So for all of you who do not wear anoraks GYD is the code for Heydar Aliyev International airport in Baku the capital of Azerbaijan. This was to be a weeklong trip for work.
I have described the security arrangement at TLV in other trips reports so will not repeat them here. This was the first time I had left TLV on a Saturday and I had forgotten how empty it is on a Saturday with it being the Sabbath and therefore no religious Jews will travel. I got through security in record time and was soon checking in. For some reason TK don’t offer OLCI from TLV however it was not a problem as the flight to IST was fairly empty so I still managed to get an aisle seat which I prefer. I was also able to check in for my onward flight to GYD. As *G through LH I was given an invite to the Dan Lounge and I went straight through passport control and to the lounge. This is the same lounge that all airlines except El Al use. Normally when I leave from TLV it is mid afternoon when a number of flights leave to Europe and the lounge is packed. However today I was there a couple of hours later and it was virtually deserted. The lounge is fairly basic offering some limited food and drink but it does have free wifi (as does the whole of TLV).
Although they do make flight calls from the lounge I decided to head to the gate before the call went out as I am totally paranoid about not be able to find room for my hand luggage. However it turned out I timed it perfectly arriving at the gate just as the announced the call for boarding. On my boarding pass it had printed GROUP A, however they did not board by groups (nor did they on any the flights I took). According to my itinerary the plane was supposed to be an A321 but looking out of the window at the front of the air bridge I recognised the nose of a B737 and sure enough it was a B737-800. It turned out the flight was only about 75% full and I had an empty seat next to me. The guy in the window was heading to Bangkok so I wonder if he made it and if he did will he ever be able to leave.
We pushed back on time and soon were heading towards IST. Shortly after takeoff the Captain came over the PA to introduce himself and give us some flight details. The flight was only 2 hours and the crew came around very quickly to serve the snack offered on this flight. The snack was reasonably substantial with a small humus salad, a selection of cold meats, some cheese and biscuits, a bread roll and a dessert. There was also a full bar service. The most noticeable thing for me was that even in Y they had metal cutlery. The crew quickly cleared up and offered tea and coffee. The last bit of the flight had quite a bit of turbulence and I was quite surprised how much we bounced about without the captain putting on the fasten seatbelt sign. Anyway we were soon safely at IST airport.
I only had a 1.15hr connection. So I headed straight to the transit area which as I already had my boarding pass just meant going up the escalator to the departure area. The wing where the gates are is rather old and dark looking therefore it was a bit of surprise to get into the main part of the airport to find it open, bright and modern looking. There seemed be a good selection of shops but as I had such a short layover I wanted to head straight to the lounge. I entered the lounge to find it was absolutely packed. I was just about to leave when I noticed someone leaving and I managed to nab their chair. I had a quick look around there was a limited food selection with some soup, sandwiches, salad and biscuits. There was also a limited drinks selection. The decor was the most striking thing with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the TV’s on the wall mounted in picture frames. I only had a few minutes there before it was time to head for my flight to GYD. I headed to gate 207 and saw it was down an escalator which I correctly guessed meant that it was a bus gate. There was one common security area for all the bus gates. As I walked up to it there were huge numbers of people waiting in front of the security area and I was thinking it was going to take ages to get through but it soon became apparent that most of them were just standing around and not trying to get through security (I have no idea why) and in fact there was no queue to get through security. Again my timing was perfect and no sooner had I gotten through security than they called for boarding. We were bussed out to the plane and again it was a B737-800.
I had been given an exit row seat for this leg which was a nice surprise especially as the flight was totally full so no empty seat next to me this time. We were soon all boarded but then we just sat there for an hour, with no explanation, before we finally took off. Once we were airborne again the captain came on the PA to give us details of the flight, it was only a 2.15hr flight to Baku. Shortly after this the FAs came round with menus. Yes even though this flight was only 15 minutes longer than the previous leg they were offering a full hot meal with two options. What made this even more remarkable was this flight was really turbulent so the fasten seatbelt sign was on for the majority of the flight and the crew had to sit down as well as we really were bouncing all over the place. Every time the turbulence subsided a bit they would jump up and serve a couple of people and when it got worse again they would dash back to their seats. The options were chicken or beef. I went for the chicken kebabs with rice. The chicken was rather tasteless but the rice was really nice. They again had a bar service with dinner. I asked for a scotch and unlike most airlines rather than having miniatures they have whole bottles and filled up an entire standard plastic airline cup with scotch. I must admit I was quite merry by the time I had finished it.
We soon landed at GYD. This is a really is not one of the most modern airports in the world. It is very dark and bland inside with lots of bare concrete. It was just a short walk to the immigration hall. Here there are lots of people hanging around offering to help you, if you help them (financially). I needed to get a visa on arrival and it is a bit strange (but not strange enough that you need to pay someone to help you). You have to go to one of the immigration desks get stamped into the country and then you go to the visa window. You need to fill out a visa application form and have two passport photos. Unfortunately it was at this point that I realised that I had forgotten my passport photos. Luckily there is someone there who will take your photo. I asked how much and he said 8 Euros. I only had USD so I ask how much in USD and he said 16. I thought hold on it’s not 2USdto the Euro and questioned it. He replied yes I am quite right he meant to say it is 12 Euros or 16 dollars. As I was in no position to bargain I handed over the 16 dollars (It appears that the credit crunch is even hitting the photo guy in Baku airport as when I mentioned what I had to pay for my photos they said the last they had heard he was charging 20USD). I went to the visa desk handed over my completed form and photos and noticed that the cost of the visa varies depending on where you are from. The USA is the most expensive at USD131, followed by the UK at USD100, and then schengen countries are at USD60. Other countries are on request. The lady in front of me (I couldn’t see where she was from) was being asked for USD40. She asked how much it would be in GBP and got told it was GBP40 as well, they really do have some weird exchange rates in Baku airport (although the way the pound is going at the moment it will not be too long before it really is 1:1 with the USD). I was soon through immigration and again my timing was perfect as my suitcase had just arrived on the carrousel. I went out into the arrivals hall to and was pleased to see my driver waiting for me.
Although as it turned out I would not be so pleased to see this driver as he turned out to be one of the dodgiest drivers I have ever had. We were heading into Baku and I noticed we were driving down on the left hand side of the road I was just thinking that is strange when I realised that the driver was on the left and that we were driving down a motorway on the wrong side of the road. He finally managed to cross over the correct side. As we came to the end of the motorway there was a big junction and all the cars in front were stopped for the red light. We got closer and closer and still the driver didn’t slow down. We had just passed the point where I thought that we were definitely going to crash into the car in front when he returned to planet earth and slammed on his brakes. I was amazed he actually managed to stop without hitting the car in front by about 1 minute. He then started madly beeping his horn, flashing his lights and yelling abuse at the driver in front. It then turned out he had no idea where my hotel was and we drove around Baku for about 30 minutes before he stopped to ask someone .
So for all of you who do not wear anoraks GYD is the code for Heydar Aliyev International airport in Baku the capital of Azerbaijan. This was to be a weeklong trip for work.
I have described the security arrangement at TLV in other trips reports so will not repeat them here. This was the first time I had left TLV on a Saturday and I had forgotten how empty it is on a Saturday with it being the Sabbath and therefore no religious Jews will travel. I got through security in record time and was soon checking in. For some reason TK don’t offer OLCI from TLV however it was not a problem as the flight to IST was fairly empty so I still managed to get an aisle seat which I prefer. I was also able to check in for my onward flight to GYD. As *G through LH I was given an invite to the Dan Lounge and I went straight through passport control and to the lounge. This is the same lounge that all airlines except El Al use. Normally when I leave from TLV it is mid afternoon when a number of flights leave to Europe and the lounge is packed. However today I was there a couple of hours later and it was virtually deserted. The lounge is fairly basic offering some limited food and drink but it does have free wifi (as does the whole of TLV).
Although they do make flight calls from the lounge I decided to head to the gate before the call went out as I am totally paranoid about not be able to find room for my hand luggage. However it turned out I timed it perfectly arriving at the gate just as the announced the call for boarding. On my boarding pass it had printed GROUP A, however they did not board by groups (nor did they on any the flights I took). According to my itinerary the plane was supposed to be an A321 but looking out of the window at the front of the air bridge I recognised the nose of a B737 and sure enough it was a B737-800. It turned out the flight was only about 75% full and I had an empty seat next to me. The guy in the window was heading to Bangkok so I wonder if he made it and if he did will he ever be able to leave.
We pushed back on time and soon were heading towards IST. Shortly after takeoff the Captain came over the PA to introduce himself and give us some flight details. The flight was only 2 hours and the crew came around very quickly to serve the snack offered on this flight. The snack was reasonably substantial with a small humus salad, a selection of cold meats, some cheese and biscuits, a bread roll and a dessert. There was also a full bar service. The most noticeable thing for me was that even in Y they had metal cutlery. The crew quickly cleared up and offered tea and coffee. The last bit of the flight had quite a bit of turbulence and I was quite surprised how much we bounced about without the captain putting on the fasten seatbelt sign. Anyway we were soon safely at IST airport.
I only had a 1.15hr connection. So I headed straight to the transit area which as I already had my boarding pass just meant going up the escalator to the departure area. The wing where the gates are is rather old and dark looking therefore it was a bit of surprise to get into the main part of the airport to find it open, bright and modern looking. There seemed be a good selection of shops but as I had such a short layover I wanted to head straight to the lounge. I entered the lounge to find it was absolutely packed. I was just about to leave when I noticed someone leaving and I managed to nab their chair. I had a quick look around there was a limited food selection with some soup, sandwiches, salad and biscuits. There was also a limited drinks selection. The decor was the most striking thing with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the TV’s on the wall mounted in picture frames. I only had a few minutes there before it was time to head for my flight to GYD. I headed to gate 207 and saw it was down an escalator which I correctly guessed meant that it was a bus gate. There was one common security area for all the bus gates. As I walked up to it there were huge numbers of people waiting in front of the security area and I was thinking it was going to take ages to get through but it soon became apparent that most of them were just standing around and not trying to get through security (I have no idea why) and in fact there was no queue to get through security. Again my timing was perfect and no sooner had I gotten through security than they called for boarding. We were bussed out to the plane and again it was a B737-800.
I had been given an exit row seat for this leg which was a nice surprise especially as the flight was totally full so no empty seat next to me this time. We were soon all boarded but then we just sat there for an hour, with no explanation, before we finally took off. Once we were airborne again the captain came on the PA to give us details of the flight, it was only a 2.15hr flight to Baku. Shortly after this the FAs came round with menus. Yes even though this flight was only 15 minutes longer than the previous leg they were offering a full hot meal with two options. What made this even more remarkable was this flight was really turbulent so the fasten seatbelt sign was on for the majority of the flight and the crew had to sit down as well as we really were bouncing all over the place. Every time the turbulence subsided a bit they would jump up and serve a couple of people and when it got worse again they would dash back to their seats. The options were chicken or beef. I went for the chicken kebabs with rice. The chicken was rather tasteless but the rice was really nice. They again had a bar service with dinner. I asked for a scotch and unlike most airlines rather than having miniatures they have whole bottles and filled up an entire standard plastic airline cup with scotch. I must admit I was quite merry by the time I had finished it.
We soon landed at GYD. This is a really is not one of the most modern airports in the world. It is very dark and bland inside with lots of bare concrete. It was just a short walk to the immigration hall. Here there are lots of people hanging around offering to help you, if you help them (financially). I needed to get a visa on arrival and it is a bit strange (but not strange enough that you need to pay someone to help you). You have to go to one of the immigration desks get stamped into the country and then you go to the visa window. You need to fill out a visa application form and have two passport photos. Unfortunately it was at this point that I realised that I had forgotten my passport photos. Luckily there is someone there who will take your photo. I asked how much and he said 8 Euros. I only had USD so I ask how much in USD and he said 16. I thought hold on it’s not 2USdto the Euro and questioned it. He replied yes I am quite right he meant to say it is 12 Euros or 16 dollars. As I was in no position to bargain I handed over the 16 dollars (It appears that the credit crunch is even hitting the photo guy in Baku airport as when I mentioned what I had to pay for my photos they said the last they had heard he was charging 20USD). I went to the visa desk handed over my completed form and photos and noticed that the cost of the visa varies depending on where you are from. The USA is the most expensive at USD131, followed by the UK at USD100, and then schengen countries are at USD60. Other countries are on request. The lady in front of me (I couldn’t see where she was from) was being asked for USD40. She asked how much it would be in GBP and got told it was GBP40 as well, they really do have some weird exchange rates in Baku airport (although the way the pound is going at the moment it will not be too long before it really is 1:1 with the USD). I was soon through immigration and again my timing was perfect as my suitcase had just arrived on the carrousel. I went out into the arrivals hall to and was pleased to see my driver waiting for me.
Although as it turned out I would not be so pleased to see this driver as he turned out to be one of the dodgiest drivers I have ever had. We were heading into Baku and I noticed we were driving down on the left hand side of the road I was just thinking that is strange when I realised that the driver was on the left and that we were driving down a motorway on the wrong side of the road. He finally managed to cross over the correct side. As we came to the end of the motorway there was a big junction and all the cars in front were stopped for the red light. We got closer and closer and still the driver didn’t slow down. We had just passed the point where I thought that we were definitely going to crash into the car in front when he returned to planet earth and slammed on his brakes. I was amazed he actually managed to stop without hitting the car in front by about 1 minute. He then started madly beeping his horn, flashing his lights and yelling abuse at the driver in front. It then turned out he had no idea where my hotel was and we drove around Baku for about 30 minutes before he stopped to ask someone .
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