Day 1

Welcome to Our Next Adventure – USA Bound 🇺🇸✈️

This trip has been on our minds for a while now. With the ongoing Iran conflict and the resulting fuel concerns, there was definitely a point where we questioned whether everything would go ahead as planned. If anything, it’s made us appreciate the opportunity to travel even more.

Our journey started in Sydney this time, rather than Adelaide. Ted arrived on Thursday to spend some time with his mum and catch up with friends, while I flew in early Friday morning to meet him. That night, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport ahead of our international departure the following day.

Saturday came around quickly, with a 3:30am start. After a week of early mornings, we’d gone to bed pretty early, but fortunately managed to drift back to sleep for a bit before getting moving. Once up, we packed, had a quick buffet breakfast at the hotel, and made our way toward the airport.

We walked over to QCC (Qantas Central Complex) and caught the staff bus across. Within five minutes, we’d already run into three people we knew—proof of how small the aviation world becomes after more than 20 years in it.

Living in Adelaide for the past five years has definitely softened us, because we’d both forgotten how full-on Sydney Airport can be. Thankfully, no staff travel roulette this time—we booked Business Class with Philippine Airlines, which made check-in straightforward and stress-free.

With lounge access included, we headed into the House Lounge by Aspire. To be honest, it was pretty average—crowded, uninspiring food, and staff who didn’t seem overly interested. It did the job, but we were glad we’d already eaten and didn’t hang around long before heading back into the terminal.

Sydney Airport itself felt chaotic. It brought back memories of Stansted Airport, but without the same sense of organisation. Our boarding gate—number 26—was split into A, B, C and D, and despite the screens telling everyone to relax, the growing line told a different story. We joined it early, which turned out to be the right call. Boarding had already started, and we were quickly put onto buses out to the aircraft.

Once onboard, things improved straight away. The Business Class cabin was comfortable, and the crew were friendly and professional. They showed impressive patience too—especially when one passenger decided to stay on a Zoom call through the entire safety demonstration.

The flight to Manila was around nine hours. Service was solid, the seat was comfortable, and the time passed fairly quickly with a few episodes of Stranger Things and the movie About Time. Sleep, however, was limited.

We were first off the plane in Manila and made our way straight to connections. Despite its reputation, Ninoy Aquino International Airport actually felt calmer than Sydney. We spent our five-hour layover in the Business Lounge, which was simple but noticeably better than what we’d just experienced.

Boarding our next flight, we noticed a big difference straight away. The Business Class cabin was older and definitely showing its age. The flatbed was a bit rickety, and there was no real storage space, but the upside was the amount of room—easily the most legroom we’ve had.

After a long taxi, we were both just waiting for the meal service so we could try to get some sleep. By that point, it was well past midnight back home, so we were definitely feeling it.

Even with the outdated Skybed, we managed to get a bit of rest—more than we would’ve in Economy anyway! The seat did come with a few downsides though. Ted knocked water onto his phone, which stopped working for a few tense minutes, and I managed to temporarily lose a charging cable somewhere behind the seat.

One thing that stayed consistent across both flights was the service from Philippine Airlines—reliable and friendly. Although I think there was a slight mix-up with my vegetarian meal, which seemed to be interpreted as vegan when any butter disappeared pretty quickly!

Eventually, we touched down in Los Angeles. One thing that stood out straight away was the number of wheelchairs waiting at the gate—well over 30—which gives you an idea of how many passengers needed assistance on this flight.

Immigration at Los Angeles International Airport was surprisingly smooth. We were first in line, and it was all over pretty quickly. Baggage claim took a bit longer, but that’s expected at a major airport like LAX.

Getting to our hotel in Redondo Beach was straightforward. LAX now runs a free shuttle to a designated ride-share area, which made things much easier compared to previous trips where we’ve waited ages for transport.

By the time we got to the hotel, it was around 10:30pm. At that point, all we wanted was a shower and a proper bed. With an early 8am flight to Phoenix the next morning, we didn’t have long—but it didn’t matter.

We’d made it to the US, and the trip was finally underwayRead more