London to Mumbai

Between booking this trip and now, my flights were changed a couple of times, meaning that I'm now flying from Heathrow rather than Gatwick. This meant an earlier start than I had anticipated this morning, after another largely sleepless night! 

I had my pre-paid breakfast and was on the National Express bus to Heathrow by 7.45am. We got caught in the inevitable rush-hour traffic on the M25, made worse by an accident caused by torrential rain, but we still arrived in plenty of time. I had already checked in online for my flight, so it was just a matter of dropping off my bag and clearing security. My carry-on bag attracted the attention of the customs guys, who confiscated my bag strap because it had metal inside it, and they felt it could be used as a weapon! That's a new one - it's the same strap we took to Africa and South America! They did suggest that I could go back and check my bag in, but I politely refused 😊.

Once I was airside, I spent the waiting time reading and wandering around the airport, marvelling at the amount of Christmas shopping people seemed to be doing. How are they allowed to board their flights with 10 carrier bags? 😂

My Air India flight was scheduled for 13.30. We boarded at around 12.45 and took off on time. It was a full flight. I had the window seat and was joined in my row by two ladies, both of whom were travelling solo. The cabin crew soon came round with drinks and nibbles, followed by a surprisingly good lunch! It was spicy chickpea and potato salad with mint and coriander, even spicier chicken curry with rice and beans, and chocolate and raspberry mousse for dessert. Afterwards, I watched Nomadland, which I don't think I'd seen before, and then tried to get some sleep. I failed miserably! I've never been able to sleep on planes 😊.Read more