LN-RKP and other worries

Let's face it, if your biggest worry is what type of plane you are going to end up on, then you don't really have that many worries in your life. So that's something to thank a god for. Whichever one appeals to you, take your pick. And unless you are really into travel, the title above will mean about as much to you as the average  Norwegian Government White Paper does. So an explanation for the uninitiated.

LN-RKP is the registration number of an Airbus A340 belonging to SAS. And it has a reputation. It is the only bird in the fleet which doesn't have the updated cabin design that SAS shows on their website. It was originally owned by LAN (Chile), and is apparently only used as a backup when technical hitches arise. But it seems to have been flying a lot recently, and around 2 weeks ago it made several trips back and forth from Stockholm to Hong Kong, the route I am about to fly. Apparently  one of their went tech, and that's the reason why (if the sources on other blogs are correct. But this morning I checked on one of the flight tracking sites and was relieved to see that LN-RKP returned from Boston to Copenhagen early this morning, and is due to traffic the Miami route later today. Making for one happy bunny.

When I originally booked this trip, I planned it so that I could fly Thai Airways new 787-9 (sorry again to the less nerdy - it's a dreamliner and has a good seat setup in business class, and a better in-flight entertainment system, which are great things to have on a 10 hour + flight). Which isn't going to happen as the planes are not allowed to fly more than xx minutes from land and the nearest alternative airport due to worries about the engines. And Auckland where I eventually will be heading is a looooong way from, well, any other human habitation which is not in New Zealand. So no go. Thai replaced it originally with a 777-200 .... with angle-flat seats in business. The type where when you recline them and try to sleep, you slant off onto the floor. At least that's what happens to me. Probably something seriously amiss with my centre of gravity. BUT .... yahoo .... from the beginning of July the Bangkok to Auckland flight seems to be scheduled with a 777-300, which is a whole kettle of sticky rice entirely as far as cabin quality is concerned. Still, we'll see. They apparently have a tendency to change aircraft at the last minute.

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