Family history across the seas

My 2025 A to Z theme is Airports, Airstrips, Aircraft, and Airlines I’ve known and flown with. I’ll be using IATA codes where they’re available. My inner travel agent emerges at this point as I’m the FTO (family travel organiser) and now, the online travel agent.

DPS     Ngurah Rai, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

We first visited Bali in 2005, a few years after the Bali Bombings. Tourism was reduced and we were a little anxious about airport scrutiny. Bali had never been on our travel wish-list but living in Darwin it was another common escape from the isolation of the far north. We went back in 2009 and 2011 and we don’t remember which of the trips gave us a little landing drama. As we were on final approach, our jet suddenly escalated into the climb. When everything settled down, the captain came on to say another aircraft had crossed our allocated runway. Memories of the airport are focused on luggage security, obtaining visas and other boring stuff except for our departure in 2011 when our flight was delayed until stupid o’clock. Sitting in the airport, being driven jittery entertained by gamelan music, I was reading Jack London’s book “The People of the Abyss” and ended up wondering if our enjoyable tourist holidays came to the disadvantage of the local people.

Strangely enough, I’ve missed visiting Bali more often that other places we’ve been. I love the gardens, the courtesy of the people and their devotion to their religion.

DRW   Darwin International Airport, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Living in Darwin for a couple of decades, we’ve flown into/out of Darwin multiple times, both internationally and domestically. Perhaps its most unusual feature is the RAAF hangars that are across the runway from the commercial hub. It also hosts Operation Pitch Black every two years, when military aircraft from many countries practice manoeuvres over the skies of Darwin. Exciting, exhilarating and VERY loud!

You can read some of my posts about Pitch Black here.

It’s an airport different from most others around Australia as no one blinks at ringers and workers from the outback in their RMs and Akubras, mingling with FIFO workers,  or Australian military in uniform. Let along those in singlet shirts, scuffs and board shorts.

Funny things seen/heard at the airport: the pilot getting a full security check and the tourist in the lounge wondering why the pool was heated (it wasn’t, except by the weather).

DXB     Dubai Airports, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Qantas formed a partnership with the UAE airline Emirates (EK) in 2013. Since then. we have flown Emirates many times. We already had a very positive opinion of Emirates, after their kindness and efficiency some years earlier when we had to return to Australia to see a dying family member. We held Qantas (QF) return flights but their helpfulness was non-existent on that occasion.

Dubai is one of those humungous airports that boggle the brain with its scale. Yes, the shopping mall is impressive but also overwhelming so I’m more than happy to escape to the lounge (thanks QF), have a shower, eat and relax.

I felt a bit sorry for the immigration fellow late at night on one occasion when we were staying over. My brain was numb so I completely missed his intended humour in a comment – luckily Mr Cassmob was more switched on.

In 2019, returning from RootsTech London, the aircraft was a bit late and stopped a long way from the gates (quite usual), by the time we got the bus to the terminal there was less than 30 minutes to catch the onward flight to Australia. Lucky for me, the man with the golf cart offered me a lift to the departure gate so I didn’t have to try to run like most people. I literally had mere minutes before boarding and collapsing in my seat. Ah, the joys of travel today.

DUB    Dublin Airport (Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath), Dublin, Republic of Ireland

My first flight into Dublin was back in 1989, not too long before Christmas, and the airport was decorated with features inside and lit up by lights outside.

I remember meeting Mr Cassmob who was meeting me at the airport after visiting family in Abu Dhabi. There were many women dressed in full burqa – the first time I’d seen that.

Since then, I’ve flown into Dublin several times, and I know that, somewhere there are photos taken of the Emerald fields of Ireland. Landing in Dublin always feels like a home-coming because the welcome is so warm (whatever the weather)

DEL      Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India

We’ve arrived at Delhi airport three times over the years. In 1977 we were then moving on to Kathmandu to see friends. I have no recollection of the airport at the time – we were probably both jet-lagged and tired like our two kids.

In 2020, just before Covid entered our worlds, we arrived in Delhi for another small group tour. There is some magic system at work that, no matter how relatively close our seats are to the front, we will always pick the wrong queue at immigration. We landed up behind an extended family who took an age to process. By the time we exited, there was no guide with a sign for our tour. Fortunately, there was another very helpful gentleman who rang the agency and managed to get another vehicle sent for us. By sheer chance we happened to see him later in the day, in his civvies and not his work suit. By bizarre circumstances there were two couples with our surname on the tour as we learned later because they’d received our anniversary flowers from the hotel!

DEN     Denver International Airport, Denver, Colorado, USA

Since these posts are also intended as an aide-memoir for my family, I thought I’d best add this late-comer to my list.

We transited Denver airport a few times on our 1992 trip to the USA as it was (is?) a hub for United Airlines. Even though we didn’t disembark it was fun to see the snow on the tarmac and the mountains and later the views en route Denver to Vegas.

Reflections

This series of posts was not just for A to Z but also to try to assimilate the many trips we’ve taken, when, and which stopovers or transits we had.  I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that even two memories combined haven’t always come up with solutions to every question. More surprisingly, I haven’t found itineraries for all of our bigger trips…maybe they’re still lurking in the memory boxes somewhere.

Have you been to any of these airports? What was your experience or special memories? Do you have a favourite “D” airport?