Back to Scandinavia - MSY-DTW-AMS-ARN (@Delta), ARN-OSL (SAS)

This bar at Schipohl Airport (AMS) is neat...

This has been my third trip to Oslo. The first, in May of 2009, was a side-trip as part of my long (10-week) stay in Europe, where I taught for eight weeks in Altrincham, UK. The British have two Monday "bank holidays" in the spring that precluded my teaching five-day classes those weeks. Hitachi sent me one week to Oslo, one week to Stockholm on that trip. I done good, as it were, so the guys in the office requested I come back for a high-maintenance customer earlier this year. That course (this past March) was a lot of fun, so they brought me back to teach a second group of folks from the same company.

HDS likes when I can come over for more than one class, reducing the hit of the transatlantic airfare. The first week was a class in Kista, Sweden, the tech-centric suburb of Stockholm. Going to Stockholm means getting to Schipohl, then connecting with a KLM "hop" flight. Usually I've done this itinerary through ATL, but I find Hartsfield-Jackson International to be a bit boring of late, so I ventured up to DTW this trip.

The strategy behind flying to Detroit is twofold: First, international flights leaving from a northern city tend to be shorter, and second, I usually get upgraded to first class on the MSY-DTW leg. I didn't get the upgrade this flight! Not sure why not, but I can't complain much, since I had an entire row of an A319 to myself. So, while I didn't get my free cheap Chardonnay, i did have a friendly smile from the flight attendant, a Diet Coke, and the ability to stretch out over three seats. There are worse things in the world.

An hour-and-a-half layover at DTW isn't so bad. With slim chance of an upgrade on the international flight, I grabbed a burger and a beer, the better to skip the substandard airplane food with. By the time I finished goofing around on the computer, they were calling the flight. The gate was only one "moving walk" away, so no worries. Settled into "economy comfort" and I was good to go.

Unlike my Obnoxious Flight Attendant encounter, this flight was quite uneventful. Stayed awake until the first beverage service. Had a glass of wine and pretty much zonked out. When left to my own devices, I'm good about sleeping, and did just that right through to landing.

Arrival at AMS was no problem. They've got a "priority" lane for passport control. Dutch security is solid, but you don't have to take off your shoes, so that went by quickly. A stop in the KLM Crown Club for a mimosa and to check e-mail, and soon enough, the gate for my flight to Stockholm's Arlanda Airport (ARN) opened. Two hours later, the KLM B737 landed and I was off to the suburbs.

The only positive thing I'll say about SAS is that the flight from ARN-OSL was short.