Na shledanou (so long), Louisiana! On Friday, March 10, 2023, we began our journey to the Czech Republic. At 3:00 PM, we met at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, LA. Waving good-bye to our friends and family, we headed to the Delta Airlines counter for check-in. All of our checked luggage weighed within the required 50 pounds (praise the Lord!) and we then headed to the TSA security checkpoint. As some of our attendees were “first time flyers” we had to familiarize ourselves with the liquid size limit and other requirements for security (TSA Travel Checklist). We arrived at our gate with plenty of time to spare for the first leg of our journey to Atlanta, GA. This gave us ample opportunity to catch up on some schoolwork before lift-off!
Next, we had a short and uneventful flight to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, GA. With a longer layover, we explored Atlanta’s airport, familiarized ourselves with The Plane Train, and stocked up on snacks for the long flight ahead of us. This was a later flight, so many of the airport stores were closing. Make sure you are aware of what time you will be arriving in a particular airport, as not all of the businesses are open 24 hours.
Once the time to board finally arrived, we pulled on our compression socks and pulled out our neck pillows before settling into our seats. We entertained ourselves with the on-flight movies and games, and got to know each other better before embarking on this journey of discovery!
Although our flight from New Orleans to Atlanta was on Delta Airlines, the flight from ATL to AMS (The Schiphol International Airport in North Holland) was with Delta’s Dutch partner airline KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij) Royal Dutch Airlines. We began to feel some of the cultural differences that we would soon encounter with full force on this flight. The screens on our seats were set to their Dutch setting. We actually had to ask some of our fellow passengers to help us change them. We noted that this is what non-English speakers must feel like in the United States, and challenged one another to be more understanding when interacting with those who do not possess English as a first language when we got back on home soil. As the cabin lights dimmed, we tried to sleep as much as possible as we crossed the Atlantic. By sleeping during the overnight flight, we were able to minimize the jet lag when we arrived in Prague. Next stop: Amsterdam!
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