001-PXL_20260319_220...
We turned and passed over JFK just after takeoff. The departure end of Runway...(more)
I went to Sweden to attend a conference and visit a friend.
The trip ran from Thursday March 19, 2026 to Tuesday March 31, 2026.
I flew from Ithaca to New York (JFK), then to Amsterdam (AMD), and then
to Stockholm (ARL), and then took a train from Stockholm to Linkoping.
Here are a few highlights from the outbound trip.
The first leg was
from Ithaca to New York City (JFK). Then JFK to Amsterdam (AMD) overnight.
And finally AMD to Stockholm (ARL). The flight to AMD was a tight
connection, a little over an hour. But we arrived 25 minutes early!
Then we waited 25 minutes for the ground crew to go to the right gate
so we could leave the plane. Then there was passport control where a
sign said only get in line if you flight leaves within two hours. It
was still a big line. Then they started calling for people who were
on a 6:55am flight (like me), and I was pulled out of the line and went
to the front (behind 5 other people).
Fun fact: the video monitors that show the flights and their gate
list a time. It turns out that time is not when boarding ends
but rather how long it should take to get to that specific gate from
where that specific monitor is. Very useful if you know what it means.
If not, one might think the doors will be closing in just a handful
of minutes. So I ran.
After running through the airport (plus a pit stop), I arrived at the
gate where the only people there were the agents. I was trying to
figure out what zone was boarding and then realized that everyone
had already boarded. But the door was still open. I guess the agent
had been alerted someone would be coming because she seemed surprised
and said, "You must have flown through the airport to get here
so quickly!"
I went through the jet bridge, down steps, where a bus was waiting.
I got on and then the doors closed and left. They were waiting for me.
There was no rush to board the plane and it was at least ten minutes
before they shut the doors. So that all worked.
On the Stockholm side, the only adventure was that my suitcase did not
make it on my flight. The baggage attendant asked me what airline,
and when I said "KLM" he kind of rolled his eyes and and asked me the
address of where I would be staying. Linköping is 2 hours by train from
Stockholm, but he didn't seem bothered and said the bag should be at my
hotel by 5pm or so.
My bag wound up getting to my hotel 5 minutes before I got there, so I
didn't have to lug it around or pay to store it while I spent the afternoon
there, so it worked out. At least 10 people at the conference, on different
KLM flights, arrived before their bags did.
001-PXL_20260319_220...
We turned and passed over JFK just after takeoff. The departure end of Runway...(more)
The Arlanda Express goes to and from the airport (in Arlanda) and the central station in Stockholm. To get to the train at the airport requires going down a shockingly steep and long escalator...of DOOOOOM!
The Arland Express takes 18 minutes to go to or from the Stockholm Arlanda airport and the central station in downtown Stockholm. As of March 2026, it cost 640SEK for a round-trip ticket which is around 70USD, which is kind of pricey for such a short ride. It does travel around 170-180 km/h (100 mph), which is faster than any car or bus.
