The ATR 72-500/600 is a tiny twin propeller-motored craft that only allows you to exit from the back.
I like to get off a plane as quickly as possible so choose an aisle seat on the last row (row 17) during my online check-in. Unfortunately when I hand over my boarding pass to board the plane at the gate there is a ‘beep beep’ and a flashing red light. “Oh Mr.
XXX, we have changed your seat due to less than expected guests on this flight and in order to balance the aircraft, you are now in seat 4C”.

Damn!!! Now I am at the front of the plane and it will be a long wait to get off.

As I am writing this pre take-off….
Embarrassment Alert!!!
– I have sat in the wrong seat (should be 4D not 4C much to the amusement of the make-up caked flight attendant and guest whose seat I am sitting in.

This must be one of the most uncomfortable and noisiest planes in the VA fleet. Tiny, hard patent leather grey (dull) seats that do not recline in a 2 x 2 configuration. And freezing! My only blessing is that there is no one next to me.

A quick snack is followed as soon as we are in the air consisting of a choice of juice or water and a Blueberry, Ricotta, and Lemon Muffin – perfect for the 40 min flight, especially after gorging myself on muesli with soy milk, brown toast with a hard boiled egg and slice of cheese, and a freshly brewed Expresso in ‘The Lounge”.

We land on time at 9.05am and I alight sometime after I had originally planned on doing so…

Rating: 6/10 (noisy as hell)