Yesterday was another bad weather day in the Northeast. One thing you learn flying this airline is history always repeats itself. Not wanting a repeat of two weeks ago, when flights from White Plains to Philly all cancelled, after posting delays, and receiving assurances they would eventually go, I threw myself on the mercy of the CP line, which surprisingly, OK'd me to switch, no charge, to LGA, and gave me a First Class seat on the 5PM Ft. Lauderdale nonstop. Only one hitch. Because of a short runway, weight, and wind, we had to flag stop in RDU for fuel, which delayed the flight by an hour. I soon realized why they were good about the seat. Even though it was day of departure, and the back of the plane was full, and upgrades are free, even for Silver, a quick look revealed I was the only person in the cabin. So much for yields. It's no wonder they have dropped pre board. Regulars continue to be in short supply. Meantime, we can't make a 1000 mile trip on a 737-300 without a stop. Is that any way for a grown up airline to operate? I've had that happen often in the old days on transcon 737's, but this one was within the range of an RJ. They can't keep doing stuff like this. At least the trip was interesting. At the last minute, Ronnie Brown, late of Auburn, and the number 2 NFL draft pick (Miami), and his agent, jumped on, and sat down. Once they announced the stop, a few people created a ruckus, and some got off. Brown's agent was annoyed, because there was no air phone, and he couldn't find out how some of his other clients made out. I checked to see if the gas delivery in Raleigh came in a Sam's Club truck. It didn't. Least concerned passenger. Brown. He slept all the way.

Cool to read, especially as a Dolphins fan. I wonder why his agent hadn't booked a private jet for his client, as a lot of them do. Did you get a chance to converse with either of them?

At 7,000 feet, LGA runways do not allow a large margin of error on takeoff. Add 80 to 120 MPH headwinds after the cold front passage, the forecast for IFR conditions in south Florida as the front had not passed there as of mid-day and the reserves needed to go to the alternate made for a bad combination. It sucks. People sometimes forget that winds aloft really affect aircraft going down the coast. I used to go BWI-SRQ non-stop without a problem in my Aztec, but occasionally a stop in Jax or Gainesville was needed based on winds or Sarasota weather.

More than the agent not chartering a plane, where was part of the Huizinga Air Force? He's got so much lift that he can afford to have his BBJ stop in St. Augustine so that someone can walk his dog. Don't you know the controllers love hearing, "We don't need the FBO, just a patch of grass".

When the Jags have had high draft picks (which have been all too frequent), Wayne Weaver's plane has either been at Teterboro or waiting on the ramp at JAX to get the newest millionaire. Maybe that's indicative as to why the Phins have not won under current ownership.

That's right. With my multitude of trips to/from FLL, I always see the Huizenga fleet of Dolphins logoed aircraft parked on the north side, he could have sent one of those to bring Ronnie Brown down.

Hey, lots of airlines have stopping nonstops...
sometimes they're scheduled as "direct" flights and hidden away (like Southwest does when you try to book- very sneaky!)
or sometimes they're not scheduled like yours...or like the occasional Jetblue A320 transcon w/stop in SLC to fuel up.

What the hell...I wasn't going anywhere anyway. Besides, I've been a Jets season holder for over 20 years. In answer to the question, the kid slept, but the agent was talkative. Seems he had his guys picked 2nd, 9th, and 14th, by the time we took off. I suggested he buy the gas, if it would help. By the way..nicest surprise...I mentioned to the F/A that I missed the XO's, and she comes back and shares her own pack of M & M's. We do fly this outfit because they have great folks working there, you know.

What the hell...I wasn't going anywhere anyway. Besides, I've been a Jets season holder for over 20 years.

Hey Deel-

Were the Jets at this year's draft? No first rounder and a kicker in the second round. Last kicker that went that high was Janakowski to the Raiders in the 1st round. And he's such a solid citizen.

Maybe they had a good Sunday.

The Jets are never anywhere by the end of the season, and didn't figure prominently in the early rounds. It's one of the nice things about being a ticket holder. They never interfere with your Christmas and New Year holiday plans. Following those guys for all these years helps explain why I still fly USAir. Oh boy...where's Walt Michaels when you need him?

I take it that you were originally ticketed to another NYC airport and flew standby to a co-terminal? How did you get them to do this? The fare rules for a lot of tickets (but not all) allow it, but the frontline employees I've dealt with (outside the Northeast) don't know about the co-terminal rule.

I take it that you were originally ticketed to another NYC airport and flew standby to a co-terminal? How did you get them to do this? The fare rules for a lot of tickets (but not all) allow it, but the frontline employees I've dealt with (outside the Northeast) don't know about the co-terminal rule.

They certainly should.... this rule has been around a very very long time. We're talking decades. In fact, on the fare rules of their screens, it clearly outlines which cities are considered co-cities. I can't recall them all now, but going back into my wee brain archive, I know that here are some:


LGA/EWR/JFK/HPN

MIA/FLL/PBI (I think PBI)

IAH/HOU

DFW/DAL

GSO/INT (although this one is pointless now that INT has no service)

etc.....

If an agent acts as if they don't know about this, my guess is that they don't want to get wrapped up in the ticket reissue and may not be comfortable with all the interal process around it. Press your point and make it clear that you know the rules.

Your summary of co-terminals is correct, except for PBI. It is not co-terminal with FLL or MIA, which are, to each other. In this case, I simply pointed out to the CP phone rep that my last 3 trips into or out of HPN had not operated, that as a result, I had paid hundreds in charges for ticket changes (which it later turned out I would not have had to pay, as the flights never operated) and rental cars to get where I was going. I then took the high road, and said "it wasn't about money", I just wanted to get back to my family." I indicated I would pay whatever it took. Bingo, she did it, no charge. What it underscores is (a) some of these better employees see the importance of not beating up regulars ,(b) they talk with so many people who try anything to avoid an additional collection , that by not making it about money, she decided to do something nice, or (C) those elite level agents actually have more line authority than we thought.