mweiss
Nov 3, 99, 4:24 pm
Let me preface this report by saying that the trip ended up being almost nothing like I had expected it to be when I left home.
Tuesday, October 19, 1999
CO120 SEA-EWR
Another trip on CO120. I got to the airport at 6:15, checked in at the ticket counter (I actually checked a bag this time), and went straight to the gate. They had just started boarding this 757 from the second door when I got there, so I got on and took my seat in 6E. This cabin had the old overhead bins, but the new seats. I love those new seats! The cabin was clean and well-maintained.
The Bette Midler lookalike I had from my last EWR-SEA flight (125) was on this one. She immediately came out serving orange juice to us while we sat at the gate.
The door was closed precisely on time, and after a longer than normal (in terms of time) taxi, we took off.
Upon reaching cruise, the flight attendants came by to get breakfast orders. This time the menu was different. They had a choice of the cheese omelette (which I have had before) with the dry hash brown cake, peach crepes, and the usual seafood pasta medley. I opted for the crepes this time. Good choice...they were quite tasty! The fruit plate looks like it's getting back to the old days (yay!), and the biscuits were present again. They also came by with the cheese and crackers on the cart! Nice touches, all. Finally, the little touch of offering milk with the cookie made me feel like I was back on CO120 of a year ago. Nice job, CO!
Other than a little turbulence over the Great Lakes, the flight and landing was smooth, albeit late by about 10 minutes. We pulled into the usual Gate 113, which of course meant that we deplaned through the forward door.
I waited around at the baggage carousel for about 20 minutes. Finally, the bags started to come off. Mine was about the fifth. Can't complain about that.
This flight was definitely a 9. It's tough when your only complaint is that you're a few minutes late, and you pull into an "undesireable" gate. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Manhattan
I decided that since I had the time, I'd try a new method of getting into the city. So I took the Airlink to Newark's Penn Station, got the PATH to WTC, and grabbed a cab from there to the Sheraton. Waiting for the Airlink was a pain...I'll be much happier once they finish the rail link directly from EWR to Newark Penn (which they're promising will be done in 2001). The cab ride took longer than I expected. It was quick to get uptown, but getting from 10th Ave to 7th Ave took forever!
I checked in, and went up to my room. In short, I was unimpressed. Not that it was bad or anything, but I've stayed at better Sheratons. There was a single phone line, but I was able to get 50kbps on it. I was disappointed to note that they decided to charge me per minute for the use of said line, despite there being nothing in the room that warned of this behavior. I pushed until they removed the ridiculous $30 in phone usage.
This place rates a 5. Unimpressive, expensive, and I hate per-minute charges for local and 800 calls.
Wednesday, October 20, 1999
Amtrak 142 NYC Penn-Hartford
After our meeting, we grabbed a cab to Penn Station, and purchased our tickets at one of the electronic ticketing machines.
Then we waited around the big board for our track assignment. I hadn't seen the old "flip boards" in a long time. I remember back when those were the norm in airports, too. It kinda made me feel nostalgic.
We got our track assignment, boarded, and grabbed some available seats. TO my pleasant surprise, they had AC outlets at each row. So I was able to keep the laptop going through the entire three-hour trip to Hartford. Best of all, the Hartford train station was less than a mile from the Hilton (formerly Sheraton).
Hey, it wasn't like the Swiss trains or anything, but it was pretty nice.
Hartford Hilton
This place wasn't any worse than the Sheraton in Manhattan, and it was half the price. Better yet, they didn't charge anything for the phone calls (though I was only able to get 24kbps), and since I was on the concierge floor it even included evening hors-d'oeuvres and breakfast. For the price, I was pretty pleased.
This place rates a 7. Nothing special, but the location was good and the price was reasonable.
Thursday, October 21, 1999
Amtrak Hartford-Philadelphia
I was originally supposed to go to DC, but that meeting got cancelled, so everything else moved up a day. The train to Philly was not really different from the one to Hartford. Just more crowded. It was pretty much full from NYC to Philly.
Saturday, October 23, 1999
CO1487 PHL-CLE
I got a shuttle to the airport at the disgusting hour of 4:45AM, so I had only three hours of sleep that night. But it's a good thing they got me to the airport early. At baggage check, there wasn't a First Class/Elite checkin line. And the line was pretty long, apparently because they have several CO and HP flights leaving around 6-6:30. Checkin was uneventful, however.
I trudged to security, and then off to the gate. There wasn't much going on, and I started to get a little hungry, so I nabbed a bit of food at the Burger King next to the gate.
Boarding started at 6:15, and was quick and orderly. The 737-500 had the new seats, but the old overhead bins. Not that it mattered; I had checked a bag for this trip. I took my seat in 3E, but switched to 3F when they closed the door. There were three open seats in FC, and most of coach was empty as well. The FA offered drinks at the gate, and before we left the gate she asked if we wanted the fruit plate. I declined, in part because of my BK stop, and in part because I knew the CLE-SEA flight was going to have food. Besides, I really needed sleep. Badly.
The door closed two minutes early, and we pushed back one minute after the scheduled 6:40 departure. Taxi was quick, and the takeoff and flight were uneventful. Or, if there were events, I didn't notice them because I was sleeping. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Landing was smooth, and we arrived at the gate an amazing 20 minutes early. Naturally, deplaning was quick and orderly.
This flight rated an 8. I mean, what can you expect on such a short segment?
CO1473 CLE-SEA
After a few minutes in the P-Club, where I got some water, I headed to the gate. For whatever reason, their electronic signage wasn't working there, but they had a manual sign on a post, indicating the flight number, time, and destination. The waiting area was crowded, and there were lots of families with young (impatient) kids.
Boarding started pretty much on time, and I quickly took my seat in 3E. The FA took drink orders at the gate. This 737-700 had the new seats and bins (naturally). This flight wasn't completely full, either. There was one empty seat in FC, and three taken by non-revs. Early Saturday morning flights must be like this typically.
The door closed three minutes early, and we pushed back precisely on time. This was the first flight I had been on in a 737 with the safety video. I guess it took them a little while to produce some; the new 737s are the first ones CO has ordered with the video screens. These have thinner, larger diagonal, and brighter LCDs than the 757s. They're actually quite nice.
Taxi and takeoff were quick and uneventful. Once at cruise, the breakfast was served, consisting of the fruit plate, breakfast breads (no cinammon roll this time...*sigh*), and a plain omelette with apple butter. I was a little surprised that the FA didn't come around for a second helping of breads. Not that it mattered to me; I only wanted the one croissant. It's just that I hadn't seen that happen before.
After breakfast, I slept. The flight itself was pretty smooth, but Seattle fog in the early morning resulted in delays in landing slots, so we ended up landing about 15 minutes late.
Deplaning was quick and orderly. I quickly went to the parking machine to pay for parking, and got a receipt this time (thanks QuietLion). Then I went to the baggage carousel and waited for the bags to arrive. For whatever reason, the bags didn't seem to come off in any particular order. Mine was decidedly in the middle, despite the Priority tag.
Overall, this flight rated a 7. I'm surprised at how much "less" the food was on this one than the identical flight I had taken just a month prior, and the priority bags should have come off first.
------------------
Michael
OnePass Platinum
Tuesday, October 19, 1999
CO120 SEA-EWR
Another trip on CO120. I got to the airport at 6:15, checked in at the ticket counter (I actually checked a bag this time), and went straight to the gate. They had just started boarding this 757 from the second door when I got there, so I got on and took my seat in 6E. This cabin had the old overhead bins, but the new seats. I love those new seats! The cabin was clean and well-maintained.
The Bette Midler lookalike I had from my last EWR-SEA flight (125) was on this one. She immediately came out serving orange juice to us while we sat at the gate.
The door was closed precisely on time, and after a longer than normal (in terms of time) taxi, we took off.
Upon reaching cruise, the flight attendants came by to get breakfast orders. This time the menu was different. They had a choice of the cheese omelette (which I have had before) with the dry hash brown cake, peach crepes, and the usual seafood pasta medley. I opted for the crepes this time. Good choice...they were quite tasty! The fruit plate looks like it's getting back to the old days (yay!), and the biscuits were present again. They also came by with the cheese and crackers on the cart! Nice touches, all. Finally, the little touch of offering milk with the cookie made me feel like I was back on CO120 of a year ago. Nice job, CO!
Other than a little turbulence over the Great Lakes, the flight and landing was smooth, albeit late by about 10 minutes. We pulled into the usual Gate 113, which of course meant that we deplaned through the forward door.
I waited around at the baggage carousel for about 20 minutes. Finally, the bags started to come off. Mine was about the fifth. Can't complain about that.
This flight was definitely a 9. It's tough when your only complaint is that you're a few minutes late, and you pull into an "undesireable" gate. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Manhattan
I decided that since I had the time, I'd try a new method of getting into the city. So I took the Airlink to Newark's Penn Station, got the PATH to WTC, and grabbed a cab from there to the Sheraton. Waiting for the Airlink was a pain...I'll be much happier once they finish the rail link directly from EWR to Newark Penn (which they're promising will be done in 2001). The cab ride took longer than I expected. It was quick to get uptown, but getting from 10th Ave to 7th Ave took forever!
I checked in, and went up to my room. In short, I was unimpressed. Not that it was bad or anything, but I've stayed at better Sheratons. There was a single phone line, but I was able to get 50kbps on it. I was disappointed to note that they decided to charge me per minute for the use of said line, despite there being nothing in the room that warned of this behavior. I pushed until they removed the ridiculous $30 in phone usage.
This place rates a 5. Unimpressive, expensive, and I hate per-minute charges for local and 800 calls.
Wednesday, October 20, 1999
Amtrak 142 NYC Penn-Hartford
After our meeting, we grabbed a cab to Penn Station, and purchased our tickets at one of the electronic ticketing machines.
Then we waited around the big board for our track assignment. I hadn't seen the old "flip boards" in a long time. I remember back when those were the norm in airports, too. It kinda made me feel nostalgic.
We got our track assignment, boarded, and grabbed some available seats. TO my pleasant surprise, they had AC outlets at each row. So I was able to keep the laptop going through the entire three-hour trip to Hartford. Best of all, the Hartford train station was less than a mile from the Hilton (formerly Sheraton).
Hey, it wasn't like the Swiss trains or anything, but it was pretty nice.
Hartford Hilton
This place wasn't any worse than the Sheraton in Manhattan, and it was half the price. Better yet, they didn't charge anything for the phone calls (though I was only able to get 24kbps), and since I was on the concierge floor it even included evening hors-d'oeuvres and breakfast. For the price, I was pretty pleased.
This place rates a 7. Nothing special, but the location was good and the price was reasonable.
Thursday, October 21, 1999
Amtrak Hartford-Philadelphia
I was originally supposed to go to DC, but that meeting got cancelled, so everything else moved up a day. The train to Philly was not really different from the one to Hartford. Just more crowded. It was pretty much full from NYC to Philly.
Saturday, October 23, 1999
CO1487 PHL-CLE
I got a shuttle to the airport at the disgusting hour of 4:45AM, so I had only three hours of sleep that night. But it's a good thing they got me to the airport early. At baggage check, there wasn't a First Class/Elite checkin line. And the line was pretty long, apparently because they have several CO and HP flights leaving around 6-6:30. Checkin was uneventful, however.
I trudged to security, and then off to the gate. There wasn't much going on, and I started to get a little hungry, so I nabbed a bit of food at the Burger King next to the gate.
Boarding started at 6:15, and was quick and orderly. The 737-500 had the new seats, but the old overhead bins. Not that it mattered; I had checked a bag for this trip. I took my seat in 3E, but switched to 3F when they closed the door. There were three open seats in FC, and most of coach was empty as well. The FA offered drinks at the gate, and before we left the gate she asked if we wanted the fruit plate. I declined, in part because of my BK stop, and in part because I knew the CLE-SEA flight was going to have food. Besides, I really needed sleep. Badly.
The door closed two minutes early, and we pushed back one minute after the scheduled 6:40 departure. Taxi was quick, and the takeoff and flight were uneventful. Or, if there were events, I didn't notice them because I was sleeping. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Landing was smooth, and we arrived at the gate an amazing 20 minutes early. Naturally, deplaning was quick and orderly.
This flight rated an 8. I mean, what can you expect on such a short segment?
CO1473 CLE-SEA
After a few minutes in the P-Club, where I got some water, I headed to the gate. For whatever reason, their electronic signage wasn't working there, but they had a manual sign on a post, indicating the flight number, time, and destination. The waiting area was crowded, and there were lots of families with young (impatient) kids.
Boarding started pretty much on time, and I quickly took my seat in 3E. The FA took drink orders at the gate. This 737-700 had the new seats and bins (naturally). This flight wasn't completely full, either. There was one empty seat in FC, and three taken by non-revs. Early Saturday morning flights must be like this typically.
The door closed three minutes early, and we pushed back precisely on time. This was the first flight I had been on in a 737 with the safety video. I guess it took them a little while to produce some; the new 737s are the first ones CO has ordered with the video screens. These have thinner, larger diagonal, and brighter LCDs than the 757s. They're actually quite nice.
Taxi and takeoff were quick and uneventful. Once at cruise, the breakfast was served, consisting of the fruit plate, breakfast breads (no cinammon roll this time...*sigh*), and a plain omelette with apple butter. I was a little surprised that the FA didn't come around for a second helping of breads. Not that it mattered to me; I only wanted the one croissant. It's just that I hadn't seen that happen before.
After breakfast, I slept. The flight itself was pretty smooth, but Seattle fog in the early morning resulted in delays in landing slots, so we ended up landing about 15 minutes late.
Deplaning was quick and orderly. I quickly went to the parking machine to pay for parking, and got a receipt this time (thanks QuietLion). Then I went to the baggage carousel and waited for the bags to arrive. For whatever reason, the bags didn't seem to come off in any particular order. Mine was decidedly in the middle, despite the Priority tag.
Overall, this flight rated a 7. I'm surprised at how much "less" the food was on this one than the identical flight I had taken just a month prior, and the priority bags should have come off first.
------------------
Michael
OnePass Platinum