YVR Cockroach
May 17, 00, 3:53 pm
11 April
US 108 SEA 0730 PIT 1458 757 N621AU 8F
It was a good thing that I got to the US SEA ticket counter the night before. My tickets had been sent to the wrong address (writing to usairways.com about this). The usairways.com people told me to
Got to the US counter at around 0715. The was a bit of a line but it wasn't too bad and I went to the elite check-in.
Boarding started ½ hr before flight per usual US procedure. It wasn't enough for this oversold-by-6 757 flight. When everyone boarded, the gate agents asked for 6 volunteers and very quickly got them. Doors closed at I was surprised to see the CLT flight gone unless it had been cancelled.
Seat 8F is a nice seat. It is just in front of 2R and has no seat in front of it giving one a lot of room to stretch out (not as good as 8A). After t/o, breakfast was served, after or with a drinks service, which consisted of an omelette, sausage, sauteed diced potatoes, and a cookie or muffin (how fast I forget this forgettable meal). Coffee was served as the trays were cleared followed by a final drink service 1 ½ hr prior to landing at PIT. With the late start, landing was at 1510 and the a/c quickly taxiied to B-28.
Comedy of inflexibility.
Interesting, the gate this a/c was going to was the one for my connecting flight to DCA. Sure enough, once on the ground, the passengers continuing to PHL were told to go to another gate. When the a/c gets to the gate area, it stops and the flight crew tells us that the gate is occupied. Takes over 35 minutes for the other 757 to leave so the a/c doesn't dock until 1550. I am sure some pax will miss their connections as a result especially if they were sitting near the back.
US 6 PIT 1615 DCA 1730 757 N621AU 9F
The pax were crowded around the gate area waiting for this delayed flight as were pax for the following US 7 flight to LAX. Boarding didn't commence until 1645 and with the excess baggage, door close and pushback occurs after 1715. I hate roller bags with a passion as they take too long to stow, unstow and for the people to get a handle on moving them. I guess the inability to carry your own bag must be why people burden themselves with these things.
The flight is smooth and one drink service is made. Aircraft maneuvers around and comes in for a landing from the south. The DCA runway seems to require a 757 to stop very quickly or risk going into the drink.
Was: US 6422 BOS 1800 LGA 1929
Is: US BOS 1900 DCA 202? 737-300 N340US 2F
Get to DCA just in time to see both 6pm shuttles push back. After disembarking, I go to the agents and get a seat for the 1900 shuttle. Hated wasting an hour as I was supposed to meet a friend in Brookline for dinner. Boarding commences with plenty of time to complete boarding. Door close and pushback occurs just a few minutes before schedule. Flight is uneventful with usual shuttle service. My bag, priority tagged(!), came off in decent time, but off the wrong conveyor.
YVR Cockroach
May 17, 00, 5:34 pm
Hyatt Harborside
It was a toss up between the Hyatt Harborside and the Logan Hilton as both had 2 day weekend rates of $179/nt. Decided on the Hyatt as I had more Gold passport points and no Hilton points. Called the hotel and was told the shuttle bus would be there within 15 minutes. Got out and luckily the shuttle was there in 3 minutes. Getting to the hotel took a long time due to slow traffic winding its way around the terminals and private cars being where they weren't supposed to be. Checked in and got an 8th floor room with a view of the airport over the FedEx & freight area. The low clouds and high moisture really does shake the windows a lot whenever the jets roll.
Took a shuttle to the T station and went to Faneuil Hall for dinner. As Zagat's says, the Salty Dog is overpriced for mediocre food and service so don't go there. My dinner of a bowl of chowder and Boston Scrod was o.k. but a country home-style restaurant would do a comparable job for half the price. The blue line tunnel was being worked on this weekend so there were frequent busses to Govt. Centre/State Street from Maverick and vice-versa.
Woke up next morning to brilliant sunshine and wished I had requested for a waterfront room instead. Went for a workout in the gym (still free) and went to Boston for the day, eating a late lunch at Legal Seafoods off the Common and then took in an Arturo Sandoval/Maynard Ferguson concert at the Berklee auditorium..
15 May
US6323 BOS 1600 LGA 1713 A-320 Seat 4C
Checking out from the Hyatt Harborside, I took the shuttle (made a mistake and went for the No. 44 water shuttle bus which left after the Hyatt bus returned and left), I got to the US terminal. Asked the check in agent about standing by for an earlier LGA-PIT flight to give me more than 35 minutes to make a connection at PIT and he put me on the waiting list. Took my luggage to past security and put in the automated SmarteCarte lockers by gate 4. You pay a start fee of $0.75 and the balance, if any, depending on how long you rent it for to a maximum of $4.50 a day for a small or medium locker. Took the No. 22 shuttle and T to my 9 am appointment back in the city. Meeting went longer than expected and the people I met booked a car which took me from near Post Office Square at 1510 to Logan by 1525 via the Ted Williams tunnel. I don't like to leave it that close!
Get to the locker and have to pay an additional $3.75 as I had left the stuff for nearly 8 hours. The lockers are handy. Haul my stuff to the shuttle gate and get my BP. Ask the agent to tag my bag on a standby basis for the earlier LGA-PIT flight but she couldn't do it. Ask about my PIT-SEA upgrade and she told me it hadn't cleared. When I was seated on board the shuttle, the gate agent came onboard and told me my PIT-SEA upgrade had cleared. Nice touch!
This flight was about 70% full though I had the middle seat empty. Doors close and the a/c is pushed back slightly before scheduled time. Not much of a wait for takeoff. Flight deck warns of bumpiness after takeoff southward from BOS and the 320 is rocked around in the initial climb. Usual service of drinks (free alcohol on US shuttle flights) and that snack pack. Seems they don't offer apples on the A-320s (they did on the 727s in April). After clearing up, the flight deck tells us what the approach route is, which is heading to and then flying south above the Hudson, turning left to the NE above Staten Island, before landing at LGA from the SE. With this long approach path, the a/c gets to the gate on schedule.
Was: US 1587 LGA 1840 PIT 2020 M-80 Seat 4C
Is: US 1641 LGA 1815 PIT 19?? 737-300 Seat 11C
Disembark at LGA and after picking up journals from the Shuttle gates, I go to gate 7. Ask the gate agent how overbooked the 1815 flight to PIT is and it is still oversold by six. I am first on the list though. Wait around until preboarding commences at 1745. Shortly after, they give me 11C which is not up front but good enough. Board as soon as I can. This flight is rapidly filling up and is a full flight.
Gate closes just after 1817 and push back commences a few minutes later. After rolling off and taxiing for a bit, the flight deck comes back and tells us we're no. 20 for takeoff due to the evening rush and poor weather in the west. Does everyone want to depart LGA just after 1800? Wait for a long time before takeoff at around 1910 where I successfully avoid stress over the thought of missing the PIT-SEA flight (my only qualm about missing it is losing 2,125 miles but I would save a hotel stay at SEA.)
On the takeoff roll toward to the NW, I see a M-80 that could be my original flight to PIT about 3-4 planes behind. Flight is unincidental with one beverage service made. The aircraft lands at around 2010 and gets to the gate 5 minutes later. This is where is gets ugly. I calculated that there are 54 pax in the rows froward of mine and they will exit the a/c at a rate of once every 6 seconds. This motley group seemed to have taken longer as they took forever to get their carry-ons out and going, even blocking the aisle to ask questions of the FAs who said they didn't know about connections and to ask the gate agents. I guess the law of connecting flights is that the time taken for the pax in front of you to deplane will be inversely proportional to the time remaining you have to catch your connection. The attitude must include one or any, but not limited to, 1) I don't care I you have another flight to catch, 2) if I've missed my connection, you can too, 3) I am at my final destination so go f*** yourself, or, most unmaliciously, 4) simply unaware of others.
US 119 PIT 2055 SEA 2303 A-319 Was 9C, is 3A
After pushing my way out of the LGA-PIT a/c which was parked all the way at B47/49 (end of the very long concourse) at 2015, I started running for the connecting gate when US gate agents asked me where I was running to. "A9" I replied. They told me to get on a cart (first time I've ever taken one) which started off after another racing through the terminal (the agent, a 50+ woman) told another pax she had it pegged. Someone commented we need to do the Flintstones trick. It was kind of scary riding the front seat. "Great," I thought to myself. "I've survived 41 flights this year only to die in an accident on an airport cart!" One pax did remark the race with another cart was the highlight of his trip. Good thing the cart was there as B47/49 to the central island is a very long way and A-9 isn't that near the island either. Cart drops me off and I get to the gate agent to ask about my upgrade. Wasn't available but the agent told me to wait. After preboarding has started he gave me 3A and took my 3 paid coupons. Booked me in F too!
First thing I notice when I get my OJ (which was iced when I wanted uniced) is that the used the canned stuff on the A319s while the 737s (at least out of DCA and MSY) and Shuttles get the good Tropicana stuff. The plus is that instead of packaged nuts, an assortment including pecans are served in a ceramic dish.
FAs start to play the USAirways orchestration video (getting sick of it after 23 US flights since 4 April). Didn't run the movie trailer at least in F so I am not sure if they sold the entertainment/movie charge to the back.
After takeoff, menus are distributed. On it that evening is:
To start: Mixed Seafood Cocktail
(Turns out to be one small crab claw, one ½ peeled prawn, one mussel and garnish of ½ dozen slices of tomatoes and cucumbers, wedge of lemon and a packaged pot of cocktail sauce served on a ceramic plate).
Salad: Seasonal Salad garnished with Asparagus and Portabello mushroom offered with your choice of Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar or Sour Cream & Herb Dressing.
(First time I've had a salad with dressing no provided in some packaging. The FA had to dress each salad individually. It's served in a ceramic bowl.)
Entrée Selection:
Filet of Beef
Portbello onion encrusted filet served with a red wine sauce accompanied by red sknned mashed potatoes with chives and garlic and grilled portabello mushrooms and bell peppers
Grilled Chicken
Hickory smoked grilled chicken served with a mango barbecue sauce enhanced by red skinned sour cream and chive mashed potatoes and grilled squash and zucchini.
Shrimp Scampi
Jumbo shrimp served over saffron rice with roasted red pepper sauce
(So many good choices! Description is usually better than reality for airline food and mine was no exception. Though the FA took orders from the front, I got mine (the beef as I was drinking Geyser Peak Merlot). The beef was a bit tough but acceptable for in-flight. It was pretty good though the onion encrustation proved to be a layer of the mashed/minced stuff on top of the filet. North American food preparation shows a predilection for low sodium so I had to add salt (rare for me) to enhance flavour.)
Dessert: Grand Chocolate Orange Torte garnished with fresh fruit.
(Tiny wedge is served which is a bit firmer than I had expected and served with 2 strawberry halves. O.k. but it was inhaled fast).
The food service is slow with the FA Krista taking some 5 minutes between serving each pair of pax. It helps pass the time but I wonder if US's food service procedure needs streamlining? The cutlery is the same ABCO-made stuff used for economy on US's international flights. Of good size and weight but very crude in finish.
Flight is smooth this evening, flying over Detroit, passing north of Chicago(?) before heading into SEA and landing from the S. Flight taxis and goes to the South satellite. Unusual as US has 3 gates so I guess the 2255 redeye to PIT must be delayed. Take the tram to the luggage claim area, call to get a room and my luggage is one of the first off and fast too!
[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 05-17-2000).]
It's good to see a US report here and there, and especially one through my hometown. B-40 to A-9? Definitely not easy, but doable if people stay to the right on the moving walkways!
As per the flight to SEA, when I flew there on the exact same flight (another day) as you and we also landed at the South satellite. I don't think it has anything to do with delay; it's just standard operating procedure. Probably US already has three planes sitting at its gates in SEA at that time.
Thanks for the trip report!