bry99
Sep 16, 01, 11:02 pm
The events of last week caused a cancellation of my original itinerary on 9/14. I booked a new return trip leaving SJC on HP at 6:25 a.m. on 9/15, connecting in PHX to SAT.
The first step was a rental car drop. I did not want to give up the rental car until I was certain my flight would be departing. No one apparently told the rental car companies to expect passengers before 5 a.m., as all but one or two agencies were still closed.
I arrived at the terminal at about 5:20. Long lines at all ticket counters for airlines operating flights. Of course, I picked HP so I could use CO Elite privileges. I was the Elite line, so I immediately got helped. That alone probably saved half an hour or more.
Unfortunately, I got called for a random hand check of my checked luggage. HP was apparently having a problem with its security contractor over how many guards should be doing these checks. The security contractor had one old lady doing the searches. (At least she was meticulous.) After a half-hour of waiting, two HP counter agents came over and started helping. (By that point, the check-in lines had cleared.) Unfortunately, it was too late, as my bag stayed in SJC to be hand-checked, and I went to the plane.
Except for ID checks about 20 feet in front of the metal detector and apparently random hand-checks of baggage, nothing seemed substantially different at the security checkpoint.
Six passengers were in 12 first class seats from SJC to PHX; one of these was an Alaska pilot. Coach was about 60 percent full. The pilot was especially friendly in his talks over the intercom, although I did not like seeing the cockpit door open during boarding. The flight arrived 10 minutes early.
The load on the PHX-SAT segment was similar, except there were at most two paying passengers in first class. (Three of the other four FC passengers were pilots; the other may have been a flight attendant, but I'm not sure.) The morale was not good because of expectations of layoffs. The flight arrived 10 minutes early.
The airport was almost entirely deserted. Upon giving instructions on what to do about my bag (which arrived later in the day), I went outside to catch a taxi. Even though I felt somewhat familiar with the airport, I could not figure out where the taxi stand was. Then an airport employee asked me if I needed assistance, and he summoned by radio a taxi for me from a remote lot.
The state of events at the SAT terminal was surreal. I have never seen that airport so empty and with so little activity outside.
The first step was a rental car drop. I did not want to give up the rental car until I was certain my flight would be departing. No one apparently told the rental car companies to expect passengers before 5 a.m., as all but one or two agencies were still closed.
I arrived at the terminal at about 5:20. Long lines at all ticket counters for airlines operating flights. Of course, I picked HP so I could use CO Elite privileges. I was the Elite line, so I immediately got helped. That alone probably saved half an hour or more.
Unfortunately, I got called for a random hand check of my checked luggage. HP was apparently having a problem with its security contractor over how many guards should be doing these checks. The security contractor had one old lady doing the searches. (At least she was meticulous.) After a half-hour of waiting, two HP counter agents came over and started helping. (By that point, the check-in lines had cleared.) Unfortunately, it was too late, as my bag stayed in SJC to be hand-checked, and I went to the plane.
Except for ID checks about 20 feet in front of the metal detector and apparently random hand-checks of baggage, nothing seemed substantially different at the security checkpoint.
Six passengers were in 12 first class seats from SJC to PHX; one of these was an Alaska pilot. Coach was about 60 percent full. The pilot was especially friendly in his talks over the intercom, although I did not like seeing the cockpit door open during boarding. The flight arrived 10 minutes early.
The load on the PHX-SAT segment was similar, except there were at most two paying passengers in first class. (Three of the other four FC passengers were pilots; the other may have been a flight attendant, but I'm not sure.) The morale was not good because of expectations of layoffs. The flight arrived 10 minutes early.
The airport was almost entirely deserted. Upon giving instructions on what to do about my bag (which arrived later in the day), I went outside to catch a taxi. Even though I felt somewhat familiar with the airport, I could not figure out where the taxi stand was. Then an airport employee asked me if I needed assistance, and he summoned by radio a taxi for me from a remote lot.
The state of events at the SAT terminal was surreal. I have never seen that airport so empty and with so little activity outside.