Watchful
Sep 27, 01, 8:33 am
Well, my first flight since 9/11. This is for a conference in San Diego, and I had booked it several months ago. Purposely chose a routing to maximize my mileage on NW, and to hope for a bump. Originally I was flying IAH-MEM-MSP-LAX-SAN outbound and SAN-MSP-MEM-IAH coming home. A few month ago the schedule changed and so the return flight was automatically rebooked as SAN-MSP-IAH. A few days before leaving, I got a little nervous about the LAX connection where I was to fly to SAN on American Eagle...just didn't want my bags to end up in never never land, and so I changed the MSP-LAX-SAN to a simpler MSP-SAN.
So this is the itinerary as revised:
9/22 NW1082 IAH-MEM 10:40am
9/22 NW455 MEM-MSP 1:10pm
9/22 NW193 MSP-SAN 4:58pm
arrive San Diego 6:48pm
9/26 NW194 SAN-MSP 12:10pm
9/26 NW200 MSP-IAH 7:05pm
arrive Houston 9:51pm
Total price $223.25 for 7798 total miles (includes 2500 booking bonus). About 2.9 cents per mile...not too bad.
Just a few tidbits about the flying experience.
Checkin at IAH...I arrived at the airport about 8:20 a.m. There are about 12 people in line at the checkin counter, with 3 agents. But the line does move quite a bit slower than usual. There appear to be random checks of checked luggage. A table off to the side where people are going through stuff. I assume they are random.
Since checkin is so early, I had made arrangements to have breakfast with my wife at the airport Marriott before flying off. We enjoyed their great breakfast buffet. Because of the cutbacks, they are serving the breakfast in the revolving restaurant, so that is nice.
Then back to the airport. I have to show my picture ID again at the security screening.
The IAH-MEM flight is about 20% full on an A319. The MEM-MSP flight is about 25% full on a DC-10. The MEM and MSP airports seem quite a bit livelier than IAH. (Of course I was flying out of Terminal B in Houston which is often pretty quiet.) The mood in the airports is a little subdued but not too odd. Lots are watching the CNN monitors.
The MSP-SAN flight is almost full on an A320. Somehow it is oddly comforting to be near full for a change! The almost empty flights, while comfortable in coach, were a little depressing.
I had not expected any food (after seeing a post about cutbacks in food service) so made sure and got something to eat in MSP. I was surprised then when we were served hot sandwiches - choice of turkey or ham. (Later went back and re-read the post and said they were still including food on hub to west coast flights.)
COMING HOME...
I arrive at SAN at 10:30am for a 12:10pm departure. The checkin line is snaking down the corridor, almost all the way to the little food court. Wow. But it is not as bad as it looks. It winds up being a 23 minute wait to reach the counter. There is an attendant checking documents, ID and asking security questions at the entry point to the queue. There is a line of about 10 people to go through security and again they are checking photo ID there also. I get selected for both a body search (with the magic wand) and an exterior examination of my backpack with the little cloth on a stick...whatever you call it. (No racial profiling here, at least. I have brown eyes but my suntan is pretty pitiful!)
I am through the security check by 11 a.m.
The SAN-MSP flight is about 85 to 90% full on a 757. We get a lunch choice of a cold turkey or ham sandwich. The MSP-IAH flight is again pretty sparse...about 15-20% full on an A319.
One thing you don't see much of is delays. Flights are arriving early. Connections are easy. In MSP I did notice one 100% full flight, the 6pm (or thereabouts) flight to Chicago Midway, as they announce no more standbys are being accepted.
Frankly, it is good to be back in the air. Here's hoping for a return to friendly skies.
So this is the itinerary as revised:
9/22 NW1082 IAH-MEM 10:40am
9/22 NW455 MEM-MSP 1:10pm
9/22 NW193 MSP-SAN 4:58pm
arrive San Diego 6:48pm
9/26 NW194 SAN-MSP 12:10pm
9/26 NW200 MSP-IAH 7:05pm
arrive Houston 9:51pm
Total price $223.25 for 7798 total miles (includes 2500 booking bonus). About 2.9 cents per mile...not too bad.
Just a few tidbits about the flying experience.
Checkin at IAH...I arrived at the airport about 8:20 a.m. There are about 12 people in line at the checkin counter, with 3 agents. But the line does move quite a bit slower than usual. There appear to be random checks of checked luggage. A table off to the side where people are going through stuff. I assume they are random.
Since checkin is so early, I had made arrangements to have breakfast with my wife at the airport Marriott before flying off. We enjoyed their great breakfast buffet. Because of the cutbacks, they are serving the breakfast in the revolving restaurant, so that is nice.
Then back to the airport. I have to show my picture ID again at the security screening.
The IAH-MEM flight is about 20% full on an A319. The MEM-MSP flight is about 25% full on a DC-10. The MEM and MSP airports seem quite a bit livelier than IAH. (Of course I was flying out of Terminal B in Houston which is often pretty quiet.) The mood in the airports is a little subdued but not too odd. Lots are watching the CNN monitors.
The MSP-SAN flight is almost full on an A320. Somehow it is oddly comforting to be near full for a change! The almost empty flights, while comfortable in coach, were a little depressing.
I had not expected any food (after seeing a post about cutbacks in food service) so made sure and got something to eat in MSP. I was surprised then when we were served hot sandwiches - choice of turkey or ham. (Later went back and re-read the post and said they were still including food on hub to west coast flights.)
COMING HOME...
I arrive at SAN at 10:30am for a 12:10pm departure. The checkin line is snaking down the corridor, almost all the way to the little food court. Wow. But it is not as bad as it looks. It winds up being a 23 minute wait to reach the counter. There is an attendant checking documents, ID and asking security questions at the entry point to the queue. There is a line of about 10 people to go through security and again they are checking photo ID there also. I get selected for both a body search (with the magic wand) and an exterior examination of my backpack with the little cloth on a stick...whatever you call it. (No racial profiling here, at least. I have brown eyes but my suntan is pretty pitiful!)
I am through the security check by 11 a.m.
The SAN-MSP flight is about 85 to 90% full on a 757. We get a lunch choice of a cold turkey or ham sandwich. The MSP-IAH flight is again pretty sparse...about 15-20% full on an A319.
One thing you don't see much of is delays. Flights are arriving early. Connections are easy. In MSP I did notice one 100% full flight, the 6pm (or thereabouts) flight to Chicago Midway, as they announce no more standbys are being accepted.
Frankly, it is good to be back in the air. Here's hoping for a return to friendly skies.