abigail
Sep 28, 01, 12:05 am
My first trip in a while on AA. Since moving to PHL from ATL, I decided to switch from DL to AA. More room in coach was the key decision point for me. Short business trip to Boston.
24 Sep 2001
AA 4949 PHL-BOS SF3
Dep 5:50p Arr 7:30p
I was previously scheduled to fly out on the 6:55pm ERJ-135 flight. The low load factors meant that AA cancelled the 4:05p SF3 and the 6:55p ERJ flights and consolidated all the pax into a single SF3 at 5:50. And it went out with only 15 pax. PHL airport is an easy 35 min drive from my place. But I didn?t want to use my car and decided to try out the local airport shuttle. Not a good move. The van picked me up at 2p (!) and then proceeded to take a grand tour of Northeast Philly to pick up 2 more travelers. It was 3:40 by the time we got to Terminal A. A relatively empty airport. Nobody in line at the AA counters. By 3:50 I was at the gate. Security was a little more visible. Some uniformed cops hanging out. I didn?t get any feeling of heightened security that the local TV reporters pant about on a daily basis. As I strolled over to terminal B, I watch the deserted shops and food stalls, and had a croissant and scalding hot badly-made coffee (no Starbucks at PHL! Sacrilege!). Go back to gate A-1 and watch a Raleigh-bound ERJ come in and go out. I wonder how long this new non-hub service will last. We board a few mins before 5:50, and are off quickly. We were #2 in take-off line and I figured we got out in between 2 evening banks. Boston was a little cloudy and we got in 30 mins ahead of time. A bus comes by and takes us to the terminal. Quick ride over to Hertz and the hotel.
25 Sep 2001
AA 4992 BOS-PHL ERJ-135
Dep 8:00p Arr 9:30p
After fighting through a 1 hour jam on South-bound I-93 in the rain, I got into Logan at 6p. Checked in quickly and had a light dinner in an sparsely-filled restaurant. The waiter says that traffic is a third to half of the pre-WTC level. Logan was one airport where the security was very, very visible. All kinds of security personnel at all places. I go to the security scan area and get asked my ID as I go in. After coming out, 2 Border Patrol agents come by and start asking questions. Note that I am of Indian origin and skin colour is a light brown. Do I look Arab? Maybe. After reading the post from B747-437B about his experience at JFK and other stories, I am prepared. I pull out my Green Card and that satisfies the gendarme. I go in, collect a Starbucks (yes!), and spend my waiting time catching up on a book. The flight back was again a third full and I scooted over to the exit row to enjoy a RJ version of More Room in Coach. Landed on time and got home by 11:30pm.
All in all, an easy trip. The more detailed security checks didn?t take much time but I wonder how long the lines would be if most pax came back to flying in a few months. I could sense a feeling of jitteriness in Logan that I didn?t see at PHL. And yes, I?ll take my car or the train to the airport the next time.
Maybe next time, I?ll have a chance to see more leg-room in coach. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
24 Sep 2001
AA 4949 PHL-BOS SF3
Dep 5:50p Arr 7:30p
I was previously scheduled to fly out on the 6:55pm ERJ-135 flight. The low load factors meant that AA cancelled the 4:05p SF3 and the 6:55p ERJ flights and consolidated all the pax into a single SF3 at 5:50. And it went out with only 15 pax. PHL airport is an easy 35 min drive from my place. But I didn?t want to use my car and decided to try out the local airport shuttle. Not a good move. The van picked me up at 2p (!) and then proceeded to take a grand tour of Northeast Philly to pick up 2 more travelers. It was 3:40 by the time we got to Terminal A. A relatively empty airport. Nobody in line at the AA counters. By 3:50 I was at the gate. Security was a little more visible. Some uniformed cops hanging out. I didn?t get any feeling of heightened security that the local TV reporters pant about on a daily basis. As I strolled over to terminal B, I watch the deserted shops and food stalls, and had a croissant and scalding hot badly-made coffee (no Starbucks at PHL! Sacrilege!). Go back to gate A-1 and watch a Raleigh-bound ERJ come in and go out. I wonder how long this new non-hub service will last. We board a few mins before 5:50, and are off quickly. We were #2 in take-off line and I figured we got out in between 2 evening banks. Boston was a little cloudy and we got in 30 mins ahead of time. A bus comes by and takes us to the terminal. Quick ride over to Hertz and the hotel.
25 Sep 2001
AA 4992 BOS-PHL ERJ-135
Dep 8:00p Arr 9:30p
After fighting through a 1 hour jam on South-bound I-93 in the rain, I got into Logan at 6p. Checked in quickly and had a light dinner in an sparsely-filled restaurant. The waiter says that traffic is a third to half of the pre-WTC level. Logan was one airport where the security was very, very visible. All kinds of security personnel at all places. I go to the security scan area and get asked my ID as I go in. After coming out, 2 Border Patrol agents come by and start asking questions. Note that I am of Indian origin and skin colour is a light brown. Do I look Arab? Maybe. After reading the post from B747-437B about his experience at JFK and other stories, I am prepared. I pull out my Green Card and that satisfies the gendarme. I go in, collect a Starbucks (yes!), and spend my waiting time catching up on a book. The flight back was again a third full and I scooted over to the exit row to enjoy a RJ version of More Room in Coach. Landed on time and got home by 11:30pm.
All in all, an easy trip. The more detailed security checks didn?t take much time but I wonder how long the lines would be if most pax came back to flying in a few months. I could sense a feeling of jitteriness in Logan that I didn?t see at PHL. And yes, I?ll take my car or the train to the airport the next time.
Maybe next time, I?ll have a chance to see more leg-room in coach. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif