Mats
Mar 31, 02, 4:03 pm
Introduction
Honolulu was amazing, as always. I found that I was smiling a great deal more than usual. The weather was flawless and it was great to be with my family. I didn’t actually do much of anything; just beach, pool, reading, etc.
Despite concerns about post-September 11 tourism, things are looking up for Hawaii. Tourism from Japan is at 85% of pre-September 11 levels. Hawaiian Air just announced plans to serve Sacramento and Ontario due to increased demand for West Coast-Hawaii service.
29 March Continental Micronesia 072 Honolulu-Houston
B767-400 Seat 6D
Check in
This flight is listed as operated by Continental Micronesia. I couldn’t tell any difference from regular Continental flights; the cabin crew said that they were based in Houston. Perhaps the flight deck crew were from Air Mike.
Honolulu has only one e-ticket machine, but it was not in use when I arrived. A tense, chatty agent tagged my bag through to Columbus. “You have a good seat… first class,” she said. I guess she wanted me to act surprised.
HNL was fairly quiet at 8:30 pm. A lot of Air Canada passengers headed to the South Pacific, one United 767 and one American 757. I strolled around, including the Interisland Terminal. There were about half a dozen InVision machines—seems like a enormous investment. I don’t get it.
Security
There was a 15 minute wait because only one archway and one x-ray machine were open. Also, numerous crew members arrived and they receive priority. Fortunately, the ID and ticket inspector (they ask for both in Honolulu) was cheerful and apologetic. The majority of security staff in Honolulu are polite and relaxed, unlike their mainland counterparts. -The only exception was the woman who screamed “laptop!” in my face.
I made it through unfrisked and not subject to additional inspection. There was a great deal of metal detector shoe inspections. Don’t they know that C4 isn’t made out of metal? I guess they were looking for people who hidden sharp objects in their shoes.
Boarding
By the time I moseyed over to gate 25, boarding was underway. Despite the crowd at the gate, I was able to board immediately. HNL uses multiple Jetways, so boarding was quite rapid.
As on the outbound flight, there was irritating Hawaiian music. Worse than Don Ho. I can’t decide which was worse: the Hawaiian music on the transpacific flights or the Elvis and Willie Nelson on the short-haul flights. Maybe the earplugs are provided for the boarding music.
A flight attendant took my jacket (after prompting) and offered me a menu, juice, and another boring amenity kit. The crew were polite and professional, but cold. Unlike the outbound crew, they did not appear jaded or bitter—just standoffish. Service tended to appear by-the-book, which is fine. At least I felt that safety would be by-the-book as well.
In Flight
The flight was completely full and there were a great many last-minute upgrades, most of which were for Continental employees.
Taxi and takeoff were expeditious. The captain assured us a smooth seven hour flight to Houston.
The menu was a stripped-down version of the one listed on the website, probably due to the late evening departure. No lobster appetizer, only two entrée choices, no sundaes.
Warm roasted nuts
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
The nuts were warm once again.
A contemporary blend of romaine, red oakleaf lettuce and frisée
with tomato, cucumber and hearts of palm
Offered with your choice of Champagne vinaigrette
or sesame French dressing
This was delicious. Crisp greens and a I loved the Champagne vinaigrette.
Freshly baked sourdough bread
and rustic and multi-grain rolls with butter
Mmmm. Sourdough. It was only warm during the first round, but it was still good.
Breast of Chicken
Breast of free-range chicken with "Indigo's" spicy seasoning and peanut sauce,
garnished with grilled pineapple
Jasmine rice Zucchini sticks Baby carrots
Fantastic. Another generous chicken thigh with a delicious sauce. The rice was rather blah (what jasmine?), but the vegetables were perfect. I was quite impressed with this meal.
Pasta Bowl
Strozzapreti pasta with fresh parsley
offered with zucchini and oven-roasted tomatoes
Yellow squash Asparagus spears
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta
Chocolate truffles
The same no-name brand. I ate them this time; they were acceptable.
Breakfast will be offered prior to landing
Assorted chilled fruit juices
including guava and passion orange
Fresh seasonal fruit
Yogurt
Assorted breads including warm croissants and Hawaiian rolls,
with butter and guava-strawberry jam
Swiss and Colby Cheese Omelette
Offered with O'Brien potatoes,
grilled chicken apple sausage and bacon
Selected Cereal
Served with milk, a banana
and fresh strawberries
Breakfast was fine; I had the cereal and a Hawaiian roll.
I watched half of Sidewalks of New York, which was quite good, but I couldn’t stay awake. My seatmate needed quite a bit of help finding the light switch, how to use the television, etc. “I’m not used to flying first class,” she said. I also noticed that she’d been a selectee for public frisking at the gate—maybe she tried to board first. I felt awkward seeing her watch Sidewalks—it’s quite racy. I think she was watching it because she didn’t know how to change the channel.
I slept quite a bit on this flight… maybe four hours or so. I found the one useful item in the amenity kit: eyeshades.
When I woke up, I read The New Yorker and half of Secret Agents, a new book about emerging infections. It’s a great read… and two of my former professors were mentioned!
We landed promptly and taxied to gate C-16 at IAH.
29 March Continental 543 Houston-Columbus
B737-300 Seat 3B
Houston/IAH was looking pretty run-down. I slowly walked over to gate D-6, stopping to check my email on the way.
I knew that I’d found the flight to Columbus when I saw a number of large passengers. They feed ‘em well in Central Ohio. I think the city is #4 in the country for morbid obesity. I see patients with cholesterol so high you can see it when you draw their blood, livers that can’t be palpated due to fat, and patients so large they can’t undergo stomach bypass surgery. It’s rather depressing.
Boarding was delayed due to—surprise!—security. The same delay applied for all of the surrounding flights. You could see the security agents sitting outside, eating Burger King takeout, and gossiping. No wonder there was a delay.
I narrowly avoided a random security check by a swarthy-looking guard. I managed to avoid eye contact and kept in the line furthest away from the guard. Worked like a charm.
I think that Continental needs to improve its airport technology. Unlike Delta, United, and American, Continental does not use an automated system. An agent with a hi-liter checks each name against a list of passengers, another agent types seat numbers into a computer. Seems rather labor-intensive.
I settled into seat 3A, changing seats to accommodate a party of three traveling together. I cringed when I saw that they had a baby, but he was quiet for the entire flight.
I fell asleep while boarding was still underway, waking up momentarily during takeoff. The smell from the galley was uninviting, so I turned down the chicken sandwich that was offered. A flight attendant was nice enough to ask me if I wanted to eat when I woke up. I still declined, but she was thoughtful.
We arrived in Columbus ten minutes early and bags were fairly swift: about 15 minutes. My bag was quick to arrive despite the absence of a priority tag.
The Continental Experiment
It’s true, Continental has the best seat and the best catering from the US Mainland to Hawaii. But I wasn’t blown away by their service.
With the exceptions of Hawaiian and Aloha, I’ve taken all of the carriers that serve this market. Delta has the best ground and cabin crew, and their meal service is only slightly less impressive than Continental. They also offer priority baggage handling and web check-in.
I would fly Continental again if necessary, but I think my first choice will always be Delta. Sure, I wish that they’d offer BizElite on Hawaiian flights, but I can understand the economics behind offering domestic first instead of international business.
The shorthaul flights—especially Columbus to Houston—offered better service than much of the competition: excellent meals and they offered entertainment. I’d certainly recommend CAL for those flights. It will be a tough call for my next short- or medium-haul trip.
[This message has been edited by Mats (edited 03-31-2002).]
Honolulu was amazing, as always. I found that I was smiling a great deal more than usual. The weather was flawless and it was great to be with my family. I didn’t actually do much of anything; just beach, pool, reading, etc.
Despite concerns about post-September 11 tourism, things are looking up for Hawaii. Tourism from Japan is at 85% of pre-September 11 levels. Hawaiian Air just announced plans to serve Sacramento and Ontario due to increased demand for West Coast-Hawaii service.
29 March Continental Micronesia 072 Honolulu-Houston
B767-400 Seat 6D
Check in
This flight is listed as operated by Continental Micronesia. I couldn’t tell any difference from regular Continental flights; the cabin crew said that they were based in Houston. Perhaps the flight deck crew were from Air Mike.
Honolulu has only one e-ticket machine, but it was not in use when I arrived. A tense, chatty agent tagged my bag through to Columbus. “You have a good seat… first class,” she said. I guess she wanted me to act surprised.
HNL was fairly quiet at 8:30 pm. A lot of Air Canada passengers headed to the South Pacific, one United 767 and one American 757. I strolled around, including the Interisland Terminal. There were about half a dozen InVision machines—seems like a enormous investment. I don’t get it.
Security
There was a 15 minute wait because only one archway and one x-ray machine were open. Also, numerous crew members arrived and they receive priority. Fortunately, the ID and ticket inspector (they ask for both in Honolulu) was cheerful and apologetic. The majority of security staff in Honolulu are polite and relaxed, unlike their mainland counterparts. -The only exception was the woman who screamed “laptop!” in my face.
I made it through unfrisked and not subject to additional inspection. There was a great deal of metal detector shoe inspections. Don’t they know that C4 isn’t made out of metal? I guess they were looking for people who hidden sharp objects in their shoes.
Boarding
By the time I moseyed over to gate 25, boarding was underway. Despite the crowd at the gate, I was able to board immediately. HNL uses multiple Jetways, so boarding was quite rapid.
As on the outbound flight, there was irritating Hawaiian music. Worse than Don Ho. I can’t decide which was worse: the Hawaiian music on the transpacific flights or the Elvis and Willie Nelson on the short-haul flights. Maybe the earplugs are provided for the boarding music.
A flight attendant took my jacket (after prompting) and offered me a menu, juice, and another boring amenity kit. The crew were polite and professional, but cold. Unlike the outbound crew, they did not appear jaded or bitter—just standoffish. Service tended to appear by-the-book, which is fine. At least I felt that safety would be by-the-book as well.
In Flight
The flight was completely full and there were a great many last-minute upgrades, most of which were for Continental employees.
Taxi and takeoff were expeditious. The captain assured us a smooth seven hour flight to Houston.
The menu was a stripped-down version of the one listed on the website, probably due to the late evening departure. No lobster appetizer, only two entrée choices, no sundaes.
Warm roasted nuts
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
The nuts were warm once again.
A contemporary blend of romaine, red oakleaf lettuce and frisée
with tomato, cucumber and hearts of palm
Offered with your choice of Champagne vinaigrette
or sesame French dressing
This was delicious. Crisp greens and a I loved the Champagne vinaigrette.
Freshly baked sourdough bread
and rustic and multi-grain rolls with butter
Mmmm. Sourdough. It was only warm during the first round, but it was still good.
Breast of Chicken
Breast of free-range chicken with "Indigo's" spicy seasoning and peanut sauce,
garnished with grilled pineapple
Jasmine rice Zucchini sticks Baby carrots
Fantastic. Another generous chicken thigh with a delicious sauce. The rice was rather blah (what jasmine?), but the vegetables were perfect. I was quite impressed with this meal.
Pasta Bowl
Strozzapreti pasta with fresh parsley
offered with zucchini and oven-roasted tomatoes
Yellow squash Asparagus spears
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta
Chocolate truffles
The same no-name brand. I ate them this time; they were acceptable.
Breakfast will be offered prior to landing
Assorted chilled fruit juices
including guava and passion orange
Fresh seasonal fruit
Yogurt
Assorted breads including warm croissants and Hawaiian rolls,
with butter and guava-strawberry jam
Swiss and Colby Cheese Omelette
Offered with O'Brien potatoes,
grilled chicken apple sausage and bacon
Selected Cereal
Served with milk, a banana
and fresh strawberries
Breakfast was fine; I had the cereal and a Hawaiian roll.
I watched half of Sidewalks of New York, which was quite good, but I couldn’t stay awake. My seatmate needed quite a bit of help finding the light switch, how to use the television, etc. “I’m not used to flying first class,” she said. I also noticed that she’d been a selectee for public frisking at the gate—maybe she tried to board first. I felt awkward seeing her watch Sidewalks—it’s quite racy. I think she was watching it because she didn’t know how to change the channel.
I slept quite a bit on this flight… maybe four hours or so. I found the one useful item in the amenity kit: eyeshades.
When I woke up, I read The New Yorker and half of Secret Agents, a new book about emerging infections. It’s a great read… and two of my former professors were mentioned!
We landed promptly and taxied to gate C-16 at IAH.
29 March Continental 543 Houston-Columbus
B737-300 Seat 3B
Houston/IAH was looking pretty run-down. I slowly walked over to gate D-6, stopping to check my email on the way.
I knew that I’d found the flight to Columbus when I saw a number of large passengers. They feed ‘em well in Central Ohio. I think the city is #4 in the country for morbid obesity. I see patients with cholesterol so high you can see it when you draw their blood, livers that can’t be palpated due to fat, and patients so large they can’t undergo stomach bypass surgery. It’s rather depressing.
Boarding was delayed due to—surprise!—security. The same delay applied for all of the surrounding flights. You could see the security agents sitting outside, eating Burger King takeout, and gossiping. No wonder there was a delay.
I narrowly avoided a random security check by a swarthy-looking guard. I managed to avoid eye contact and kept in the line furthest away from the guard. Worked like a charm.
I think that Continental needs to improve its airport technology. Unlike Delta, United, and American, Continental does not use an automated system. An agent with a hi-liter checks each name against a list of passengers, another agent types seat numbers into a computer. Seems rather labor-intensive.
I settled into seat 3A, changing seats to accommodate a party of three traveling together. I cringed when I saw that they had a baby, but he was quiet for the entire flight.
I fell asleep while boarding was still underway, waking up momentarily during takeoff. The smell from the galley was uninviting, so I turned down the chicken sandwich that was offered. A flight attendant was nice enough to ask me if I wanted to eat when I woke up. I still declined, but she was thoughtful.
We arrived in Columbus ten minutes early and bags were fairly swift: about 15 minutes. My bag was quick to arrive despite the absence of a priority tag.
The Continental Experiment
It’s true, Continental has the best seat and the best catering from the US Mainland to Hawaii. But I wasn’t blown away by their service.
With the exceptions of Hawaiian and Aloha, I’ve taken all of the carriers that serve this market. Delta has the best ground and cabin crew, and their meal service is only slightly less impressive than Continental. They also offer priority baggage handling and web check-in.
I would fly Continental again if necessary, but I think my first choice will always be Delta. Sure, I wish that they’d offer BizElite on Hawaiian flights, but I can understand the economics behind offering domestic first instead of international business.
The shorthaul flights—especially Columbus to Houston—offered better service than much of the competition: excellent meals and they offered entertainment. I’d certainly recommend CAL for those flights. It will be a tough call for my next short- or medium-haul trip.
[This message has been edited by Mats (edited 03-31-2002).]