Mats
Mar 22, 02, 12:24 pm
Introduction
I was definitely in need of another trip to Honolulu. Half of family lives there, so I have a good excuse to visit often. Since my last visit (in December), I got badly dumped, my car needed $2000 worth of repairs, and I had a miserable time in school.
As some of you might recall, I’m studying to be a nurse practitioner in a program for college graduates who are not already nurses. I actually hold a master’s in public health, so it’s a logical combination. The first year of the program is spent with traditional RN course work… The instructors are used to undergrads, so the teaching style tends to be, “Now listen to me because I’m the nurse and I said so. And don’t ever question me again.” Research and evidence-based practice aren’t familiar concepts. Oh well, I just have to make it through the autumn, then I move on to the real stuff. I like my NP classes, but the RN hoo-hah is thorn in my side.
After a particularly awful lecture, I determined that I absolutely needed to go back to Honolulu during the spring recess. Disappointed with the service cutbacks and oppressive legroom on Delta, I decided to forego the mileage and Medallion privileges and defect to Continental. They offer the most generous legroom and catering of any airline flying from the US mainland to Hawaii.
20 March Continental 1116 Columbus-Houston
B737-700 Ship 715 Seat 3B
Check in
Arriving at the airport 45 minutes prior to departure, there was no wait to check in. I used the check-in kiosk, which took longer than expected due to a computer slowdown. An agent barked at me for taking too long with the machine, “Our flights are very full, you need to check in.” What did she think I was doing with the kiosk? Surfing the internet?
Another agent tagged my bag through to Honolulu. No priority tag.
Security
There was no wait at the checkpoint and I did not set off the metal detector. Unfortunately, I forgot to remove the power adaptor from my laptop and left it in my carry-on. Naturally this caught the attention of the x-ray screener. She proceeded to slowly and painstakingly inspect every CD and every item in my toiletry bag. She didn’t even look at the power adaptor and sent my toiletry bag through the x-ray machine again. I wanted to take out the power adaptor and say, “This is what you were looking at on the x-ray, you imbecile.” But I sat in a folding chair and waited pleasantly. “Get used to stupid people,” I thought.
Consistent with the complete absence of common sense that pervades airport security, the woman used the TNA explosive detection system on my backpack but not my laptop (which I was carrying.) She then swabbed the insides of my shoes, omitting their enormous underside. I could have hid a nuclear detonator in my shoes and it would have gone unnoticed. At least she didn’t yell at me and I was not frisked.
Boarding
I waited until the “random” security people seemed occupied and boarded the 737. The aircraft was indeed full but there was enough room for everyone’s hand luggage. I sipped an orange juice while the remaining passengers trickled on board.
The cabin crew stood beneath the video monitors during the safety video. A far cry from the Delta crew gossiping in the galley so loudly that one couldn’t actually hear the video!
In Flight
The 2:30 minute flight to Houston featured a two course breakfast service. This was by far the best meal service I’ve seen on a short domestic flight. The menu was as follows:
Warm buttermilk biscuits and cinnamon rolls
Fruit plate: papaya, pineapple, honeydew, and a strawberry
(This was the best fruit I’ve ever had on a plane. In the middle of an Ohioan winter to boot!)
“Basic Four” cereal with a banana and a ramekin of berry yogurt
or
A cheese omelet and Belgian waffle with warm syrup and sausage
I had the cereal, which was already in a bowl with a large banana. I was quite impressed by the meal service. The fork and spoon were real.
The cabin crew was somewhat robotic, but they remained professional and organized.
Entertainment consisted of watered-down CNN “lifestyle” segments and movie previews. I wish the US carriers would follow the leads of Air Canada and British Airways by showing the real news.
We arrived in Houston about ten minutes late.
Houston
In the hundred or so flights I’ve flown with Continental, I had never visited the Houston hub. I wasn’t missing anything. It was claustrophobic and crowded.
The flight to Honolulu was at an adjacent gate, so I didn’t have far to walk.
20 March Continental 001 Houston-Honolulu
B767-400 Ship 074 Seat 1B
Boarding
An angry agent made repeated announcements about how this was a full flight and made stern warnings about having one’s driver’s license and boarding pass ready… “or you’ll be asked to step aside.” She made it sound like we had done something wrong by choosing to fly on a busy day.
I again dodged the “random” security selection. They almost exclusively pray on people traveling alone.
Once on board, I was completely ignored while the crew distributed menus, amenity kits, and drinks. As boarding ended, I finally got up and asked a flight attendant for an amenity kit and a menu. She was not apologetic.
The amenity kit was not even remotely impressive. It contained Tic-Tacs, a toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, useless earplugs, a razor and shaving cream (I thought thy didn’t give those out anymore!) No lip balm, no lotion, none of the fun stuff. The bag was ugly too. I didn’t even take it with me.
Meal orders were taken by boarding order, so I was last. I had hoped for fish, but settled for chicken.
In Flight
We waited in the penalty box for 45 minutes. We were number 27 for departure. It felt like early evening at JFK, but it was 9:30 am in Texas! It didn’t make sense to me. Of course we were on an active taxiway, so everyone had “ants in their pants.”
Once airborne, meal and entertainment service began almost immediately. I watched an episode of The West Wing and ate lunch:
Warm roasted nuts
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
The nuts were actually warm.
Freshly baked sourdough bread
and assorted rolls with butter
In accordance with the crew’s determination to skip me, I was not offered seconds on the bread. Everyone else did. I gave up trying to flag down the woman with the basket of bread.
Fresh garden greens
including romaine and Boston lettuce and radicchio
garnished with cucumber and tomato slices
Offered with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette
or buttermilk ranch dressing
The salad was unimpressive, but better than some airplane salad. It had a distinctly chemical flavor.
The Chef's Selection
Fillet of red snapper with a potato crust, accented by lemon herb sauce,
offered with char-grilled jumbo shrimp and sautéed plantain
Fine green bean, red bell pepper and carrot julienne
Grilled Steak
Grilled Sterling SilverTM New York sirloin steak
enhanced by morel mushroom sauce and roasted garlic,
accompanied by mashed potatoes with minced black truffle
Sautéed spinach with butter Grilled cherry tomatoes
Breast of Chicken
Breast of free-range chicken complemented by lemon butter sauce,
served with a ragoût of artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers
Toasted polenta Asparagus spears
Pasta Bowl
Ravioli filled with mushrooms and goat cheese
complemented by piquant eggplant arrabbiata sauce
with toasted pine nuts and pesto sauce
The chicken was a large chicken thigh, not a rubbery “airline cut.” The polenta was warm and the artichokes were tasty. Above all, the asparagus was green and cooked al dente.
Blue Bell® HomemadeTM vanilla ice cream
offered with your choice of toppings
The ice cream was beautiful. Reasonably soft and a generous serving. Mmmm.
Second Service:
Fresh seasonal fruit
Hot Sandwich
Roasted breast of chicken, ham and provolone cheese
served on an onion poppy seed panettini
with grilled tricolor bell peppers, sautéed onions,
roasted red bell pepper and maître d'hôtel butter
Offered with Dijon horseradish sauce
Chocolate
I don’t eat red meat and Continental does not offer a choice for its BusinessFirst second meal service. I ended up eating the bread and peppers, which were quite nice. The fruit was more typical of airplane fruit: bland, hard, and a bit sour. It consisted of pineapple, cantaloupe, grapes, and a half a strawberry. The chocolates were nameless truffles; I didn’t try them.
Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Timothy's Italian Blend Espresso or Cappuccino
available exclusively in BusinessFirst on our 777 and 767 aircraft.
I wanted very much to test out the cappuccino, but the crew were so unapproachable that I was afraid to ask.
Continental has quite nice table settings: pink and purple linens and attractive China. The salt and pepper shakers were real glass. The only odd item was a hideous plastic napkin ring. It was ugly and classless. I can’t imagine why it was there.
The crew were disappointing. Not unprofessional, just cold and essentially absent after meal service. One of them snapped at me for crossing through the galley on the way back from the bathroom. “We don’t let people up here anymore,” she said. I wanted to point out that one cannot fly the plane from the galley; I could really only hijack pretzels. It wasn’t worth arguing about.
I overheard one of the flight attendants discussing how she had worked for PeopleExpress, New York Air, TWA, and Continental. No wonder she seemed jaded and bitter.
The purser, Robert, had the annoying habit of saying the “w” in Hawaii like a “v.” I wanted to say, “Bob, dude, you’re based in Houston and you’re not Hawaiian. You sound like an affected dork.” But after my trespassing incident in the galley, I didn’t say a word.
The flight was the most turbulent I’ve experienced in about a decade. The “Fasten Seatbelt” sign remained on for almost half of the eight-hour flight!
To make matters worse, the BusinessFirst cabin had two very loud babies in it. The parents did not seem particularly “clued in” on what to do. Sometimes there is nothing a parent can do. But there are some tactics worth trying… a bottle, a pacifier, etc. Simply “shushing” a baby is not terribly effective. Consequently, one of the babies squealed for about seven of the eight hours. I’m not exaggerating. It was just squeal-shush-squeal-shush-squeal-shush.
Then there was the smell issue. A sudden unpleasant odor and crying baby should be a tip-off for parents. But not these folks.
Between the two babies the BusinessFirst lavatories smelled horrible. All of those nappies in a very small space. It was awful. I could smell it from my seat!
Prior to landing, the Airshow featured a useless map of the Honolulu Airport. It was just an outline of the building with nothing marked. I can’t figure out why they bothered to show it.
The cabin crew distributed Hawaii agriculture declaration forms about half an hour prior to landing. I dutifully completed my form but could not get one of the crew to collect it. They came through the aisles more than once and I waived mine in the air, but I was again invisible to the crew.
I was very happy to make it to Honolulu. The landing was hard! And it wasn’t particularly windy and it wasn’t raining.
Bags took 50 minutes to show up on the belt!
At least I was with my family, so I didn't mind the wait.
[This message has been edited by Mats (edited 03-22-2002).]
I was definitely in need of another trip to Honolulu. Half of family lives there, so I have a good excuse to visit often. Since my last visit (in December), I got badly dumped, my car needed $2000 worth of repairs, and I had a miserable time in school.
As some of you might recall, I’m studying to be a nurse practitioner in a program for college graduates who are not already nurses. I actually hold a master’s in public health, so it’s a logical combination. The first year of the program is spent with traditional RN course work… The instructors are used to undergrads, so the teaching style tends to be, “Now listen to me because I’m the nurse and I said so. And don’t ever question me again.” Research and evidence-based practice aren’t familiar concepts. Oh well, I just have to make it through the autumn, then I move on to the real stuff. I like my NP classes, but the RN hoo-hah is thorn in my side.
After a particularly awful lecture, I determined that I absolutely needed to go back to Honolulu during the spring recess. Disappointed with the service cutbacks and oppressive legroom on Delta, I decided to forego the mileage and Medallion privileges and defect to Continental. They offer the most generous legroom and catering of any airline flying from the US mainland to Hawaii.
20 March Continental 1116 Columbus-Houston
B737-700 Ship 715 Seat 3B
Check in
Arriving at the airport 45 minutes prior to departure, there was no wait to check in. I used the check-in kiosk, which took longer than expected due to a computer slowdown. An agent barked at me for taking too long with the machine, “Our flights are very full, you need to check in.” What did she think I was doing with the kiosk? Surfing the internet?
Another agent tagged my bag through to Honolulu. No priority tag.
Security
There was no wait at the checkpoint and I did not set off the metal detector. Unfortunately, I forgot to remove the power adaptor from my laptop and left it in my carry-on. Naturally this caught the attention of the x-ray screener. She proceeded to slowly and painstakingly inspect every CD and every item in my toiletry bag. She didn’t even look at the power adaptor and sent my toiletry bag through the x-ray machine again. I wanted to take out the power adaptor and say, “This is what you were looking at on the x-ray, you imbecile.” But I sat in a folding chair and waited pleasantly. “Get used to stupid people,” I thought.
Consistent with the complete absence of common sense that pervades airport security, the woman used the TNA explosive detection system on my backpack but not my laptop (which I was carrying.) She then swabbed the insides of my shoes, omitting their enormous underside. I could have hid a nuclear detonator in my shoes and it would have gone unnoticed. At least she didn’t yell at me and I was not frisked.
Boarding
I waited until the “random” security people seemed occupied and boarded the 737. The aircraft was indeed full but there was enough room for everyone’s hand luggage. I sipped an orange juice while the remaining passengers trickled on board.
The cabin crew stood beneath the video monitors during the safety video. A far cry from the Delta crew gossiping in the galley so loudly that one couldn’t actually hear the video!
In Flight
The 2:30 minute flight to Houston featured a two course breakfast service. This was by far the best meal service I’ve seen on a short domestic flight. The menu was as follows:
Warm buttermilk biscuits and cinnamon rolls
Fruit plate: papaya, pineapple, honeydew, and a strawberry
(This was the best fruit I’ve ever had on a plane. In the middle of an Ohioan winter to boot!)
“Basic Four” cereal with a banana and a ramekin of berry yogurt
or
A cheese omelet and Belgian waffle with warm syrup and sausage
I had the cereal, which was already in a bowl with a large banana. I was quite impressed by the meal service. The fork and spoon were real.
The cabin crew was somewhat robotic, but they remained professional and organized.
Entertainment consisted of watered-down CNN “lifestyle” segments and movie previews. I wish the US carriers would follow the leads of Air Canada and British Airways by showing the real news.
We arrived in Houston about ten minutes late.
Houston
In the hundred or so flights I’ve flown with Continental, I had never visited the Houston hub. I wasn’t missing anything. It was claustrophobic and crowded.
The flight to Honolulu was at an adjacent gate, so I didn’t have far to walk.
20 March Continental 001 Houston-Honolulu
B767-400 Ship 074 Seat 1B
Boarding
An angry agent made repeated announcements about how this was a full flight and made stern warnings about having one’s driver’s license and boarding pass ready… “or you’ll be asked to step aside.” She made it sound like we had done something wrong by choosing to fly on a busy day.
I again dodged the “random” security selection. They almost exclusively pray on people traveling alone.
Once on board, I was completely ignored while the crew distributed menus, amenity kits, and drinks. As boarding ended, I finally got up and asked a flight attendant for an amenity kit and a menu. She was not apologetic.
The amenity kit was not even remotely impressive. It contained Tic-Tacs, a toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, useless earplugs, a razor and shaving cream (I thought thy didn’t give those out anymore!) No lip balm, no lotion, none of the fun stuff. The bag was ugly too. I didn’t even take it with me.
Meal orders were taken by boarding order, so I was last. I had hoped for fish, but settled for chicken.
In Flight
We waited in the penalty box for 45 minutes. We were number 27 for departure. It felt like early evening at JFK, but it was 9:30 am in Texas! It didn’t make sense to me. Of course we were on an active taxiway, so everyone had “ants in their pants.”
Once airborne, meal and entertainment service began almost immediately. I watched an episode of The West Wing and ate lunch:
Warm roasted nuts
served with your preferred
cocktail or beverage
The nuts were actually warm.
Freshly baked sourdough bread
and assorted rolls with butter
In accordance with the crew’s determination to skip me, I was not offered seconds on the bread. Everyone else did. I gave up trying to flag down the woman with the basket of bread.
Fresh garden greens
including romaine and Boston lettuce and radicchio
garnished with cucumber and tomato slices
Offered with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette
or buttermilk ranch dressing
The salad was unimpressive, but better than some airplane salad. It had a distinctly chemical flavor.
The Chef's Selection
Fillet of red snapper with a potato crust, accented by lemon herb sauce,
offered with char-grilled jumbo shrimp and sautéed plantain
Fine green bean, red bell pepper and carrot julienne
Grilled Steak
Grilled Sterling SilverTM New York sirloin steak
enhanced by morel mushroom sauce and roasted garlic,
accompanied by mashed potatoes with minced black truffle
Sautéed spinach with butter Grilled cherry tomatoes
Breast of Chicken
Breast of free-range chicken complemented by lemon butter sauce,
served with a ragoût of artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and capers
Toasted polenta Asparagus spears
Pasta Bowl
Ravioli filled with mushrooms and goat cheese
complemented by piquant eggplant arrabbiata sauce
with toasted pine nuts and pesto sauce
The chicken was a large chicken thigh, not a rubbery “airline cut.” The polenta was warm and the artichokes were tasty. Above all, the asparagus was green and cooked al dente.
Blue Bell® HomemadeTM vanilla ice cream
offered with your choice of toppings
The ice cream was beautiful. Reasonably soft and a generous serving. Mmmm.
Second Service:
Fresh seasonal fruit
Hot Sandwich
Roasted breast of chicken, ham and provolone cheese
served on an onion poppy seed panettini
with grilled tricolor bell peppers, sautéed onions,
roasted red bell pepper and maître d'hôtel butter
Offered with Dijon horseradish sauce
Chocolate
I don’t eat red meat and Continental does not offer a choice for its BusinessFirst second meal service. I ended up eating the bread and peppers, which were quite nice. The fruit was more typical of airplane fruit: bland, hard, and a bit sour. It consisted of pineapple, cantaloupe, grapes, and a half a strawberry. The chocolates were nameless truffles; I didn’t try them.
Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Timothy's Italian Blend Espresso or Cappuccino
available exclusively in BusinessFirst on our 777 and 767 aircraft.
I wanted very much to test out the cappuccino, but the crew were so unapproachable that I was afraid to ask.
Continental has quite nice table settings: pink and purple linens and attractive China. The salt and pepper shakers were real glass. The only odd item was a hideous plastic napkin ring. It was ugly and classless. I can’t imagine why it was there.
The crew were disappointing. Not unprofessional, just cold and essentially absent after meal service. One of them snapped at me for crossing through the galley on the way back from the bathroom. “We don’t let people up here anymore,” she said. I wanted to point out that one cannot fly the plane from the galley; I could really only hijack pretzels. It wasn’t worth arguing about.
I overheard one of the flight attendants discussing how she had worked for PeopleExpress, New York Air, TWA, and Continental. No wonder she seemed jaded and bitter.
The purser, Robert, had the annoying habit of saying the “w” in Hawaii like a “v.” I wanted to say, “Bob, dude, you’re based in Houston and you’re not Hawaiian. You sound like an affected dork.” But after my trespassing incident in the galley, I didn’t say a word.
The flight was the most turbulent I’ve experienced in about a decade. The “Fasten Seatbelt” sign remained on for almost half of the eight-hour flight!
To make matters worse, the BusinessFirst cabin had two very loud babies in it. The parents did not seem particularly “clued in” on what to do. Sometimes there is nothing a parent can do. But there are some tactics worth trying… a bottle, a pacifier, etc. Simply “shushing” a baby is not terribly effective. Consequently, one of the babies squealed for about seven of the eight hours. I’m not exaggerating. It was just squeal-shush-squeal-shush-squeal-shush.
Then there was the smell issue. A sudden unpleasant odor and crying baby should be a tip-off for parents. But not these folks.
Between the two babies the BusinessFirst lavatories smelled horrible. All of those nappies in a very small space. It was awful. I could smell it from my seat!
Prior to landing, the Airshow featured a useless map of the Honolulu Airport. It was just an outline of the building with nothing marked. I can’t figure out why they bothered to show it.
The cabin crew distributed Hawaii agriculture declaration forms about half an hour prior to landing. I dutifully completed my form but could not get one of the crew to collect it. They came through the aisles more than once and I waived mine in the air, but I was again invisible to the crew.
I was very happy to make it to Honolulu. The landing was hard! And it wasn’t particularly windy and it wasn’t raining.
Bags took 50 minutes to show up on the belt!
At least I was with my family, so I didn't mind the wait.
[This message has been edited by Mats (edited 03-22-2002).]