TWAforever
Jun 20, 02, 5:05 pm
Here goes my first trip report (Long) ENJOY!
BOS-JFK-LHR---CDG-BOS
BOS-JFK AA4792 14JUN-2002
I checked in at about 4pm, rather early because I shared a cab with a friend who was leaving on an earlier flight. I decided to hop into the AC since I had the time. Unfortunately, it was overcrowded and since I am only PLT and flying in Y, I did not have access to the FL. I only stayed long enough to have a diet coke then proceeded to the Eagle terminal.
This was my first Eagle flight out of BOS and must say that the terminal is tiny (and crowded) especially when they slipped a delayed STL and ORD mainline into B26. As I waited all of a sudden all of the HPN and EWR flights were delayed. Apparently, there was a ground hold. I made sure this didn't extend to JFK, but in any case, through all the commotion we did not depart until 705pm, 25 minutes late. My connection wasn't too tight, but still rather close (AA 132 departs at 900pm.)
The Eagle flight was uneventful. I had seat 3A. The flight attendant managed to drop an open can of diet coke on my jeans. She didn't seem very apologetic about it and when she did apologize I simply replied, "It's alright." Her response was, "Oh, so do you want me to do it again?" The truth is I am not a huge fan of sarcasm until I have had a couple glasses of wine. Luckily, diet coke doesn't stain easily because it has no sugar.
We began final approach at 750pm, it is cloudy and misty, but I can see the ground when all of a sudden the engines power up and the nose creeps upward. Oh no, missed approach. (My first) So, now we have to go around and try again. 2nd time was the charm and we landed at 825pm. Now the connection is tight. The flight attendant says she will ask the agents to arrange something, but then she smirks and says, "Well, you didn't check any luggage, so you're prime for getting bumped." I didn't exactly need those lovely words of encouragement. I was actually more worried that they would eventually cancel my seat assignment as the flight was oversold by 18 in Y.
JFK-LHR AA132 14JUN-2002
I got on the bus that was supposed to take me to gate 40 and tightened my shoelaces as I was prepared to sprint and beg security in Terminal 8 to make it quick. The bus stopped in the middle of tarmac and the driver turned to me and said, "Are you on AA132? Get off and take this bus." So, I changed buses in the middle of the tarmac and this bus took me to Gate 9 at Terminal 8 and an agent led me up some stairs and through a backdoor and there I was inside Terminal 8 right next to Gate 10, the departure gate of AA132 to LHR. It was now 840pm and I hopped on the 777 with plenty of time to spare. I had seat 31H, which I know all of you tend to recommend, but in truth I didn't like the wide armrests that made me feel a little bit scrunched in. I'm a little bit wider than average. The door closed at 920pm, but we did not lift off until 1000pm.
I had a couple of Heinekens and the beef with rice, which was on par with expectations. The other meal choice was salmon. I watched the Monster's Ball, a very interesting movie and napped for about an hour. I then had the light breakfast, a croissant, banana, and yogurt, which I felt was kind of skimpy, but oh well.
We landed on time at 910am. It was my first time at LHR, so I took my time looking at all the planes and airport architecture. I made it on the 1017am Heathrow express train and enjoyed one day in London. What did I do? Well, I spent the day walking around Hyde Park to Piccadilly, then went to the Royal Academy of Arts and saw the Qingzhou Discoveries exhibit. By this time, England had beaten Denmark 3-0 in the World Cup, so all of the main squares became inundated with inebriated fans.
I met up with some friends who had flown UA a day earlier over some coffee and then retired to our hotel for the night.
London Waterloo - Paris Gare du Nord Eurostar 16JUN-2002
Actually, I went straight from LHR to Waterloo to buy my Eurostar ticket. Everyone had told me that I could just walk up the same day and still get the student fare. Unfortunately, revenue management was against me as the ticket agent said it is nearly impossible to walk up for a student fare. So, I had to pay GBP105 for a one-way ticket to Paris.
So, my two friends and I were on train 9018 non-stop LON-PAR. We were in Car 1, seats 64, 67, 68. June 16th was the first day of a new Eurostar schedule, so the train was late. Scheduled departure was 1017am and we did not pull out of the station until 1032am. Furthermore, we lost time on the British side due to traffic. We arrived at Paris at 255pm. The train was okay. Frankly, I am a fly guy and it wasn't my first time on the channel tunnel train, so I basically napped and chatted with my friends.
Another friend picked us up and Gare du Nord and we stayed at his apartment in the 7th arrondissement. We had to rush because the whole purpose of the trip was to attend a wedding reception that was to begin at 7pm on June 16th.
CDG-BOS AA147 18JUN-2002
The strike was imminent; so many people had tried to change their tickets to today. The economy line was a mile long, but I could use the Business line, which took 3 minutes. I went through security, and went into the Admiral's Club. It was much nicer than the one in Boston, and I hung out there for about an hour. Then, I heard agents talking that the computer system completely shut down and it was taking them at least five minutes per passenger at check-in. We departed from gate A40, which was nearly empty. We had to be busses to the 767-300. I was in seat 20B. I actually got the Parisian random security check at the gate, my first one since 9/11. I made it onto the plane at about 140pm. First and business were rather occupied, but coach had maybe 20 people in it, again, because of the computer problems at the terminal. The last busload of people came on at about 240pm. Our scheduled departure was 2pm. As the last people were getting on, some agents were walking by and counting seats. The flight had not been oversold, but because of everyone changing to get out before the ATC strike, I guess it really booked up because I felt an arm on my shoulder. It was an angel, oops I mean agent. "Monsieur Cusano, we have a new boarding pass for you seat 7G, could you please take your things and move there, someone else needs to sit here." YES!! My second operational upgrade in a month. I love AA. An interesting side note was that the agent tried to be discreet about it, but the man in 20A heard what she said to me. As I got up to grab my bags, the guy actually got upset and asked what I was doing. I told him that they asked me to change seats. He actually dwelled on it and asked why they are doing that to ME, and why I should change? I just said I don't mind and the agent cam back seeing that he was actually getting riled up about it. The agent told me just to go to my new seat and she began to talk to the man in 20A.
First, I felt a little inappropriate being that I was dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, so I changed into a nicer polo shirt at least. I grabbed a glass of champagne and sat down to relax in 7G. Unfortunately, due to the late boarding, we missed our slot and ATC held us, so we did not take-off until 345pm.
This was my first AA J experience. All I can compare it with is the former TW1.
I looked through my amenity kit to see what was in it. It was Origins bath products. The drink cart came by and I began with some French red wine and hot mixed nuts. The FA also dropped off my personal DVD player. The player was great and I really, really want a pair of those BOSE NC headsets. I couldn't hear a sound of the plane with those things on. I wonder how much of a discount I would get for a pair of those if I give a call to BOSE.
I proceeded to watch "Vanilla Sky" during the meal. The menu appears below.
Appetizer: Hot-smoked salmon accompanied by a fresh grapefruit and cucumber salad.
Salad: Fresh seasonal greens offered with ginger orange dressing or olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Entrees:
Lamb Medallions (my choice): rosemary roasted lamb medallions enhanced by a Merlot sauce, presented with a broccoli-tomato medley and yellow potato wedges with thyme.
Lemon Thyme Grilled Chicken: Grilled breast of chicken served with sautéed Haricots Verts and sun-dried tomatoes, accompanied by a potato soufflé
Penne Pasta with grilled Eggplant: Penne pasta with grilled eggplant, complemented by an oven-roasted tomato sauce, smoked mozzarella and freshly shredded parmesan cheese.
Yankee Pot Roast: Tenderloin of beef braised in a red whine broth, offered with oven-roasted potatoes, carrots and pearl onions.
Dessert: Fresh Fruit and Cheese with Crackers or Ben and Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.
The lamb was tender and vegetables tasted decent. The salad was okay, but the ginger orange dressing was a bit too sweet. The best part was the French bread selection.
The chocolate fudge brownie ice cream was also a highlight.
The bottles of Evian were passed out and I proceeded to watch "Any Given Sunday". I love the DVD player because it made the 8-hour flight pass by quickly. After that, I had to give a big-ups to one of my favorites, so I watched "Airplane". I was actually surprised that they included it in the library given that some people may not be comfortable watching that movie while on an airplane. During this time, the FA walked the cabin every half-hour or so to make sure everyone was content.
The afternoon snack service then began after I finished my third move. If you can't tell by now I am a huge movie buff and could spend the whole day watching movies. Snack selection appears below.
Feta baked Salmon: Fillet of salmon topped with baked feta cheese accompanied by a salad of wilted greens, roasted yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and a cucumber-mint dressing.
Pineapple Chicken with Asian Slaw: Slices of chicken breast in a pineapple soy marinade served with julienned asian slaw including cabbage, carrots, red bell peppers and fresh cilantro.
Walnut Caramel Tart: A walnut tart with caramel filling topped with a fresh strawberry.
I had the chicken with Asian slaw, which was a cold plate. The chicken was tender and the sauce was good, but the Asian slaw seemed to be more like raw shredded onions. My eyes were almost watering after a couple of bites of the slaw as the smell of onions overwhelmed me. In any case, it was fair, but I guess I was expecting a bit more even though it was a snack service. The big plus was more French breads and the walnut tart.
We then began our descent into BOS. The pilots attempted to make up time, but we still landed at 506pm, 1 hour and 6 minutes late. To throw salt on the wound BOS immigration held us on the plane for an extra 20 minutes, then the lines were still a mile long when we got into the hall. I made it outside Logan at about 630pm and took the T back to Cambridge.
My experience on AA J was very nice. I like the DVD players and the FAs were nice and attentive. However, I find the meal service inadequate compared to my TWOne experiences. TWOne just seemed a little bit more elegant and personalized, although the FA did come by at the beginning of the flight and addressed me by name, though it never happened again for the rest of the flight.
Overall, I was impressed by this particular trip and definitely will give further support to AA. I definitely can't complain about the upgrade and appreciated it even though I know I was quick to point out my dislikes about J class. They were just my observations and in no way would I give anything but praise to all of the agents and FAs on this trip.
BOS-JFK-LHR---CDG-BOS
BOS-JFK AA4792 14JUN-2002
I checked in at about 4pm, rather early because I shared a cab with a friend who was leaving on an earlier flight. I decided to hop into the AC since I had the time. Unfortunately, it was overcrowded and since I am only PLT and flying in Y, I did not have access to the FL. I only stayed long enough to have a diet coke then proceeded to the Eagle terminal.
This was my first Eagle flight out of BOS and must say that the terminal is tiny (and crowded) especially when they slipped a delayed STL and ORD mainline into B26. As I waited all of a sudden all of the HPN and EWR flights were delayed. Apparently, there was a ground hold. I made sure this didn't extend to JFK, but in any case, through all the commotion we did not depart until 705pm, 25 minutes late. My connection wasn't too tight, but still rather close (AA 132 departs at 900pm.)
The Eagle flight was uneventful. I had seat 3A. The flight attendant managed to drop an open can of diet coke on my jeans. She didn't seem very apologetic about it and when she did apologize I simply replied, "It's alright." Her response was, "Oh, so do you want me to do it again?" The truth is I am not a huge fan of sarcasm until I have had a couple glasses of wine. Luckily, diet coke doesn't stain easily because it has no sugar.
We began final approach at 750pm, it is cloudy and misty, but I can see the ground when all of a sudden the engines power up and the nose creeps upward. Oh no, missed approach. (My first) So, now we have to go around and try again. 2nd time was the charm and we landed at 825pm. Now the connection is tight. The flight attendant says she will ask the agents to arrange something, but then she smirks and says, "Well, you didn't check any luggage, so you're prime for getting bumped." I didn't exactly need those lovely words of encouragement. I was actually more worried that they would eventually cancel my seat assignment as the flight was oversold by 18 in Y.
JFK-LHR AA132 14JUN-2002
I got on the bus that was supposed to take me to gate 40 and tightened my shoelaces as I was prepared to sprint and beg security in Terminal 8 to make it quick. The bus stopped in the middle of tarmac and the driver turned to me and said, "Are you on AA132? Get off and take this bus." So, I changed buses in the middle of the tarmac and this bus took me to Gate 9 at Terminal 8 and an agent led me up some stairs and through a backdoor and there I was inside Terminal 8 right next to Gate 10, the departure gate of AA132 to LHR. It was now 840pm and I hopped on the 777 with plenty of time to spare. I had seat 31H, which I know all of you tend to recommend, but in truth I didn't like the wide armrests that made me feel a little bit scrunched in. I'm a little bit wider than average. The door closed at 920pm, but we did not lift off until 1000pm.
I had a couple of Heinekens and the beef with rice, which was on par with expectations. The other meal choice was salmon. I watched the Monster's Ball, a very interesting movie and napped for about an hour. I then had the light breakfast, a croissant, banana, and yogurt, which I felt was kind of skimpy, but oh well.
We landed on time at 910am. It was my first time at LHR, so I took my time looking at all the planes and airport architecture. I made it on the 1017am Heathrow express train and enjoyed one day in London. What did I do? Well, I spent the day walking around Hyde Park to Piccadilly, then went to the Royal Academy of Arts and saw the Qingzhou Discoveries exhibit. By this time, England had beaten Denmark 3-0 in the World Cup, so all of the main squares became inundated with inebriated fans.
I met up with some friends who had flown UA a day earlier over some coffee and then retired to our hotel for the night.
London Waterloo - Paris Gare du Nord Eurostar 16JUN-2002
Actually, I went straight from LHR to Waterloo to buy my Eurostar ticket. Everyone had told me that I could just walk up the same day and still get the student fare. Unfortunately, revenue management was against me as the ticket agent said it is nearly impossible to walk up for a student fare. So, I had to pay GBP105 for a one-way ticket to Paris.
So, my two friends and I were on train 9018 non-stop LON-PAR. We were in Car 1, seats 64, 67, 68. June 16th was the first day of a new Eurostar schedule, so the train was late. Scheduled departure was 1017am and we did not pull out of the station until 1032am. Furthermore, we lost time on the British side due to traffic. We arrived at Paris at 255pm. The train was okay. Frankly, I am a fly guy and it wasn't my first time on the channel tunnel train, so I basically napped and chatted with my friends.
Another friend picked us up and Gare du Nord and we stayed at his apartment in the 7th arrondissement. We had to rush because the whole purpose of the trip was to attend a wedding reception that was to begin at 7pm on June 16th.
CDG-BOS AA147 18JUN-2002
The strike was imminent; so many people had tried to change their tickets to today. The economy line was a mile long, but I could use the Business line, which took 3 minutes. I went through security, and went into the Admiral's Club. It was much nicer than the one in Boston, and I hung out there for about an hour. Then, I heard agents talking that the computer system completely shut down and it was taking them at least five minutes per passenger at check-in. We departed from gate A40, which was nearly empty. We had to be busses to the 767-300. I was in seat 20B. I actually got the Parisian random security check at the gate, my first one since 9/11. I made it onto the plane at about 140pm. First and business were rather occupied, but coach had maybe 20 people in it, again, because of the computer problems at the terminal. The last busload of people came on at about 240pm. Our scheduled departure was 2pm. As the last people were getting on, some agents were walking by and counting seats. The flight had not been oversold, but because of everyone changing to get out before the ATC strike, I guess it really booked up because I felt an arm on my shoulder. It was an angel, oops I mean agent. "Monsieur Cusano, we have a new boarding pass for you seat 7G, could you please take your things and move there, someone else needs to sit here." YES!! My second operational upgrade in a month. I love AA. An interesting side note was that the agent tried to be discreet about it, but the man in 20A heard what she said to me. As I got up to grab my bags, the guy actually got upset and asked what I was doing. I told him that they asked me to change seats. He actually dwelled on it and asked why they are doing that to ME, and why I should change? I just said I don't mind and the agent cam back seeing that he was actually getting riled up about it. The agent told me just to go to my new seat and she began to talk to the man in 20A.
First, I felt a little inappropriate being that I was dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, so I changed into a nicer polo shirt at least. I grabbed a glass of champagne and sat down to relax in 7G. Unfortunately, due to the late boarding, we missed our slot and ATC held us, so we did not take-off until 345pm.
This was my first AA J experience. All I can compare it with is the former TW1.
I looked through my amenity kit to see what was in it. It was Origins bath products. The drink cart came by and I began with some French red wine and hot mixed nuts. The FA also dropped off my personal DVD player. The player was great and I really, really want a pair of those BOSE NC headsets. I couldn't hear a sound of the plane with those things on. I wonder how much of a discount I would get for a pair of those if I give a call to BOSE.
I proceeded to watch "Vanilla Sky" during the meal. The menu appears below.
Appetizer: Hot-smoked salmon accompanied by a fresh grapefruit and cucumber salad.
Salad: Fresh seasonal greens offered with ginger orange dressing or olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Entrees:
Lamb Medallions (my choice): rosemary roasted lamb medallions enhanced by a Merlot sauce, presented with a broccoli-tomato medley and yellow potato wedges with thyme.
Lemon Thyme Grilled Chicken: Grilled breast of chicken served with sautéed Haricots Verts and sun-dried tomatoes, accompanied by a potato soufflé
Penne Pasta with grilled Eggplant: Penne pasta with grilled eggplant, complemented by an oven-roasted tomato sauce, smoked mozzarella and freshly shredded parmesan cheese.
Yankee Pot Roast: Tenderloin of beef braised in a red whine broth, offered with oven-roasted potatoes, carrots and pearl onions.
Dessert: Fresh Fruit and Cheese with Crackers or Ben and Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.
The lamb was tender and vegetables tasted decent. The salad was okay, but the ginger orange dressing was a bit too sweet. The best part was the French bread selection.
The chocolate fudge brownie ice cream was also a highlight.
The bottles of Evian were passed out and I proceeded to watch "Any Given Sunday". I love the DVD player because it made the 8-hour flight pass by quickly. After that, I had to give a big-ups to one of my favorites, so I watched "Airplane". I was actually surprised that they included it in the library given that some people may not be comfortable watching that movie while on an airplane. During this time, the FA walked the cabin every half-hour or so to make sure everyone was content.
The afternoon snack service then began after I finished my third move. If you can't tell by now I am a huge movie buff and could spend the whole day watching movies. Snack selection appears below.
Feta baked Salmon: Fillet of salmon topped with baked feta cheese accompanied by a salad of wilted greens, roasted yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and a cucumber-mint dressing.
Pineapple Chicken with Asian Slaw: Slices of chicken breast in a pineapple soy marinade served with julienned asian slaw including cabbage, carrots, red bell peppers and fresh cilantro.
Walnut Caramel Tart: A walnut tart with caramel filling topped with a fresh strawberry.
I had the chicken with Asian slaw, which was a cold plate. The chicken was tender and the sauce was good, but the Asian slaw seemed to be more like raw shredded onions. My eyes were almost watering after a couple of bites of the slaw as the smell of onions overwhelmed me. In any case, it was fair, but I guess I was expecting a bit more even though it was a snack service. The big plus was more French breads and the walnut tart.
We then began our descent into BOS. The pilots attempted to make up time, but we still landed at 506pm, 1 hour and 6 minutes late. To throw salt on the wound BOS immigration held us on the plane for an extra 20 minutes, then the lines were still a mile long when we got into the hall. I made it outside Logan at about 630pm and took the T back to Cambridge.
My experience on AA J was very nice. I like the DVD players and the FAs were nice and attentive. However, I find the meal service inadequate compared to my TWOne experiences. TWOne just seemed a little bit more elegant and personalized, although the FA did come by at the beginning of the flight and addressed me by name, though it never happened again for the rest of the flight.
Overall, I was impressed by this particular trip and definitely will give further support to AA. I definitely can't complain about the upgrade and appreciated it even though I know I was quick to point out my dislikes about J class. They were just my observations and in no way would I give anything but praise to all of the agents and FAs on this trip.