stinger
Jul 7, 03, 11:04 am
I was booked on Mexicana flight 983 from YVR to MEX with a stopover in MTY. I was seated in Business Class or Club Ejecutiva as it is referred to on Mexicana. My seat assignment was 3F. The outbound flight was designated as a 757. The incoming aircraft arrived at and our departure of 00:20 was put into question. I was departing from international at YVR. Due to the lateness of my departure there were no Star Alliance lounges open even though this was codeshare AC flight. Luckily the skybar at the Fairmont Hotel has a nice quiet area with good viewing of the airport and is close to the international security and check-in.
I checked my luggage in when the counter opened two hours prior and went back to the bar at the Fairmont. There was only a few departures at this time so the airport was very quiet. Went through security quickly to wait for boarding call. Boarding call occurred around 11:55p.m. I boarding first when they called all passengers in Club Ejecutiva could board at their leisure. I was anxious to see what Mexicana business class seats were like. To my dismay there had been an aircraft change and we were on what appeared to be a fairly new A319. Business class was 2-2 with 12 seats. I am guessing seat pitch was about 40” similar to domestic J on Air Canada. I got settled in 3F and placed my carry on in the seat in front of me. The seat beside me was empty to at least I would have plenty of room.
The FA’s were very friendly and can by to take my pre-drink order. I have a tecate which was extremely cold. Better than other airlines which usually serve room temperature beer on their flights. Pushback ocurred at 00:45 which was a slight delay. It was quickly made up for when the safety demonstration included the use of the oxygen mask and your seatbelt as well as pointing out the emergency exits. This was much less information than in the normal AC safety video that I am used to. One Pax in business class was refusing to put his seat into the full upright position during our taxi. Plane stopped and pilot came to back to captain to speak to the passenger. Things were rectified quickly and we continued our taxi to the south runway at YVR.
Takeoff was uneventful and after climbing out over the Pacific we made a left turn south and headed towards MTY. The cabin crew was very friendly and offered a meal service which I declined as I was hoping to get some sleep prior to arriving in MEX. I had a transfer to Acapulco where I was scheduled to speak at a conference that afternoon. The in flight entertainment started with the movie. They handed out head seats to those who wanted to watch the movie. The FA’s also came around with Sony DVD’s with a choice of movies. I declined.
After several attempts to fall asleep I realized that I was not going to get that refreshing nap I was hoping for. The seat pitch is not very good and when the people in front put their seats back you have even less room. Four hours of tossing and turning seem to take forever. Finally we made our approach and landing in MTY which is a schedule stop prior to continuing on to MEX.
MTY was fairly busy with two AA’s flights departing and some Aeromexico and Mexicana. We were led through customs and then placed back in the waiting area to re-board the aircraft. My luggage had been checked all the way through to ACA so that is where I would push the button of whether my bags would be searched or not.
After about a 40 minute wait we were allowed to return on board for our quick one hour and twenty minute flight to MEX. This was uneventful and we were served a great little mexican omellete breakfast complete with some sort of mashed potatoes which were very good. Good meal service. After landing in MEX which was very busy at 9:15 am as a lot of commuters and business people changing planes I checked in the Mexicana agent to find out my connecting flight, MX 509 from MEX to ACA would be departing from the same gate 12 that I arrived on the same A319. After being told to go back to gate 12 and wait as there were not lounges inside security I wondered over to the international departure area and found a Mexicana lounge that let me in.
The lounge was very well appointed with a workout area, showers and change rooms, full internet access and bar servcie as well as a business centre. I checked my email and had an orange juice before leaving to catch my flight to Acapulco.
Flight 509 from MEX to ACA I was seated in 1F. The flight was about half full with myself and another individual occupying the 12 seats in J class. Once again offered a pre-departure beverage which was collected as we were taxing. Very quick uneventful flight. Forty minutes flying time as we were served another beverage with mix nuts and some chocolate cookies. We departed a head of scheduleat 10:30 am and arrived in ACA about 20 minutes early. Disembarked aircraft and was taken to the terminal building by a bus. My baggage was first on the carousel, I looked around for customs but didn’t see any. Than I saw the mock stop lights which I new I had to press to see if I was going to be searched or not. I found a customs agent so I could push the button and leave. Green as usual and I exited to find a taxi to take me to the Fairmont Acapulco Princess.
Upon checking in I used on of my suite upgrade cert’s to move to a one bedroom suite in the Precessa Tower. My room was about 1100 square feet with a 350 sq ft wrap around balcony. Hotel staff were very friendly and helpful.
I was in Acapulco for two days speaking and participating at a conference. My return flights to YVR were scheduled for July 4, 2003.
Scheduled to depart on MX flight 506 from ACA to MEX departing at 3:10pm. Arrived at the airport early at 2pm and proceeded to the Mexicana lounge. Lounge was nice considering the size of ACA. I was able to check email and catch an episode of Seinfeld on Sony television as well as a couple of ice cold Sol. I was the only person in the lounge and the attentant came over the let me know when boarding had started and suggested I proceed through security.
Flight was once again about half full. I had seat 1F on an A319. Once again pre-departure beverage of a tecate and received mix nuts a during the short flight to MEX. Landing in MEX was during a thunderstorm as lightning was hitting the ground as I look out the window on approach. Landed without incident and taxied to gate 12.
Upon deplaning I checked with Mexicana information where I was informed the gate for my return flight 982 from MEX to YVR was not available and I should check back in an hour. They also told me I was not allowed to use the Mexicana international lounge as my flight had a stop in MTY. I went to the lounge anyway and was granted access. A lot of the information agents form Mexicana do not seem to be aware of the services they offer business class and star alliance gold members.
Same lounge with great amenities. Waited in lounge until schedule boarding time of 5:40 pm for my 6:10pm flight. Upon approaching the gate area I noticed a large group of people standing around the gate. They were boarding those passengers going to YVR only and not those getting off in MTY. I boarded and found me seat at 2A. This was the 757 I had expected on my initial flight. J class seats had more generous pitch than 310 with leg rest and great recline. I was looking forward to catching some sleep time on the way home.
Flight 982 departed about 15 minutes late and we were on our way to MTY which was a flight time of 1 hour and 20 minutes. Once again landed in a heavy downpour. All MTY passengers were to depart first followed by those continuing on to YVR. We had a stop of about one hour in MTY. After reboarding the aircraft and returning to my seat. The seat and back rest were totally soaked with water that had been dripping from the ventilation system. This persisted throughout our whole 45 minute wait on the plane prior to departing MTY. The incharge FA did not offer any compensation but tried to stop the leak by stuffing paper towel in the vents. This worked for about ten minutes and then the dripping persisted. J was totally sold out so I had nowhere to go.
Dripping continued until about 30 minutes into flight when we levelled off. My shirt and pants were quite wet. The dripping has also caused a short in our entertainment system so none of the sound worked for our headsets. Great!!! I was wet annoyed and couldn’t even watch the movie on the way home. The meal was a good distraction. I chose the chicken fajita option with a side a of steak and vegetatbles. This started with a salad with italian dressing and had a custard thing for desert. Not sure what is was but I think it was custard.
Flight arrived at YVR on north runway at 00:10, one hour late ending one of the more annoying flights I have ever had. Luckily my clothes had dried in the mean time. Apparently due to our late arrival we were the only flight that had landed and subsequently customs was not busy. I thought this would be a blessing but it meant that I had more student agents to interrogate me. After the fourth interrogation and having all of my bags searched I was happy to finally end up in the welcome arms of the Fairmont Vancouver Airport which provided me with a very well appointed room and a good nights sleep.
I checked my luggage in when the counter opened two hours prior and went back to the bar at the Fairmont. There was only a few departures at this time so the airport was very quiet. Went through security quickly to wait for boarding call. Boarding call occurred around 11:55p.m. I boarding first when they called all passengers in Club Ejecutiva could board at their leisure. I was anxious to see what Mexicana business class seats were like. To my dismay there had been an aircraft change and we were on what appeared to be a fairly new A319. Business class was 2-2 with 12 seats. I am guessing seat pitch was about 40” similar to domestic J on Air Canada. I got settled in 3F and placed my carry on in the seat in front of me. The seat beside me was empty to at least I would have plenty of room.
The FA’s were very friendly and can by to take my pre-drink order. I have a tecate which was extremely cold. Better than other airlines which usually serve room temperature beer on their flights. Pushback ocurred at 00:45 which was a slight delay. It was quickly made up for when the safety demonstration included the use of the oxygen mask and your seatbelt as well as pointing out the emergency exits. This was much less information than in the normal AC safety video that I am used to. One Pax in business class was refusing to put his seat into the full upright position during our taxi. Plane stopped and pilot came to back to captain to speak to the passenger. Things were rectified quickly and we continued our taxi to the south runway at YVR.
Takeoff was uneventful and after climbing out over the Pacific we made a left turn south and headed towards MTY. The cabin crew was very friendly and offered a meal service which I declined as I was hoping to get some sleep prior to arriving in MEX. I had a transfer to Acapulco where I was scheduled to speak at a conference that afternoon. The in flight entertainment started with the movie. They handed out head seats to those who wanted to watch the movie. The FA’s also came around with Sony DVD’s with a choice of movies. I declined.
After several attempts to fall asleep I realized that I was not going to get that refreshing nap I was hoping for. The seat pitch is not very good and when the people in front put their seats back you have even less room. Four hours of tossing and turning seem to take forever. Finally we made our approach and landing in MTY which is a schedule stop prior to continuing on to MEX.
MTY was fairly busy with two AA’s flights departing and some Aeromexico and Mexicana. We were led through customs and then placed back in the waiting area to re-board the aircraft. My luggage had been checked all the way through to ACA so that is where I would push the button of whether my bags would be searched or not.
After about a 40 minute wait we were allowed to return on board for our quick one hour and twenty minute flight to MEX. This was uneventful and we were served a great little mexican omellete breakfast complete with some sort of mashed potatoes which were very good. Good meal service. After landing in MEX which was very busy at 9:15 am as a lot of commuters and business people changing planes I checked in the Mexicana agent to find out my connecting flight, MX 509 from MEX to ACA would be departing from the same gate 12 that I arrived on the same A319. After being told to go back to gate 12 and wait as there were not lounges inside security I wondered over to the international departure area and found a Mexicana lounge that let me in.
The lounge was very well appointed with a workout area, showers and change rooms, full internet access and bar servcie as well as a business centre. I checked my email and had an orange juice before leaving to catch my flight to Acapulco.
Flight 509 from MEX to ACA I was seated in 1F. The flight was about half full with myself and another individual occupying the 12 seats in J class. Once again offered a pre-departure beverage which was collected as we were taxing. Very quick uneventful flight. Forty minutes flying time as we were served another beverage with mix nuts and some chocolate cookies. We departed a head of scheduleat 10:30 am and arrived in ACA about 20 minutes early. Disembarked aircraft and was taken to the terminal building by a bus. My baggage was first on the carousel, I looked around for customs but didn’t see any. Than I saw the mock stop lights which I new I had to press to see if I was going to be searched or not. I found a customs agent so I could push the button and leave. Green as usual and I exited to find a taxi to take me to the Fairmont Acapulco Princess.
Upon checking in I used on of my suite upgrade cert’s to move to a one bedroom suite in the Precessa Tower. My room was about 1100 square feet with a 350 sq ft wrap around balcony. Hotel staff were very friendly and helpful.
I was in Acapulco for two days speaking and participating at a conference. My return flights to YVR were scheduled for July 4, 2003.
Scheduled to depart on MX flight 506 from ACA to MEX departing at 3:10pm. Arrived at the airport early at 2pm and proceeded to the Mexicana lounge. Lounge was nice considering the size of ACA. I was able to check email and catch an episode of Seinfeld on Sony television as well as a couple of ice cold Sol. I was the only person in the lounge and the attentant came over the let me know when boarding had started and suggested I proceed through security.
Flight was once again about half full. I had seat 1F on an A319. Once again pre-departure beverage of a tecate and received mix nuts a during the short flight to MEX. Landing in MEX was during a thunderstorm as lightning was hitting the ground as I look out the window on approach. Landed without incident and taxied to gate 12.
Upon deplaning I checked with Mexicana information where I was informed the gate for my return flight 982 from MEX to YVR was not available and I should check back in an hour. They also told me I was not allowed to use the Mexicana international lounge as my flight had a stop in MTY. I went to the lounge anyway and was granted access. A lot of the information agents form Mexicana do not seem to be aware of the services they offer business class and star alliance gold members.
Same lounge with great amenities. Waited in lounge until schedule boarding time of 5:40 pm for my 6:10pm flight. Upon approaching the gate area I noticed a large group of people standing around the gate. They were boarding those passengers going to YVR only and not those getting off in MTY. I boarded and found me seat at 2A. This was the 757 I had expected on my initial flight. J class seats had more generous pitch than 310 with leg rest and great recline. I was looking forward to catching some sleep time on the way home.
Flight 982 departed about 15 minutes late and we were on our way to MTY which was a flight time of 1 hour and 20 minutes. Once again landed in a heavy downpour. All MTY passengers were to depart first followed by those continuing on to YVR. We had a stop of about one hour in MTY. After reboarding the aircraft and returning to my seat. The seat and back rest were totally soaked with water that had been dripping from the ventilation system. This persisted throughout our whole 45 minute wait on the plane prior to departing MTY. The incharge FA did not offer any compensation but tried to stop the leak by stuffing paper towel in the vents. This worked for about ten minutes and then the dripping persisted. J was totally sold out so I had nowhere to go.
Dripping continued until about 30 minutes into flight when we levelled off. My shirt and pants were quite wet. The dripping has also caused a short in our entertainment system so none of the sound worked for our headsets. Great!!! I was wet annoyed and couldn’t even watch the movie on the way home. The meal was a good distraction. I chose the chicken fajita option with a side a of steak and vegetatbles. This started with a salad with italian dressing and had a custard thing for desert. Not sure what is was but I think it was custard.
Flight arrived at YVR on north runway at 00:10, one hour late ending one of the more annoying flights I have ever had. Luckily my clothes had dried in the mean time. Apparently due to our late arrival we were the only flight that had landed and subsequently customs was not busy. I thought this would be a blessing but it meant that I had more student agents to interrogate me. After the fourth interrogation and having all of my bags searched I was happy to finally end up in the welcome arms of the Fairmont Vancouver Airport which provided me with a very well appointed room and a good nights sleep.