Carfield
Oct 29, 03, 1:14 am
Dear all,
Here is my thirteen-segment AS/QX trip last weekend. It is just another AS/QX trip report – I hope it will not bore you too much! It is not as excited as the Emirates’ first or BA’s first class trip reports, but Horizon Air is an interesting regional carrier. It offers a very good product, but the F/As are really attentive and make a 20-minute flight between Portland and Seattle as pleasant as it can be. Here it goes!
October 23, 2003
AS 11 EWR-SEA Lv0830 Arr1127
Boeing 737-700 N611AS
It is one of the most difficult days during these three days of flying madness. I only slept for an hour the night before and I had a whole day of flying with five segments. Well, the morning began with a nice train ride into EWR on NJ Transit – quiet and not crowded, and the AS area was not busy, but both kiosks broke down. Thankfully the F line had no one and I was quickly checked in – all the way to Oakland via Seattle and Portland. The agent was a bit shocked but smiled. I went to the President’s Club, which was crowded and there was the normal breakfast pastries’ offering – bagels, muffins, donuts, and fruits. I had a glass of juice and settled for a bagel. An ATA Boeing 737-800 with winglet parked right at the window. Security line was not too bad this morning – a twenty-minute of waits.
Boarding began at 7:59am and the F/As were welcoming. Water bottles and entertainment guides were already placed in the seat. I guess printed menus are historic items now – poor decision, AS… Once again, you want to make first class hard to get but then you took away these items reserved for first class… enough babbling! Well, the handheld entertainment units still have some glitches, and the In-Motion DVD players were back for now. I guess I will bring my own DVD for the flights this weekend. Door was closed at 8:23am and we pushed back two minutes later. Newark was pretty quiet this morning, and we followed a United Boeing 757-200 and UA Express’ Jetstream J-41 in the takeoff line for R/W4L. We lifted off at 8:38am for our five hours and forty-minutes flight to Seattle. We climbed to 35,000ft for a while before reaching the higher attitude of 39,000ft.
Breakfast was offered shortly after takeoff. Here is my self-created menu transcript!
To Start:
A Fresh Fruit plate, accompanied by a plain scone
2 slices of melon, cantaloupe, orange segment, strawberry, kiwi, and grapes – an excellent fruit plate and an interesting pastry!
Entrées selection of
Plain Omelet topped with asparagus and onions in a cream sauce, accompanied by chicken fennel sausages
Or
Banana pancakes topped with blueberry and apple compote, accompanied by scrambled egg with sour cream & chives, and slices of ham
It was an interesting entrée – not a big friend of the scrambled eggs with the pancakes was great.
Yes, there is a prayer card and a promotional card for the million miles and segment runs on the tray… for those who care. Economy class had a hot breakfast too and the choices were baked bread pudding with apple slices, accompanied by scrambled egg with Canadian bacon or Mushroom omelet. Sound nice!
Then I promptly feel asleep and there was no Bank of America Visa promotion to disrupt my sleep across the continental US. About an hour and half prior to landing, the snack plate was served with beverage of our choice. The snack plate was the nicer smoked salmon, salami, cheese (cheddar, Swiss and Smoked Mozzarella), grilled red and yellow peppers, asparagus, and olive plate, accompanied by a warm slice of cheese bread stick. The service was great and descent soon began at 1:48pm EST. We landed on Runway 16R at 11:18am PST and headed towards Gate C-11. Then I headed to the board room and checked some email and waiting for my next flight to Portland.
QX 2451 SEA-PDX Lv1230 (1300) Arr1317
CRJ-700 N607QX
Board Room has become my refuge for this particular weekend. There is this buffet with cheese & crackers, fruits, and chips. I really like wireless Internet service. Well the flight was slightly delayed by thirty minutes due to late arrival of the inbound aircraft. Boarding began around 12:42pm at Gate C2M and Door #4. While I was walking to the aircraft, I passed by a really nice Dash 8-Q200 N363PH “The Great City of Boise” – only some of the older Dash-8 had names… Well, the flight was 95% full this afternoon, as this aircraft will continue onto Santa Barbara (there is an aircraft change this afternoon though). Door closed at 1:02pm and then pushed back two minutes ago. We headed off to Runway 16L shortly and we took our turn after a beautiful Northwest’s DC-10 (N229NW) lifted off for Honolulu. We lifted off the ground at 1:14pm and then flying time was twenty-six minutes. On the larger Dash 8-Q400 and CRJ-700, QX offered an express beverage service with a choice of cranberry juice (instead of apple juice a couple months ago – but the juice container was so small… don’t recommend it!), Horizon Air’s bottled waters, complimentary white wine, and beer. Well I got a bottle of water and the snack was a pretty nasty Fall River’s Wild Rice Snack Chips “Sweet & Sour Wasabi” flavor. It was pretty tasteless and I can’t taste the Wasabi either, so I was glad that it did not appear again later. Descent began at 1:26pm, and then gear dropped at 1:37pm, and then we landed on R/W28L at 1:40pm. We parked at gate A2 and Spot#1 four minutes later.
AS 348 PDX-OAK Lv1449 Arr1625
Boeing 737-700 N613AS
Well, I grabbed a quite bite at PDX and headed off to the gate for this short flight to Oakland. The aircraft arrived early and we boarded around 2:18pm. Load was pretty good this afternoon and pre-takeoff water bottles were already at the seat console when we walked in. Boarding was speedy and door was closed at 2:40pm. Push back happened at 2:43pm and we were off to Runway 28L shortly after. We took off at 2:50pm and flying time was a quick an hour and thirteen minutes with a rather high cruising attitude of 41,000ft. One of the great things about the next generation Boeing 737 is that they can climb up to a higher attitude and save some fuel – less congestion and more efficient. Service this flight was a beverage service, and folks in first class got a bowl of warmed mixed nuts. I slept for most of the flight. Unfortunately, the annoying AS Visa promotion was announced this flight – just as I thought that it was gone. Fortunately, it was the only time out of these thirteen flights. Please stop it, AS! Soon descent began at 3:40pm and landed on Runway 29 at 4:07pm and parked at gate 6. Oakland was okay at this time… I had a bowl of split pea soup (very expensive) and talked on my cell a little bit. I used the kiosk to check in for the return flight.
AS 385 OAK-PDX Lv1836 Arr2009
Boeing 737-400 N775AS
During my two hours layover, I watched many WN planes going in and out and soon a special all-white Boeing 757-200 with a black tail and engines caught my attention. It parked at one of the United’s gates – it is a Sun Trips aircraft with a special registration N310FV. Well, our aircraft arrived late from Orange County this afternoon and boarding did not take place till 6:15pm. Well, all the flights were above average, except this one – the F/As were pretty not in the mood to work and the service was rushed and disorganized. It is still okay, but just not as excel as other flights. I am so spoiled by AS and QX. Despite of late boarding and a pretty full load, we pushed back right on time and passed by a Boeing 737-700 N617AS parked at the side (I guess AS is keeping a spare at Oakland now). We headed to Runway 29 for takeoff and left Oakland at 6:45pm. Flying time was an hour and twenty minutes and there was a snack service. Economy class got warmed breadsticks with dipping sauce and a beverage of their choice. First class got a cold plate – no choice – a pretty nice Chef Salad with four tomato slices, egg wedges, turkey and ham sticks, Swiss and Cheddar Cheese sticks, 3 olives and Iceberg lettuce, accompanied by Lite ranch dressing and a Ghiradelli’s Mint chocolate square. It was a nice dinner. Descent soon began at 7:40pm and landed on Runway 28L at 8:05pm and parked at gate C5 three minutes later. I headed off to the Portland’s Board Room, which is small compared to Seattle but very cozy. No free wireless connection, but the staffs were friendly. I had some chips and a glass of water, while waiting for my final flight of the day back to Seattle.
QX 2114 PDX-SEA Lv2100 Arr2152
Dash 8-Q200 N360PH “Great City of Medford”
It was a relatively quiet evening at Portland and I was already exhausted by that time. Fortunately, this flight was the best Horizon Air’s flight… I found that the service on the Dash 8-Q200 to be the best and most personable. Boarding began right on time at 8:37pm and Glee happily welcomed us onboard. The load was relatively light this evening and I had both 2A and C to myself. Door was closed a minute prior to departure time and we headed off to Runway 28L shortly. We took off at 9:06pm and flying time was thirty-six minutes. Glee went into action shortly after the flight lifted off. Due to the smaller cabin, a full beverage service (indeed a full can of beverage) was offered on this really short flight. I had a rather tasty local made ginger ale and for snacks, Glee gave us a pack of Rold Gold’s pretzel twists and a Detour’s Deluxe Whey Protein Energy bar “Caramel Peanut Flavor”. I was not a big fan of pretzels but surprisingly I liked the chocolate covered caramel peanut protein bar. Descent began at 9:29pm on a beautiful evening and then landing gear came down at 9:39pm. We landed on R/W34L at 9:42pm and headed to spot #4. It was a wonderful short flight to end today’s journey. I headed to the Red Lion Seattle Tacoma Airport hotel for the evening.
October 24, 2003
AS 343 SEA-GEG Lv1000 Arr1057
Boeing 737-700 N617AS
The day began with a fairly brief ride to the airport. I used the kiosk at the Red Lion hotel, which was easy. To my relief, the boarding passes had all the segments printed and no need to check in three different times. This ticket was a relatively good deal ($150) for SEA-GEG-PDX-SEA same day not to mention. Of course, the day would not be perfect without a full “harassment” treatment because I forgot to empty the Ventolin asthma inhaler into the bin. I went to get a breakfast at a rather expensive fast food restaurant outlet at the end of the C concourse. Since the security line took more than twenty minutes, I had to bring the sandwich on board. When I got to the gate around 9:30pm, boarding had already commenced but almost completed. The agent told me that she started boarding forty minutes before since the aircraft arrived early from Anchorage. A wonderful flight attendant welcomed me (I forgot to get her name and she was serving first class again on my return flight to EWR on Sunday), and a bottle of water was placed at the seat console. Door was closed early at 9:53am, but we did not push back at 9:59am. We headed off to Runway 34R and took off at 10:08am. Flying time was thirty-seven minutes. It was a beautiful day of flying because the weather was very nice and I got a good view of Pacific Northwest today. For coach, there was an express beverage service with a choice of juices, water, coffee, and beer & wines for purchase (it is not Horizon Air). For first class, we got a full beverage service, but no snack accompaniments. Descent began at 10:26am and we landed on Runway 25 at 10:45am. We parked at gate C3 a few minutes later.
It was my first arrival into Spokane airport. The airport was larger than I thought as AS and QX occupied the newer concourse which was bright and airy. Activities were fairly limited – basically all Horizon Air, Alaska, and Southwest operations. Nothing much to spot at this early morning, so I headed to the gate area of Horizon Air and read the WSJ! Today it was the last day of operation for Concord, so I looked at news about the end of an important era in aviation! Rather distasteful ad from Virgin, but the BA ad was classy!
QX 2353 GEG-PDX Lv1138 Arr1245
Dash 8-Q400 N400QX
The aircraft arrived a bit late from Portland, so there was no priority boarding for this really full flight back to Portland. Boarding time started at 11:22am at gate C-24. Door closed at 10:38am and then pushed back two minutes later. We took off from Runway 25 at 11:47am. Flying time was fifty-three minutes, with a cruising attitude of 20,000ft. Due to the longer flying time, there was a full beverage service. Once again, full can was passed out and the flight attendant did a second pass with the wine and beer. Rold Gold’s pretzel twists were our snacks this morning. It was a beautiful day to fly across the Southern part of Washington State. It was interesting to read Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark, while looking at these mountains and river. Descent soon began at 12:25pm and we landed on Runway 10R at 12:40pm. We parked at gate A8. I headed to the next gate since the connection time was only fifty minutes.
QX 2452 PDX-SEA Lv1330 Arr1418
CRJ-700 N611QX
The aircraft came from Santa Barbara, so I was pretty sure that there was no last minute swap. Gate was at A9 and boarding began at 1:11pm and I was once again back to this familiar aircraft. This flight was pretty full this afternoon. Door was closed at 1:32pm and we pushed back a minute later. We headed to Runway 10L and took off at 1:41pm. Flying time was thirty minutes, and the cabin service was basically express beverage service, accompanied by Detour’s chocolate-covered caramel peanut protein bars. Nothing much to report, except a smooth flight! Descent began at 1:56pm and we landed on R/W34L at 2:11pm. We parked at spot number eight.
I had two hours of connection time before heading back to Oakland via Portland again – are you sick of this report yet? I was back at the Board Room and checking email and listening to Hong Kong radio. It was a beautiful afternoon in Seattle and I love seeing Alaska Airlines’ planes going up and down at Runway 34. Soon I am back to gate C2M.
QX 2027 SEA-PDX Lv1630 Arr1719
Dash 8-Q200 N345PH “Great City of Wenatchee”
We began boarding late at 4:17pm as the aircraft arrived late from Lewiston, Idaho. This flight went out full with 41 passengers plus one jump seat. I guess it was the Friday crowd going back to home. The flight attendant was very friendly and it was her first flight for the day. It was a beautiful late afternoon in Seattle. We pushed back at 4:31pm and took off from R/W34R at 4:35pm. Shortly after lifting off, we turned 360 degrees immediately and had a good view of Seattle Tacoma airport. I saw the landing of British Airways’ Boeing 747-400 “Union Flag,” as well as a number of Alaska/Horizon Air’s airplanes on the approach path and then I saw the distinctive SAS’s Airbus A340-300 heading to the approach line – that sharp blue tail with four bright red engines. Then we passed by Mount Rainer. Beverage was served four minutes after we lifted off. A full can of soda for me and I was a bit hungry this afternoon so I ate the pack of Rold Gold’s pretzel twists. Descent began at 4:52pm and we landed on R/W28L at 5:07pm. The flight attendant had a friendly chat with few passengers at Row one. Wow, they had to work five segments a day – PDX-SEA-PDX-Redmond/Bend-PDX-SEA. We parked at Gate A3 three minutes later.
I headed off to the Board Room for a quick beverage break before heading off to Gate C7 for my onward flight to Oakland.
AS 366 PDX-OAK Lv1814 Arr1952
Boeing 737-400 N784AS “Disneyland livery”
I was pretty happy to see the bright Disneyland livery Boeing 737-400, which was wonderful. Finally got to fly a brand new livery! I started to board at 5:47pm and pre-takeoff water bottles were placed at the seat consoles. Well the interior was the same as other Boeing 737-400, but there were additional Disney stickers in the overhead bins. This flight was full this afternoon and a much friendlier set of flight attendants was on board. Door was closed at 6:10pm and pushed back a minute later. We headed off to Runway 28L and took off at 6:17pm. Flying time was an hour and thirteen minutes estimated.
Service started soon after we leveled off. First we had a glass of beverage with a pack of honey-roasted almonds. Then we had our salad in first class – a chicken Caesar salad (Iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons, and Parmesan cheese topped with few strips of chicken breasts), accompanied by nice warmed garlic bread and a Ghiradelli’s Mint Chocolate squares. I personally like the chef salad better because I was not a big fan of chicken breast. But it was nice enough for an hour flight in the domestic world. After beverage was refilled, descent soon began at 7:11pm and began a final approach at 7:29pm. Due to traffic ahead, we had to go around since we did not have enough separation distances. The gears came back up and then come down again at 7:40pm, and we landed on R/W29 at 7:44pm. We headed to gate 8 a few minutes later. Okay, Oakland airport was a nightmare. People everywhere and it took my friend about thirty minutes to get into the terminal to pick me up. I think this brief description sufficiently discounted the chaos at the Oakland International airport despite these suspicious traffic-improvement constructions. Well, I spent one and a half day at Oakland.
October 26, 2003
AS 573 OAK-PDX Lv0745 Arr0923
Boeing 737-700 N611AS
After a pleasant stay at a really warm weekend at the bay area, it was time to head back to the airport. I arrived around 6am and used the kiosk to check in. I was sort of expected to have a long line during the morning rush hours. I guess it was on Sunday so the line was significantly shorter. It took a few minutes to pass through the security line and then bought breakfast at the roundtable pizza place. The croissant sandwich with ham and cheese costs about $3, but guess what, the orange juice costs just as much. I could not believe that I spent almost $8 on a breakfast. No wonder airlines can get away for $7 breakfast basket for sale. There was a last minute aircraft change from a Boeing 737-400 to a Boeing 737-700. At gate six, the aircraft was already here overnight, so there was no delay in boarding. 7:12am was the time and pre-takeoff water bottles were placed at the seat console. Door was closed at 7:37am and we pushed back at 7:39am. Oakland was pretty quiet with a few morning departures and the arrival of Aloha’s Boeing 737-700 marked the highlight, plus spotting two Aloha’s Boeing 737-700 parked at the side – one with winglet (really nice) and one without winglet. We took off from Runway 29 at 7:45am. Flying time was an hour and nineteen minutes with a cruising attitude of 35,000ft.
Seat belt sign was turned off at 8:02am, followed by a beverage service. Continental breakfast was pretty standard accompanied by a fruit plate (pineapple, melon, orange, strawberry, and grapes) and a warmed orange-walnut scone. After breakfast, there was the annoying AS Visa Platinum credit card announcement… just when you thought it was passed away, it came back as a rude reminder. The prayer card was still there. The flight went by quickly and descent began at 8:40am. We landed on Runway 28L at 9:04am and parked at gate C11 two minutes later. Since I had two hours connecting time, I went to the Portland Board Room, which was quiet and had a buffet of bagels, donuts, yogurts, and muffins. I had some tea and a glass of orange juice. At around 10am, there was suddenly a change on the screen – all the LA flights were delayed with no notice. Some folks came in and the agent seemed to have no idea what was happening. I was thinking that the Santa Ana wind might have slowed down the LA area flights.
QX 2286 PDX-SEA Lv1130 Arr1225
Dash 8-Q400 N407QX
Not much to say except another typical flight to Seattle! The load was almost full with 68 passengers. We boarded at gate A3 at 11:05am, and door was closed at 11:32am. We took off from Runway 28L at 11:41am. Flying time was thirty-one minutes. Cabin service was an express beverage service, accompanied by Detour’s Chocolate-covered caramel peanut protein bars. Descent began at 11:56am and we landed at Runway 34L at 12:12pm, and parked at spot number five and exited from the C2 area. I headed back to the Board Room and waited for my onward flight to Newark. Now the situation at LA was pretty bad. The 9am flight was still on the ground. Obviously there was something major happening at the LA area. Only the Long Beach flight at 2:50pm remained on time; LA area flights had some problems and all the afternoon bank flights were cancelled. Line was formed at the customer line service desks, D5 and C1/3. I felt bad for these folks and was a bit worried about my flight next weekend.
AS 14 SEA-EWR Lv1400 Arr2158
Boeing 737-700 N618AS
Well, our flight time was changed to 2:16pm because our incoming aircraft from Boise as AS 67 arrived a bit late around 1:37pm. The flight was a bit light this afternoon – half full in Y and 100% full in F. Boarding began at 1:54pm at Gate C17. Pre-takeoff water bottles were already placed in the seat console and I was glad to see the same crew as my EWR-SEA flight. She told me that she just worked on my SEA-GEG-SEA-EWR on Friday, and then back to SEA on Saturday. Now she is onto EWR again… really tough working days in a row. But she told me that she will be heading to Cancun next month. Door closed at 2:15pm and pushed back at 2:17pm, and rolled to the runway at 2:21pm. We took off from Runway 34R at 2:26pm. Flying time was four hours and forty-four minutes with a cruising attitude of 37,000ft.
Cabin service began shortly after taking off. First, there was a beverage and a bag of mixed nuts. Then, dinner service began with the usual three-course sequence. Menu transcript –
Dinner
Fresh Mesclun green salad, accompanied by orange segments, brie cheese, and sliced almonds, and Sesame Oriental dressing
Fresh Breadbasket – Foccacia and five grain bread slices
Entrées of:
Crusted chicken breast with mango, sweet & spicy sauce, accompanied by sour cream & chives potatoes and steamed summer squashes
It was a nice entrée – but the sauce was a bit too sweet. I just thought that Alaska should not have two hot choices with sweet and sour sauce.
Or
Pork Tenderloin with lime ginger sauce, accompanied by Asian noodles, vegetables and shiitake mushrooms
Dessert
Key Lime Cheese Pie
The dinner was fine in Alaskan style. Prayer card and million miles segment cards were in the tray. DVD players were passed out at 4:15pm. At 5:30pm, the F/A passed out bowls of warmed mixed nuts. Hot towels passed out after descent began at 6:29pm. Due to rain and storms in the region, there were chops along our decent and the F/As were asked to take their seats. We landed on Runway 22L at 10:10pm and parked at gate A27.
Carfield http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Here is my thirteen-segment AS/QX trip last weekend. It is just another AS/QX trip report – I hope it will not bore you too much! It is not as excited as the Emirates’ first or BA’s first class trip reports, but Horizon Air is an interesting regional carrier. It offers a very good product, but the F/As are really attentive and make a 20-minute flight between Portland and Seattle as pleasant as it can be. Here it goes!
October 23, 2003
AS 11 EWR-SEA Lv0830 Arr1127
Boeing 737-700 N611AS
It is one of the most difficult days during these three days of flying madness. I only slept for an hour the night before and I had a whole day of flying with five segments. Well, the morning began with a nice train ride into EWR on NJ Transit – quiet and not crowded, and the AS area was not busy, but both kiosks broke down. Thankfully the F line had no one and I was quickly checked in – all the way to Oakland via Seattle and Portland. The agent was a bit shocked but smiled. I went to the President’s Club, which was crowded and there was the normal breakfast pastries’ offering – bagels, muffins, donuts, and fruits. I had a glass of juice and settled for a bagel. An ATA Boeing 737-800 with winglet parked right at the window. Security line was not too bad this morning – a twenty-minute of waits.
Boarding began at 7:59am and the F/As were welcoming. Water bottles and entertainment guides were already placed in the seat. I guess printed menus are historic items now – poor decision, AS… Once again, you want to make first class hard to get but then you took away these items reserved for first class… enough babbling! Well, the handheld entertainment units still have some glitches, and the In-Motion DVD players were back for now. I guess I will bring my own DVD for the flights this weekend. Door was closed at 8:23am and we pushed back two minutes later. Newark was pretty quiet this morning, and we followed a United Boeing 757-200 and UA Express’ Jetstream J-41 in the takeoff line for R/W4L. We lifted off at 8:38am for our five hours and forty-minutes flight to Seattle. We climbed to 35,000ft for a while before reaching the higher attitude of 39,000ft.
Breakfast was offered shortly after takeoff. Here is my self-created menu transcript!
To Start:
A Fresh Fruit plate, accompanied by a plain scone
2 slices of melon, cantaloupe, orange segment, strawberry, kiwi, and grapes – an excellent fruit plate and an interesting pastry!
Entrées selection of
Plain Omelet topped with asparagus and onions in a cream sauce, accompanied by chicken fennel sausages
Or
Banana pancakes topped with blueberry and apple compote, accompanied by scrambled egg with sour cream & chives, and slices of ham
It was an interesting entrée – not a big friend of the scrambled eggs with the pancakes was great.
Yes, there is a prayer card and a promotional card for the million miles and segment runs on the tray… for those who care. Economy class had a hot breakfast too and the choices were baked bread pudding with apple slices, accompanied by scrambled egg with Canadian bacon or Mushroom omelet. Sound nice!
Then I promptly feel asleep and there was no Bank of America Visa promotion to disrupt my sleep across the continental US. About an hour and half prior to landing, the snack plate was served with beverage of our choice. The snack plate was the nicer smoked salmon, salami, cheese (cheddar, Swiss and Smoked Mozzarella), grilled red and yellow peppers, asparagus, and olive plate, accompanied by a warm slice of cheese bread stick. The service was great and descent soon began at 1:48pm EST. We landed on Runway 16R at 11:18am PST and headed towards Gate C-11. Then I headed to the board room and checked some email and waiting for my next flight to Portland.
QX 2451 SEA-PDX Lv1230 (1300) Arr1317
CRJ-700 N607QX
Board Room has become my refuge for this particular weekend. There is this buffet with cheese & crackers, fruits, and chips. I really like wireless Internet service. Well the flight was slightly delayed by thirty minutes due to late arrival of the inbound aircraft. Boarding began around 12:42pm at Gate C2M and Door #4. While I was walking to the aircraft, I passed by a really nice Dash 8-Q200 N363PH “The Great City of Boise” – only some of the older Dash-8 had names… Well, the flight was 95% full this afternoon, as this aircraft will continue onto Santa Barbara (there is an aircraft change this afternoon though). Door closed at 1:02pm and then pushed back two minutes ago. We headed off to Runway 16L shortly and we took our turn after a beautiful Northwest’s DC-10 (N229NW) lifted off for Honolulu. We lifted off the ground at 1:14pm and then flying time was twenty-six minutes. On the larger Dash 8-Q400 and CRJ-700, QX offered an express beverage service with a choice of cranberry juice (instead of apple juice a couple months ago – but the juice container was so small… don’t recommend it!), Horizon Air’s bottled waters, complimentary white wine, and beer. Well I got a bottle of water and the snack was a pretty nasty Fall River’s Wild Rice Snack Chips “Sweet & Sour Wasabi” flavor. It was pretty tasteless and I can’t taste the Wasabi either, so I was glad that it did not appear again later. Descent began at 1:26pm, and then gear dropped at 1:37pm, and then we landed on R/W28L at 1:40pm. We parked at gate A2 and Spot#1 four minutes later.
AS 348 PDX-OAK Lv1449 Arr1625
Boeing 737-700 N613AS
Well, I grabbed a quite bite at PDX and headed off to the gate for this short flight to Oakland. The aircraft arrived early and we boarded around 2:18pm. Load was pretty good this afternoon and pre-takeoff water bottles were already at the seat console when we walked in. Boarding was speedy and door was closed at 2:40pm. Push back happened at 2:43pm and we were off to Runway 28L shortly after. We took off at 2:50pm and flying time was a quick an hour and thirteen minutes with a rather high cruising attitude of 41,000ft. One of the great things about the next generation Boeing 737 is that they can climb up to a higher attitude and save some fuel – less congestion and more efficient. Service this flight was a beverage service, and folks in first class got a bowl of warmed mixed nuts. I slept for most of the flight. Unfortunately, the annoying AS Visa promotion was announced this flight – just as I thought that it was gone. Fortunately, it was the only time out of these thirteen flights. Please stop it, AS! Soon descent began at 3:40pm and landed on Runway 29 at 4:07pm and parked at gate 6. Oakland was okay at this time… I had a bowl of split pea soup (very expensive) and talked on my cell a little bit. I used the kiosk to check in for the return flight.
AS 385 OAK-PDX Lv1836 Arr2009
Boeing 737-400 N775AS
During my two hours layover, I watched many WN planes going in and out and soon a special all-white Boeing 757-200 with a black tail and engines caught my attention. It parked at one of the United’s gates – it is a Sun Trips aircraft with a special registration N310FV. Well, our aircraft arrived late from Orange County this afternoon and boarding did not take place till 6:15pm. Well, all the flights were above average, except this one – the F/As were pretty not in the mood to work and the service was rushed and disorganized. It is still okay, but just not as excel as other flights. I am so spoiled by AS and QX. Despite of late boarding and a pretty full load, we pushed back right on time and passed by a Boeing 737-700 N617AS parked at the side (I guess AS is keeping a spare at Oakland now). We headed to Runway 29 for takeoff and left Oakland at 6:45pm. Flying time was an hour and twenty minutes and there was a snack service. Economy class got warmed breadsticks with dipping sauce and a beverage of their choice. First class got a cold plate – no choice – a pretty nice Chef Salad with four tomato slices, egg wedges, turkey and ham sticks, Swiss and Cheddar Cheese sticks, 3 olives and Iceberg lettuce, accompanied by Lite ranch dressing and a Ghiradelli’s Mint chocolate square. It was a nice dinner. Descent soon began at 7:40pm and landed on Runway 28L at 8:05pm and parked at gate C5 three minutes later. I headed off to the Portland’s Board Room, which is small compared to Seattle but very cozy. No free wireless connection, but the staffs were friendly. I had some chips and a glass of water, while waiting for my final flight of the day back to Seattle.
QX 2114 PDX-SEA Lv2100 Arr2152
Dash 8-Q200 N360PH “Great City of Medford”
It was a relatively quiet evening at Portland and I was already exhausted by that time. Fortunately, this flight was the best Horizon Air’s flight… I found that the service on the Dash 8-Q200 to be the best and most personable. Boarding began right on time at 8:37pm and Glee happily welcomed us onboard. The load was relatively light this evening and I had both 2A and C to myself. Door was closed a minute prior to departure time and we headed off to Runway 28L shortly. We took off at 9:06pm and flying time was thirty-six minutes. Glee went into action shortly after the flight lifted off. Due to the smaller cabin, a full beverage service (indeed a full can of beverage) was offered on this really short flight. I had a rather tasty local made ginger ale and for snacks, Glee gave us a pack of Rold Gold’s pretzel twists and a Detour’s Deluxe Whey Protein Energy bar “Caramel Peanut Flavor”. I was not a big fan of pretzels but surprisingly I liked the chocolate covered caramel peanut protein bar. Descent began at 9:29pm on a beautiful evening and then landing gear came down at 9:39pm. We landed on R/W34L at 9:42pm and headed to spot #4. It was a wonderful short flight to end today’s journey. I headed to the Red Lion Seattle Tacoma Airport hotel for the evening.
October 24, 2003
AS 343 SEA-GEG Lv1000 Arr1057
Boeing 737-700 N617AS
The day began with a fairly brief ride to the airport. I used the kiosk at the Red Lion hotel, which was easy. To my relief, the boarding passes had all the segments printed and no need to check in three different times. This ticket was a relatively good deal ($150) for SEA-GEG-PDX-SEA same day not to mention. Of course, the day would not be perfect without a full “harassment” treatment because I forgot to empty the Ventolin asthma inhaler into the bin. I went to get a breakfast at a rather expensive fast food restaurant outlet at the end of the C concourse. Since the security line took more than twenty minutes, I had to bring the sandwich on board. When I got to the gate around 9:30pm, boarding had already commenced but almost completed. The agent told me that she started boarding forty minutes before since the aircraft arrived early from Anchorage. A wonderful flight attendant welcomed me (I forgot to get her name and she was serving first class again on my return flight to EWR on Sunday), and a bottle of water was placed at the seat console. Door was closed early at 9:53am, but we did not push back at 9:59am. We headed off to Runway 34R and took off at 10:08am. Flying time was thirty-seven minutes. It was a beautiful day of flying because the weather was very nice and I got a good view of Pacific Northwest today. For coach, there was an express beverage service with a choice of juices, water, coffee, and beer & wines for purchase (it is not Horizon Air). For first class, we got a full beverage service, but no snack accompaniments. Descent began at 10:26am and we landed on Runway 25 at 10:45am. We parked at gate C3 a few minutes later.
It was my first arrival into Spokane airport. The airport was larger than I thought as AS and QX occupied the newer concourse which was bright and airy. Activities were fairly limited – basically all Horizon Air, Alaska, and Southwest operations. Nothing much to spot at this early morning, so I headed to the gate area of Horizon Air and read the WSJ! Today it was the last day of operation for Concord, so I looked at news about the end of an important era in aviation! Rather distasteful ad from Virgin, but the BA ad was classy!
QX 2353 GEG-PDX Lv1138 Arr1245
Dash 8-Q400 N400QX
The aircraft arrived a bit late from Portland, so there was no priority boarding for this really full flight back to Portland. Boarding time started at 11:22am at gate C-24. Door closed at 10:38am and then pushed back two minutes later. We took off from Runway 25 at 11:47am. Flying time was fifty-three minutes, with a cruising attitude of 20,000ft. Due to the longer flying time, there was a full beverage service. Once again, full can was passed out and the flight attendant did a second pass with the wine and beer. Rold Gold’s pretzel twists were our snacks this morning. It was a beautiful day to fly across the Southern part of Washington State. It was interesting to read Willa Cather’s The Song of the Lark, while looking at these mountains and river. Descent soon began at 12:25pm and we landed on Runway 10R at 12:40pm. We parked at gate A8. I headed to the next gate since the connection time was only fifty minutes.
QX 2452 PDX-SEA Lv1330 Arr1418
CRJ-700 N611QX
The aircraft came from Santa Barbara, so I was pretty sure that there was no last minute swap. Gate was at A9 and boarding began at 1:11pm and I was once again back to this familiar aircraft. This flight was pretty full this afternoon. Door was closed at 1:32pm and we pushed back a minute later. We headed to Runway 10L and took off at 1:41pm. Flying time was thirty minutes, and the cabin service was basically express beverage service, accompanied by Detour’s chocolate-covered caramel peanut protein bars. Nothing much to report, except a smooth flight! Descent began at 1:56pm and we landed on R/W34L at 2:11pm. We parked at spot number eight.
I had two hours of connection time before heading back to Oakland via Portland again – are you sick of this report yet? I was back at the Board Room and checking email and listening to Hong Kong radio. It was a beautiful afternoon in Seattle and I love seeing Alaska Airlines’ planes going up and down at Runway 34. Soon I am back to gate C2M.
QX 2027 SEA-PDX Lv1630 Arr1719
Dash 8-Q200 N345PH “Great City of Wenatchee”
We began boarding late at 4:17pm as the aircraft arrived late from Lewiston, Idaho. This flight went out full with 41 passengers plus one jump seat. I guess it was the Friday crowd going back to home. The flight attendant was very friendly and it was her first flight for the day. It was a beautiful late afternoon in Seattle. We pushed back at 4:31pm and took off from R/W34R at 4:35pm. Shortly after lifting off, we turned 360 degrees immediately and had a good view of Seattle Tacoma airport. I saw the landing of British Airways’ Boeing 747-400 “Union Flag,” as well as a number of Alaska/Horizon Air’s airplanes on the approach path and then I saw the distinctive SAS’s Airbus A340-300 heading to the approach line – that sharp blue tail with four bright red engines. Then we passed by Mount Rainer. Beverage was served four minutes after we lifted off. A full can of soda for me and I was a bit hungry this afternoon so I ate the pack of Rold Gold’s pretzel twists. Descent began at 4:52pm and we landed on R/W28L at 5:07pm. The flight attendant had a friendly chat with few passengers at Row one. Wow, they had to work five segments a day – PDX-SEA-PDX-Redmond/Bend-PDX-SEA. We parked at Gate A3 three minutes later.
I headed off to the Board Room for a quick beverage break before heading off to Gate C7 for my onward flight to Oakland.
AS 366 PDX-OAK Lv1814 Arr1952
Boeing 737-400 N784AS “Disneyland livery”
I was pretty happy to see the bright Disneyland livery Boeing 737-400, which was wonderful. Finally got to fly a brand new livery! I started to board at 5:47pm and pre-takeoff water bottles were placed at the seat consoles. Well the interior was the same as other Boeing 737-400, but there were additional Disney stickers in the overhead bins. This flight was full this afternoon and a much friendlier set of flight attendants was on board. Door was closed at 6:10pm and pushed back a minute later. We headed off to Runway 28L and took off at 6:17pm. Flying time was an hour and thirteen minutes estimated.
Service started soon after we leveled off. First we had a glass of beverage with a pack of honey-roasted almonds. Then we had our salad in first class – a chicken Caesar salad (Iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons, and Parmesan cheese topped with few strips of chicken breasts), accompanied by nice warmed garlic bread and a Ghiradelli’s Mint Chocolate squares. I personally like the chef salad better because I was not a big fan of chicken breast. But it was nice enough for an hour flight in the domestic world. After beverage was refilled, descent soon began at 7:11pm and began a final approach at 7:29pm. Due to traffic ahead, we had to go around since we did not have enough separation distances. The gears came back up and then come down again at 7:40pm, and we landed on R/W29 at 7:44pm. We headed to gate 8 a few minutes later. Okay, Oakland airport was a nightmare. People everywhere and it took my friend about thirty minutes to get into the terminal to pick me up. I think this brief description sufficiently discounted the chaos at the Oakland International airport despite these suspicious traffic-improvement constructions. Well, I spent one and a half day at Oakland.
October 26, 2003
AS 573 OAK-PDX Lv0745 Arr0923
Boeing 737-700 N611AS
After a pleasant stay at a really warm weekend at the bay area, it was time to head back to the airport. I arrived around 6am and used the kiosk to check in. I was sort of expected to have a long line during the morning rush hours. I guess it was on Sunday so the line was significantly shorter. It took a few minutes to pass through the security line and then bought breakfast at the roundtable pizza place. The croissant sandwich with ham and cheese costs about $3, but guess what, the orange juice costs just as much. I could not believe that I spent almost $8 on a breakfast. No wonder airlines can get away for $7 breakfast basket for sale. There was a last minute aircraft change from a Boeing 737-400 to a Boeing 737-700. At gate six, the aircraft was already here overnight, so there was no delay in boarding. 7:12am was the time and pre-takeoff water bottles were placed at the seat console. Door was closed at 7:37am and we pushed back at 7:39am. Oakland was pretty quiet with a few morning departures and the arrival of Aloha’s Boeing 737-700 marked the highlight, plus spotting two Aloha’s Boeing 737-700 parked at the side – one with winglet (really nice) and one without winglet. We took off from Runway 29 at 7:45am. Flying time was an hour and nineteen minutes with a cruising attitude of 35,000ft.
Seat belt sign was turned off at 8:02am, followed by a beverage service. Continental breakfast was pretty standard accompanied by a fruit plate (pineapple, melon, orange, strawberry, and grapes) and a warmed orange-walnut scone. After breakfast, there was the annoying AS Visa Platinum credit card announcement… just when you thought it was passed away, it came back as a rude reminder. The prayer card was still there. The flight went by quickly and descent began at 8:40am. We landed on Runway 28L at 9:04am and parked at gate C11 two minutes later. Since I had two hours connecting time, I went to the Portland Board Room, which was quiet and had a buffet of bagels, donuts, yogurts, and muffins. I had some tea and a glass of orange juice. At around 10am, there was suddenly a change on the screen – all the LA flights were delayed with no notice. Some folks came in and the agent seemed to have no idea what was happening. I was thinking that the Santa Ana wind might have slowed down the LA area flights.
QX 2286 PDX-SEA Lv1130 Arr1225
Dash 8-Q400 N407QX
Not much to say except another typical flight to Seattle! The load was almost full with 68 passengers. We boarded at gate A3 at 11:05am, and door was closed at 11:32am. We took off from Runway 28L at 11:41am. Flying time was thirty-one minutes. Cabin service was an express beverage service, accompanied by Detour’s Chocolate-covered caramel peanut protein bars. Descent began at 11:56am and we landed at Runway 34L at 12:12pm, and parked at spot number five and exited from the C2 area. I headed back to the Board Room and waited for my onward flight to Newark. Now the situation at LA was pretty bad. The 9am flight was still on the ground. Obviously there was something major happening at the LA area. Only the Long Beach flight at 2:50pm remained on time; LA area flights had some problems and all the afternoon bank flights were cancelled. Line was formed at the customer line service desks, D5 and C1/3. I felt bad for these folks and was a bit worried about my flight next weekend.
AS 14 SEA-EWR Lv1400 Arr2158
Boeing 737-700 N618AS
Well, our flight time was changed to 2:16pm because our incoming aircraft from Boise as AS 67 arrived a bit late around 1:37pm. The flight was a bit light this afternoon – half full in Y and 100% full in F. Boarding began at 1:54pm at Gate C17. Pre-takeoff water bottles were already placed in the seat console and I was glad to see the same crew as my EWR-SEA flight. She told me that she just worked on my SEA-GEG-SEA-EWR on Friday, and then back to SEA on Saturday. Now she is onto EWR again… really tough working days in a row. But she told me that she will be heading to Cancun next month. Door closed at 2:15pm and pushed back at 2:17pm, and rolled to the runway at 2:21pm. We took off from Runway 34R at 2:26pm. Flying time was four hours and forty-four minutes with a cruising attitude of 37,000ft.
Cabin service began shortly after taking off. First, there was a beverage and a bag of mixed nuts. Then, dinner service began with the usual three-course sequence. Menu transcript –
Dinner
Fresh Mesclun green salad, accompanied by orange segments, brie cheese, and sliced almonds, and Sesame Oriental dressing
Fresh Breadbasket – Foccacia and five grain bread slices
Entrées of:
Crusted chicken breast with mango, sweet & spicy sauce, accompanied by sour cream & chives potatoes and steamed summer squashes
It was a nice entrée – but the sauce was a bit too sweet. I just thought that Alaska should not have two hot choices with sweet and sour sauce.
Or
Pork Tenderloin with lime ginger sauce, accompanied by Asian noodles, vegetables and shiitake mushrooms
Dessert
Key Lime Cheese Pie
The dinner was fine in Alaskan style. Prayer card and million miles segment cards were in the tray. DVD players were passed out at 4:15pm. At 5:30pm, the F/A passed out bowls of warmed mixed nuts. Hot towels passed out after descent began at 6:29pm. Due to rain and storms in the region, there were chops along our decent and the F/As were asked to take their seats. We landed on Runway 22L at 10:10pm and parked at gate A27.
Carfield http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif