SDLFlyer
Nov 20, 04, 6:15 pm
Had to take a quick trip to Europe this week and got to sample a few airlines in the process. The most economical way was to book on Continental outbound and then Air France, Virgin Atlantic and America West on the return.
November 15
PHX-IAH
CO #308
737-700
Seat 15A
As I was driving into Sky Harbor a huge rain storm was building out to the east. With less than 2 hours to spare for my Paris connection I was a little worried that the airport would come to a stand still (as it usually does) when the rain moved over the field. I parked my car at my usual spot on 40th Street and Washington and took the shuttle over to Terminal 2. I wasn’t checking any bags so I went right for the express kiosk. I should have known being on a one-way international ticket that things couldn’t go this smooth. Sure enough the kiosk couldn’t process my transaction and the agent had to do the check-in. Having no status on Continental this was to be the start of a long coach trip across the Atlantic.
I made my way through security in a matter of minutes and they were already offering Elite Access boarding for my flight. I was a little worried that they would run out of overhead space as it seemed at least 50% of the flight was walking across the blue carpet. They finally called my row and I boarded with my fingers crossed hoping some overhead was available. I’m used to AWA’s 737’s where the overheads are full after the 10th passenger boards, so I was pleasantly surprised to find space one row back from my seat.
We pushed back on-time as the rain started to fall. A quick taxi to runway 7L and we were launching right into the storm. The captain asked the flight attendants to stay seated for the first few minutes of the flight. I think they interpreted this to mean the first hour of the flight because they were no where to be seen. The Captain turned the seat belt sign off as we crossed El Paso and the service finally began. They came through with a beverage cart and snack baskets all in one sweep. I ordered an ice-tea to go with the small sandwich but the FA said that it was CO policy not to give the can. I’ve never been refused the can before when asking but I couldn’t complain as we were being fed, which is unusual these days for a flight in Y.
We arrived in Houston a few minutes behind schedule and blocked into the new “E” terminal. Paris, however, was going out of D5 which made for quite a long walk.
November 15
IAH-CDG
CO #10
777-200
Seat 32F
I arrived at the gate with plenty of time to spare. As the flight departed at 1840 and at 1800 they hadn’t started boarding yet, I thought it was either late or very lightly booked. Turned out it was neither. The gate was just very disorganized. They boarded the elites and then started calling by row numbers. The problem was that a lot of the passengers didn’t speak English and they just stormed the door once boarding began. This created quite the mob scene. One of the agents was literally screaming at people to clear the doorway but since they didn’t understand her (or at least pretended to not understand) they continued to crowd the doorway. She finally just started taking tickets. It was slow and painful process as she was checking passports as she was pulling the tickets. I just stood back waiting for the crowd to clear. No hurry to get on board for a 9 hour flight in Y.
At 1830 I was able to board and found my exit row seat. Judging from the other seats and the cramped leg room, this row is really the best in coach – or so I thought. The door closed and we pushed just a few minutes behind schedule. On each seat their was a bag containing a pillow, a blanket, and a headset. I was expecting a small amenity kit for some silly reason but it never came.
After what seemed like a long taxi we rolled down runway 15L and were climbing out rather quickly. I must have missed the captain’s welcome announcement but airshow indicated a 8:50 minute flight. Right after the 10,000 two bell chime the FA’s got to work. They announced that they would serve beverages, followed by dinner, followed by more beverages. Drinks were $5.
The first cart came through and since I had business the next day I decided to stick with juice and water for the flight. They offered a bag of pretzels with the first beverage service and a cup (no can again) of juice. Within minutes they were coming through picking up trash and already started on the dinner service. Everything seemed very rushed. The choices were chicken with rice or some beef mystery dish. I opted for the chicken and it was fairly decent. My only complaint was the small servings. I thought CO announced that the money used from alcohol sales would be used for more substantial meals? So much for that! Half the tray was empty. Just the entrée, a small salad (I mean small) and a small brownie for desert. The good news was that the small portions meant that I was done when they came back for the trays a few minutes later. They followed with another beverage service and then turned out the cabin lights for the night.
This is when I started to regret my seat choice. Row 32 is directly behind the main Y lavs. All night long people were bumping into me or cutting across the bulkhead to the other side. After a while I put my feet up on the wall thinking this would stop the traffic but they just pushed my legs out of the way. The guy on the other middle section isle next to me was going nuts. Continental has advertisements on the airshow channel showing on the bulkhead monitors. Every so often a really bright picture would flash and wake everyone up. I don’t see the need to show airshow all night on the monitors when you can get it on your IFE screens in your seat. I guess I was missing how America West doesn’t show movies on red-eyes so people can have darkness.
About two hours from landing the lights came on for the breakfast service. The FA’s came through with coffee and juice before passing out the trays. Breakfast was a small fruit dish plate with a croissant. After passing out the trays they did a complete beverage service.
Touch down was smooth and we parked at terminal 2A right on-time.
Overall it wasn’t a bad flight. I just had higher expectations. Seems they are really cutting back on the service and some of the senior FA’s working these flights are less than enthusiastic about their jobs. The 777 is a great ride and CO definitely keeps them clean and new looking.
November 18
CDG-LHR
AF #1370
A319
Seat 3A
Done with Paris I headed out to CDG via the Roissy Bus from the Opera. Traffic was light and I arrived at CDG with plenty of time to spare for my 10AM flight. Since one-way tickets in Europe seem to be C class only I was upfront for this flight. I breezed through security at the new terminal 2F. What a great terminal. They offer newpapers and magazines in the departure lounge and there was plenty of room to spread out.
Boarding was called 30 minutes prior. I thought it was strange that I was heading down a jetway without a plane at the other end. Then I realized we were being bused to the remote stands. It was actually kind of neat as the drive to the plane offered some great views of the CDG ramp areas. I walking up the stairs and found my seat up front. The purser helped me stow my bags and asked if I wanted anything to drink. Within Europe C class is just a coach seat with the middle seat blocked. The middle had a center console that folded out above the seat.
Once all were on board we pushed to stand right on-time. With a quick flying time of only 40 minutes I was surprised to get a hot breakfast sandwich. I guess the Europeans have different standards.
After a really nice flight we arrived at Heathrow’s run down Terminal 2 right on schedule.
Air France does a nice job really seem to have high service standards – even short haul.
November 19
LHR-LAX
VS #23
A340-300
Seat 19G
Ready to go home I took the Heathrow Express and arrived at T3 at noon for my 1510 departure. I have never flown Virgin Atlantic before so I was looking forward to this flight.
There were only a few people in line for the Premium Economy check-in. I had my boarding pass in hand within minutes. It was nice having a separate check-in as the economy line looked rather long. I proceeded through security so I could check-out the “Tax-free” shops in the departure lounge. I hadn’t been in T3 for a while but it seems Starbucks has already invaded. I couldn’t resist and got a grande coffee to sip while I browsed. Since the dollar is so weak right now it didn’t make sense to buy anything, but it was a nice way to kill time.
At 1400 VS #23 was assigned gate 25 for boarding. I made my way to the gate to find G-VSEA waiting for us. Premium Economy was called and I found my way on board. The impressive young FA’s dressed in red greeted me at the door and showed me to my seat. Pre-departure Champaign and orange juice was offered. The PE looked quite a bit nicer than the Y section right behind.
Just as I was getting comfortable an older couple came on and sat down in the middle and isle seat next to me. They were speaking some Eastern European language and were arguing with each other. The husband was pointing at the middle seat and I think he was telling his wife to sit. She showed me her boarding pass and it had seat 60A on it. I tried telling them that their seats were towards the back but the husband would have nothing of it. I figured it would sort itself out when the rightful owners came to claim the seats. Sure enough a man arrived for the isle seat and showed the husband his boarding pass. I told him what was going on and he went to get a FA. She tried to explain to them that their seats were further back but this guy wasn’t budging. Finally a gate supervisor came on board and got involved. I swear the guy smoke English but was pretending not to. The supervisor wrote the dollar charge for an upgrade on a piece of paper and this sent the man and his wife very quickly back to row 60. I can’t believe people just help themselves to seats that cost a lot more money!
The plane filled up quickly but I was lucky enough to have the middle seat open next to me. Each seat had an amenity kit, pillow, and blanket. The amenity kits in PE seemed to match those in Y. They are actually quite nice. Socks, ear plugs, tooth brush, eye shades, etc…
The Captain gave a nice pre-flight announcement and told us that the flying time would be an unusually long 12 hours due to headwinds over Greenland and northern Canada. We pushed from the gate and the crew played a very well done safety briefing on the IFE system.
After what seemed like the longest take-off roll ever, we were making a very slow climb up towards Manchester. The IFE system was started and the FA’s began their service. As the bar cart was free in all classes, I decided to take advantage. I started with a few Stella’s and moved to wine with my meal. Three entrée choices were offered. Chicken, Beef, or a vegetarian option. I had the chicken and it was quite good. Unlike Continental the meal was very substantial. Wine was served in a real wine glass.
After the meal service the FA’s closed the curtains making PE a nice little cabin. The only problem was that the closest lavs were back behind the first economy section. They really need to add an exclusive lav for PE. About an hour after the meal service they passed out ice-cream bars to go with the movie. What a great touch!
The crew continually came through the cabin with water and juice. They also set up a bar cart and snacks in the rear galley for self-service.
Just when I thought I couldn’t eat any more food they came through with a mid flight snack service. Again – full bar cart and a hot chicken or beef sandwich.
About two hours out of LAX they offered the pre-arrival meal service. They had sandwiches and fruit on a tray along with Coffee or Tea. They also were asking us if we wanted any drinks from the bar.
This was by far the hardest working in-flight crew I have ever seen. They made the twelve hours pass so effortlessly. We touched down at LAX runway 24R only a few minutes behind schedule at 1915 and I was through terminal 2 customs within 20 minutes.
Virgin Atlantic is probably the best airline I have ever flown. They work hard, have great in-flight entertainment, and the Airbus is a great ride. Unlike US carriers they really seem to please every passenger.
Premium Economy is worth every extra dollar. In fact, I think I will go out of my way to fly Virgin next time, even if I have to connect in London.
I returned to Phoenix this morning an America West. Short flight, on-time, same great service.
Nice to be home.
November 15
PHX-IAH
CO #308
737-700
Seat 15A
As I was driving into Sky Harbor a huge rain storm was building out to the east. With less than 2 hours to spare for my Paris connection I was a little worried that the airport would come to a stand still (as it usually does) when the rain moved over the field. I parked my car at my usual spot on 40th Street and Washington and took the shuttle over to Terminal 2. I wasn’t checking any bags so I went right for the express kiosk. I should have known being on a one-way international ticket that things couldn’t go this smooth. Sure enough the kiosk couldn’t process my transaction and the agent had to do the check-in. Having no status on Continental this was to be the start of a long coach trip across the Atlantic.
I made my way through security in a matter of minutes and they were already offering Elite Access boarding for my flight. I was a little worried that they would run out of overhead space as it seemed at least 50% of the flight was walking across the blue carpet. They finally called my row and I boarded with my fingers crossed hoping some overhead was available. I’m used to AWA’s 737’s where the overheads are full after the 10th passenger boards, so I was pleasantly surprised to find space one row back from my seat.
We pushed back on-time as the rain started to fall. A quick taxi to runway 7L and we were launching right into the storm. The captain asked the flight attendants to stay seated for the first few minutes of the flight. I think they interpreted this to mean the first hour of the flight because they were no where to be seen. The Captain turned the seat belt sign off as we crossed El Paso and the service finally began. They came through with a beverage cart and snack baskets all in one sweep. I ordered an ice-tea to go with the small sandwich but the FA said that it was CO policy not to give the can. I’ve never been refused the can before when asking but I couldn’t complain as we were being fed, which is unusual these days for a flight in Y.
We arrived in Houston a few minutes behind schedule and blocked into the new “E” terminal. Paris, however, was going out of D5 which made for quite a long walk.
November 15
IAH-CDG
CO #10
777-200
Seat 32F
I arrived at the gate with plenty of time to spare. As the flight departed at 1840 and at 1800 they hadn’t started boarding yet, I thought it was either late or very lightly booked. Turned out it was neither. The gate was just very disorganized. They boarded the elites and then started calling by row numbers. The problem was that a lot of the passengers didn’t speak English and they just stormed the door once boarding began. This created quite the mob scene. One of the agents was literally screaming at people to clear the doorway but since they didn’t understand her (or at least pretended to not understand) they continued to crowd the doorway. She finally just started taking tickets. It was slow and painful process as she was checking passports as she was pulling the tickets. I just stood back waiting for the crowd to clear. No hurry to get on board for a 9 hour flight in Y.
At 1830 I was able to board and found my exit row seat. Judging from the other seats and the cramped leg room, this row is really the best in coach – or so I thought. The door closed and we pushed just a few minutes behind schedule. On each seat their was a bag containing a pillow, a blanket, and a headset. I was expecting a small amenity kit for some silly reason but it never came.
After what seemed like a long taxi we rolled down runway 15L and were climbing out rather quickly. I must have missed the captain’s welcome announcement but airshow indicated a 8:50 minute flight. Right after the 10,000 two bell chime the FA’s got to work. They announced that they would serve beverages, followed by dinner, followed by more beverages. Drinks were $5.
The first cart came through and since I had business the next day I decided to stick with juice and water for the flight. They offered a bag of pretzels with the first beverage service and a cup (no can again) of juice. Within minutes they were coming through picking up trash and already started on the dinner service. Everything seemed very rushed. The choices were chicken with rice or some beef mystery dish. I opted for the chicken and it was fairly decent. My only complaint was the small servings. I thought CO announced that the money used from alcohol sales would be used for more substantial meals? So much for that! Half the tray was empty. Just the entrée, a small salad (I mean small) and a small brownie for desert. The good news was that the small portions meant that I was done when they came back for the trays a few minutes later. They followed with another beverage service and then turned out the cabin lights for the night.
This is when I started to regret my seat choice. Row 32 is directly behind the main Y lavs. All night long people were bumping into me or cutting across the bulkhead to the other side. After a while I put my feet up on the wall thinking this would stop the traffic but they just pushed my legs out of the way. The guy on the other middle section isle next to me was going nuts. Continental has advertisements on the airshow channel showing on the bulkhead monitors. Every so often a really bright picture would flash and wake everyone up. I don’t see the need to show airshow all night on the monitors when you can get it on your IFE screens in your seat. I guess I was missing how America West doesn’t show movies on red-eyes so people can have darkness.
About two hours from landing the lights came on for the breakfast service. The FA’s came through with coffee and juice before passing out the trays. Breakfast was a small fruit dish plate with a croissant. After passing out the trays they did a complete beverage service.
Touch down was smooth and we parked at terminal 2A right on-time.
Overall it wasn’t a bad flight. I just had higher expectations. Seems they are really cutting back on the service and some of the senior FA’s working these flights are less than enthusiastic about their jobs. The 777 is a great ride and CO definitely keeps them clean and new looking.
November 18
CDG-LHR
AF #1370
A319
Seat 3A
Done with Paris I headed out to CDG via the Roissy Bus from the Opera. Traffic was light and I arrived at CDG with plenty of time to spare for my 10AM flight. Since one-way tickets in Europe seem to be C class only I was upfront for this flight. I breezed through security at the new terminal 2F. What a great terminal. They offer newpapers and magazines in the departure lounge and there was plenty of room to spread out.
Boarding was called 30 minutes prior. I thought it was strange that I was heading down a jetway without a plane at the other end. Then I realized we were being bused to the remote stands. It was actually kind of neat as the drive to the plane offered some great views of the CDG ramp areas. I walking up the stairs and found my seat up front. The purser helped me stow my bags and asked if I wanted anything to drink. Within Europe C class is just a coach seat with the middle seat blocked. The middle had a center console that folded out above the seat.
Once all were on board we pushed to stand right on-time. With a quick flying time of only 40 minutes I was surprised to get a hot breakfast sandwich. I guess the Europeans have different standards.
After a really nice flight we arrived at Heathrow’s run down Terminal 2 right on schedule.
Air France does a nice job really seem to have high service standards – even short haul.
November 19
LHR-LAX
VS #23
A340-300
Seat 19G
Ready to go home I took the Heathrow Express and arrived at T3 at noon for my 1510 departure. I have never flown Virgin Atlantic before so I was looking forward to this flight.
There were only a few people in line for the Premium Economy check-in. I had my boarding pass in hand within minutes. It was nice having a separate check-in as the economy line looked rather long. I proceeded through security so I could check-out the “Tax-free” shops in the departure lounge. I hadn’t been in T3 for a while but it seems Starbucks has already invaded. I couldn’t resist and got a grande coffee to sip while I browsed. Since the dollar is so weak right now it didn’t make sense to buy anything, but it was a nice way to kill time.
At 1400 VS #23 was assigned gate 25 for boarding. I made my way to the gate to find G-VSEA waiting for us. Premium Economy was called and I found my way on board. The impressive young FA’s dressed in red greeted me at the door and showed me to my seat. Pre-departure Champaign and orange juice was offered. The PE looked quite a bit nicer than the Y section right behind.
Just as I was getting comfortable an older couple came on and sat down in the middle and isle seat next to me. They were speaking some Eastern European language and were arguing with each other. The husband was pointing at the middle seat and I think he was telling his wife to sit. She showed me her boarding pass and it had seat 60A on it. I tried telling them that their seats were towards the back but the husband would have nothing of it. I figured it would sort itself out when the rightful owners came to claim the seats. Sure enough a man arrived for the isle seat and showed the husband his boarding pass. I told him what was going on and he went to get a FA. She tried to explain to them that their seats were further back but this guy wasn’t budging. Finally a gate supervisor came on board and got involved. I swear the guy smoke English but was pretending not to. The supervisor wrote the dollar charge for an upgrade on a piece of paper and this sent the man and his wife very quickly back to row 60. I can’t believe people just help themselves to seats that cost a lot more money!
The plane filled up quickly but I was lucky enough to have the middle seat open next to me. Each seat had an amenity kit, pillow, and blanket. The amenity kits in PE seemed to match those in Y. They are actually quite nice. Socks, ear plugs, tooth brush, eye shades, etc…
The Captain gave a nice pre-flight announcement and told us that the flying time would be an unusually long 12 hours due to headwinds over Greenland and northern Canada. We pushed from the gate and the crew played a very well done safety briefing on the IFE system.
After what seemed like the longest take-off roll ever, we were making a very slow climb up towards Manchester. The IFE system was started and the FA’s began their service. As the bar cart was free in all classes, I decided to take advantage. I started with a few Stella’s and moved to wine with my meal. Three entrée choices were offered. Chicken, Beef, or a vegetarian option. I had the chicken and it was quite good. Unlike Continental the meal was very substantial. Wine was served in a real wine glass.
After the meal service the FA’s closed the curtains making PE a nice little cabin. The only problem was that the closest lavs were back behind the first economy section. They really need to add an exclusive lav for PE. About an hour after the meal service they passed out ice-cream bars to go with the movie. What a great touch!
The crew continually came through the cabin with water and juice. They also set up a bar cart and snacks in the rear galley for self-service.
Just when I thought I couldn’t eat any more food they came through with a mid flight snack service. Again – full bar cart and a hot chicken or beef sandwich.
About two hours out of LAX they offered the pre-arrival meal service. They had sandwiches and fruit on a tray along with Coffee or Tea. They also were asking us if we wanted any drinks from the bar.
This was by far the hardest working in-flight crew I have ever seen. They made the twelve hours pass so effortlessly. We touched down at LAX runway 24R only a few minutes behind schedule at 1915 and I was through terminal 2 customs within 20 minutes.
Virgin Atlantic is probably the best airline I have ever flown. They work hard, have great in-flight entertainment, and the Airbus is a great ride. Unlike US carriers they really seem to please every passenger.
Premium Economy is worth every extra dollar. In fact, I think I will go out of my way to fly Virgin next time, even if I have to connect in London.
I returned to Phoenix this morning an America West. Short flight, on-time, same great service.
Nice to be home.