zcat18
Aug 20, 08, 2:46 pm
Flight AA568
Aircraft MD80
Seat 26A
LV ORD 0645
ARR FLL 1040
This is my first trip report, so go easy on me :-) ...
One would assume that the trip from downtown Chicago to ORD would take less than 15 minutes at 4:30 on a Saturday morning, but the Windy City's notorious Lincoln Park Pirates (or whatever Mayor Daley is calling the roads commission these days) had other plans. Early-morning construction meant six lanes were reduced to one for a two-mile stretch, and the Kennedy Expressway was reduced to a long, snaking parking lot.
Despite the traffic, I arrived with plenty of time to spare at ORD's Terminal 3, home of American Airlines. The building was abuzz with pax leaving on the early morning bank of departures, but since I had only a carry-on, I made my way to one of the line-free kiosks across the ticketing hall from the international check-in desk. I don't often fly AA--I'm a Star Alliance guy--so I'm accustomed to checking in online, even for international flights. AA does not allow this, however, so this was my first experience with AA's international kiosk check-in. After swiping my credit card and confirming my identity, I was then required to swipe my passport through a separate reader slot directly above the screen. My citizenship confirmed, I declined the offer of a first-class upgrade (for quite a bit of extra coin) and printed boarding passes for both of the day's flights.
I proceeded to the opposite end of the ticketing hall to the security line for the K gates. Despite the early hour, security was crowded, and I spent roughly 5 minutes winding my way to the ID checker, who unceremoniously marked my travel documents and passed me through.
Unfortunately, my Amex Platinum card had not yet arrived in the mail (it was waiting for me upon my return), so I was unable to gain access to the Admirals' Club at ORD (a shame, since airline lounge access was one of my major motivations for obtaining the card). As a result, I proceded straight to the gate. After a quick call to my girlfriend to let her know that I'd made it that far, boarding started, and I soon took my window seat on one of AA's classic "Super 80s."
I admit that, as exhilarating as I find flying, no measure of adrenaline can keep me awake on a flight that departs prior to 7:00 a.m. The doors closed several minutes early, the wheels started turning at roughly 6:35, and we were airborne five minutes later. Wheels up, eyes closed, drink service missed.
I awoke over Jacksonville and watched Florida's Atlantic coast glide past for 45 minutes before we started our descent into a sunny Ft. Lauderdale. We landed to the west, seemingly buzzing dive boats on clear waters as we approached the runway. Five minutes later, the door was open, and the telltale blast of humid, heavy air signaled our arrival.
I exited into the air-conditioned airport and decided that, since I had over four hours until my departure to SJO, I would exit the secure area and eat some lunch in the main terminal. I grabbed a seat at the Chili's bar (situated on an indoor shopping strip that appeared to be constructed to resemble an outdoor mall, complete with cobblestones, street lights, and storefront awnings), flanked on one side by a margarita-swilling brunette waiting for her flight to LAX and on the other by a pair of college lacrosse players nursing hangovers. After a bowl of chili and a salad, I decided to do some planespotting, but a torrential rainstorm drove me back inside, where I decided to proceed to my gate.
Flight AA2113
Aircraft 737-800 in classic "Astrojet" anniversary paint scheme
Seat 20F
LV FLL ~1615
ARR SJO ~1705
Boarding display pic: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=34658559&id=2401518
The security line was short, and the ID checker was unusually friendly, asking me if I was going down to Costa Rica for vacation and informing me that he'd been to the country seven times. After passing through the metal detector, I ambled to the waiting area and noticed ominous black clouds signaling the arrival of a typical mid-afternoon Florida thunderstorm (click the following for a sweet pic of the strom's remnants taken from seat 20F: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=34658563&l=1e0af&id=2401518).
Surprisingly, boarding began on time, and before I knew it, my seatbelt was fastened, and I was ready to go. Before we could push back, however, the rain and lightning began anew, and the ramp was closed for roughly 20 minutes while the torrent passed. Once the tractor was unhooked and the engines spooled to life, the captain informed us that we were #3 for takeoff and asked the flight attendants to take their seats. Within 10 minutes, we were airborne.
The service on this flight was a domestic/international hybrid due to the relatively short length of the journey. The 737-800 was, not surprisingly, arranged in a domestic configuration (with overhead televisions installed at every fourth row), but the sitcoms and news programs usually shown on domestic flights of that length were waived in favor of "Leatherheads," which I elected not to watch.
Other than the views of the Keys and Cuba, the flight's highlight was a brand of friendly service not often experienced in Coach. Snack mix was offered with beverage service, and when the flight attendant--a man in his 30s who also served as the flight's translator--asked me my drink preference, I asked for Jack Daniel's (at a cost of $6) and a can of Diet Coke. The flight attendant responded, "I'll tell you what, since we only have the tiny bottles, I'll give you two for the price of one if you give me exact change."
I happily accepted the deal (which only mildly amused the buttoned-up honeymooners sitting to my left) and relaxed with my ipod, a spectacular view, and my favorite beverage. The vacation was off to a fantastic start.
Our route took us southwest over the Everglades, crossing over the middle of the Florida Keys, across western Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall approximately around the Nicaraguan border with Costa Rica and turning due south into the Central Valley and San Jose (video of the final descent can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbqzNe8zcaE).
We landed under overcast skies, turned left off of the runway toward the modern terminal building and took our place between an Iberia A340-600 and a Taca 737. Wheels stationary, seatbelt signs off, vacation officially underway.
Stay tuned for a report of the return journey, which included an unexpected (and unexplained) two-hour delay at lovely MIA.
Aircraft MD80
Seat 26A
LV ORD 0645
ARR FLL 1040
This is my first trip report, so go easy on me :-) ...
One would assume that the trip from downtown Chicago to ORD would take less than 15 minutes at 4:30 on a Saturday morning, but the Windy City's notorious Lincoln Park Pirates (or whatever Mayor Daley is calling the roads commission these days) had other plans. Early-morning construction meant six lanes were reduced to one for a two-mile stretch, and the Kennedy Expressway was reduced to a long, snaking parking lot.
Despite the traffic, I arrived with plenty of time to spare at ORD's Terminal 3, home of American Airlines. The building was abuzz with pax leaving on the early morning bank of departures, but since I had only a carry-on, I made my way to one of the line-free kiosks across the ticketing hall from the international check-in desk. I don't often fly AA--I'm a Star Alliance guy--so I'm accustomed to checking in online, even for international flights. AA does not allow this, however, so this was my first experience with AA's international kiosk check-in. After swiping my credit card and confirming my identity, I was then required to swipe my passport through a separate reader slot directly above the screen. My citizenship confirmed, I declined the offer of a first-class upgrade (for quite a bit of extra coin) and printed boarding passes for both of the day's flights.
I proceeded to the opposite end of the ticketing hall to the security line for the K gates. Despite the early hour, security was crowded, and I spent roughly 5 minutes winding my way to the ID checker, who unceremoniously marked my travel documents and passed me through.
Unfortunately, my Amex Platinum card had not yet arrived in the mail (it was waiting for me upon my return), so I was unable to gain access to the Admirals' Club at ORD (a shame, since airline lounge access was one of my major motivations for obtaining the card). As a result, I proceded straight to the gate. After a quick call to my girlfriend to let her know that I'd made it that far, boarding started, and I soon took my window seat on one of AA's classic "Super 80s."
I admit that, as exhilarating as I find flying, no measure of adrenaline can keep me awake on a flight that departs prior to 7:00 a.m. The doors closed several minutes early, the wheels started turning at roughly 6:35, and we were airborne five minutes later. Wheels up, eyes closed, drink service missed.
I awoke over Jacksonville and watched Florida's Atlantic coast glide past for 45 minutes before we started our descent into a sunny Ft. Lauderdale. We landed to the west, seemingly buzzing dive boats on clear waters as we approached the runway. Five minutes later, the door was open, and the telltale blast of humid, heavy air signaled our arrival.
I exited into the air-conditioned airport and decided that, since I had over four hours until my departure to SJO, I would exit the secure area and eat some lunch in the main terminal. I grabbed a seat at the Chili's bar (situated on an indoor shopping strip that appeared to be constructed to resemble an outdoor mall, complete with cobblestones, street lights, and storefront awnings), flanked on one side by a margarita-swilling brunette waiting for her flight to LAX and on the other by a pair of college lacrosse players nursing hangovers. After a bowl of chili and a salad, I decided to do some planespotting, but a torrential rainstorm drove me back inside, where I decided to proceed to my gate.
Flight AA2113
Aircraft 737-800 in classic "Astrojet" anniversary paint scheme
Seat 20F
LV FLL ~1615
ARR SJO ~1705
Boarding display pic: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=34658559&id=2401518
The security line was short, and the ID checker was unusually friendly, asking me if I was going down to Costa Rica for vacation and informing me that he'd been to the country seven times. After passing through the metal detector, I ambled to the waiting area and noticed ominous black clouds signaling the arrival of a typical mid-afternoon Florida thunderstorm (click the following for a sweet pic of the strom's remnants taken from seat 20F: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=34658563&l=1e0af&id=2401518).
Surprisingly, boarding began on time, and before I knew it, my seatbelt was fastened, and I was ready to go. Before we could push back, however, the rain and lightning began anew, and the ramp was closed for roughly 20 minutes while the torrent passed. Once the tractor was unhooked and the engines spooled to life, the captain informed us that we were #3 for takeoff and asked the flight attendants to take their seats. Within 10 minutes, we were airborne.
The service on this flight was a domestic/international hybrid due to the relatively short length of the journey. The 737-800 was, not surprisingly, arranged in a domestic configuration (with overhead televisions installed at every fourth row), but the sitcoms and news programs usually shown on domestic flights of that length were waived in favor of "Leatherheads," which I elected not to watch.
Other than the views of the Keys and Cuba, the flight's highlight was a brand of friendly service not often experienced in Coach. Snack mix was offered with beverage service, and when the flight attendant--a man in his 30s who also served as the flight's translator--asked me my drink preference, I asked for Jack Daniel's (at a cost of $6) and a can of Diet Coke. The flight attendant responded, "I'll tell you what, since we only have the tiny bottles, I'll give you two for the price of one if you give me exact change."
I happily accepted the deal (which only mildly amused the buttoned-up honeymooners sitting to my left) and relaxed with my ipod, a spectacular view, and my favorite beverage. The vacation was off to a fantastic start.
Our route took us southwest over the Everglades, crossing over the middle of the Florida Keys, across western Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall approximately around the Nicaraguan border with Costa Rica and turning due south into the Central Valley and San Jose (video of the final descent can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbqzNe8zcaE).
We landed under overcast skies, turned left off of the runway toward the modern terminal building and took our place between an Iberia A340-600 and a Taca 737. Wheels stationary, seatbelt signs off, vacation officially underway.
Stay tuned for a report of the return journey, which included an unexpected (and unexplained) two-hour delay at lovely MIA.