KL/NW/CO KWI-AMS-MIA-MCO
Feb 12, 2003, 9:22 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Some big city away from home (expat lifestyle)
Posts: 171
KL/NW/CO KWI-AMS-MIA-MCO
These flights were taken on August 03 2002. I had a really nasty flight with NW from AMS to DTW in January so I was not looking forward to flying them again. I was pleasantly surprised.
KLM 457
Kuwait - Amsterdam
Boeing 767-300 (PH-BZG)
Seat: 2G
scheduled Departure Time: 0:30
Scheduled Arrival Time: 6:15
Actual Departure Time: 0:45
Actual Arrival Time: 6:05
Check In: Arrived to an excruciating long line at the KLM counter with 1 for WBC and 3 for Economy. My parents went over to the LH C counter for their flights to BOS while I stood in line for 20 minutes with 6 people in front. When I got the front my parents were already checked in and were standing on the side waiting for me. My bags were checked in all the way to Orlando and boarding passes given all the way to MIA on Kuwait Airways paper. No questions about the bags or anything. Headed straight to immigration where an "idiot" wondered why I looked so different than my passport photo. "Of course. The passport was issued in 1993 when I was 11. I would naturally look different!" was my answer. Waited for my parents and went over to Duty free and looked around with my parents who bought some stuff, I on the other hand was waiting for AMS duty free. We then headed over to the Kuwait Airways first class lounge which was packed with people for the KL,LH, and KU flights to SIN/CGK and BKK/MNL. Waited there with my parents continuously checking if boarding had begun.
Boarding: I headed over to the gate 26 at 0:05 where the door was closed and no one was there. "What the he**!" ran through my head before the lounge agent came running over and told me that my flight was now boarding from 24 and that my parents should head to LH across the airport. I said bye to my parents and went into a small line. The agent checked the KWI stamp and my US visa. Went through the x-ray machine and headed to the jetway and was greeted by a smiling flight attendant in the usual Dutch accent. Headed to my bulkhead seat. I have described the seat in previous trip reports. It is the older seat, different that the WBC seats on the M11's and 747's. The legroom is only 53 inches on the 767 and the seats are a bit tattered. A guy came and sat down next to me and seemed very interested in having a row to himself. He asked the stewardess who said there was a 50% load factor and that he could change when the door was closed. The door was closed and he moved over across the isle to the middle set of seats. "Ladies and gentlemen, we shall departing a few minutes late and we load some more cargo onto the plane. I think it is best since we can not land in AMS earlier than 6am and we have a flying time of 6 hours and 15 minutes. We should be in AMS well ahead schedule anyway." Amenity kits were handed out with menu's and headphones. Welcome drinks were being served during this time and crew constantly came round with the tray. Push back occurred at 0:45 and the safety video was shown.
The Flight: We taxied for about 10 minutes and headed off. As we were lifting of I saw the LH 343 taxing down to the runway and thought my parents were on a full flight while mine was only 50%. Hot towels were passed around and the following was on the menu:
"Shortly after take off we will be serving a light snack of smoked chicken garnished with cheese and fresh fruit and accompanied by hot rolls"
It was a filling snack which had a slice of peach, 3 pieces of chicken on salad and warm rolls of bread. During the meal I pulled the PTV out and watched the comedy channel which had Will & Grace, The Simpsons, Cheers, and The Naked Truth. Once that was over I put the seat into full recline and put on KLM's "Hitline" music channel. I dozed in and out of sleep continuosly, I can never sleep on planes. During this time a bottle of water was put on armrest, a decent size one, not the small ones.
Eventually I gave up on the sleeping and opened my window to find a faint orange line over the horizon. The lights then came on momentarily and hot towels were handed out. I looked at the menu to see what was for breakfast.
For Breakfast:
"The breakfast service we are pleased to offer you a fresh fruit salad, a variety of cheese and pastrami beef, assorted hot rolls and your choice of cereal with fresh milk or a hot breakfast dish."
"Todays hot breakfast dish:
Pancakes filled with herbed scrambled eggs served with baked beans with tomatoes, grilled beef sausages and sauteed mushrooms."
I chose the hot breakfast as usual and the fruits were sweet and moist. The bread was luke warm and flaky. The butter was frozen but the tea was piping hot. The eggs were soft and warm in the pancake. The sausage was soft and not leathery dry like other times. I have to say I have never liked eggs on an airplane but this has to be an exception. Also to note, KLM has introduced full silverware on this flight now. Back in May I had a plastic knife, not this time. Decent started and the Deflt Blue houses came round, dry though, not full of alcohol.
Arrival & Transit: Eventually we began our decent into a very busy Schiphol. As we taxied by the airport I could see planes landing one after another behind us on the runway. We landed at 6:05, 10 minutes early. We docked at D43, quite a distance from the WBC lounge. It was nice to strech my legs and walk by the beautiful blue KL planes. At this point there was only one NW D10 at the airport. I walked over to the lounge, showed by boarding pass and requested them to print my AMS-MIA one on KL paper as I would much rather not go through with KU boarding passes. Once that was done I went over put my bag down, and got a cup of cappucino. After that the activity started outside with NW's coming in and a few KL's. At around 9:00 I headed out for some shopping and plane spotting. I headed over to Concourse G as this is where all the international airlines come in.
I then headed over to a book shop, bought "Airliners International" latest magazine with the Euros that I had. I then headed over to a shop and bought some colonge. Then it was back to the lounge for a few minutes. I had a second cappucino while I was there and it was refreshing. I headed over to to gate E6 where there was a slight bit of a line at 9:45.
Northwest 57
Amsterdam - Miami
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (N242NW)
Seat: 2J
Scheduled Departure Time: 10:50
Scheduled Arrival Time: 14:45
Actual Departure Time: 11:45
Actual Arrival Time: 14:59
Boarding: When it was my turn to be asked questions by security I had been in line for 15 minutes. The usual questions,
"So why are you comming from Kuwait?"
"What do you study in Daytona Beach, flying?"
"Why are you flying Northwest? Why not Delta?"
"What do your parents do in Kuwait?"
Those of you who have read my previous trip reports will know the usual questions that I am bombarded with all the time. All I have to say is that at least she was pleasant and smiled the whole time unlike the USAirways one in FRA earlier this year.
I was in the gate for only a minute or so when boarding commenced for passengers with children and passengers needing special assistance. The WBC pax followed and I was on board the DC-10 at 10:10. I have to say at this point the D10 looked clean and very presentable from the outside. The shock was when I stepped onboard. It was immaculate, clean, and looked like it was 20 days old rather than 20 years old. I was greeted by a elderly lady with a smile and said, go right ahead sir. As I sat down another stewardess came over to me with a tray that consisted of water, orange juice, Heiniken, and champagne. "What would you like to drink sir?" I took a glass of water and she wished me a good flight. At this point I had to pinch myself. Was I on a KL or NW plane? Why was the service so good so far? More pax came through and a couple from Manchester behind me started talking to the two stewardesses. "May I ask why you fly NW out of AMS instead of straight from MAN?" The answer shocked virtually everyone in the vicinity. "Well, we love NW's service!" The flight attendant said, "excuse, me did I hear you right? Wow I have never heard a passengers say that. Thank you very much." Then she came over to me with the tray once again as it started to rain. "Wow looks like it comming down hard." My answer was "Thank god! I have been in Kuwait for over 2 months and this is a sight for sore eyes!" She then started talking to me for a few minutes with a smile and talking about how she loves Florida and what life was like when she lived in Dubai a few years ago. The door was closed and it looked like 9 seats were empty, including the seat next to me.
"Ladies and gentlemen this is your pilot. We shall be delayed by nearly an hour due to decreasing weather over here and slot allocation problems over England. Our flying time today shall be 9 hours and 40 minutes which should get us late into MIA. We shall see what we can do to get you in earlier than that once we take off."
The seat was nothing like KLM's. It had no headrests and was showing its age. Though it had 60 inches of legroom which was more than enough for me. Headphones were passed out with menu's landing cards and an eye patch and toothbrush. This was cost cutting as in January I had received an entire toilet bag. I noticed that I did not have an "Ovation" entertainment guide in my seat pocket and neither did the one next to me. I asked the flight attendant for one when she came round with the tray of drinks again. She eventually found one and came over and said, "Here you go, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."
During the entire episode while we were on the ground, the flight attendants came over with the tray till everyone started declining the drinks since we were full.
The Flight: We backed away at 11:30 and took off behind the NW 744 "Asian Spirit" heading to BOM. Once we were in the air I looked at the menu.
HORS D'OEUVRE
Halibut Mousse and poached Asparagus Spears with Cold Lobster Sauce
SALAD
Seasonal Mixed Greens with Tomatoes and Black Olives
ASSORTED BREADS
MAIN COURSE
Roasted Chicken in Truffle Sauce with stir fried asparagus and Parisian potatoes
OR
Grilled Scampi Newburg with white asparagus and parsley buttered potatoes
OR
Pasta ai quattro formaggi with diced tomatoe sauce
SELECTION OF FRESH FRUIT & CHEESE
DESERT
Coffee cheesecake
Fine Chocolates
The leading flight attendant who had greeted me by the door came over to me a little while later with a piece of paper, "Mr Tamboowala, I am your inflight supervisor, Dorris. Welcome onboard Northwest and what would you like to have for lunch?"
Woah! I have never been called by name on KLM! They only do this on Asian airlines! "I'll have the Scampi please."
I pulled the PTV out and started with the Panic Room, the only movie that seemed interesting. Hot towels were passed out and the second stewardess came over with the drink cart. "Mr Tamboowala what would you like to drink?" A bowl of nuts was put down with a glass of Pepsi.
A little while later the tray arrived. I chose the Dijon mustard instead of the vinaigrette dressing for the salad. The fish was horrible. I just could not get used to the taste of fish mousse. A warm bread roll was served with it and it was fresh and soft. The salad was good and tasty with the dressing. The main dish came round after and the scampi were great. Truly AMS has some of the best catering anywhere. The desert was a great, it was more of a mousse than a cheesecake. I am a die hard mousse fan so it went very well with me.
The shades were closed and I decided to put the seat to a nearly flat position, put some music on and see if I could not get some sleep. Just as I did that a bottle of water was put down next to me with "I give you a nice chilled one Mr. Tamboowala."
I woke up sporadically and took a few sips from the bottle each time till it was finished. Then when I woke up again I was surprised that a fresh one had been put down and the empty one taken away. The next time I woke up I found a small box of Ice Cream placed next to me. It was a great treat. There were snacks available throughout the flight infront of the 2 center seats in row one. I also noticed that this plane did not have a overhead projector like normal. It had a flat screen TV which provided a clear and crisp picture. Also NW had noise canceling headsets which were great for this DC-10. Even though I was up front it was loud.
Eventaully I headed over to the bathroom and as it was occupied I ended up talking with the inflight supervisor about my job this summer in KWI, ERAU, DAB, NW in general and told her I had a connection to Orlando.
"Oh I have some good news for you." was her response when I said Orlando. "Once KLM takes over the MIA flight next month, NW was looking into starting a AMS-MCO service. This is the word from MSP." Wow, if this happens it would cut my time flying time quite a bit. When I returned to my seat they turned the lights on and started preparing for the second meal.
Triple Decker Sandwhich with seasonal fruit
It was presented with a drink of my choice. It was curried chicken slices in between. It tasted very good. The fruits were fresh and chilled but not frozen like they usually are at this point in time. The tray was collected and chocolates were handed out. I was offered a second sandwich but I declined as I was full at this point. "Is there anything else I can get you Mr Tamboowala? Some more water or Pepsi?"
Eventually we begun our decent and I started becoming nervous about my connection. As decent started the inflight supervisor came around and shook my hand, "Mr Tamboowala, thank you for flying Northwest today and good luck with ERAU." She then came round to collect the headphones. As she did I commented on how great they were and that I needed to go buy a pair. "Honey don't worry about buying a pair. Your a Silver WP member so I am going to give this to you as a gift for your loyalty towards us." and handed me a pair of headphones that had not been opened!
Arrival & Transit: We landed in Miami at 14:59 and taxied to the gate Concourse F. We parked next to a LH 744 and an Iberia 742. I went to immigration and stood in line. Immigration was far from a breeze. It took about 45 minutes as I was interigated and questioned in a seperate room.
I then ran out to the baggage claim where the WBC bags were not out yet! It was 15:55 and my connection was at 16:15. Eventually the bags came out and I headed to customs which had a long line and took another 5 minutes as I ran to a new line they had just opened. I then ran to the CO counters in Concourse G and got there at 16:10. There was no line so I went up to the counter and said,
"I think I have just missed my flight!"
"Oh boy. Don't worry we'll take care of you. There is another flight to Orlando at 18:30. I'll put you on that. How does 7F sound?"
"Perfect."
I then gave her the bags which she retagged and I headed towards security and was through within a minute as there was no one else there. I went and sat down near the Gulfstream area. I made a few phone calls one of them being to my parents who were already in their hotel in Worcester, MA. Then it was 17:55 and I headed down to wards Gate G1 where all the Gulfstream flights leave from.
CO 9472
Miami - Orlando
Beech 1900 (N81535)
Seat: 7F
Scheduled Departure Time: 18:30
Scheduled Arrival Time : 19:40
Actual Departure Time: 20:10
Actual Arrival Time: 21:00
Boarding: "Ladies and gentlemen, flight 9472 to Orlando has been delayed till 19:40 due to inoperative aircraft. Please stay near the gate area for further information. Also please do not use cell phones in the gate area."
I sat there and waited until 19:40 came and "The plane is being refueled." We began boarding at 19:55 and were off at 20:00.
The Flight: The take off was really bumpy as a storm had just passed through and it was still quite windy. Out the window was a great scene. The wing with an orange sky behind it. It became dark quickly and the turbulence stopped. After being awake for so long I feel asleep with nearly everyone else on the aircraft. I awoke with the decent and the pilots made an announcement that we would be landing shortly.
Arrival: We landed at 21:00 and were off the plane at 21:05. As I was walking towards baggage claim I rang my roommate who was my ride, that I am finally here. "What, they told me the flight was canceled, I left MCO a few minutes ago." I collected my bags and waited for him to get back to MCO. He got there at 21:30 and off we went to DAB.
Overall: The Beech flight was fine, did one in May, TPA-MIA. This plane really does not look all that good in the Bahamas livery. The KLM flight was good, not as good as my flights over there during the summer. The crew were young and a bit aloof, not as caring as they were on MEM-AMS-KWI in May. I am waiting for the new A330's to replace the 767's as the seats are not that good on them.
Northwest on the other hand! What can I say? This was a second chance I was giving them after my horrible AMS-DTW flight in January. I was very happy with NW. After this flight NW has earned my respect. I have never been called by name on any European or American airline except Swissair. The flight attendants were fantastic looking after each passenger and the food was great. If this is the new NW, once those A330's come in I may very well say I prefer the red tail over the blue one. Congratulations Northwest, you have now kept my business. At times it felt like I was flying an Asian airline!
Any comments guys? I know its long, sorry about that again. Let me know what you think of the report. Thanks.
KLM 457
Kuwait - Amsterdam
Boeing 767-300 (PH-BZG)
Seat: 2G
scheduled Departure Time: 0:30
Scheduled Arrival Time: 6:15
Actual Departure Time: 0:45
Actual Arrival Time: 6:05
Check In: Arrived to an excruciating long line at the KLM counter with 1 for WBC and 3 for Economy. My parents went over to the LH C counter for their flights to BOS while I stood in line for 20 minutes with 6 people in front. When I got the front my parents were already checked in and were standing on the side waiting for me. My bags were checked in all the way to Orlando and boarding passes given all the way to MIA on Kuwait Airways paper. No questions about the bags or anything. Headed straight to immigration where an "idiot" wondered why I looked so different than my passport photo. "Of course. The passport was issued in 1993 when I was 11. I would naturally look different!" was my answer. Waited for my parents and went over to Duty free and looked around with my parents who bought some stuff, I on the other hand was waiting for AMS duty free. We then headed over to the Kuwait Airways first class lounge which was packed with people for the KL,LH, and KU flights to SIN/CGK and BKK/MNL. Waited there with my parents continuously checking if boarding had begun.
Boarding: I headed over to the gate 26 at 0:05 where the door was closed and no one was there. "What the he**!" ran through my head before the lounge agent came running over and told me that my flight was now boarding from 24 and that my parents should head to LH across the airport. I said bye to my parents and went into a small line. The agent checked the KWI stamp and my US visa. Went through the x-ray machine and headed to the jetway and was greeted by a smiling flight attendant in the usual Dutch accent. Headed to my bulkhead seat. I have described the seat in previous trip reports. It is the older seat, different that the WBC seats on the M11's and 747's. The legroom is only 53 inches on the 767 and the seats are a bit tattered. A guy came and sat down next to me and seemed very interested in having a row to himself. He asked the stewardess who said there was a 50% load factor and that he could change when the door was closed. The door was closed and he moved over across the isle to the middle set of seats. "Ladies and gentlemen, we shall departing a few minutes late and we load some more cargo onto the plane. I think it is best since we can not land in AMS earlier than 6am and we have a flying time of 6 hours and 15 minutes. We should be in AMS well ahead schedule anyway." Amenity kits were handed out with menu's and headphones. Welcome drinks were being served during this time and crew constantly came round with the tray. Push back occurred at 0:45 and the safety video was shown.
The Flight: We taxied for about 10 minutes and headed off. As we were lifting of I saw the LH 343 taxing down to the runway and thought my parents were on a full flight while mine was only 50%. Hot towels were passed around and the following was on the menu:
"Shortly after take off we will be serving a light snack of smoked chicken garnished with cheese and fresh fruit and accompanied by hot rolls"
It was a filling snack which had a slice of peach, 3 pieces of chicken on salad and warm rolls of bread. During the meal I pulled the PTV out and watched the comedy channel which had Will & Grace, The Simpsons, Cheers, and The Naked Truth. Once that was over I put the seat into full recline and put on KLM's "Hitline" music channel. I dozed in and out of sleep continuosly, I can never sleep on planes. During this time a bottle of water was put on armrest, a decent size one, not the small ones.
Eventually I gave up on the sleeping and opened my window to find a faint orange line over the horizon. The lights then came on momentarily and hot towels were handed out. I looked at the menu to see what was for breakfast.
For Breakfast:
"The breakfast service we are pleased to offer you a fresh fruit salad, a variety of cheese and pastrami beef, assorted hot rolls and your choice of cereal with fresh milk or a hot breakfast dish."
"Todays hot breakfast dish:
Pancakes filled with herbed scrambled eggs served with baked beans with tomatoes, grilled beef sausages and sauteed mushrooms."
I chose the hot breakfast as usual and the fruits were sweet and moist. The bread was luke warm and flaky. The butter was frozen but the tea was piping hot. The eggs were soft and warm in the pancake. The sausage was soft and not leathery dry like other times. I have to say I have never liked eggs on an airplane but this has to be an exception. Also to note, KLM has introduced full silverware on this flight now. Back in May I had a plastic knife, not this time. Decent started and the Deflt Blue houses came round, dry though, not full of alcohol.
Arrival & Transit: Eventually we began our decent into a very busy Schiphol. As we taxied by the airport I could see planes landing one after another behind us on the runway. We landed at 6:05, 10 minutes early. We docked at D43, quite a distance from the WBC lounge. It was nice to strech my legs and walk by the beautiful blue KL planes. At this point there was only one NW D10 at the airport. I walked over to the lounge, showed by boarding pass and requested them to print my AMS-MIA one on KL paper as I would much rather not go through with KU boarding passes. Once that was done I went over put my bag down, and got a cup of cappucino. After that the activity started outside with NW's coming in and a few KL's. At around 9:00 I headed out for some shopping and plane spotting. I headed over to Concourse G as this is where all the international airlines come in.
I then headed over to a book shop, bought "Airliners International" latest magazine with the Euros that I had. I then headed over to a shop and bought some colonge. Then it was back to the lounge for a few minutes. I had a second cappucino while I was there and it was refreshing. I headed over to to gate E6 where there was a slight bit of a line at 9:45.
Northwest 57
Amsterdam - Miami
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (N242NW)
Seat: 2J
Scheduled Departure Time: 10:50
Scheduled Arrival Time: 14:45
Actual Departure Time: 11:45
Actual Arrival Time: 14:59
Boarding: When it was my turn to be asked questions by security I had been in line for 15 minutes. The usual questions,
"So why are you comming from Kuwait?"
"What do you study in Daytona Beach, flying?"
"Why are you flying Northwest? Why not Delta?"
"What do your parents do in Kuwait?"
Those of you who have read my previous trip reports will know the usual questions that I am bombarded with all the time. All I have to say is that at least she was pleasant and smiled the whole time unlike the USAirways one in FRA earlier this year.
I was in the gate for only a minute or so when boarding commenced for passengers with children and passengers needing special assistance. The WBC pax followed and I was on board the DC-10 at 10:10. I have to say at this point the D10 looked clean and very presentable from the outside. The shock was when I stepped onboard. It was immaculate, clean, and looked like it was 20 days old rather than 20 years old. I was greeted by a elderly lady with a smile and said, go right ahead sir. As I sat down another stewardess came over to me with a tray that consisted of water, orange juice, Heiniken, and champagne. "What would you like to drink sir?" I took a glass of water and she wished me a good flight. At this point I had to pinch myself. Was I on a KL or NW plane? Why was the service so good so far? More pax came through and a couple from Manchester behind me started talking to the two stewardesses. "May I ask why you fly NW out of AMS instead of straight from MAN?" The answer shocked virtually everyone in the vicinity. "Well, we love NW's service!" The flight attendant said, "excuse, me did I hear you right? Wow I have never heard a passengers say that. Thank you very much." Then she came over to me with the tray once again as it started to rain. "Wow looks like it comming down hard." My answer was "Thank god! I have been in Kuwait for over 2 months and this is a sight for sore eyes!" She then started talking to me for a few minutes with a smile and talking about how she loves Florida and what life was like when she lived in Dubai a few years ago. The door was closed and it looked like 9 seats were empty, including the seat next to me.
"Ladies and gentlemen this is your pilot. We shall be delayed by nearly an hour due to decreasing weather over here and slot allocation problems over England. Our flying time today shall be 9 hours and 40 minutes which should get us late into MIA. We shall see what we can do to get you in earlier than that once we take off."
The seat was nothing like KLM's. It had no headrests and was showing its age. Though it had 60 inches of legroom which was more than enough for me. Headphones were passed out with menu's landing cards and an eye patch and toothbrush. This was cost cutting as in January I had received an entire toilet bag. I noticed that I did not have an "Ovation" entertainment guide in my seat pocket and neither did the one next to me. I asked the flight attendant for one when she came round with the tray of drinks again. She eventually found one and came over and said, "Here you go, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."
During the entire episode while we were on the ground, the flight attendants came over with the tray till everyone started declining the drinks since we were full.
The Flight: We backed away at 11:30 and took off behind the NW 744 "Asian Spirit" heading to BOM. Once we were in the air I looked at the menu.
HORS D'OEUVRE
Halibut Mousse and poached Asparagus Spears with Cold Lobster Sauce
SALAD
Seasonal Mixed Greens with Tomatoes and Black Olives
ASSORTED BREADS
MAIN COURSE
Roasted Chicken in Truffle Sauce with stir fried asparagus and Parisian potatoes
OR
Grilled Scampi Newburg with white asparagus and parsley buttered potatoes
OR
Pasta ai quattro formaggi with diced tomatoe sauce
SELECTION OF FRESH FRUIT & CHEESE
DESERT
Coffee cheesecake
Fine Chocolates
The leading flight attendant who had greeted me by the door came over to me a little while later with a piece of paper, "Mr Tamboowala, I am your inflight supervisor, Dorris. Welcome onboard Northwest and what would you like to have for lunch?"
Woah! I have never been called by name on KLM! They only do this on Asian airlines! "I'll have the Scampi please."
I pulled the PTV out and started with the Panic Room, the only movie that seemed interesting. Hot towels were passed out and the second stewardess came over with the drink cart. "Mr Tamboowala what would you like to drink?" A bowl of nuts was put down with a glass of Pepsi.
A little while later the tray arrived. I chose the Dijon mustard instead of the vinaigrette dressing for the salad. The fish was horrible. I just could not get used to the taste of fish mousse. A warm bread roll was served with it and it was fresh and soft. The salad was good and tasty with the dressing. The main dish came round after and the scampi were great. Truly AMS has some of the best catering anywhere. The desert was a great, it was more of a mousse than a cheesecake. I am a die hard mousse fan so it went very well with me.
The shades were closed and I decided to put the seat to a nearly flat position, put some music on and see if I could not get some sleep. Just as I did that a bottle of water was put down next to me with "I give you a nice chilled one Mr. Tamboowala."
I woke up sporadically and took a few sips from the bottle each time till it was finished. Then when I woke up again I was surprised that a fresh one had been put down and the empty one taken away. The next time I woke up I found a small box of Ice Cream placed next to me. It was a great treat. There were snacks available throughout the flight infront of the 2 center seats in row one. I also noticed that this plane did not have a overhead projector like normal. It had a flat screen TV which provided a clear and crisp picture. Also NW had noise canceling headsets which were great for this DC-10. Even though I was up front it was loud.
Eventaully I headed over to the bathroom and as it was occupied I ended up talking with the inflight supervisor about my job this summer in KWI, ERAU, DAB, NW in general and told her I had a connection to Orlando.
"Oh I have some good news for you." was her response when I said Orlando. "Once KLM takes over the MIA flight next month, NW was looking into starting a AMS-MCO service. This is the word from MSP." Wow, if this happens it would cut my time flying time quite a bit. When I returned to my seat they turned the lights on and started preparing for the second meal.
Triple Decker Sandwhich with seasonal fruit
It was presented with a drink of my choice. It was curried chicken slices in between. It tasted very good. The fruits were fresh and chilled but not frozen like they usually are at this point in time. The tray was collected and chocolates were handed out. I was offered a second sandwich but I declined as I was full at this point. "Is there anything else I can get you Mr Tamboowala? Some more water or Pepsi?"
Eventually we begun our decent and I started becoming nervous about my connection. As decent started the inflight supervisor came around and shook my hand, "Mr Tamboowala, thank you for flying Northwest today and good luck with ERAU." She then came round to collect the headphones. As she did I commented on how great they were and that I needed to go buy a pair. "Honey don't worry about buying a pair. Your a Silver WP member so I am going to give this to you as a gift for your loyalty towards us." and handed me a pair of headphones that had not been opened!
Arrival & Transit: We landed in Miami at 14:59 and taxied to the gate Concourse F. We parked next to a LH 744 and an Iberia 742. I went to immigration and stood in line. Immigration was far from a breeze. It took about 45 minutes as I was interigated and questioned in a seperate room.
I then ran out to the baggage claim where the WBC bags were not out yet! It was 15:55 and my connection was at 16:15. Eventually the bags came out and I headed to customs which had a long line and took another 5 minutes as I ran to a new line they had just opened. I then ran to the CO counters in Concourse G and got there at 16:10. There was no line so I went up to the counter and said,
"I think I have just missed my flight!"
"Oh boy. Don't worry we'll take care of you. There is another flight to Orlando at 18:30. I'll put you on that. How does 7F sound?"
"Perfect."
I then gave her the bags which she retagged and I headed towards security and was through within a minute as there was no one else there. I went and sat down near the Gulfstream area. I made a few phone calls one of them being to my parents who were already in their hotel in Worcester, MA. Then it was 17:55 and I headed down to wards Gate G1 where all the Gulfstream flights leave from.
CO 9472
Miami - Orlando
Beech 1900 (N81535)
Seat: 7F
Scheduled Departure Time: 18:30
Scheduled Arrival Time : 19:40
Actual Departure Time: 20:10
Actual Arrival Time: 21:00
Boarding: "Ladies and gentlemen, flight 9472 to Orlando has been delayed till 19:40 due to inoperative aircraft. Please stay near the gate area for further information. Also please do not use cell phones in the gate area."
I sat there and waited until 19:40 came and "The plane is being refueled." We began boarding at 19:55 and were off at 20:00.
The Flight: The take off was really bumpy as a storm had just passed through and it was still quite windy. Out the window was a great scene. The wing with an orange sky behind it. It became dark quickly and the turbulence stopped. After being awake for so long I feel asleep with nearly everyone else on the aircraft. I awoke with the decent and the pilots made an announcement that we would be landing shortly.
Arrival: We landed at 21:00 and were off the plane at 21:05. As I was walking towards baggage claim I rang my roommate who was my ride, that I am finally here. "What, they told me the flight was canceled, I left MCO a few minutes ago." I collected my bags and waited for him to get back to MCO. He got there at 21:30 and off we went to DAB.
Overall: The Beech flight was fine, did one in May, TPA-MIA. This plane really does not look all that good in the Bahamas livery. The KLM flight was good, not as good as my flights over there during the summer. The crew were young and a bit aloof, not as caring as they were on MEM-AMS-KWI in May. I am waiting for the new A330's to replace the 767's as the seats are not that good on them.
Northwest on the other hand! What can I say? This was a second chance I was giving them after my horrible AMS-DTW flight in January. I was very happy with NW. After this flight NW has earned my respect. I have never been called by name on any European or American airline except Swissair. The flight attendants were fantastic looking after each passenger and the food was great. If this is the new NW, once those A330's come in I may very well say I prefer the red tail over the blue one. Congratulations Northwest, you have now kept my business. At times it felt like I was flying an Asian airline!
Any comments guys? I know its long, sorry about that again. Let me know what you think of the report. Thanks.
Feb 15, 2003, 2:48 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Some big city away from home (expat lifestyle)
Posts: 171
Thanks. I'm glad you are enjoying the reports.
PA 747,
Does KLM really? I have flown them about 10 times in the past 12 months and was never addressed by name. Oh well, its not a big issue for me. I was just really shocked that NW did though. Maybe KLM will in the future.
PA 747,
Does KLM really? I have flown them about 10 times in the past 12 months and was never addressed by name. Oh well, its not a big issue for me. I was just really shocked that NW did though. Maybe KLM will in the future.