Carfield

Dear all,

Here is another Carfield’s trip report! The routing is fairly simply – just finishing up a RT ticket on YX, and then finishing up the USA portion of my OW RTW trip reports on AA and CX. It is also aimed to escape the Valentine’s Day. As a single man, Valentine’s Day does not bring me any sweet memories. So what is better than spending the day in the air and enjoy a quiet weekend!

February 14, 2003
YX 4 LGA-MKE Lv1130 Arr1250
McDonald Douglas MD-81 N805ME
Check in line at Midwest Express was well staffed by three agents. About five minute wait this afternoon, it is not bad considering both the Kansas City and the Milwaukee flights were full this afternoon. Nevertheless, the security line for Concourse B was long this morning because all the low fare airlines, like Spirit Airlines, Air Tran, ATA, and Frontier. Spirit is doing well with a number of flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, and the ATA flight to Chicago Midway. If you are flying off from Concourse B, please allocate at least thirty to forty-five minutes for the security line. After waiting for thirty minutes, I arrived at gate B3. Boarding began at 11:07am and the door was closed on time. The flight was almost completely full. Fortunately, the airport itself was not too busy and we took off from Runway 31 at 11:47am. Flying time was two hours and four minutes, and our cruising attitude was 31,000ft.

The meal service was the Midwest Express Café service, which was exactly the same on my next segment – MKE to LAX. First the flight attendants came with the sandwich cart and a beverage cart. Then plates were collected and two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies were passed out, followed by another round of beverage. The choice of sandwiches were the same on the two segments, but on the first segment, only the Usinger grilled bratwurst (a kind of sausage) served hot on a Rustica roll in a foil bag with spicy brown mustard on the side was left when it reached my row. YX began the service from the back, so if you were in Row 1-5, the first choice was usually out. A small pack of Ruffles’ potato chips was handed out as well. The grand old fancy meal day was truly over. It was pretty sad and I don’t know how YX is going to position itself in the future, but the leather seats are still nice.

The rest of the flight went by fine and the flight attendants were cheerful. Descent began at 1:30pm and we touched down on Runway 7R at 12:51pm (MKE is an hour behind from New York), and quickly parked at Gate D41.

YX 903 MKE-LAX Lv1525 Arr1740
McDonald Douglas MD-88 N701ME
During the long transit time, I headed to the Skyway area, which provided a nice view of the main runway – R/W24R. Milwaukee was pretty busy with the normal array of Jungle jets from AA, CO, and DL. Then there were a number of Northwest’s DC-9 and Boeing 757 flights to and from Detroit and Minneapolis St. Paul. Of course, Midwest Express and Skyway had most flights. But the charter flights from Mexico were pretty special – Funjet Vacations’ A321 (D-ALAS) – A German registered plane with a seemingly Aero Lloyd livery), and Apple Vacations’ Boeing 757 (G-JMCD) with the JMC Neon green livery.

D49 was the gate for my flight to Los Angeles. Boarding began at 3:16pm – a bit later due to the late arrival of aircraft. Although most airports had heightened security, it did not apply to Milwaukee because ID checks are no longer necessary at the gate. Door was closed at 3:37pm and we pushed back two minutes later. Then we took off from Runway 7R at 3:47pm. Flying time was three hours and fifty-one minutes, and we were initially at 31,000ft and then climbed to 35,000ft later.

Service was the same Midwest Express café service, but I was lucky to have the last Sonoma chicken salad croissant sandwich. Here is the description provided by YX – all white meat chicken, red delicious apple chunks, celery, green onion, walnuts, and a touch of mayonnaise served cold on leaf lettuce. Ruffles potato chips were provided again. To be honest, I think the longer LAX and LAS to MKE, and the soon to be launched SFO-Kansas City flight deserved to have a bit more foods. I think YX can afford to serve a real meal on tray. The café service is fine with the two to three hours flight, especially most airlines do not serve meals on such short flights.

Descent began at 7:13pm and then touched down on Runway 24R at 5:38pm (MKE is two hours ahead of LAX). We soon parked at Gate 36. As I was deplaned, I could not help to notice the low number of passengers on the return flight. I honestly don’t think the 6:40pm departure time make too much sense, as most passengers can’t connect to any flights to other Midwest destinations.

February 15, 2003
AA 2432 LAX-DFW Lv1032 Arr1528
Boeing 757-200 N639AA
The AA check in counter was pretty deserted this morning at the Premium area, but the security line was long. Please allow more times! There is no longer an EXPRESS line. LAX was pretty busy with a number of charter flights to various destinations. There is a special MD-80 flight to Ixtapa parking next to my flight to DFW. In the international terminal, there was the normal array of Korean and Japanese flights parked there.
Gate 101 Asiana’s Boeing 747-400 all passengers version HL7418
Gate 102 Korean Air’s Boeing 747-400 HL7461
Gate 103 Japan Airlines’ Boeing 747-400 JA8902
A Thai Airways’ Dragon Boat livery Boeing 747-400 was parked in the imperial terminal.

Boarding began at 10:01am, and a full array of pre-takeoff beverage was served. The flight attendants on today’s flights were very friendly and professional today. I was impressed by the high quality of service, but the meals left much to be desired. We pushed back at 10:33am and headed to Runway 24L for takeoff. We took off at 10:44am following another AA’s MD-80. Flying time was two hours and thirty-two minutes, and we flew all the way to 37,000 feet.

After takeoff, headsets were passed out and CBS Eyes on American and a couple episodes of “Everybody Loves Raymond” was shown. It is nice to have entertainment, and soon, meal orders were taken from front to back, and then there was a warmed mixed nuts service prior to the lunch/light snack service.

The meal was pretty poor for first class, but what can you do? We may soon need to buy meals.

The choices this afternoon include
Turkey and Swiss Croissant with potato salad & Garden Green salad (mushrooms, olives, greens & two tomato slices) accompanied by Caesar dressing
Or
Grilled chicken breast, accompanied by penne pasta salad, corn salad with endives, grapes and Lite Ranch dressing

Dessert – Tillamook’s Medium Cheddar Cheese with table water crackers & Pepperidge Farms’ Brussels Cookies

Everything was served in one tray and I was fine with the turkey croissant. At least, it was better than the chicken plate. Those Brussels cookies were nice. The F/As kept our glasses filled till descent, which began at 12:53pm. There were light chops as we began our descent. We landed on Runway 35C at 3:16pm (DFW is two hours ahead of LAX), and parked at Gate A14 later.

AA 395 DFW-YVR Lv1743 Arr2012
McDonald Douglas MD-80 N563AA
What a strange routing! Due to a lack of links between Southern California and Pacific Northwest, that is the only way to get to Vancouver on American. The agent at LAX remarked that AA needed to link with Seattle and Vancouver. She was very friendly. What a different from those grumpy United agents at LAX! Our flight was delayed a bit this afternoon, due to some technical problems. They had to fix the jump seats or something that nature. Today our flight was 100% full and they were looking for two volunteers with no bags to take the flight next morning ($300 was offered). But since my trip was so short, I did not give up my seat. The flight to Los Cabos parking next to us was pretty desperate for volunteers. They need eight volunteers and increased their offers from $300 to $400. Anyway, boarding finally began at 5:57pm. Although our flight was delayed, a full pre-takeoff beverage service was offered. The F/A was once again excellent. Twenty minutes later, everyone was seated and we pushed back two minutes later using our own power. It was a first for me. One good thing is that we were off our way quickly. We headed to Runway 35L and took off at 6:30pm. Flying time was four hours and one minute and we climbed to 31,000ft.

A full dinner was offered in first class, but nothing in Y. Here is the menu in my own words
Mixed nuts to start

Greek Salad – Chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes & cucumbers, olives, & feta cheese, accompanied by Creamy Peppercorn or Red Wine Vinaigrette
Sourdough, multigrain rolls, or Focaccia breads
The salad was descent but I am not a big fan of Greek salad or feta cheese. The Focaccia breads were pretty nice though.

Entrée
Fish fillet with rice pilaf & green beans (a slice of white fish)
Chicken breast with mushroom sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, and green vegetables
Vegetable Lasagna
Since I was in the bulkhead row, only lasagna and fish were available. I had the lasagna, which was a vegetarian kind. It was simply disgusting. The cheese was liquid-like, and the sauce was sour and not tasty enough. United had better hot entrées definitely. AA should get some pasta serving lessons from Continental, Northwest and United.

Dessert:
Cheese & fruit plate – grapes, Swiss and Babylon cheese with Carr’s water crackers
Or
Ice-cream sundae (hot fudge, butterscotch or strawberries sauce, whipped cream and nuts)

The service was ended with more hot teas and coffees. I then took a nap until descent. There were some moderate chops an hour prior to arrival. The seat belt light was turned on for the last hour of the flight. Descent began at 10:16pm, and touched down on Runway 8L at 8:31pm (Vancouver is two hours behind Dallas).

A word about the Canadian immigration – they asked many questions and be prepared to show return tickets, even if you are a US citizen. Please print your e-ticket itinerary out! Don’t even bother to explain a mileage run! They asked in details about your occupation. I honestly find them a bit too intrusive into my private life, but what can you do? That is the reason why I reduce my travels to Canada during the past year. It is getting too much! Just my honest opinion! Well, they are at least being nice this time!

Well, I checked in at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport and was proud to report my plane spotting as of 11:30pm. My room oversaw the USA E Concourse –
Gate 78 United’s A320
Gate 79 AS Boeing 737-400
Gate 80 AS Boeing 737-700 from SEA
Gate 81 Empty an AC’s Boeing 737-200 was there for a short while
Gate 82 Aloha’s Boeing 737-700 from OGG (N740AL)
Gate 83 Northwest’s A319
Gate 84 America West’s A319
Gate 85 American’s MD-80 (my a/c from DFW)
Gate 86 Air Canada’s A321 C-GJVX
Gate 87 Continental’s Boeing 737-800
Gate 92 Delta Connection/Skyway CRJ
Two Horizon’s Dash 8 parked at that part of the concourse

At around 9:17am, it is pretty much deserted. From gate 82, an Aloha’s Boeing 737-700 (N738AL) departed for Honolulu. And then at around 10:20am, a Delta Connection/ Skywest CRJ N442SW departed for Salt Lake City. Throughout the morning, there are mostly Air Canada’s airplanes, especially many Boeing 767-300ER arriving from various Asian cities. Then at around 10:37am, the Aloha’s Boeing 737-700 (N740AL) and Alaska’s Boeing 737-400 departed. Then I proceeded to check out from the hotel.

February 16, 2003
CX 888 YVR-JFK Lv1225 Arr2030
Boeing 747-400 B-HOO (74J with new J)
Check in line was pretty short and there were some early bird passengers checking in for the flight to Hong Kong. Only two premier check-in counters were opened, which were more than sufficient. I was quickly helped by a friendly flight attendant, which secured me the pair of bulkhead seats. She called the agent at the gate to block 11C, which was a very nice gesture. I was given a boarding pass and a lounge invitation, and CX is now part of the fast track groups, so F and J passengers can use the fast track line. Make sure they stamped the fast track invitation into your boarding pass. Just a hint – purchase the Airport Improvement fee using one of the self-service kiosks near the fast food restaurant areas. It will save you time. The lounge was fine with the usual array of snacks. I had some har gows (Shrimp Dumplings) and sandwiches and orange juice. I stayed a little bit. The apron was filled with Boeing 767-300ER from Air Canada with an Airbus A330 near the domestic pier. Then I also spotted the Star Alliance livery AC’s A340 too.

I went to Gate 73 around noon, which was too early. A few agents were guarding the entrance to the gate and made sure that we knew that there was no turning back after entering into the gate. Not much spotting, except the usual array of Dash 8s and a few AS’s Boeing 737s and AC’s Airbus landing on the Runway 8L. The highlight is the two in a row landing of an AC’s A340, followed by A330, and then CX’s A340 from HKG (B-HXA). We were parked next to Air Canada’s Boeing 747-400 (C-FCRA). The boarding started with the transit passengers, followed by F/J and then all Y. There were around 30 passengers heading to JFK from YVR on CX. The flight itself was pretty full in Y, but the main deck only spotted six passengers. There were three passenger boarded from YVR, and three continuing into JFK from HKG. I guess the nonstop flights will not happen for a while.

We pushed back at 12:31pm, and Catherine walked around with menus and told us about our flying time and told us that snows would be welcoming us this evening. The captain warned us about possibly circling and delayed into the taxing process, due to longer taxing time. As we headed to Runway, we passed through various Air Canada planes and a Japan Airlines’ Boeing 747-300 (JA8185). We took off from Runway 8R at 12:45pm.

Flying time was four hours and thirty-one minutes. The cruising attitude was 37,000ft. Here is the detailed routing of my flight – YVR-370-Sandpoint-Kalispell-Glasgow-Bismarck-Jamestown-Fargo-Brainerd-Rhinelander-White Lake WI -Green Bay-Manistee-Midland (Beautiful moonlight over the lake)-London, Ontario-Jamestown NY- Olean-Teterboro-JFK.

Seat belt sign was turned off at 1:02pm and the beverage service was first served followed by a dish of warmed pistachio nuts. Then linen was placed on our tray and the meal service began with the usual appetizer and salad tray with the passing of the bread rolls (Focaccia, white rolls and garlic bread). Then there was the entrée selection, followed by cheese and dessert. Trolley service was limited due to few numbers of passengers and the folks on the other side of the cabin decided to skip lunch.

Here is the transcript of the menu

Lunch
Salad
Field Greens with Sun-dried Tomato and Mushrooms served with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Appetizer
Grilled Scallop with Teriyaki Sauce and Smoked Salmon
Excellent appetizer with six slices of smoked salmon and three scallops and three asparagus spears as decorations

Main Courses
Stir-fried beef with Ginger and Green Onions
Mushroom Ravioli with Tomato Cancasse
Mediterranean Salad with Marinated Chicken Fillet, Feta Cheese and Olives served with Sun-dried Tomato and Oregano dressing
I had the beef, which was okay. The flight attendant should be more generous with the portion.

Accompaniments
Steamed Rice, Stir-fried Pak Choy

Cheese
Cheese Selection with Crackers
I had the Gorgonzola and blue (Cheddar was also featured), with some grapes and Carr’s crackers. I like the Gorgonzola.

Dessert
Raspberry ice-cream Gateau served with Mango coulis
A nice ice cream cake with mango suace

Tea and Coffee
Pralines

Light Refreshment
Ice Cream Bar
Haagen Dazs Vanilla and Almond ice cream bar

Wine list
Champagne
Champagne Deutz, Brut Classic

White Wines
Louis Max Pouilly Vinzelles 2000
Gallo of Sonoma Chardonnay Sonoma County 1999

Red Wines
Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Suavignon 1998
Louis Max Mercurey Domaine La Marche 1999

Port
Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 1995/1996

CX Delight is featured on this flight.

We have the latest studio CX featured on this flight, but the mandatory USA forms’ video was first shown. Duty free service was started at 1:54pm. The rest of the flight went by quickly. I watched some comedies. A tray of orange juice and water was passed out at 4:40pm, followed by the ice cream bars. Then hot towel was passed out. We began our descent at 4:45pm. Seat belt sign was turned on at 4:55pm. We began our final approach at 5:13pm. We landed on R/W4R at 8:16pm. Visibility was low. Once we landed, the pilot informed us that we had to wait as we had to cross another active runway. I saw a Varig’s MD-11, a BA’s Boeing 747-400, and a Boeing 767 taking off. Then we crossed more terminals. There were a line of planes, including number of Jetblue’s A320s, BA’s Boeing 777s, AA’s Boeing 777s, and the usual transatlantic flights waiting for de-icing and taking off. We parked at gate 6 of terminal seven at 8:32pm, but then we were held on the plane because the arrival hall was congested. We took a seat and waited for fifteen minutes before letting off. It was not a bad idea. I will rather sit on the plane than waiting in the cold corridor. The immigration agent did not say much and I was off within minutes. The road traffic was pretty bad this evening. I did not get to Grand Central through the NY Airport Express bus until 10:30pm. Then I was fortunate to get a cab to get to downtown. The trip was slow and the cab slid once, but nothing major. I was just happened to get home. I was so lucky because the snow is still falling now, as of Monday 5pm.

I hope you enjoy this report!

Carfield

pallensf

I soooo enjoyed once again a WONDERFUL report from you Carfield. YEAH...:-)

The portion on CX sounded awesome.

Too bad that Midwest Express has downgraded their meal service. That's what they were so known for back in the days...

Safe travels to you Carfield. :-)

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Patrick A. Inouye, CMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

Seat 2A

Thank you, Carfield.

Enjoyable and thorough, as always.

RTW4

Absolutely fabulous as usual. Thanks for the transcsript. THANKS

Dogstar

And you were in YVR & didn't write to us YVR FT'ers? Shame on you. We could've rounded up a few & shared a drink or two at the Fairmont with you.

Gotta love YVR Customs. They're very diligent now given the flack, rightfully or wrongfully, we've been taking from the Americans on the border issues. The grilling of questions is no different for us returning Canadians, though.

Safe travels...

Cheers. Dogstar.

airoli

Thanks for the report.
Interesting experience. I was on a mileage run crossing the US/Canadian border several times last October. The Canadians barely looked at my tickets and always let me in in no time. US Immigration on the other hand always asked many questions, including what I do for a living, who paid for the trip, why I fly YYZ-ORD-YUL on AA etc. Of course I am neither Canadian nor American.

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airOli, the Swiss Air Line.