CO and NW EWR-CLE-LAX-MEM-LGA
Apr 3, 2003, 11:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,352
CO and NW EWR-CLE-LAX-MEM-LGA
Dear folks,
Here is the beginning of another series of domestic trip reports for April. I bought two sets of tickets for today and next week’s flight – one on CO and one on NW. I am flying a same day RT between New York and Los Angeles, and here is my report!
April 2, 2003
CO 625 EWR-CLE Lv0645 Arr0826
Boeing 737-500 N14655
The morning began with an unsuccessful check in at the e-check in counters, which was not common with Continental. The agent was forced to check me in manually and appeared not too happy. Hey, it was not my problem, and I was given the boarding passes within a minute… no words about seating preference or upgrade status on this segment. Anyway, I headed to the President’s Club, which was quiet at these ungodly hours. I had a bagel, which was a smart move because the limited service in economy. I asked the agent, which was very friendly about my possible upgrade. I was told that it was booked to full. I was surprised since I was a Platinum, but then after realizing the dominating position of CO at CLE, it was no surprise that there were more Plat members in Cleveland. I will avoid it in the future.
Boarding began at 6:22am and it was a light flight in the back. 6C was a bad seat because the row had no window. So I was stuck with my readings. We pushed back four minutes later and headed to Runway 22R for our takeoff. We lifted off at 6:55am. Flying time was an hour and seven minutes with a cruising attitude of 31,000ft. The service was disappointing because only one single glass of beverage was offered. Did I glad that I had my bagel at the PC? Not even pretzels or a cereal bar or breakfast mix! Was it so difficult to serve a pack of snack on this business route! Knowing Gordon well, this route is not likely to be cheap. The business crowd guaranteed a large amount of full fare travelers. We deserve a breakfast pastry or a cereal bar, and a full can of drink. Compared to my Jetblue flight from OAK to LGB, which was ten minutes shorter, but a full array of beverage was offered with snacks and direct TV. No wonder these low fare airlines are gaining grounds! The rest of the flight was quiet and no more beverage was offered. We began our final approach at 7:59am, and landed on Runway 24L at 8:02am.
It was my visit to Cleveland airport, which was a decent size airport with the sign, NASA, all over the place. My connecting flight to LA was parked close to my gate, so I decided to hang around the gate, instead of heading to the PC.
CO 735 CLE-LAX Lv0920 Arr1127
Boeing 737-800 N24211
First class was overbooked this morning… I never heard about this before. $200 travel voucher or a one-way positive space upgrade was offered as an exchange of downgrade to coach. I was not in the mood for more coach travels in CO, so I did not offer myself, plus the offer was not attractive at all. Eventually some people gave up their F seats, but I did not notice any unusual “VIP”! Boarding began at 8:43am and the F/A offered us a full pre-takeoff beverage. We pushed back initially at 9:17am, but then I did not hear the engines running. Oops, problems! Soon the pilot announced that there was minor problem and the mechanics would check it out. Ten minutes later, we had to be towed back to the gate, so the mechanics could come aboard. Fortunately, the problem was resolved and we pushed back again at 10:05am. Soon we made our way to Runway 24L, and we took off at 10:18am. Flying time was four hours and thirty-three minutes, with a cruising attitude of 31,000ft. Fortunately, we caught up some time and arrived LA only twenty-five minutes later than scheduled.
Service began with a morning beverage. Hot towels were not offered – I did not know if F/A just forgot about it, or was it due to the latest service cuts! Here is the meal description!
Breakfast
Fruit plate featuring three orange segments, grapes, 3 melon slices, and diced mango
Very successful fruit plate… fruits were sweet and ripe!
Choices of breakfast breads
Biscuits or Cinnamon Rolls
Entrée
Plain Omelet accompanied by Canadian bacon, sausage patty, and home fried potatoes
Or
Cereal – a bowl of Special K with banana
Once again, Die Another Day was shown – second time, but I am sure that it is not going to be the last time. Continental Visions was shown following it. I took a nap! About an hour prior to arrival, final beverage was served with freshly baked Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies. Descent began at 2:17pm, and we landed on R/W25L at 11:51am (LAX was three hours behind from CLE), and made our way to gate 62. For your information, our flight was retuning to EWR next. It was a decent CO flight.
NW 178 LAX-MEM Lv1415 Arr1950
Airbus A319-100 N355NB
Wow, I did not fly Northwest domestic flight at least for a couple years. My last NW flight was in its WBC from SEA to TPE via NRT last year. It was pretty disappointing, and I did not know what to expect domestically, but it was nice to be able to confirm to F ahead of time. The first class line was somewhat long, so I headed to the self-check in machines. It was the same as CO and I was checked in within minutes. Then I proceeded to the terminal and was heading towards the food courts. I was disappointed to see the Asian restaurant closed. Well, I was not that hungry and could eat crackers at the World Club. The World Club was quiet, since both NRT and CA’s BJS flights had left. There was a self-serving soft drink and alcohol bars, and crackers, apples, cheese, cookies, and pretzels were available. Then I got a nice window seat and saw the activities at R/W24RL.
Here was the result of my plane-spotting – I walked from T6 to T2, so I got to see a wide range of aircrafts.
At Tom Bradley, there were –
All Nippon 777 – JA708A
Japan Airlines 744 – JA8077
China Eastern M11 – B-2172
Varig MD-11 – PP-IQI
Thai 744 – HS-TGN
Lufthansa 744 – D-ABTL
Asiana 74E – HL7421
Then at T2, there were the usual arrays of NZ’s 744s from SYD and AKL.
NZ 744 – ZK-NBT with Rolls Royce engines & ZK-SUJ with GE Eingines
Air China 747-400 Combi – B-2471
KLM Asia 747-400 Combi – PH-BFF
My aircraft arrived around 1pm from MSP. Boarding began at 1:45pm at Gate 24A, and it was a pretty full flight. I boarded among the first group and went straight to 3B. There were four rows in first class, which were the typical blue-clothed seats with a footrest. Legroom was slightly less than CO, and the bulkhead rows were weak. I would avoid those seats if possible. Pre-takeoff beverage was offered and I had a Pepsi. Many people had wines and coffee. Almost forgot, it was definitely wider in these Baby Airbuses and the headroom was better. The boarding went by quickly and door was closed at 2:08pm. We pushed back a few minutes later, and we took off from R/W24: at 2:16pm. Flying time was three hours and five minutes, with a cruising attitude of 37,000ft.
Service was a bit different, but pretty good. Our F/A, Michelle used the cart for drinks and meals, which were not common these days, except on AA and UA’s transcontinental J. Everything was served at once.
Here was my menu transcript:
To Begin
Our choice of beverage with choice of Sprintzels, or Summer Harvest’s Zesty Party Mix – A premium blend of honey roasted sesame sticks, ranch bagel chips, and cheddar corn chips. I was disappointed not to see almonds or nuts, but the party mix was not bad, especially the honey sesame sticks.
Appetizer
Two Rolls of Proscuitto ham, two tomato wedges, & two mozzarella cheese topped with pesto sauce
Salad
Mixed greens with marinated yellow and red peppers and Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing
Bread Basket
White or Wheat rolls
Main Courses
Braised Beef
Or
Chicken topped with caramelized onions, apple bake stuffing, carrots, and string beans
Dessert
Chocolate Cake
The meal was served all at once. The F/A took the order from front to back, but the Worldperk Platinum Elite member first. Since Northwest was smart, only six beef was available and ten chicken. I think beef was the popular choice and at least load everything half and half. I was stuck with the chicken entrée, but it was not too bad… just a bit sweet. The appetizer was the best course and the roll was nice. After dinner, more beverages were offered with coffee and tea. About forty-five minutes prior to arrival, the beverage trolley reappeared with the snack basket. We began descent soon and landed on Runway 18R at 7:21pm (MEM was two hours ahead of LAX).
NW 628 MEM-LGA Lv2110 Arr0028+1
Airbus A319-100 N342NB
Another first for me – Memphis! The airport was sort of ancient, but was okay with space and a food court, but it was disappointing because I could not find another soup. I settled for bread sticks from Pizza Hut and I had dinner sort of. The flight was pretty light this evening. Boarding began at 8:42pm and first class had six passengers, and I had the whole Row three to myself. Raul, an excellent F/A, served us beverage immediately, and we pushed back at 9:13pm. We headed to Runway 18C and there were a number of NW planes taking off in front of us. At 9:23pm, we lifted off towards the dark sky lit up by the skylight of Memphis. Flying time was two hours and two minutes and we climbed to 37,000ft. As expected, no meals were served. A beverage and the snack basket of Zesty Party mix and Sprintzels were offered shortly. I had a Ginger Ale and two bags of Zesty party mix. Raul literally checked on us every ten to fifteen minutes. It was a wonderful short flight and it would be better if a snack plate was offered. We began our descent at 10:55pm and landed on R/W4 at 00:24am (NYC was an hour ahead of MEM). Then we taxied along R/W13/31 and headed to gate 8. I was back home on a cab in five minutes… not bad!
Part II will be available next week, and finally I got to travel on Boeing 757-300 and let me pray to the upgrade god on my CO transcontinental flight. I cannot imagine a transcontinental flight on CO Y.
Carfield
Here is the beginning of another series of domestic trip reports for April. I bought two sets of tickets for today and next week’s flight – one on CO and one on NW. I am flying a same day RT between New York and Los Angeles, and here is my report!
April 2, 2003
CO 625 EWR-CLE Lv0645 Arr0826
Boeing 737-500 N14655
The morning began with an unsuccessful check in at the e-check in counters, which was not common with Continental. The agent was forced to check me in manually and appeared not too happy. Hey, it was not my problem, and I was given the boarding passes within a minute… no words about seating preference or upgrade status on this segment. Anyway, I headed to the President’s Club, which was quiet at these ungodly hours. I had a bagel, which was a smart move because the limited service in economy. I asked the agent, which was very friendly about my possible upgrade. I was told that it was booked to full. I was surprised since I was a Platinum, but then after realizing the dominating position of CO at CLE, it was no surprise that there were more Plat members in Cleveland. I will avoid it in the future.
Boarding began at 6:22am and it was a light flight in the back. 6C was a bad seat because the row had no window. So I was stuck with my readings. We pushed back four minutes later and headed to Runway 22R for our takeoff. We lifted off at 6:55am. Flying time was an hour and seven minutes with a cruising attitude of 31,000ft. The service was disappointing because only one single glass of beverage was offered. Did I glad that I had my bagel at the PC? Not even pretzels or a cereal bar or breakfast mix! Was it so difficult to serve a pack of snack on this business route! Knowing Gordon well, this route is not likely to be cheap. The business crowd guaranteed a large amount of full fare travelers. We deserve a breakfast pastry or a cereal bar, and a full can of drink. Compared to my Jetblue flight from OAK to LGB, which was ten minutes shorter, but a full array of beverage was offered with snacks and direct TV. No wonder these low fare airlines are gaining grounds! The rest of the flight was quiet and no more beverage was offered. We began our final approach at 7:59am, and landed on Runway 24L at 8:02am.
It was my visit to Cleveland airport, which was a decent size airport with the sign, NASA, all over the place. My connecting flight to LA was parked close to my gate, so I decided to hang around the gate, instead of heading to the PC.
CO 735 CLE-LAX Lv0920 Arr1127
Boeing 737-800 N24211
First class was overbooked this morning… I never heard about this before. $200 travel voucher or a one-way positive space upgrade was offered as an exchange of downgrade to coach. I was not in the mood for more coach travels in CO, so I did not offer myself, plus the offer was not attractive at all. Eventually some people gave up their F seats, but I did not notice any unusual “VIP”! Boarding began at 8:43am and the F/A offered us a full pre-takeoff beverage. We pushed back initially at 9:17am, but then I did not hear the engines running. Oops, problems! Soon the pilot announced that there was minor problem and the mechanics would check it out. Ten minutes later, we had to be towed back to the gate, so the mechanics could come aboard. Fortunately, the problem was resolved and we pushed back again at 10:05am. Soon we made our way to Runway 24L, and we took off at 10:18am. Flying time was four hours and thirty-three minutes, with a cruising attitude of 31,000ft. Fortunately, we caught up some time and arrived LA only twenty-five minutes later than scheduled.
Service began with a morning beverage. Hot towels were not offered – I did not know if F/A just forgot about it, or was it due to the latest service cuts! Here is the meal description!
Breakfast
Fruit plate featuring three orange segments, grapes, 3 melon slices, and diced mango
Very successful fruit plate… fruits were sweet and ripe!
Choices of breakfast breads
Biscuits or Cinnamon Rolls
Entrée
Plain Omelet accompanied by Canadian bacon, sausage patty, and home fried potatoes
Or
Cereal – a bowl of Special K with banana
Once again, Die Another Day was shown – second time, but I am sure that it is not going to be the last time. Continental Visions was shown following it. I took a nap! About an hour prior to arrival, final beverage was served with freshly baked Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies. Descent began at 2:17pm, and we landed on R/W25L at 11:51am (LAX was three hours behind from CLE), and made our way to gate 62. For your information, our flight was retuning to EWR next. It was a decent CO flight.
NW 178 LAX-MEM Lv1415 Arr1950
Airbus A319-100 N355NB
Wow, I did not fly Northwest domestic flight at least for a couple years. My last NW flight was in its WBC from SEA to TPE via NRT last year. It was pretty disappointing, and I did not know what to expect domestically, but it was nice to be able to confirm to F ahead of time. The first class line was somewhat long, so I headed to the self-check in machines. It was the same as CO and I was checked in within minutes. Then I proceeded to the terminal and was heading towards the food courts. I was disappointed to see the Asian restaurant closed. Well, I was not that hungry and could eat crackers at the World Club. The World Club was quiet, since both NRT and CA’s BJS flights had left. There was a self-serving soft drink and alcohol bars, and crackers, apples, cheese, cookies, and pretzels were available. Then I got a nice window seat and saw the activities at R/W24RL.
Here was the result of my plane-spotting – I walked from T6 to T2, so I got to see a wide range of aircrafts.
At Tom Bradley, there were –
All Nippon 777 – JA708A
Japan Airlines 744 – JA8077
China Eastern M11 – B-2172
Varig MD-11 – PP-IQI
Thai 744 – HS-TGN
Lufthansa 744 – D-ABTL
Asiana 74E – HL7421
Then at T2, there were the usual arrays of NZ’s 744s from SYD and AKL.
NZ 744 – ZK-NBT with Rolls Royce engines & ZK-SUJ with GE Eingines
Air China 747-400 Combi – B-2471
KLM Asia 747-400 Combi – PH-BFF
My aircraft arrived around 1pm from MSP. Boarding began at 1:45pm at Gate 24A, and it was a pretty full flight. I boarded among the first group and went straight to 3B. There were four rows in first class, which were the typical blue-clothed seats with a footrest. Legroom was slightly less than CO, and the bulkhead rows were weak. I would avoid those seats if possible. Pre-takeoff beverage was offered and I had a Pepsi. Many people had wines and coffee. Almost forgot, it was definitely wider in these Baby Airbuses and the headroom was better. The boarding went by quickly and door was closed at 2:08pm. We pushed back a few minutes later, and we took off from R/W24: at 2:16pm. Flying time was three hours and five minutes, with a cruising attitude of 37,000ft.
Service was a bit different, but pretty good. Our F/A, Michelle used the cart for drinks and meals, which were not common these days, except on AA and UA’s transcontinental J. Everything was served at once.
Here was my menu transcript:
To Begin
Our choice of beverage with choice of Sprintzels, or Summer Harvest’s Zesty Party Mix – A premium blend of honey roasted sesame sticks, ranch bagel chips, and cheddar corn chips. I was disappointed not to see almonds or nuts, but the party mix was not bad, especially the honey sesame sticks.
Appetizer
Two Rolls of Proscuitto ham, two tomato wedges, & two mozzarella cheese topped with pesto sauce
Salad
Mixed greens with marinated yellow and red peppers and Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing
Bread Basket
White or Wheat rolls
Main Courses
Braised Beef
Or
Chicken topped with caramelized onions, apple bake stuffing, carrots, and string beans
Dessert
Chocolate Cake
The meal was served all at once. The F/A took the order from front to back, but the Worldperk Platinum Elite member first. Since Northwest was smart, only six beef was available and ten chicken. I think beef was the popular choice and at least load everything half and half. I was stuck with the chicken entrée, but it was not too bad… just a bit sweet. The appetizer was the best course and the roll was nice. After dinner, more beverages were offered with coffee and tea. About forty-five minutes prior to arrival, the beverage trolley reappeared with the snack basket. We began descent soon and landed on Runway 18R at 7:21pm (MEM was two hours ahead of LAX).
NW 628 MEM-LGA Lv2110 Arr0028+1
Airbus A319-100 N342NB
Another first for me – Memphis! The airport was sort of ancient, but was okay with space and a food court, but it was disappointing because I could not find another soup. I settled for bread sticks from Pizza Hut and I had dinner sort of. The flight was pretty light this evening. Boarding began at 8:42pm and first class had six passengers, and I had the whole Row three to myself. Raul, an excellent F/A, served us beverage immediately, and we pushed back at 9:13pm. We headed to Runway 18C and there were a number of NW planes taking off in front of us. At 9:23pm, we lifted off towards the dark sky lit up by the skylight of Memphis. Flying time was two hours and two minutes and we climbed to 37,000ft. As expected, no meals were served. A beverage and the snack basket of Zesty Party mix and Sprintzels were offered shortly. I had a Ginger Ale and two bags of Zesty party mix. Raul literally checked on us every ten to fifteen minutes. It was a wonderful short flight and it would be better if a snack plate was offered. We began our descent at 10:55pm and landed on R/W4 at 00:24am (NYC was an hour ahead of MEM). Then we taxied along R/W13/31 and headed to gate 8. I was back home on a cab in five minutes… not bad!
Part II will be available next week, and finally I got to travel on Boeing 757-300 and let me pray to the upgrade god on my CO transcontinental flight. I cannot imagine a transcontinental flight on CO Y.
Carfield
