Carfield

Hi folks,

Here is another trip report. It is a busy month for me, since I can’t travel for the last half of April. This report is particular interesting because I fly HP first class and Frontier for the first time. I am impressed with HP’s first class transcontinental service. Printed menu is an excellent welcome, but the short haul flights were less impressive, but on all three segments, the flight attendants are down to earth and friendly. They can be a bit causal to some of the elites here, but I find them pleasant and the service is good. I received more beverages on my HP flights (indeed my F9 flight) more than my CO flights two weeks ago. Frontier is certainly a fine low fare airline and the service is sufficient. Once again, friendly flight attendants are here to make the flight very pleasant and not to mention those lovely “baby Airbuses.” Here is the detail report!

March 15, 2003
HP 247 JFK-PHX Lv1241 Arr1606
Airbus A319-100 N807AW
Check-in is definite American West’s weakest link. There were three agents working for this full flight to Phoenix. First class line was short and I was checked in by an indifferent agent, who did not say much or smile at all. I believe that the grumpy BA agents at JFK exert a bad influence on everyone at terminal seven. Hopefully, the BA agents can take some customer lessons from their new tenant, ANA, in June. Anyway, JFK was pretty quiet as usual during the early afternoon. Nothing to see in the plane spotting area, as most European flights did not arrive yet! Well, a Pakistani (PIA)’s Boeing 747-300 (AP-BFY) arrived at 11:53am earlier than expected. My HP flight arrived in the morning from Las Vegas, so the A319 was sitting at gate 4. At gate 5, the early BA’s 744 (G-CIVY) with the strips design arrived early from London, and then at gate 6, BA’s Boeing 767-300 (G-BNWS) with the union flag livery arrived as we boarded.

Boarding time was 12:08pm, and the agent was offering $300 for people to take a later flight. It was oversold and the a/c went out 100% full. Thankfully, the gate agent was a bit more plesant and thank me for flying HP. Cliff, a very friendly F/A welcomed us aboard and served us a pre-takeoff beverage. A headset (Continental’s ear-pieces style) was already placed on the seat console. There are twelve F seats on this A319 and the galley was smaller than other major airlines. The seats are the same kind used by Alaska, which make an ick ick noise when reclined. The seat pitch is about 37 inches – the US major airlines scored better in this case, but HP’s first class ticket is only $500 one way and HP gives out complimentary upgrades. No complaint here! Boarding was efficient and the door was closed at 12:33pm. Printed menu – basically a white piece of paper was passed out with the list of food on one side and the wine list on the other side. Cliff gave us a minute to look at it and managed to take all the entrée order prior to takeoff. We pushed back two minutes later and began our taxing towards Runway 13R. We passed by terminal one, where I spotted SQ’s 744 (9V-SMZ) and AF’s Concord (F-BVFA), and an AF Boeing 777, a KE 744, and a VS 343. After a JAL 744 (JA8916) took off, it was our turn, and it was 12:52pm. The pilots kept us informed about our flight progress thoroughly and warned us about turbulence ahead of time. We climbed to 31,000ft, and then 35,000ft, and then 39,000ft. Flying time was four hours and thirty-seven minutes.

Beverage was served shortly after takeoff and a pack of America West’s gourmet mixed nuts accompanied it. Then lunch was served with several courses. Lunch was served in a leisurely manner, especially Cliff was the only one serving F and the soup required heat up too. Here is the menu transcript and the wine list followed (I don’t know which wine is selected because I did not drink at all. Just went to a party on Thursday night, and alcohol was just causing me more headaches, and I wanted to save up for Krug on CX flights this weekend).

To Begin
Soup of the Day
Chunky Chicken “Chili” Soup with Vegetables and Navy Beans
Garnished with Sour cream, Diced Green Onions, and Toasted Croutons
The soup was pretty nice and there were lots of croutons, which remained crispy surprisingly. It was served on a traditional transparent soup plate.

Entrée Selection
Hearty Sirloin Burger on Toasted Bun
Topped with Bleu Cheese and Sliced Tomatoes
Spring Salad Greens with Vinaigrette Dressing
I have the burger, as I am not a much salad dressing. I also want something warm. The burger was topped with blue cheese, which was in powdered form. Not too attractive, so I tried to scrape them off. Three slices of tomato was also available. The spring salad was basically a mesclun mix. The beef was thick and juicy, which was better than the United’s cheeseburger.
Or
America West Caesar Salad
Panko Breaded Fried Chicken Breast
Served with Romaine with Tomato, Lemon, and Lots of Parmesan Cheese
Vinaigrette Dressing

“Pain Grille”
Freshly Toasted Rustic Bread Sticks
Only a small slice of white bread stick!
Butter on Request

Dessert
Dark Chocolate and Mocha Mousse layered with Chocolate Shavings
Coffee/Tea
A very nice mousse served in a glass – rich and full of sugar… ha ha!

Wine List
Your flight attendant will advise you which of the following wines are available on your flight today.
Hogue Cellars Chardonnay 2000 (Columbia Valley)
Washington’s Chardonnay from its best vineyards in Yakima, Walla Walla, and the Zephyr Ridge. A perfect balance of fruits, butter and vanilla.

DeLoach Chardonnay 2000 (California)
Bright, crisp wine with aromas of Golden Delicious apples and Barlett pears mingled with nuances of oak and a hint of butter.

Heritage Road Merlot 2001 (South Australia)
Elegantly full bodied with aromas of blueberry, spice and cranberry, with earthy overtones.

McGuigan Bin 3000 Merlot 2000 (Murray Valley, Australia)
Ripe Berry flavors with minimum tannins mingle well with the oak spices and a hint of sweetness.

Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
Vibrant black raspberry color with enticing scents of ripe fruits, Asian spices and dark coffee beans. Rich textured body laced with gentle tannins.

Beringer Stone Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (California)
Deep ruby red color of this wine with layers of currant, blueberry, clove and tobacco flavors that unfold in the mouth.

“Voted Business Travelers Best Cellar in the Sky Domestic First Class 2001”

Y class got a sausage, green peppers & onion calzone with chocolate wafer as snacks.

For entertainment, there was a $5 charge for America West entertainment in coach. First, an episode of “Music Zone” – assorted classic country music videos were shown, followed by the movie “Die Another Day” was shown in the main screen with all the violent fight scenes cut off. Then Herald Tribune World Edition was shown, followed by “Friends,” “Toyota World of Wildlife” and “America West Trivia.” A couple chops across the Great Plain, but nothing much. Cliff patrolled the first class cabin throughout the flight and dutifully refilled our beverage until landing. It was a great different from the hiding flight attendants on my CO flights. We began our descent at 5:01pm, and the seat belt sign was turned on a few minutes later. At each segment, the pilot gave passengers sufficient warning time for those who needed to use the bathroom. Gears went down at 3:27pm and we landed on Runway 26 at 3:29pm Phoenix time (PHX is two hours behind from JFK). We parked at gate A21 and this flight was continuing onto Calgary and looked pretty full.

HP 68 PHX-LAS Lv1702 Arr1711
Airbus A320-200 N654AW
When I booked this ticket on the Orbitz site (since all the discounted F fare ran out at HP’s own website), I was provided with only these few sets of flights, which required a stop on the PHX-SEA flight. I thought that PHX-SEA Saturday service must have changed to a one-stop, since Saturday flights were not full. But then I found out from my OAG flight guide that there was indeed a nonstop flight taking off twenty minutes later than my flight, but arrived at SEA an hour early. I checked with the friendly gate agent at A26, and she checked the nonstop flight for me and found out that that flight was fully booked due to Spring Break. Then she confirmed that my flight would not have a change of planes and I could stay on board during the forty minutes interval. She was friendly and I could not complain. Boarding began at 4:34pm and Andre, our first class F/A, was extremely friendly and served us pre-takeoff beverage. America West has changed dramatically since my last flight with them – grumpy flight attendants, dirty planes, unfriendly gate agents, and broken planes. This airline has miraculously transformed itself. The flight was not too full, as HP had quite a number of flights to LAS throughout the day. Door was closed right on time and we pushed back a minute later. As we were heading to Runway 26, we passed by the London bound BA’s 777 (G-YMMO), and took off at 5:11pm. Flying time was a quick forty minutes. As all America West Express/Quick beverage flight, no hot beverage is offered except in the morning flights prior to 10am. For first class, Andre wasted no time in taking our beverage order. To my shock, beverage was served in plastic cups in first class. I guess it was alright for a quick forty minutes flight… Andre also served us a pack of HP’s mixed nuts and a “Balance Gold’s” Chocolate Peanut Butter bar. He offered more refills and munchies. Soon we began our descent at 5:35pm. We landed on Runway 25L at 4:58pm (PHX was an hour ahead of LAS). We parked at gate B21.

HP 68 LAS-SEA Lv1756 Arr2015
Airbus A320-200 N654AW
During the transit, there was a crew change, and the new flight attendants arrived shortly after all F/As deplaned. I was amazed that there was a full team of cleaners during this short stopover. The cleaning agent cleaned each tray tables (yes, I am not kidding), and rearranged the seat belts. Then they removed all garbage and checked if the seats needed new magazines or safety cards or sanitary bags. The bathroom was cleaned and the galley was refilled with fresh beverage. The first class F/A was another middle age man. He was friendly and said hi to me once he arrived on the plane. Pre-takeoff beverage was served once he got a fresh set of beverage carts. I was surprised that they did a catering here. These days, it was not surprised to have the beverage cart catered for the two segments, especially the PHX-LAS was such a short flight. Boarding resumed at 5:32pm, and this flight was 100% full. Door was closed two minutes earlier and we wasted no time to push back. LAS was fairly quiet, because most LAS flights arrived late. We taxied towards Runway 25R and took off at 6:03pm. Flying time was two hours and one minute, and with a cruising attitude of 35,000ft. Beverage was once again served with the mixed nuts and balance bars. I was shocked that plastic cups were once again used. It was strange to see wine poured onto plastic cup. For entertainment, AWA Trivia was shown and the F/A said that it did not require audio and was just a way to help folks to pass time. We soon began our descent onto a wet Seattle at 7:40pm, and Gear went down at 8pm, and landed on Runway 16R at 8:04pm. We parked at gate B14. I guess it would be nice to have a light meal served, but could not really expect it from a low fare airline. Hopefully the buy-on-board programs will continue and I can buy a hot pocket in the future.

After a brief overnight at Doubletree Seattle, let me tell you that it was wonderful to have a room to yourself once in a while, especially living in a loft space in a dormitory.

March 16, 2003
F9 532 SEA-DEN Lv0630 Arr1000
Airbus A319-100 N909FR
I really don’t know what to expect on Frontier, but the livery looked nice and the one way fare was pretty good ($120 + tax). Check in counter was deserted when I arrived at 5:30am. There were two agents, but none of them was too interested in dealing with me, except chatting with each other. The agent gave me my boarding passes and made sure that I saw my connecting boarding pass. I headed to Gate S-15 next. The monorail system at SEA was really slow and out-dated. The folks at SEA really need to do something. I then headed to Burger King for a high cholesterol breakfast. I still think McDonald’s Egg Muffin is the best fast food breakfast. Anyway, I waited at the gate, and there were two agents stationing. At 6:04am, boarding commenced and the agent reminded everyone about picking up a headset and about the $5 charge, and now you can use cash to pay for the TV. The headset was the same kind as B6, except that there were a green plastic strips attached to the sides. I had an extra pair here…. Ha ha! This morning flight was about 40% full and I moved to the back and had a row to myself. The interior was bring and the aisle was nice and wide. The seats all have a green upholstery and adjustable headrests. Although the legroom was publicized to be 33 inches, I think it was not that much. Nevertheless the seats are pretty well padded. It was still better than Continental’s Y. The flight attendants were cheerful. At around 6:24am, Northwest’s morning flight from NRT arrived and guess what, it was a Boeing 747-400, which was not usual. The flight was always operated by the ancient Boeing 747-200 and even DC-10-40 from time to time.

Everyone was boarded soon and the door was closed at 6:24am. We pushed back two minutes later, after the NW plane passed by. Then we headed towards Runway 16L for our departure at 6:37am. Flying time was two hours and eleven minutes with a cruising attitude of 37,000ft. I did not jog down the routing because the Mapquest map did not offer clear waypoint for me to write down. The direct TV was soon turned on after airborne and I swiped my credit card, and started watching the numerous news channels and Boomerang cartoons. You need some cheesy action animations after watching too much of that Bush Iraq pro-war propaganda (sickening) and concerns about Pneumonia in Hong Kong and Asia (that’s where I am heading in a few days… still having thoughts about canceling it. Any opinion here!). But I am happy to report that NBC New York and Telemundo were already included in the new start up list. BTW, Frontier has a bi-monthly in-flight magazine, unlike Jetblue.

Due to the light load, the flight attendants chose not to use any beverage cart. We were first offered a beverage (whole can always), and then a choice of banana or cream cheese muffins (not warmed), and then more beverage or coffee. Then forty-five minutes prior to arrival, F/As served a final round of beverage. I got more beverage on this Y flight than my IAH-EWR flight two weeks ago in F. Anyway, the flight went by quickly and we landed on R/W16L at 9:48am (DEN is an hour ahead of SEA). Denver Concourse A was extremely busy, as all F9 arrived from the West Coast at that time and all the Midwest/East Coast flight would depart in an hour time. Lines were everywhere for fast food restaurants. I did not have the patient to stand in line and knew that I could eat in NYC after the flight. There will at least be snacks served on the flight to LGA anyway.

F9 510 DEN-LGA Lv1045 Arr1615
Airbus A319-100 N906FR
I went to the gate to request an aisle seat, but the agent told me that every seat was taken on this flight and was indeed oversold. I did not think they offered any bumps… maybe the flight was just full. The gate agent strictly reinforced the carry on bags limits, and was bag tagging every roller on bags as they rolled along. The boarding was orderly and the row number calls were strictly reinforced. Boarding began at 10:16am, and the door was closed at 10:47am. The flight attendants were cheerful and friendly. The TV was already turned on and we were offered a preview of the movie. It was paused during safety demonstration though. The ground agent made many jokes before the door was closed. We did a wave throughout the cabin and it made you forget that you are on a full flight. It was a good start and Southwest has definitely started a good trend. Soon we pushed back and headed towards R/W8. F9 planes were all over the place, as it was a major bank for them. We took off at 10:57am and flying time was three hours and fourteen minutes this morning, with a cruising attitude of 37,000ft.

TV was switched to the paying mode and the F/As went around to activate TV for folks who wanted to pay cash. It was a good idea. Good job! Frontier! Following other flights, beverage was first offered, followed by the snack cart. We had a choice of Thai chicken wrap, which was basically lettuce, penne pasta salad, shredded Parmesan cheese, chicken strips, and Cesar dressing wrapped on tortilla bread, and beef wrap. Chicken wraps were nice, but I could not understand why it was called “Thai Chicken warp”! A pack of original-flavored sun chips was offered as well, which is followed by more beverage service. The snack was nice, although I want to warn you all that it is not a meal. If you are a big eater, you need to buy a meal at the airport or pack something. However, if you don’t have time to buy food in the airport, you won’t go starving. A final round of beverage was offered fifty minutes prior to arrival, but only limited to the first half of the plane. Only the F/As on the front section offered beverage. Also, the beverage cart was used on this segment. The bathrooms were pretty large and well-maintained. Baby changing tables were equipped on all bathrooms. Descent began on this beautiful Sunday afternoon at New York around 1:38pm Denver time. We landed on Runway 22 at 4:11pm (LGA is two hours ahead of DEN). Of course, we needed to wait a few minutes before towing into our gate.

What is the verdict? I am impressed with America West and may defect to HP once the buy-on-board meal program is implemented. The discounted F class fare was fine ($525 one way from coast to coast). I won’t do it often, but once in a while, it is worthwhile. The East coast to PHX/LAS service was good up front, but the PHX-SEA flight was a bit disappointed, but since I am based on SFO or LAX, the PHX-LAX/SFO flight did not bother me much. I recommend HP first to anyone. The meals are not fancy like American or Continental, but it is pretty good for a low fare airline. Plus you can purchase upgrade at the gate.

Frontier is a fine low fare airline… definitely a class better than Southwest, but I like Jetblue’s leather seats better. However, F9 serves wraps as snacks. But the fare is pretty good especially for last minute travels.

However, after flying these two airline, the US major airlines have no justifications in not offering full can of beverage to passengers. If these low fare airlines find it okay to serve much beverage, the major airlines have no excuse to serve less beverage, especially AA’s bistro bags, UA bags, and US bags were not that filling these days. The wrap served by Frontier is a full sized one! Anyway, it is a good experience. Next week… back to UA in 2003 and finally experiencing CX first across the Pacific.

Just added -- no CX first for Carfield... after consulting my friends in Hong Kong, I was told that I should not risk this horrible pneumonia for just a 24 hours trip. I will have to postpne my CX First experience . Instead, I will fly AA from JFK to LGB (only$182 + confirmed upgrade... booked today..., and then B6 to OAK, and return to JFK on B6... more low fare airline and more DirectTV, but free this time).

Carfield


[This message has been edited by Carfield (edited 03-19-2003).]

dfwbob

Good Report!! God Bless the USA ,George W. Bush and our Allied Troops in the Middle East. Cheap Oil Forever!!!!!

pallensf

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Patrick A. Inouye, CMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

onedog

Thanks for the trip report.

aw

My thanks for an outstanding report. I agree w/you that McDonald's McMuffins are the best fast food breakfast one can get. If they can only serve that onboard....

hsmythe

Carfield:

Great trip report !

- I'm puzzled ... was this a MR (I noted the quick overnight turnaround), or just a trip to sample HP and F9 ? I can't figure out how flights on HP and F9 would accrue to any one FF program ?

- How exactly does payment for the IFE work.:

-- do you pay $ 5.00 for the headphones, then get full viewing of TV channels and the movie , or is it $ 5.00 for each ?

-- if you have your own headphones, do you still have to pay ? (Currently on CO, you pay for headphones just once, or supply your own, and then all the IFE including movie is free on all future CO flights ... provided you remember to bring the headphones with you).

a330300

Nice report Carfield! Is the IFE on F9 activated by an FA card swipe if you pay cash?

FlyBDL

Very nice trip report. I flew America West for the first time in coach a few months back. One of the best trips in first class I have ever had. The food was great, the Salad before the main entree was huge, and on top of that very tasty. The FA's were great, and the comfort was fine for a 4.5 hour BDL-PHX flight.

I recomend people give HP a try. If It wasn't for CO dropping them witht heir FF program, I would certainly fly them more often.

Seat 2A

Thanks for your report, Carfield.
It's nice to hear some positives about HP.
Where to next?

Carfield

Thanks for the comments!

This is not a mileage run... well, I get miles on HP, so my former miles won't be expired (only a few thousands though), and the Frontier is plain for sampling.

Yes, you paid the F/As, and then they will use their cards to activate your TV. Of course, the other option is to use your credit card, since there is credit card slot next to the TV.

My next trip is on AA and B6.

Then on CO... nothing too exciting...

Carfield

UAPremierExec

The tv's have a small grey "swipe box" next to the screen for credit card processing. Unfortunately, it is $5 PER SEGMENT, not $5 per direction (I wish F9 would fix that!).

The FAs have a universal access card for the TVs and are accountable (just like liquor) for each swipe.

In regards to the F9 wraps, they use some "oriental" vegetables in the wraps, hence 'thai' chicken. The beef wrap is just plain wrong, and the veggie wrap (they must have ran out) is good, according to my friends.

Frontier is my new 'home' airline and I love every flight on them. Flights over 3 hours get *3* full beverage services, something even Cartel Airlines refuse to do. On my DEN-Florida flights, the FAs always come through the cabin with extra pillows and blankets throughout the flight.

In regards to the Buy On Board program, I absolutely loved my PHX-TPA flight a few months ago... I forgot where my trip report is, but I even included pictures of all of the offerings! I hope HP keeps the Beef Tenderloin (salad/meal?)..

-nate

TransWorldOne

I very much so agree with your comments on America West's flight attendants. They are excellent. Thank you for another great trip report. Did you credit your Frontier flights to the Frontier frequent flyer program or to Midwest Miles?