May Domestic report NW F LAX-MSP-LGA AA F LGA-MCO AS F MCO-SEA
Jun 17, 2003, 10:48 pm
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Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,348
May Domestic report NW F LAX-MSP-LGA AA F LGA-MCO AS F MCO-SEA
Hi all,
Here is the beginning of a busy month of summer travels for me! May will mark a couple of normal trip, which include a brief trip back to LA for a week and half on Northwest, and then Alaska to Orlando. Here is my first report – fairly typical roundtrip on Northwest’s first. I used my Continental miles to upgrade on this $300RT from LGA to LAX via MSP. I manage to book four meal service flights, include two lunches and two dinners.
May 20, 2003
NW 563 LGA-MSP Lv1329 Arr1523
Airbus A320-200 N360NW
Check in line was fairly standard and surprisingly, my bags received priority tags (although the bags did not come out first), which was a nice gesture. From next door, I heard the agent was strictly enforcing the new baggage weight rule, and made a couple passengers repacking or charging them money. After the usual security checks, I went to the La Guardia World Club, which was fairly standard. The usual self-serving beverage machines with the usual array of Pepsi products, Tropicana Orange juice cartons, tomato juice, an alcoholic bar, a basket of biscuits, pretzels, and apples decorate the rather simply club room. My only complaint is the lack of window, and also the weird tasting Pepsi from the machine.
Boarding began at 1:02pm from Gate 9 and I was among the first to board this Airbus. The plane was in fairly good shape and the slightly wider aisle was noticeable on these Airbuses. The flight was fairly full and Regina, our first class F/A, began a pre-takeoff beverage service. I took an OJ and then read a bit. Door was closed right on time, and pushed back a minute later. We took off from Runway 13 at 1:42pm for this two hours and eighteen minutes flight.
Lunch was served in first class, and economy class got a selection of salad and sandwiches to buy. Regina pushed out the beverage cart shortly we reached a comfortable attitude. Sprintzels and almonds were available at the snack basket, which were nice. Then Regina pushed out the lunch cart. The choices of entrées are a cold rye sandwich with Swiss cheese and corn beef, and a shredded & breaded chicken strips on top of a German potato salad with chopped cherry tomatoes. I had the salad, which was fine – although the breading of the chicken was pretty nasty after turning cold. Accompanied the cold entrée was a bowl of mixed green salad, a container of Parmesan Peppercorn dressing, French bread roll, and a chocolate cake.
After lunch, Regina served us tea and coffee and it was a nice afternoon flight. Soon we began our descent at 3:44pm and then landed on Runway 30L at 3:04pm (MSP is an hour behind from NYC). We parked at gate F8 a few minutes later among a sea of red Northwest planes.
NW 303 MSP-LAX Lv1656 Arr1853
Boeing 757-300 “5808”
I went to the MSP World Club and was glad to find a more spacious lounge and a nicer selection of cookies including Milano and Brussels cookies. I took a seat and read some magazines, as I waited for my flight. MSP was quite busy, as NW has a bank of flights departing at that time period. The lounge reflected this trend. Boarding soon began at 4:23pm at gate G3, next to the DC-10 flight to London Gatwick. This flight was completely full this afternoon. No wonder Northwest has to use DC-10s on a number of LAX flights before. The flight attendants on this leg were not as good as Regina’s team. The F/As are not necessarily bad, but are a bit on the “cold” side. Door was closed six minutes earlier but we were not able to push back until 5:06pm, due to traffic. We were able to take off at 5:24pm. Flying time was three hours and twenty-seven minutes, and our cruising attitude was 35,000ft.
This flight was a dinner flight in both F and Y. Beverage cart was first rolled out with the disappointing snack basket – zesty party mix or more Spintzels. I had the party mix and a glass of ginger ale. Then dinner cart rolled out… pretty standard Northwest cuisine –
Appetizer
Grilled shrimps with pineapple salsa, accompanied by rye rolls
Salad
Orange slices, strawberry, and Walnut salad on tops of Romaine lettuce, accompanied by a fat-free Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing
Entrée
Grilled chicken with masked potatoes
Or
Baked Ziti with cream sauce & chopped veal sausages, topped with shredded cheese
My choice – pretty nice… standard pasta dish
Dessert
Key Lime Cheesecake
The dinner was pretty nice, compared to most mid-con meals these days. Everything was served all at once, but the shrimp appetizer was welcomed. I like the orange salad as well. It was pretty creative. I enjoy the meal and Northwest does a good job. As all NW domestic flights, there were no inflight entertainment and I took a short nap. Beverage was once again served thirty minutes prior to arrival. Descent began at 8:19pm and gear came down at 8:45pm EST. We landed on Runway 25L at 6:49pm PST (LAX is two hours behind from MSP), and headed towards gate 26, next to an NZ’s Boeing 767 and a Virgin’s Boeing 747 for London. Bags came out twenty minutes after parked at gate, which was not too bad.
May 20, 2003
NW 312 LAX-MSP Lv1215 Arr1744
Boeing 757-200 N546US
Another typical Northwest’s transcontinental trip – check in was smooth, although there was a bit wait because NW mixed all their domestic and international elite and premium class together. I got a priority tag again, which was nice, and then I brought my bag to the screening area. I actually like this system. You wait till your bags got cleared by security and disappeared into the baggage belt. Gate 24 was pretty crowded this afternoon and boarding began at 11:36am. Pre-takeoff beverage was offered, as I settled into seat 3C. Door was closed at 12:13pm and headed off to Runway 24L for takeoff at 12:27pm. Flying time was three hours and seven minutes with a cruising attitude of 37,000ft.
Beverage was first offered with choice of pretzels or almonds. And then lunch was followed – I had the same menu a month ago at the LAX-MEM dinner flight, but I had the beef entrée this time, which was a beef tenderloin with a tomato based sauce, accompanied by carrots, potatoes, and green beans. After a bit of traffic hold, we landed on Runway 12R at 6pm, MSP time (two hours ahead of LAX), and parked at gate C-1 eight minutes later.
NW 516 MSP-LAX Lv1915 Arr2259
Boeing 757-200 N551NW
New gate was at C-6 and boarding began a bit later today at 6:47pm. This flight was overbooked, which was not surprising for Thursday evening flight back to New York LGA. We pushed back at 7:16pm and headed to the long NW queue. In terms of planespotting, I saw the Iceland Air’s Boeing 757-200 with the new livery. We finally took off from R/W12R at 7:41pm. Flying time was two hours and ten minutes.
The same snack basket of Sprintzels and almonds was first offered, followed by a dinner, which was a bit simplified from the West coast to hub flights. The difference is basically the lack of appetizer course on these midcon dinners. Here is my description –
Entrée of
Cajun chicken with beans
Or
Braised short rib with potatoes, carrots & pearl onions
I like the rib… not too bad!
Salad of the familiar orange, strawberry, walnut and Romaine lettuce salad, accompanied by the Fat free Raspberry vinaigrette dressing
Choice of Pumpernickel or sourdough rolls
Dessert
An excellent chocolate mocha mousse cake
NW just loves these chocolate cakes.
It was a beautiful night at New York La Guardia, as we passed through the middle of Manhattan on our landing at La Guardia. We landed on R/W22 at 10:51pm and arrived at gate 9.
May 30, 2003
AA 1697 LGA-MCO Lv1120 Arr1402
MD-80 N298AA
Check in was quick and the Florida check in area was not busy at all. Then I headed over to the ticketing area, which did not exist. I was redirected to the AA premium line for ticketing. I was issuing a Swiss award ticket and reissuing my CX ticket – both were done within five minutes. What a pleasant surprise!
My flight this afternoon was half full and F class was fairly empty. I had both 3E and F to myself and the friendly flight attendant offered me a full choice of pre-takeoff beverage. We pushed back two minutes ahead of schedule and headed to Runway 4 for takeoff. As usual, there was a long queue – after a DL’s Boeing 767-200 (N110DL with the new livery) and an Air Canada’s A319 (C-GITP) took off. We left the NYC ground at 11:21am. Flying time was two hours and eight minutes, with a cruising attitude of 35,000ft.
Beverage service began first with a choice of almonds or pretzels, and then hot towel, and then a light lunch.
Entrée choices of
Chicken Salad sandwich
Or
Baby Shrimp on top of chopped Romaine lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers, accompanied by a pasta salad and a olive oil and vinegar dressing
Milano Cookies
Sesame seed crackers with Monterrey Jack cheese and grapes
It was actually a pleasant cold lunch, and the salad was good enough. I was expecting much for a $155RT ticket, but coach only got a beverage service. I felt asleep then, and we were soon on our descent at 1:20pm. We landed on Runway 36R at 1:51pm, and headed to gate 15 for disembarkation. A pleasant short haul AA flight!
AS 19 MCO-SEA Lv1800 Arr2113
Boeing 737-900 N302AS
I was there a bit early, since my AA flight got in early. Alaska’s area already has a short line by 2:30pm. Well, the counters will not open til 3pm anyway. It was located next to the ATA area, and Alaska featured its own counters, staffs and two check in kiosks. Well, the counters were opened a bit later than 3pm, and there was a bit of chaos at the counters, since everyone was new to Alaska. The line was pretty long, as it was a full flight. Nonetheless, the agents are friendly with the typical AS smile and it was understandable since it was their second week of operation. I managed to change my seat from 3D to 2D, and headed towards gate 3 for departure.
Our aircraft arrived on time from Seattle but boarding was slightly delayed due to lateness of catering. We boarded at 5:39pm, and door was closed four minutes later. As usual, bottled waters, the entertainment guide, and printed menus (horray – I have not seen them for a while) were already at the seat console. The F/As are busy with the boarding and to my surprise, the F/A had already started to take entrée order (I waited a bit at the gate)! Of course, my neighbor and I were among the last to get our orders taken. The F/A was friendly, but I could not help to be disappointed. She said, “Well gentlemen, I only had the beef left… I hope it was okay!” I did not say anything. What can I say? Honestly this flight started off the wrong way. I felt that there is a need to have some consistencies in taking entrée order, especially in F cabin. Please do it when everyone was seated! Some of us really went through much trouble to secure a seat in the first two rows in order to get our entrée preference.
Well, flight pushed back at 6:06pm and we headed towards Runway 36R for takeoff, which happened at 6:14pm. Flying time was five hours and thirty-three minutes, and we climbed up to 35,000ft. Our main first class F/A was a very experienced lady, which worked since the 60s. She found some interests on my reading material – a re-issuance “Coffee, Tea, and Me” – a classic F/A tale. She told me that something was not correct at this book. Well, the service began with warmed mixed nuts and beverage, followed with the spinach salad, and then entrée, which was the disappointing beef tenderloin with pink peppercorn sauce. The other choice was much better – prawns with soya teriyaki sauce. Well, dessert was a nice fruit tart, and the salad dressing was lite ranch. DVD players were passed out then, and I chose to read a book instead. Well the service was excellent, so I felt a bit better. Suddenly, a very handsome Alaska male F/A approached me, and asked if I was Carfield from flyertalk… Yes, I said! I finally met ASFlyer – for a second, I thought my dating drought was finally over… ha ha… I did not get approached much these days if ever. Anyway, I felt so honored to finally meet the AS service expert at FT. We could not chat much because there seemed to be many activities in the cabin; whenever we start a chat, someone will try to use the bathroom (but just to let you know – the latest AS 739s have moved one of the lavatories from the aft to the divider between F and Y, which resolve the congestion problems). Well, we chatted a bit after our flight arrived at SEA-TAC! Hopefully I got to fly with AS Flyer in the future. I will email you AS flyer soon too!
BTW, Y class’s dinner choices are beef straganoff with tri-color pasta or Asian chicken with rice pilaf. Descent soon began at 11:26pm EST. Hot towels were passed out and soon we landed on R/W16R at 8:47pm PST. We parked at gate C-11 a few minutes later. Another wonderful trip! Good luck to Alaska!
Well, I flew Continental back to LGA the next day. I guess I did not have much to say about these CO flights, except IAH was hot beyond belief.
I hope you enjoy this short domestic report!
Carfield
Here is the beginning of a busy month of summer travels for me! May will mark a couple of normal trip, which include a brief trip back to LA for a week and half on Northwest, and then Alaska to Orlando. Here is my first report – fairly typical roundtrip on Northwest’s first. I used my Continental miles to upgrade on this $300RT from LGA to LAX via MSP. I manage to book four meal service flights, include two lunches and two dinners.
May 20, 2003
NW 563 LGA-MSP Lv1329 Arr1523
Airbus A320-200 N360NW
Check in line was fairly standard and surprisingly, my bags received priority tags (although the bags did not come out first), which was a nice gesture. From next door, I heard the agent was strictly enforcing the new baggage weight rule, and made a couple passengers repacking or charging them money. After the usual security checks, I went to the La Guardia World Club, which was fairly standard. The usual self-serving beverage machines with the usual array of Pepsi products, Tropicana Orange juice cartons, tomato juice, an alcoholic bar, a basket of biscuits, pretzels, and apples decorate the rather simply club room. My only complaint is the lack of window, and also the weird tasting Pepsi from the machine.
Boarding began at 1:02pm from Gate 9 and I was among the first to board this Airbus. The plane was in fairly good shape and the slightly wider aisle was noticeable on these Airbuses. The flight was fairly full and Regina, our first class F/A, began a pre-takeoff beverage service. I took an OJ and then read a bit. Door was closed right on time, and pushed back a minute later. We took off from Runway 13 at 1:42pm for this two hours and eighteen minutes flight.
Lunch was served in first class, and economy class got a selection of salad and sandwiches to buy. Regina pushed out the beverage cart shortly we reached a comfortable attitude. Sprintzels and almonds were available at the snack basket, which were nice. Then Regina pushed out the lunch cart. The choices of entrées are a cold rye sandwich with Swiss cheese and corn beef, and a shredded & breaded chicken strips on top of a German potato salad with chopped cherry tomatoes. I had the salad, which was fine – although the breading of the chicken was pretty nasty after turning cold. Accompanied the cold entrée was a bowl of mixed green salad, a container of Parmesan Peppercorn dressing, French bread roll, and a chocolate cake.
After lunch, Regina served us tea and coffee and it was a nice afternoon flight. Soon we began our descent at 3:44pm and then landed on Runway 30L at 3:04pm (MSP is an hour behind from NYC). We parked at gate F8 a few minutes later among a sea of red Northwest planes.
NW 303 MSP-LAX Lv1656 Arr1853
Boeing 757-300 “5808”
I went to the MSP World Club and was glad to find a more spacious lounge and a nicer selection of cookies including Milano and Brussels cookies. I took a seat and read some magazines, as I waited for my flight. MSP was quite busy, as NW has a bank of flights departing at that time period. The lounge reflected this trend. Boarding soon began at 4:23pm at gate G3, next to the DC-10 flight to London Gatwick. This flight was completely full this afternoon. No wonder Northwest has to use DC-10s on a number of LAX flights before. The flight attendants on this leg were not as good as Regina’s team. The F/As are not necessarily bad, but are a bit on the “cold” side. Door was closed six minutes earlier but we were not able to push back until 5:06pm, due to traffic. We were able to take off at 5:24pm. Flying time was three hours and twenty-seven minutes, and our cruising attitude was 35,000ft.
This flight was a dinner flight in both F and Y. Beverage cart was first rolled out with the disappointing snack basket – zesty party mix or more Spintzels. I had the party mix and a glass of ginger ale. Then dinner cart rolled out… pretty standard Northwest cuisine –
Appetizer
Grilled shrimps with pineapple salsa, accompanied by rye rolls
Salad
Orange slices, strawberry, and Walnut salad on tops of Romaine lettuce, accompanied by a fat-free Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing
Entrée
Grilled chicken with masked potatoes
Or
Baked Ziti with cream sauce & chopped veal sausages, topped with shredded cheese
My choice – pretty nice… standard pasta dish
Dessert
Key Lime Cheesecake
The dinner was pretty nice, compared to most mid-con meals these days. Everything was served all at once, but the shrimp appetizer was welcomed. I like the orange salad as well. It was pretty creative. I enjoy the meal and Northwest does a good job. As all NW domestic flights, there were no inflight entertainment and I took a short nap. Beverage was once again served thirty minutes prior to arrival. Descent began at 8:19pm and gear came down at 8:45pm EST. We landed on Runway 25L at 6:49pm PST (LAX is two hours behind from MSP), and headed towards gate 26, next to an NZ’s Boeing 767 and a Virgin’s Boeing 747 for London. Bags came out twenty minutes after parked at gate, which was not too bad.
May 20, 2003
NW 312 LAX-MSP Lv1215 Arr1744
Boeing 757-200 N546US
Another typical Northwest’s transcontinental trip – check in was smooth, although there was a bit wait because NW mixed all their domestic and international elite and premium class together. I got a priority tag again, which was nice, and then I brought my bag to the screening area. I actually like this system. You wait till your bags got cleared by security and disappeared into the baggage belt. Gate 24 was pretty crowded this afternoon and boarding began at 11:36am. Pre-takeoff beverage was offered, as I settled into seat 3C. Door was closed at 12:13pm and headed off to Runway 24L for takeoff at 12:27pm. Flying time was three hours and seven minutes with a cruising attitude of 37,000ft.
Beverage was first offered with choice of pretzels or almonds. And then lunch was followed – I had the same menu a month ago at the LAX-MEM dinner flight, but I had the beef entrée this time, which was a beef tenderloin with a tomato based sauce, accompanied by carrots, potatoes, and green beans. After a bit of traffic hold, we landed on Runway 12R at 6pm, MSP time (two hours ahead of LAX), and parked at gate C-1 eight minutes later.
NW 516 MSP-LAX Lv1915 Arr2259
Boeing 757-200 N551NW
New gate was at C-6 and boarding began a bit later today at 6:47pm. This flight was overbooked, which was not surprising for Thursday evening flight back to New York LGA. We pushed back at 7:16pm and headed to the long NW queue. In terms of planespotting, I saw the Iceland Air’s Boeing 757-200 with the new livery. We finally took off from R/W12R at 7:41pm. Flying time was two hours and ten minutes.
The same snack basket of Sprintzels and almonds was first offered, followed by a dinner, which was a bit simplified from the West coast to hub flights. The difference is basically the lack of appetizer course on these midcon dinners. Here is my description –
Entrée of
Cajun chicken with beans
Or
Braised short rib with potatoes, carrots & pearl onions
I like the rib… not too bad!
Salad of the familiar orange, strawberry, walnut and Romaine lettuce salad, accompanied by the Fat free Raspberry vinaigrette dressing
Choice of Pumpernickel or sourdough rolls
Dessert
An excellent chocolate mocha mousse cake
NW just loves these chocolate cakes.
It was a beautiful night at New York La Guardia, as we passed through the middle of Manhattan on our landing at La Guardia. We landed on R/W22 at 10:51pm and arrived at gate 9.
May 30, 2003
AA 1697 LGA-MCO Lv1120 Arr1402
MD-80 N298AA
Check in was quick and the Florida check in area was not busy at all. Then I headed over to the ticketing area, which did not exist. I was redirected to the AA premium line for ticketing. I was issuing a Swiss award ticket and reissuing my CX ticket – both were done within five minutes. What a pleasant surprise!
My flight this afternoon was half full and F class was fairly empty. I had both 3E and F to myself and the friendly flight attendant offered me a full choice of pre-takeoff beverage. We pushed back two minutes ahead of schedule and headed to Runway 4 for takeoff. As usual, there was a long queue – after a DL’s Boeing 767-200 (N110DL with the new livery) and an Air Canada’s A319 (C-GITP) took off. We left the NYC ground at 11:21am. Flying time was two hours and eight minutes, with a cruising attitude of 35,000ft.
Beverage service began first with a choice of almonds or pretzels, and then hot towel, and then a light lunch.
Entrée choices of
Chicken Salad sandwich
Or
Baby Shrimp on top of chopped Romaine lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers, accompanied by a pasta salad and a olive oil and vinegar dressing
Milano Cookies
Sesame seed crackers with Monterrey Jack cheese and grapes
It was actually a pleasant cold lunch, and the salad was good enough. I was expecting much for a $155RT ticket, but coach only got a beverage service. I felt asleep then, and we were soon on our descent at 1:20pm. We landed on Runway 36R at 1:51pm, and headed to gate 15 for disembarkation. A pleasant short haul AA flight!
AS 19 MCO-SEA Lv1800 Arr2113
Boeing 737-900 N302AS
I was there a bit early, since my AA flight got in early. Alaska’s area already has a short line by 2:30pm. Well, the counters will not open til 3pm anyway. It was located next to the ATA area, and Alaska featured its own counters, staffs and two check in kiosks. Well, the counters were opened a bit later than 3pm, and there was a bit of chaos at the counters, since everyone was new to Alaska. The line was pretty long, as it was a full flight. Nonetheless, the agents are friendly with the typical AS smile and it was understandable since it was their second week of operation. I managed to change my seat from 3D to 2D, and headed towards gate 3 for departure.
Our aircraft arrived on time from Seattle but boarding was slightly delayed due to lateness of catering. We boarded at 5:39pm, and door was closed four minutes later. As usual, bottled waters, the entertainment guide, and printed menus (horray – I have not seen them for a while) were already at the seat console. The F/As are busy with the boarding and to my surprise, the F/A had already started to take entrée order (I waited a bit at the gate)! Of course, my neighbor and I were among the last to get our orders taken. The F/A was friendly, but I could not help to be disappointed. She said, “Well gentlemen, I only had the beef left… I hope it was okay!” I did not say anything. What can I say? Honestly this flight started off the wrong way. I felt that there is a need to have some consistencies in taking entrée order, especially in F cabin. Please do it when everyone was seated! Some of us really went through much trouble to secure a seat in the first two rows in order to get our entrée preference.
Well, flight pushed back at 6:06pm and we headed towards Runway 36R for takeoff, which happened at 6:14pm. Flying time was five hours and thirty-three minutes, and we climbed up to 35,000ft. Our main first class F/A was a very experienced lady, which worked since the 60s. She found some interests on my reading material – a re-issuance “Coffee, Tea, and Me” – a classic F/A tale. She told me that something was not correct at this book. Well, the service began with warmed mixed nuts and beverage, followed with the spinach salad, and then entrée, which was the disappointing beef tenderloin with pink peppercorn sauce. The other choice was much better – prawns with soya teriyaki sauce. Well, dessert was a nice fruit tart, and the salad dressing was lite ranch. DVD players were passed out then, and I chose to read a book instead. Well the service was excellent, so I felt a bit better. Suddenly, a very handsome Alaska male F/A approached me, and asked if I was Carfield from flyertalk… Yes, I said! I finally met ASFlyer – for a second, I thought my dating drought was finally over… ha ha… I did not get approached much these days if ever. Anyway, I felt so honored to finally meet the AS service expert at FT. We could not chat much because there seemed to be many activities in the cabin; whenever we start a chat, someone will try to use the bathroom (but just to let you know – the latest AS 739s have moved one of the lavatories from the aft to the divider between F and Y, which resolve the congestion problems). Well, we chatted a bit after our flight arrived at SEA-TAC! Hopefully I got to fly with AS Flyer in the future. I will email you AS flyer soon too!
BTW, Y class’s dinner choices are beef straganoff with tri-color pasta or Asian chicken with rice pilaf. Descent soon began at 11:26pm EST. Hot towels were passed out and soon we landed on R/W16R at 8:47pm PST. We parked at gate C-11 a few minutes later. Another wonderful trip! Good luck to Alaska!
Well, I flew Continental back to LGA the next day. I guess I did not have much to say about these CO flights, except IAH was hot beyond belief.
I hope you enjoy this short domestic report!
Carfield
