I LOVE EWR

I booked this trip exactly 6 months out before I was to travel. After months of waiting the trip was finally upon me and I couldn’t wait. It was a long winter with 5 AM workouts a lot of snow and bitter cold temperatures. This would be a well deserved and needed break.

Date: 3-15-03
Origin Airport: EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport)
Destination Airport: SFO (San Francisco International Airport)
Airline: Continental Airlines
Flight Number: 41
Aircraft Type: Boeing 757-200 BusinessFirst Configuration
Registration Number: N17128
Seat Assignment: 1A
Scheduled ETD: 4:10 PM
Actual TD: Door Closed 4:15 PM Push Back: 4:15 PM Take off: 4:35 PM Runway 22L
Scheduled ETA: 7:30 PM
Actual ETA: Gear Down 7:02 PM Touch Down: 7:05 PM Runway 1R At Gate: 7:10 PM
Scheduled Flight Time: 6 Hours 20 Minutes
Announced Flight Time by crew: 5 hours 28 Minutes
Actual Flight Time: 5 Hours 40 Minutes
Departing Gate: C121
Arriving Gate: 36
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Check-in/Security: My ride to the airport needed to be in New York City at 1 PM so I was dropped off at Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport at 12:00 noon. The Terminal was absolutely deserted. I checked in using one of the E-Ticket Kiosks and was on my way. I made my way threw security without a problem and came to understand how truly deserted the airport really was. I could have easily have taken off all my clothes and start streaking throughout the terminal and no one would have noticed because no one was there. I made my way to the A&W Rootbear Stand and had nice Rootbear float with vanilla ice cream with a chicken sandwich. After my little lunch break I made my way to the ‘new’ Presidents Club and that to was deserted. I stowed my bags and then went immediately went up to the bar tender and ordered a White Russian. While sipping on that I meandered over to the window.

Airport Observations: After meandering over to the window I noticed something that is a little unusual for EWR. The planes were landing on the shorter East/West Runways (9-27). It was neat to see the 777s and the 767s try to land on the shorter runway with the wind. Because I was at EWR I saw A LOT of Continental Aircraft, which is quite all right with me. I probably saw everyone of it’s fleet their and was just sitting their watching the traffic quite contently as I new I would be in paradise in 24 hours or so. While doing this I made sure to take advantage of the President’s Club Hospitality and downed 2 Coronas, 1 White Russian, 1 Bailey’s Irish Creams and 1 water in a matter of 2 hours or so (Hey I was on vacation needed to start somewhere with the booze). I also took advantage of the pretzels, cheese, and crackers available. I saw my plane pull into gate C-121 around 1:20 PM or so from Glasgow. Around 2:45 PM I went down to the gate area and noticed some giggles and gaggles from some young females. I noticed that the LIU University Softball team was traveling on my flight to SFO presuming to take part in a spring softball tournament. Some were quite cute and made sure to exchange smiles with them. I think they thought I was older than I truly am due to the way I was dressed but still some seem interested. Anyway I was chatting with one, told her were I went to school and then they called for the First Class Boarding at 3:30 PM.


Seat Comfort: As I boarded I struck ‘gold’ (err I mean ‘Platinum’ as some Continental Elites would say ). This Aircraft was an Internationally configured BuisnessFirst Aircraft meaning the seats are some of the best in the fleet. When I booked this flight in September it was showing 4 rows up front thus tipping me off of the Configuration. However CO changes these Aircraft regularly and you are not guaranteed to get this configuration. The seats were marvelous, the 757 seats are the same as the old DC-10 Seats, they had Electronic Controlled seat back footrest and all of the other goodies. Also there was a PTV that I would be able to use.


I started a talking with my seatmate and it turns out he lives about 20 minutes from me. Awesome guy traveling on Business. We had very nice conversation as well ventured across the country together. He said his daughter is looking at my school and gave him some tips to tell her.

Predeparture Drink: Apple Juice

While we were sitting at the gate the FA who would be serving the cabin Janice came up and introduced herself to everyone. Let me tell you if you ever fly out of EWR and have an FA named Janice and her friend Trudy on-board you are going to have an AWESOME flight. Trudy was working the galley and both of them truly seemed to enjoy what they were doing. Janice was announcing every PAX by their last name when she passed out the hot towels after departure. While on the ground she showed everyone how to use the PTVs and told us don’t be timid with the FA call button she and Trudy were awesome throughout.

We pushed back and then headed toward runway 22L for a departure. It only took us 20 minutes or so to get airborne. Captain Tom Miller made sure he used the 757 to it’s full potential as we jetted towards the sky even though we were heavily loaded. He then came on and told us we would be cruising at FL 35 and was expecting a smooth flight. Flying Westbound on a Transcon on dusk is the best time to fly. You know you will be well fed and will arrive in a distant city in a few hours. The scenery and the colors of the sky were awesome as we made our way Westbound towards SFO. 45 Minutes after Departure my new girlfriend Janice came around with a hot towel service, passed out menus, and then the in-flight entertainment was started. Up front the overhead monitors had the AirMap showing throughout our flight.

In-Flight Beverage Service: Started out with a coke and warm pecan nuts. I had a white wine with dinner and a Baileys and Milk as an after dinner drink.


In-Flight Meal Service: Here is a copy of the menu to begin ALL of this we got a nice hot towel service.

TO BEGIN:
Warm Roasted Nuts

APPETIZER:
Smoked, peppered Atlantic salmon accompanied by salmon roulade with cream cheese and creamed horseradish

SALAD:
Fresh Meslun greens and frisee with Buffalo mozzarella cheese, red tomato slices, chopped chives and a Kalamata olive
Offered with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette or buttermilk ranch dressing

Freshly Baked sourdough break and assorted rolls with butter

MAIN COURSE

Rack of Lamb
Baby Rack of lamb complemented (not enhanced) by a demi-glace, presented on a bed of herbed couscous sauteed Zucchini, squash, eggplant and a red and green bell peppers
Fine green beans

Herbed Breast of Chicken
ENHANCED by morel mushroom sauce, served over Italian couscous Medly of grilled artichoke hears, oven roasted red tomatoes, chanterelle mushrooms and pearl onions. Fresh green asparagus spears

Halibut
Seared Halibut with toasted fennel herbs accented by lemon herb sauce offered with saffron risotto Sauteed shiitake mushrooms cherry tomato and salsify Fresh Green asparagus

Pasta Bowl
Pasta shells filled with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese complemented by spicy eggplant arrabbiata sauce topped with sautéed baby spinach

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese will be offered with your pasta

DESSERT
Vanilla ice cream offered with your choice of toppings

The entrees sound good and they were good!! We were given a pinkish linen as Janice came around and took our orders. She asked me first and chooses the lamb. She went though the cabin fulfilling the orders. The Lamb was delicious. During Dinner Janice kept coming around passing out warm rolls and breads and keeping the drinks filled. During this time as well the Curtain was closed. After a very fulfilling dinner I made sure to have the sundae with Caramel and Hot Chocolate Sauce. I took a look at the manifest and it turns out everyone got his or her first choice for dinner. A trend that would continue on all of my flights.


In-flight Entertainment: ‘Spy Kids 2’ was showing in the main cabin (Were do they get these movies?) I settled on ‘The Chase’ (an oldie but a supposed goodie) and was watching the AirMap on the screens above. I quickly lost interest in ‘The Chase’ was having excellent conversations with my seatmate. I then decided to watch ‘Analyze That’ and found it to be hilarious. During this time of course my eyes were watching the great USof A pass beneath my eyes while watching the AirMap.

There was a strong headwind (something I would come to find out again tomorrow and we didn’t get above a 500 mile per hour ground speed).
An hour out they did an pass in the Coach Cabin and a Full Beverage Service up front. It was great. We then did our vectors and such into SFO to land a little ahead of schedule at 7:10 PM. Capt. Miller had an excellent landing as well on Runway 1R and it was a parallel APR with another plane by our side. I want to emphasize to all of you once again how great Janice and Trudy made this flight, hope to see them aboard one of my flights in the near future.


Capacity: Full in F; Full in the back o the bus

Ratings:
Airport Facilities: 10/10
Check-in/Gate Personnel: 10/10
Schedule: 10/10
Aircraft Condition: 10/10
Aircraft Comfort: 10/10
In-Flight Personnel: 10/10
In-Flight Beverage Service: 10/10
In-Flight Meal Service: 10/10
In-Flight Entertainment: 10/10 (watching out the window is enough IFE for me)

Once arriving in SFO it was late and I was flirting with the idea to take a taxi or a Shuttle to get to OAK. I went to the information desk and was told a taxi could cost $80.00 or I can take a Shuttle Service. The name of a Shuttle was given to me by someone so I went up to their dispatcher and asked how much would it cost for me to get to OAK. The dispatcher replied 40 bucks. I said **** no and then he said ok I will give you a deal ‘37 bucks’. I told this guy to get a new job and then went to the info desk to take the BART. I took the BART and it was going OK till I got to the OAK Airport Station. I will NEVER EVER IN A MILLION YEARS end up at the OAK Airport Station at Night. The neighborhood is ****ty and was happy to get to the AirBart Bus. DO NOT DO THIS WAY AT NIGHT it is dangerous at night. Anyway I took the bus to the airport then called the Hilton Shuttle to come on over and pick my ... up. They were there in a few minutes checked in to the hotel and went nighty nite.

Got up around 7:30 AM the next morning had a Continental Breakfast Buffet at the Hotel, showered, and then made my way over to the OAK Airport thanks to the shuttle service. On the Hotel Shuttle was talking to an American West 737-200 Crew. Arrived at the airport around 8:15 AM or so

Date: 3-16-03
Origin Airport: OAK (Oakland International Airport)
Destination Airport: HNL (Honolulu International Airport)
Airline: Aloha Airlines
Flight Number: 441
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-700 ETOPS
Registration Number: N748AL ‘Hilo’
Seat Assignment: 1A
Scheduled ETD: 11:20 AM
Actual TD: Door Closed 11:29 AM Push Back: 11:30 AM Take off: 11:40 AM Runway 29
Scheduled ETA: 2:48 PM
Actual ETA: Gear Down 3:56 PM Touch Down: 3:58 PM Runway 8L At Gate: 4:01 PM
Scheduled Flight Time: 5 hours 38 minutes
Announced Flight Time by crew: 6 hours 11 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 6 hours 30 minutes or so
Departing Gate: 9A
Arriving Gate: 54
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Check-in/Security: As soon as I was dropped off at OAK airport noticed that by the Check-in Areas no better describes that area of the airport at a big old **** hole. Just imagine it like that. Anyway I had a little bit of a problem, due to a schedule change with the Aloha Interisland Schedule I was given a 12-minute connection time at HNL (not going to happen or is it???) Anyway they said no way Jose and the contract employee was supper nice bout it and got a supervisor. The Supervisor did some pecking and tapping at the keyboard and offered to put me on the non-stop OGG flight, I declined as the person I was traveling with was not present and she said not a problem after some more pecking she purposely oversold an Island Air one stop flight from HNL-OGG. She said Sunday was busy for interisland travel and nothing was open till 6 PM or so. I said not a problem thanked her and off I went to security. I was not paying attention really to were I was going I was just gawking on how a **** hole is allowed by the United States Department of Heath and Human Services when I noticed I was standing in a different security line. Instead of me standing with the other PAX I was standing in the middle of two flight crews. There was an Alaskan Air Flight Crew ahead and a SWA Flight Crew behind. I was wondering were I was when the SWA pilot gave me a little smile saying you somehow got into the crew line/airport/employee line which was A LOT shorter than the regular PAX line. He said don’t worry bout it the checker wont even notice. The checker didn’t (at least with me, the person I was traveling with he did) and was wisked threw security.


Airport Observations: I was not looking forward to spending so much time at the OAK airport if by planeside looked like the Check-in Counter **** hole. Not to worry the Gate areas of OAK are very very nice with a nice selection of stands and such. Got a ‘New Yorker’ (a ham, cheese, egg, on a bagel) at a local stand and went to the Aloha Gate were I saw the OGG flight was boarding. While watching saw a North American Airlines Charter 757 and a UPS 747 and was watching the slow movements of the FEDEX Hub. A little later watched the Aloha Kona Flight leave and then finally watched ‘Hilo’ pull up to the gate at 10:40 AM. Aloha Caters the flights it seems like from a remote stand and just pulls them up fuels them up and lets them go. Hass showed up around 10:40 AM we chatted and then it was time for me to board at 10:50 AM.

Seat Comfort: When I boarded the Aircraft the first thing I noticed was how it smelled ‘new’ The seats were nice plush and leather and I knew it was going to be a comfy flight. The seats had a foot/leg rest that is adjustable as long with the usual seat back recliner. The Bulk Heads are definitely the best on Aloha and my 6’5 frame had plenty of room.

Predeparture Drink: Was offered OJ/Water/Mai Tai. Had OJ

We pushed back a little late due to the full flight and then the FA came on and said to expect a flight time of 6 hours 11 minutes. I looked at my seatmate who ‘commutes’ to Hawaii to work and he said ‘nah it can’t be’ we both figured that they meant to say 5 hours 11 minutes. Both of us were wrong. The Captain Came on and said once again they were expecting a 180 mile an hour head wind so it would take us a while to cross the pond. Our FL would be 36 throughout. O well we thought as long as we get their safely. The pilot wasted no time getting us to Runway 29 and off we rocked in the ETOPS rated 737. We then turned over down town San Fran. And got a nice view of the city. We then picked up the Jetway to Hawaii.

One thing I noticed was that there were 4 FAs for the 737-700 when it only needs 3. This is an example of what Aloha is trying to do. Throughout the flight they had exceptional service. Even in Y. I was talking to the lead FA and they said they try to usually get 5 for their mainland flights but due to scheduling that is hard. Aloha is doing excellent. 70% of its F travel on the West-Coast to Hawaii flight is Paid First-Class Tickets (try finding that on another carrier. The only other one that comes to mind is Hawaiian) Back to the matter at hand though.

For the first 45 minutes the seatbelt sign was on as there was a chop. They got started late with the In-Flight Services

In-Flight Beverage Service: I started off with and finished off with Guava Juice for the WHOLE flight. Had that with a lot of Macadamia nuts. We were also given bottle water 2 hours out.


In-Flight Meal Service: Once again we got a hot-towel service and a very nice menu. Here is a transcript

A TASTE OF THE ISLANDS
WEST COAST TO HAWAII

TROPICAL TENDINGS
Tomato and Sweet Onion Salad
Balsamic Vinegar

PARADISE FOUND
Choice of One:
Meatloaf on Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
With Button Mushroom Sauce and Portuguese Sausage Relish

Or

Salmon BLT
Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato with Basil Pesto Vinaigrette

ISLAND SUNSET
A Special Delightful Dessert

I had the meatloaf and it was excellent however I would suggest the Salmon the Next time. For Dessert we were given a nice Ice Cream Sundae. An hour before landing we were given chocolate chip cookies with milk. Aloha has an excellent F Class Product. The FAs were excellent calling the PAX by last name asking how to pronounce it and keeping the drinks full throughout the flight

In-flight Entertainment: Once again the window is all the IFE I need. ‘Harry Potter’ was showing and then an episode of Friends (guess which I watched?). Anyway I looked out the window watching the small ships with their wakes in the vast Pacific, it is something to watch. I also noticed a UAL 757/767/777 (not sure could not see it that well) come up a few miles to our left and pass us. I was also reading my Flying Magazine and read some more about Maui. While reading the ‘I learned about flying from this’ section in Flying the article focused on ditching a small plane in open water. I though how fitting on a Trans-Pac flight. Also promotional videos of Hawaii were shown as well as the Agriculture Videos. I LOVE watching these promo videos of paradise. Also Aloha who is quite attached to their new 737s but on a nice promo and info video of the planes.


Capacity: Two open seats up front 1 open in the back. There was also one lap baby in F. I thought this child would be crying all the way to Hawaii (it was 4 months old) However the parents need to be praised. The baby didn’t cry the whole time there. The parents did an excellent job of keeping the baby occupied.

After a LONG but enjoyable flight to Hawaii were immediately vectored into HNL. No passing over Diamond Head we went around the west end of Oahu and landed very smoothly on runway 8L. The pilots braked very hard and threw the reverses on to save on taxi time. WE WERE IN PARADISE!!!


Ratings:
Airport Facilities: 5/10
Check-in/Gate Personnel: 10/10
Schedule: 10/10 (Aloha Can’t control the winds)
Aircraft Condition: 10/10
Aircraft Comfort: 10/10
In-Flight Personnel: 10/10
In-Flight Beverage Service: 10/10
In-Flight Meal Service: 10/10
In-Flight Entertainment: 10/10

By the time we arrived my flight I was suppose to be on was out of HNL. Hass was confirmed on 114, which was suppose to leave at 4:15 PM. So we rushed from our arrival gate to gate 49 were 114 was leaving from (see the short connection time is found here). Hass was confirmed in Y on this flight and I myself was confirmed in Y on an Island Air Flight (Aloha’s partner) that already left. We went up to the gate agent and told him the situation and took a look at our boarding passes. He said it’s full but alas it didn’t matter because Hass had a confirmed Ticket so if he couldn’t get him on he would get Denied Boarding Compensation (ok DBC on an interisland flight is not that big of a deal and probably would not be much but no flights were available till 6 or so). He said hold on and went down to the A/C while we waited. He came up 3 minutes later with 2 PAX who I think were NON-REVERS. The agent then said come on down and we were given an OPERATIONAL UPGRADE to F!!!!! (not that big of a deal on an inter-island flight but still we were happy and come on these are rarer than Pamela Anderson getting Breast Reduction Surgeries). I don’t have much more to report on this flight except I got a coke Hass an Heineken, which he was carded for!!! And we landed at Kahului sometime around 4:50 PM. On the way my seatmate was a woman who was native Hawaiian. She was saying that a big controversy is coming up and to the forefront to expand the runway at OGG and to hear more about that soon. Anyone hear that? Anyway not much more to report on 114 I was to **** happy to be back in Hawaii and on the island of Maui. We arrived and were met by Ginger who non-revved in on UAL from SFO. We did see the UAL Oscar Plane though at OGG going to LAX.


WE WERE IN PARADISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We grabbed the rental car and then headed over to Kihue for a nice BBQ dinner at Hass’s friends house. After that we went over to Lahania for a little while then headed over to the Hyatt. The Hyatt and their staff is the best!!! We were upgraded to a ‘partial’ ocean front view room (2206) and were upgraded to the Regency Club Floor. For those who have stayed at this property and those who want to stay at this property room 2206 is the room you want. It is perfect for families with two double beds and plenty of room for all. The room was right next door to the Regency Club so our view was phenomenal. We had the same view as one would have in the club.

Monday March 17th we got up early for the morning snorkeling tour to Molikini. We picked the girls up the girls and headed over to the Four Winds II. We had a great time snorkeling etc with nice lunch and breakfast. We got back to the Hotel around 1:30 PM and then spent some time at the pool. We then had dinner back down in Kihue and went back to the Hyatt

Tuesday March 18th got a nice Massage and then I just relaxed down by the pool and beach. A great day!!

Wednesday March 19th Went down to Wailea to meet someone I knew then went back up to the Hyatt for some Scuba Lessons. However on the way back from Wailea I made a stop that I will talk about later. I am glad I did this intro scuba class but I doubt I will ever do it again. It just wasn’t for me. Did some more relaxing down by the beach and pool. Met Chris Berman (from ESPN this day).

I left some things out above. If you want more details let me know and I will fill you in.

Thursday March 20th time to go home. I spent the morning down by the pool and packing we left for the airport around 1:00 PM and then we tried to speed around the outskirts of the airport trying to do some spotting and take some neat pictures of the airplanes without getting caught by the powers that be. We dropped off the rental car around 2:00 for our flight.

Date: March 20th
Origin Airport: OGG (Kahului Airport)
Destination Airport: OAK (Oakland International Airport)
Airline: Aloha Airlines
Flight Number: 474
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-700 ETOPS Rated
Registration Number: N7738AL ‘Kuapaka’a’
Seat Assignment: 1A
Scheduled ETD: 3:45 PM
Actual TD: Door Closed 3:58 PM Push Back: 4:00 PM
Take off: 4:02 PM Runway 2
Scheduled ETA: 10:30 PM
Actual ETA: Gear Down 10:42 PM Touch Down: 10:46 Runway 29 At Gate: 10:52 PM
Scheduled Flight Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
Announced Flight Time by crew: 4 hours 20 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 4 hours 44 minutes
Departing Gate: 7
Arriving Gate: 9A
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Check-in/Security: The car company dropped us off around 2:15 PM or so. It was a zoo. A lot of mainland flights were departing and the lines were long. Hass used a small E-Ticket Check in for Aloha but they would not take me. I went to an agent who checked me into OAK and gave me the code for the First Class Lounge. Made my way to security were it took 10 minutes to get through.

Airport Observations: I love the Hawaii Airports on how they are openairness and so nice to be in. It sucks though to be in on them on your way home. I made my way to the lounge picked up a coke then went to the café to get a hamburger and fries. While I was there I noticed a UAL 777 an ATA 757-300 with a Pleasant Hawaiian Sticker, a North American 757, and a bunch of HAL 767-300s. While eating a UAL in-flight crew came down and sat next to me. I truly felt sorry for them. They were talking about company affairs, concerns of their employment futures, friends they lost on 9/11 and the flight coming up. They were complaining how much they hate to do the Hawaii to mainland flights. They said it is great doing to Mainland TO Hawaii flights but coming FROM Hawaii can be a pain in their own words as people are pissed off that they are leaving paradise and their vacation. Anyway made my way to the gate was I saw the plane to take us home. We took some pictures and were just not happy we were going home. At this time I noticed Oakland Raider Lincoln Kennedy with his family.


Seat Comfort: We boarded around 3:35 PM and this was an ‘older’ jet. Still VERY comfortable. Lincoln sat down in 2C with his wife and child who was a lap baby directly behind me in 2A.

Predeparture Drink: Once again offered Mai-Tai/OJ/Water. Took the Mai-Tai

We pushed back and made the short taxi to runway 2. We had to wait for the Safety Briefing to finish and then we jetted off. It was windy but the 737 handled well. We jetted up to our cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. The FA came around with a hot towel service, menu, and drink orders. Once again he asked me how to pronounce my last name and I was called that as well as the other passengers throughout the flight.

In-Flight Beverage Service: Started out with a coke with Macadamia Nuts. Stuck with it throughout except with dessert were I had a nice Baileys Irish Cream with Ice.



In-Flight Meal Service:
A TASTE OF THE ISLANDS
Hawaii to West Coast

TROPICAL TENDINGS
Char Siu Chicken Salad
In a Won Tin Basket, Guava Hoisin Mustard Salad

PARADISE FOUND
Choice of One:
Grilled Snapper
With Hukilua Stew and Bay Shrimp Salsa

Or

Grilled Beef Tenderloin
With Potato Gratin and Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

ISLAND SUNSET
A Special Delightful Dessert

Well a few notes about this menu. The Salad was EXCELLENT. It is probably the best salad I have ever consumed EVER!!! It was that good and fresh. I had the Beef, which was very nicely done and presented. For Dessert I got 2 Ice Cream Sundaes!!! Good Job Aloha!! Before we landed we also got cookies and milk

In-flight Entertainment: Once again the promo 737-700 Video was shown as well as a Promo Video of Oakland and the Bay Area. For the main feature it was ‘Antwone Fischer’. I watched some of that as well as listened to Channel 7 the Pop Something channel with the Audio. It played my new favorite song ‘Times like These’ by the Foo Fighters. I watched some of the movie then got up and chatted with the FAs about Aloha, expansion rumors, and job openings in the pilot ranks with them.

We started our decent around 10:15 PM and landed on Runway 29 at OAK. It was a nice APR into the Bay Area
Capacity: 1 Open Seat Up Front. 70-80% Full in the back

Ratings:
Airport Facilities: 10/10
Check-in/Gate Personnel: 8/10
Schedule: 10/10
Aircraft Condition: 9/10
Aircraft Comfort: 10/10
In-Flight Personnel: 10/10
In-Flight Beverage Service: 10/10
In-Flight Meal Service: 10/10
In-Flight Entertainment: 10/10

Made my way to the Hilton again were I was greeted by an ******* of a check in agent. He was pissed off to be there and you could tell. I had a few simple questions and he answered them like I was asking him to march 3000 miles in 110-degree heat. O well. Went to bed around 1:00 AM to get up at 3:30 AM for my early morning flight. Got a nice shower and shave and took the 4:45 AM shuttle over to OAK (Once again Mr. Grumpy checked me out). Was over at the airport at 5:00 AM


Date: 3-21-03
Origin Airport: OAK (Oakland International Airport)
Destination Airport: IAH (George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport/Gordo’s Airport)
Airline: Continental Airlines
Flight Number: 1798
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-800
Registration Number: N26226
Seat Assignment: 2A
Scheduled ETD: 6:30 AM
Actual TD: Door Closed 6:25 AM Push Back: 6:26 AM
Take off: Runway 29 at 6:33 AM
Scheduled ETA: 12:15 AM
Actual ETA: Gear Down:11:50 AM Touch Down: Runway 27 at 11:52 AM At Gate: 1200 noon
Scheduled Flight Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Announced Flight Time by crew: 3 hours 15 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 3 hours 20 minutes or so
Departing Gate: 3
Arriving Gate: C-21
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Check-in/Security: Used the E-Ticket Check in again quite easy. Remember OAK is a ****hole so enough said about that except this time I was actually smelling vomit. Not sure if someone actually spewed their guts or if it was the airport. Went through Security line in about 20 minutes.

Airport Observations: Not much and I was to tired to care. ‘Had a New Yorker’ for breakfast.

At the gate they had a list that said STANDBY on it. I was wondering what in the world was this. I then looked at it further and asked the agent. It was the standby list for the EAUs it had 27 names on it!!! What was surprising to me was how the agents posted it. I have never seen that before. They also boarded First Class Cabin and elites but by status Plats then Golds then Silvers then the rest in Y. We boarded on time at 6:00 AM

Seat Comfort: 2A and 2B are great. Plenty of legroom and nice recline.

One of the best parts once again about this flight were the FAs. They didn’t mention their names but there were 4 on board with one that exclusively served the First Class Cabin when another one did as well. These woman were in their late 40s early 50s and made SURE that we all knew that they were from the great state of Texas. They had nice Texas Pins on painted with the American Flag. I will call these Flight Attendants Don’t Mess with Texas I and Don’t Mess with Texas II. Don’t Mess with Texas I (DMWT I) was the head FA and took care of us up front while II floated in and out. If I had to make a wager who would win in fight Don’t Mess with Texas I and II vs. the whole French Foreign Legion ‘Elite’ Soldiers I would put my financial future on the two women from Texas. They probably would kick their ... in a matter of 15 minutes if they were working together. Anyway they were all business but provided great service.

Predeparture Drink: Apple Juice

In-Flight Beverage Service: I stuck with Apple Juice throughout



We took off on time off runway 29 and turned west towards SFO. We directly over flew the airport and got a nice view of the planes that were there. Shortly after this DMWT I came around with a hot towel service and took our orders.

In-Flight Meal Service: DMWT I told us that for breakfast we could choose between ‘Eggs’ or ‘Cereal’ I chose the Eggs, which came with a Fruit plate with Grapefruit, Grapes, Oranges, Mellon, and a Strawberry. Then she gave me two cinnabons and then the main course, which was a small portion of eggs with ham and potatoes. It was pretty good but small. DMWT I and II made sure we were well Hydrated throughout and an hour out we were served warm Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Milk.


In-flight Entertainment: “Far From Heaven” then CNN short segment thing. I slept after breakfast to the cookies.

I fell asleep after DMWT I cleared my tray until DMWT II came around and gave me my cookies. We landed a little early on Runway 27 at IAH.

Capacity: 100% Full Both classes


Ratings:
Airport Facilities: 5/10
Check-in/Gate Personnel: 3/10 (why post the Standby List???)
Schedule: 10/10
Aircraft Condition: 8/10
Aircraft Comfort: 9/10
In-Flight Personnel: 10/10
In-Flight Beverage Service: 10/10
In-Flight Meal Service: 10/10
In-Flight Entertainment: 10/10 (the views were the best)

Got off the plane early then made my way to the Presidents Club North. Was checked in by someone who truly seemed to love their job. They took my BP confirmed my flight and seat showed me around the P-Club and asked if I wanted anything to drink. I told her no thank you, but asked her a few questions about the paid, day of departure BusinessFirst Upgrades, on their EWR and IAH to HNL routes. She explained it fully to me gave me prices, and also gave me a few tips to ensure you can even get one. She was excellent.

Anyway after I was done talking with her I made my way to the bar. The Don’t Mess with Texas Attitude Continues, as a Yankee from JERSEY!! I LOVE flying through Texas and love the attitude that state displays. To see people walking through the airport in a big ... cowboy hat and cowboy boots is the best. Anyway I sat down at the bar and I am quickly joined by someone who sat down next to me. This gentleman had a big cowboy hat, jeans, a white button down shirt and of course the cowboy boots. The TVs were turned on CNN and FOXNEWS and the other media outlets. No sooner than this gentleman sits down than he is speaking to the whole bar “WOOWEE, GOOD OLD GEORGIE IS GIVING THEM SONS OF *****ES AN GOOD OLD FASHION TEXAS ... WOOPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I heard a few ‘HELL YEAS’ and other comments. After my enjoyable time at the P-Club made the short walk to the gate for my flight

Date: 3-21-03
Origin Airport: IAH(George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport/Gordo’s Airport)
Destination Airport: EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport)
Airline: Continental Airlines
Flight Number: 50
Aircraft Type: Boeing 767-400 ER Business First Configuration
Registration Number: N66051
Seat Assignment: 2A
Scheduled ETD: 1:15 PM
Actual TD: Door Closed 1:10 PM Push Back: 1:15 PM
Take off: Runway 32L at 1:35 PM
Scheduled ETA: 5:48 PM
Actual ETA: Gear Down: 5:40 PM Touch Down 5:42 PM At Gate: 5:55 PM
Scheduled Flight Time: 3 hours 32 minutes
Announced Flight Time by crew: 2 hours 30 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 3 hours 8 minutes or so
Departing Gate: C-14
Arriving Gate: C-134
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Airport Observations: Saw all the CO Fleet Types and a SonAir MD-11 that’s about it.


Boarded around 12:35 PM

Seat Comfort: Excellent!! Had all the bells and whistles that include Lumbar support features, electric foot and recline adjustments, reading light, and the PTV. Hope to fly in this seat soon to Hawaii!!


Predeparture Drink: Coke

We made a long taxi to the runway were we spooled up and were on our way. Our pilots were saying that we are going to have a quick flight over to EWR and should get in early around 5 or so. Anyway upon departure we made a left turn and then headed back over the airport were I saw the Peter Max 777 Land on Runway 27. Shortly after this the FA came around with a hot towel and our drink orders.

In-Flight Beverage Service: Got a Coke with Cashew Nuts




In-Flight Meal Service: Was offered Soup and Salad or Sandwich and Salad. Choose the latter and it was good. It was a grilled chicken Sandwich with zucchini and carrot. The Soup was an Italian Family Soup. We also got Cole Slaw and a Pecan thing for dessert.

In-flight Entertainment: I watched ‘I Spy’, the AirMap and looked out the window.

As we are flying along I notice that we momentarily start our decent over the Southwest corner of the Chesapeake Bay. Then I notice that we start flying back towards IAH and are in the middle of a loop. The pilot comes back on and says there are heavy Delays at EWR due to Thunderstorm and we will need to circle for a little. We did for about 30-40 minutes and then continued our decent. The pilots and the ATC did an excellent job keeping us out of the weather as you could very clearly see the storms and the lightning all around the plane. We landed on runway 22L and we were home safely.

Capacity: Full in J/F 60 percent in Y


Ratings:
Airport Facilities: 10/10
Check-in/Gate Personnel: 10/10
Schedule: 10/10
Aircraft Condition: 10/10
Aircraft Comfort: 10/10
In-Flight Personnel: 10/10
In-Flight Beverage Service: 10/10
In-Flight Meal Service: 10/10
In-Flight Entertainment: 10/10

A few closing notes, remarks, and some good news (well at least for me)

You can’t beat Texans


I would like to thank those of you out there who helped me with questions and suggestions for the trip. You know who you are!!

Continental has some great personal both on the ground and in the air. Glad that they are my hometown airline. It was a little weird to see the OAK agents post the standby list. To me it seemed like they did that purposely so they are not bothered by people asking them for an upgrade. However I think that they are contract agents as they only have a few flights a day into and out of OAK.

Aloha also is an awesome airline. I would recommend them to anyone on a TRANPAC Crossing. Even in Y there service is great!! Make sure you use your AAA Card if you are a member and get a nice little discount

The Hyatt Regency Maui is phenomenal and a world-class resort. Sandy P. one of the concierge’s is excellent as well.

I love Hawaii, I can’t get enough of it. I hope one day to become a commercial airline pilot and if I do I will love to fly for any carrier. However hopefully with a little luck and hard work I will be able to fly for Aloha or Hawaiian one day.

Now for the good news. If you were paying attention before I said, “However on the way back from Wailea I made a stop that I will talk about later,” well its later. I work on a VERY part time basis for Marriott Hotels. Even though I work part time I am eligible for the associate rates. On the way back I stopped of at the Maui Marriott to enquire about a room reservation for this coming May. Well they did have the room rate available so I decided to book it to come back in a few weeks!!!! I love Hawaii, Maui and especially Kanapali so much it is well worth it to me to get back as much as I can. I would like to stay at the Hyatt again and I might be willing to pay the additional money to experience the service there again. I just need to find a good airfare out there (anyone with any suggestions especially on NW/CO? )?

Hope you enjoyed the report!! Comments of course are welcome




[This message has been edited by I LOVE EWR (edited 03-22-2003).]

IAH_FLYER

Great report!

We actually left Maui the day you arrived. We stayed at the Sheraton ($165 on Priceline! ) but walked down to the Hyatt for massages. They have a really nice spa!

I certainly understand how you feel about Hawaii. This was our fourth trip in 2 years...and we're planning another for later this year.

MRSTARALLIANCE

Great report mate!

Keep up the fantastic work!

Seat 2A

Thanks for a very nice detailed report, Mark
I'll keep an eye out for more of yours in the future!

pallensf

Mark - Aloha to you...

I was waiting to finally hear about your experience with AQ - I am tickled that my suggestion worked for you...YEAH!

This is a fantastic trip report and I hope that you'll fly Aloha Airlines again.

What a nice report to read this morning with my coffee.



Blessings all around.

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Patrick A. Inouye, CMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

gba

Great report, glad to hear that you are having good experiences on CO which may soon become my airline.

I LOVE EWR

Thanks for the replies!!! You can check out some pictures of the trip on www.imkeww.com You can't miss the link on there for the pictures!!!

Ocean1971

Just curious what the length of runway 9-27 is? Although I have seen larger aircraft use this runway, the few times I've landed on it, I have been in a turboprop.

Seth

Great trip report. Although I know technically ETOPS is ETOPS, I am not sure if I would spend 6 hours over the open water on a 737-700. Too clausterphobic for my blood!

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Support our troops, not our president.
I am not real smart, but I can lift heavy things.

auggie doggie

I'm headed to Maui tomorrow morning. Your trip report has me even more excited. I've been waiting for this trip for about 3 months. I can't wait for the first Mai Tai on the plane.


Thanks for an excellent report.

I LOVE EWR

A few things, it was a typo I believe. Instead of Runway 9-27 it's really runway 11-29 that is the East-West Runway. Runway 11-29 is 6800 X 150, concrete grooved. Not that short of a runway but it is great to see the planes come in on that one.

I could see some how one would be wary of taking a 737-700 over open water, however it did not bother me at all.

Enjoy your trip to Hawaii!!!

anthonyanthony

Enjoyed your trip report. It was especially interesting because a few months ago I took the BART at night between the same two airports (OAK to SFO). Your report makes it sound like you took the BART straight from SFO to OAK. Is the new SFO extension open? Or did you have to take the BART shuttle bus from SFO?

I agree about the BART OAK station at night -- standing there on the platform alone at 10:30p, looking down at the surrounding neighborhood, with what looked like abandoned vehicles parked along the street next to the station, it was not comfortable.

I LOVE EWR

Thanks for the reply!! You are right I took a bus (I think it was like a BX or something like that) to a BART station (I forget the name), then the train to the OAK airport Station.

dmjaffe

I LOVE EWR:

Great report!

I'm flying in F on Aloha from SNA-OGG next month and I had a couple of questions that it seems you might be able to answer.

First, I booked the bulkhead seat, which sounded like it has plenty of legroom. But how would you rate the width of the seats?

Also, is the 737-700 noisy in F? Should I bring noise cancelling headphones if I want to listen to the IFE.

Thanks!


[This message has been edited by dmjaffe (edited 05-07-2003).]

I LOVE EWR

Thanks for the response!!!

Hope you have a great time in Hawaii!!!

The bulkhead seats are the best. The bulkhead on the left side of the A/C has a few more inches it seemed like BTW, but both sides have plenty of room. The Seat Width I thought was also very generous.

The 73G (737-700) is very quiet. If you want bring the noise cancelling headphones but I don't think it is all that neccessary.

Any other questions please don't hesitate to email me.