CMK10

Background
This January was going to be a busy one for me. As it was Christmas Break, a time of peace, love and caring, I decided to find some peace away from my family by traveling. I was going to start the month by seeing my friend Anosh ( SR 103 ) as he was flying through Los Angeles. We decided to meet up for a few hours during his transit. Later in the month, I was to return to my other home in Arizona to resume classes at ASU. But before I could do that, I decided to take advantage of the double miles offer AA had on their new LGA-BUF service. Another one of my friends decided I shouldn’t be allowed in Buffalo on my own (I’m only 19 after all) so Jason ( JAXPax ) said we’d meet up there. Therefore I had three places to be, Los Angeles, Buffalo and Phoenix. All of which would take place within eight days.

Preflight
SATURDAY JANUARY 8, 2005
United Flight 7
JFK-SFO
Scheduled Departure: 11:20 AM
Scheduled Board: 10:50 AM

I had originally planned to spend this weekend in Chicago with my girlfriend, but when that relationship fared as well as Metrojet did, I changed my ticket to go to Los Angeles. Using a $200 VDB voucher and some old upgrades, I was flying transcontinental in Business or First for only $138 in cash. On that January’s morn I awoke to pouring rain in New York. Ordinarily I’d say “No matter, I’m going to sunny Southern California!” but it was raining even harder there. Therefore I had to put up with my dad’s usual “you’re going to be delayed” remarks that he always makes when it rains and I’m traveling. Still, it was only a forty minute drive to Kennedy and he didn’t charge me for the ride so I suffered in silence.

Once inside the poorly designed and outdated Terminal 7, I joined the end of the Business Class line. While there were only six people in front of me, they were all on the ANA flight to Tokyo and that pesky language barrier kept their stays with the agent longer than desired. Finally after ten minutes I had both my boarding passes. Once I realized that JFK-SFO printed out as “United First”, I asked the agent if I was entitled to use the Red Carpet Club. He said he wasn’t sure so he called them and they said because I was on a two class 757 (I’d missed the P.S. plane unfortunately) I would be allowed in. After clearing security I headed to the sanctuary where only the elitist have the Red Carpet rolled out for them. Unfortunately for me, the place was teaming with people on both the ANA and UA flights to Tokyo so I was reduced to sitting in the TV room watching “The Proud Family” on ABC Kids. Still, there were free bagels and soda and after an hour I headed down to the gate.

Once at the gate I was greeted by a bizarre announcement. Even though the plane had been sitting there for over an hour and a half, it wasn’t fully catered yet. The part that wasn’t fully catered was the First Class cabin so the gate agents announced they would board coach first and we’d have to wait. They got Seating 1 and 2 fully boarded and were halfway through Seating 3 when with a dramatic hand flourish, the Gate Agent stopped the snaking boarding line and we were allowed to board:

Flying
Gate 12
Seat 2D Business Class
757-200, N567UA
Actual Board: 10:47 AM
Actual Depart: 11:18 AM – 2 Minutes Early
Take off 19 minutes after departure

As I stated beforehand, today’s flight was operated by a two class 757. While this meant we had seats not becoming of a six hour plus journey, it did mean a nice boarding process as door 2L was utilized. During the wait at the gate, our plane filled up to near capacity in First with 22 seats taken. This was complimented with about 60% of the seats in coach were taken for today’s transcon trip. While waiting, the purser, a JFK based man named Dennis came around taking pre-departure drink orders. After first being offered the specialty drinks of the month which were a perplexing Bellini and Kir Royale, I decided to stay safe and legal and partake in an orange juice. Because of the late boarding I barely had time to finish my cocktail before we pushed back. While awaiting takeoff, the pilot announced due to strong headwinds totaling over 130 MPH, we’d have a flying time of six hours and 10 minutes. I was just glad I was in the First Class cabin and not in the back of a 757 for that long a period.

Once airborne, I was struck by the sight of the sun shining brightly over the late morning. This was quite a treat as the weather in New York has been poor lately and I was promised more of the same upon reaching California. While sky gazing I was presented with the menu and asked what my requested drink was. Shortly thereafter a small bowl (and I do mean small, especially compared to AA) of mixed nuts was offered along with my Diet Pepsi. The small amount of cashews and pistachios were consumed by me while the walnuts and almonds remained in the bowl as I awaited the first course. Meanwhile my seatmate pecked away at his laptop. From what I could gather, he was a writer for a magazine and he was writing poetry that I really didn’t seem to get, must have been too deep for me.

Shortly after I tried to figure out if you can use the term “they will freak” in a published poem, the first course was presented to us. This was artfully described as

To Begin
Jumbo lump crab with spicy lime dressing
Apple Brioche quiche
- Crème fraiche

Salad
Fresh Seasonal greens with English Cucumber
- Roasted garlic red wine vinaigrette or classic Caesar Dressing
As good as all this sounds, it fell short of expectations once the tray was put atop the linens on my tray table. The jumbo lump crab was lumped into a tiny pile at the corner of the plate which was largely vacant except for the quiche and crab dressing. I was looking forward to the quiche as I love most things apple but it turned out to be quite tasteless. However the salad was well done with crisp lettuce and the vinaigrette dressing was perfect. Overall it wasn’t a bad appetizer, but I think they should use smaller plates so the tiny quiche slice and small crab pile appear bigger by comparison. The two FA’s walking the aisles did a good job seeing who was done with their appetizer so I only had a minutes wait before I was presented with my entrée. Of the three below I selected the middle choice:

Main Course
Reuben sandwich on raisin pumpernickel bread
- Sauerkraut and an apple celery and mango salad

Spiced breast of chicken with Thai barbecue sauce
- Brown rice and stir friend ****ake mushrooms with vegetables

Polenta lasagna with spinach, red peppers and ricotta cheese
- Served with roasted pepper sauce, topped with parmesan cheese

The way I saw it, I’ve never liked lasagna and raisin pumpernickel bread was designed for breakfast eating so the chicken was the obvious choice. And I am quite glad that it was so as it was a very tasty cut of meat with a perfect BBQ sauce. The rice was surprisingly high quality for an airplane and the vegetables served as a good accompaniment. I did, however, want it to actually be more spiced as I barely got a tickle in my mouth from the alleged spices. The only drawback to the meal was the wine I selected. I picked a French Burgundy and was horrified by how bad I found it. Yet another reason to make stupid, off color French jokes.

After my tray was taken I was looking forward to a good cup of coffee with dessert, but the flight crew had other plans. They removed a device which consisted of nine steel rods that strung across the front of the galley so they could serve the cockpit. I’d never seen this before as I’m used to the angled cart blocking, high tech technique of American. After twenty minutes with the barricade up, a flight attendant passed out cups and saucers for those who opted for coffee and we were then offered:

Dessert
International cheese selection with fresh fruit
- Chambert, stilton and Black Diamond Cheddar Cheese

Edy’s ice cream

Being a college student unconcerned with his weight and having recently gotten out of a relationship, the choice was again obvious. A cart laden with cheese plates and after dinner liquors was pushed down the aisle like an adult Mr. Softie Truck. I was presented with my cup of coffee and Bailey’s and my bowl of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. These went down smoothly as the ice cream had had time to soften up and cutting it wasn’t quite a Herculean effort. After the rest of my utensils had been cleared up, I reclined the seat and put a Moody Blues CD into my player. After reading for a while, I decided as I had some extra time and the cabin was quiet, why not have some slumber? I checked my watch and realized we had 3 and ½ hours to go in the flight. When I once again opened my eyes, I saw I’d been asleep for an hour, but much to my shock, the pilot came on the PA. He said that the headwinds had gotten worse and we still had 3 hours to go in-flight. Still, even I can tolerate 6 hours and 40 minutes in a 2 class 757 as long as I have amusements and thankfully I did. I alternated between glancing at NBC In Flight and reading Blue Streak: The jetBlue Story . I did hide the book whenever a flight attendant came around, I didn’t know if they hated the Low Cost Airlines or not.

About an hour out of San Francisco, the other FA working the front cabin (a very nice woman who worked well with the extremely capable purser) offered us each a truffle from a box. There were quite a few selections and I found this a nice way to end the flight as they also offered us a drink. The flight crew did a tremendous job as they spent almost all of the long flight in the aisles keeping the 22 of us happy. Therefore, I couldn’t have been more pleased with how my first P.S. flight turned out. Though I must say, without the person DVD players which are only offered on the new 757s, there is little difference between the Business Class here and on AA. Still, with a crew like this, the flight goes by quite quickly. Finally we glided through the gray clouds and Oakland Center handed us off to SFO tower and we touched down slightly late. My jacket was returned to me and I made my final goodbyes before stepping out into the terminal.
Scheduled Arrival: 2:44 PM
Actual Arrival: 3:05 PM
Gate 81

Preflight/Transit
United Flight 995
SFO-LAX
Scheduled Departure: 4:15 PM
Scheduled Board: 3:45 PM

Having been folded into my seat for over seven hours now, I desperately had to take care of some business. The best place to accomplish my mission was the San Francisco Red Carpet Club. Following my luck in New York I decided to venture over there. Unfortunately I was rejected worse than the time I asked that hot girl out as they said I wasn’t allowed in on an upgraded fare. Feeling defeated, I shuffled my way back into the terminal and parked myself down at gate 88 where no one would see my failed face. While walking to the gate, I noticed United’s usually stellar gate monitors were all down today. In fact, they had all frozen at just before 2 PM so our gate had a handwritten sign reading “FLIGHT 995, LAX, 4:15 PM THIS GATE”. This also led to repeated announcements from each gate trying to explain the situation. Deciding that this was not a situation that only one man should laugh at, I called Jason to tell him this story and a few others. Once I was done with him, it was time to board:
Flying
Gate 88
Seat 2A First Class
757-200, N563UA
Actual Board: 3:47 PM
Actual Depart: 4:12 AM – 3 Minutes Early
Take off 14 minutes after departure

Anyone who has ever taken an intra-California flight knows that they are packed with non revenue commuters. I could spin yarn about helping uniformed flight attendants stow bags until the cows came home, but today’s flight raised the bar. Of the 20 people in the First Class Cabin today, 14 of them were flight attendants. In fact, seated in 1A, 1B, 1C 1D, 2B and 2D were some of United’s finest cabin crew. They were a very jovial bunch who all knew each other and all were swapping stories, mainly related to their ex husbands. They were also very nice to me and one put it quite well when she said “there’s never a better time for you to have a heart attack, fourteen people can save your life!” During the wait, today’s working flight attendant passed out drinks and soon our lightly loaded plane took off for the brisk flight down the coast.

Usually this flight provides excellent viewing but because of all the rain in California, all I saw was the sun setting into clouds. Nevertheless, the flight went fast as I munched on United’s Gourmet Snack mix and sipped my Cran-Apple. Even though the flight was short and the working FA could have easily spent the time chatting with his fellow employees, he chose to refill all glasses in First making me quite the happy customer. Soon enough we descended over Los Angeles and I got a nice view of the freeways and airport hotels before we were back at Harley Random’s Airport.
Scheduled Arrival: 5:33 PM
Actual Arrival: 5:22 PM
Gate 75A

--January 8-9, 2005 – Los Angeles, CA --
While we had been taxing, I’d called Anosh and when he hadn’t answered, I knew I’d beaten him to LA. Therefore I exited the terminal into the rainy night (at least it was warm) and began the trek over to the TBIT. While 5:30 is usually a downtime for arrivals on domestic airlines, with the mess the weather was causing I had to push my way through hordes of people. Upon reaching the TBIT, I discovered his flight was now due at 6:10 PM. This wasn’t too bad though as I’d never spent anytime at the terminal I got some time to roam it and I must say I was disappointed. You’d think a terminal featured in as fine a film as Die Hard 2 would be nothing but amazing, but alas, it was not. Finally around 6:45, Anosh exited the secure area and we grabbed a bus over to the Doubletree. We had an enjoyable time talking airlines over dinner, even if my trip out to California on United didn’t compare to his trip in from Mumbai on Malaysia. Even so, we each slept a good sleep that night. The next day we each had early flights so the plan was to wake up at 6, shower and be in the lobby at 6:25 AM in time for the 6:30 shuttle. Unfortunately, even though I gave him more time than I gave myself, we ended up in the lobby at 6:29 and missed the shuttle bus by a minute. Therefore he had to endure my whining before we finally caught a bus at 7 putting my breakfast plans at McDonalds in serious jeopardy.

CMK10

Preflight
SUNDAY JANUARY 9, 2005
United Flight 885
LAX-SFO
Scheduled Departure: 8:15 AM
Scheduled Board: 7:35 AM

Both of us had tried to check in online but the hotel’s printer failed despite my best efforts to wrest a sheet of paper through the jammed up works. Therefore we had to fight the teaming crowds at Terminal 6 as I headed to the United First Class line and him to the Continental Elite Access Check-In. Once at the desk I was quite happy to see two boarding passes printed with “United First” and “United Business” on them as my upgrades had been waitlisted until now. As my seat up to SFO was 4A, I asked to be moved into a D seat so I could get a better view during landing. The gate agent replied “there is no D on this aircraft” to which I said “yes there is, on a 757 the window on the right side is D”. Following that she looked at her screen and said “you don’t have a 757, they’ve changed the flight to a 767”. Now I was filled with glee and I gladly took my boarding passes and went to go mock Anosh. He was already steamed over his upgrade to EWR still being waitlisted and the news of my larger plane filled him with an intense hatred. Even so, he came to the gate and waited with me until my flight boarded. Then we shook hands and each went our separate ways, not knowing where our next encounter would be.

Flying
Gate 69B
Seat 4A First Class
767-300, N672UA – 2 Class
Actual Board: 7:40 AM
Actual Depart: 8:15 AM – On Time
Take off 25 minutes after departure

I boarded our plane and came face to face with a rather tall, blonde FA. Normally I wouldn’t have noticed this except for the fact that she had been seated in 1B on the previous day’s run from SFO. I pointed this out to her and she accused me of following her. This is of course what I do in my spare time; I stalk United Flight Attendants when I’m not studying US History. During our wait at the gate, pre-departure beverages were offered to the flight as we filled up. During the taxi out, the safety video failed and the flight attendants were forced to do a manual demonstration. I wasn’t aware they kept equipment on board in case of this problem happening but I am quite glad they did. While taxing, I decided to take advantage of one of the perks of flying the friendly skies of United and I switched on Channel 9. Unfortunately I learned our wheels up time wasn’t until 8:40 so we’d have quite the wait ahead of us. This is an all too common occurrence on flights between the California cities, hence the 55 minute flight being scheduled for one hour and twenty three minutes. They did give us the long taxi around to the other side of the airport where we still had to wait fifteen minutes for our takeoff to be allowed.

Once airborne we settled into the comfortable short flight routine. Each passenger received a drink in a real glass which was refilled (something I wish they’d do more on short American flights). If one so desired, Biscoff cookies were offered. My seatmate, who I believe to have been an air marshal, declined his cookie. After he did, the flight attendant who apparently liked me because of the flight the day before, gave me his. She was nice enough to talk to me and thanked me for amusing her and her fellow employees the day before. All too soon it seemed we landed in soggy San Francisco and I was off for a four hour wait at the airport. On my way out I thanked the crew once more and the flight attendant told me to “come back and see me again really soon”. Now why can’t women who aren’t in a service industry say this to me?
Scheduled Arrival: 9:38 AM
Actual Arrival: 9:38 AM
Gate 84

Preflight/Transit
United Flight 22
SFO-JFK
Scheduled Departure: 1:20 PM
Scheduled Board: 12:40 PM

Freshly out of my comfortable seat, I set about amusing myself on my long layover. My first stop was to be a Customer Service Center as my boarding pass in Los Angeles has misprinted and was nearly unreadable. At the desk I said to the woman “I need a new boarding pass for flight 22, may I please have one?” to which she responded “Ok, and what flight are you on?” After being sufficiently befuddled, I decided that I needed food as my breakfast in LA had been deprived by the forces of fate. After I had swallowed enough Burger King to get my mind back in the game I decided to see about maybe standing by on the earlier JFK flight. I had already taken enough 767-200’s to last me a lifetime and the 11 AM flight was on a P.S. equipped 757. Unfortunately I was once again rejected at San Francisco as I was told all classes were booked solid. Once again I felt too ashamed to continue, but I somehow was able to. Sad as this is, I don’t mind the long layovers at airports. I get to walk around and see interesting people, I have time to call my friends and have long conversations (it’s a tradition of my friend Josh and I that we call each other whenever we’re at an airport) and I have time to think about whatever I need to. Therefore it was with no reservations that I didn’t get booked on the earlier flight. I decided, however, that I wanted a more comfortable place for my wait. Following my epiphany, I left security and garnered a gate pass to access the Admirals Club in the AA wing.

My wait passed by quickly as I was able to use the lone computer for a while until other people started shooting me annoyed glances. Following that, I parked myself in front of the Indianapolis/Denver game and was entertained not by the pigskin conflict on the screen, but by the energetic fans watching the game who cheered loudly for the Colts. Even as a non-football fan they made the game fun to watch. In fact, the one and a half flew by and I left the club and returned to gate 80 for:

Flying
Gate 80
Seat 11F Business Class
767-200, N620UA
Actual Board: 12:42 PM
Actual Depart: 1:17 PM – 3 Minutes Early
Take off 10 minutes after departure

Once again I was treated to a familiar crew as the purser and other F cabin flight attendant from UA 7 the day before were working this flight. While I was settling into the best seat on the plane and sipped my drink, the purser happened by. I flagged him down and mentioned I’d been on flight 7 the day before and thanked him for the excellent job he had done. He burst into smiles and patted my shoulder while telling me he’d remembered me as I’d been “really nice to the crew” in what had been a difficult cabin for them. He then told me not to worry; he and the crew in my aisle were going to “do a great job for you”. Therefore I could hardly wait for the plane to take off for this four hour thirty two minute jaunt back to the place of my birth.

Once airborne, I was not disappointed. As I was sitting at the back of the cabin, my order was taken first and I had a Diet Pepsi and some nuts in my hand before I had a time to wonder if there’d be more cashews than yesterday. The only drawback to my seat was there was no center armrest with a tray on it; however I had the spacious work table to my right and a tray table in the armrest so I was set. After a few minutes time to swirl my drink in my glass and crunch legumes, I received the appetizer tray containing:

To Begin
Sesame shrimp with tahini lime sauce
Goat Cheese Napoleon
- Balsamic vinaigrette with chives

Salad
Fresh Seasonal greens with charred corn salsa
- Asian sesame ginger or creamy Gorgonzola dressing

Once again I found the presentation to be lacking with big plates reminding me of what once was. I enjoyed the shrimp, grouped together at the bottom corner of the plate, with ample space between them and the sauce cup. However, there were only two shrimp (down from three in March) reminding me once again of the fluctuating airline world. The salad was once again excellent as the corn salsa and Gorgonzola dressing went perfectly with it, especially when I added some goat cheese. Almost as soon as my salad fork touched the plate, my dishes were taken and my hot entrée plate was given to me.

Main Course
Turkey sandwich with smoked Swiss and Cheddar Cheese
- Cranberry cabbage slaw and a tomato and olive tapenade

Macadamia nut breast of chicken with raspberry demi-glace
- Fried rice with green beans and juilenned red peppers

Three cheese ravioli with pomodoro sauce and Parmesan cheese
- Sautéed butternut squash with bell peppers

Once again, no sandwiches on flights over 2,000 miles and I’d had chicken yesterday so ravioli would be the choice of the day. Ironically, last July I flew American on this route and I ate ravioli for my meal. While reflecting on this interesting coincidence, I sipped a fine American red wine (I learned my lesson) and consumed the pasta. I wouldn’t quite pronounce it el dente but for an airplane, it made for quite the entrée. As I had come to expect, as soon as my food was done, the tray was removed from my sight and replaced with coffee and the same dessert choices as the previous transcon. Once again I went with ice cream, which was unfortunately this time quite frozen. This made for an interesting pantomime I like to call Angry Hungry Guy with a Spoon. After my tray table was finally vacated, I finished my book and then drifted off for a quiet winter’s nap.

I managed to awake right before the truffles were served (my subconscious would never let me sleep through food) and as I watched the dark sky pass under the plane, the purser came back. In his hand he had his business card on the back of which he’d written “Mr. Kunz 2 days -> 2 trips! Thanks for your loyalty to United. We value your business. Dennis Muir” He even stayed with me for 15 minutes chatting about United and flying in general. When I asked him what passengers in First got, he went and got me a menu and told me to keep it. With a final pat on my shoulder, he left me to go secure the galley up front. While descending I thanked both the flight attendants who worked my aisle and told them they’d done an excellent job. The two of them seemed generally pleased to hear it and they complimented me on being a model passenger. As I always do I enjoyed the descent over Rockaway before landing on a rain swept JFK runway. Our taxi to the gate was brief and I thanked the crew once again (I was the only passenger on the way out referred to by name) and then I found my father who took me back to my loving family’s home.
Scheduled Arrival: 9:21 PM
Actual Arrival: 9:09 PM
Gate 7

CMK10

Preflight
SATURDAY JANUARY 15, 2005
American Eagle Flight 4902
LGA-BUF
Scheduled Departure: 9:30 AM
Scheduled Board: 9:00 AM

I had originally planned to spend this weekend moping about my house as my friends were all either home or out of commission and most of my family was out of town as well. However, American had a $104 fare for a LGA-BUF-LGA trip and with the double miles why not take the trip? Plus Jason and his friend Bob were willing to meet me in Buffalo so it was a done deal. However, things didn’t start off very well as on my way out to the car, Jason called and said his JAX-CLT flight had been delayed and he was now going to try and make it through DCA so he’d be arriving an hour later. Still, there was nothing I could do so I put the worries out of my mind and drove southward towards New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Once there I went to check-in and when I was given my boarding pass with “11A – EXIT” on it, I remarked to the agent the plane had been downgraded from an ER4 to an ERD. When she looked at me as if I had two heads, I said slower that there had been an equipment change. Again, she didn’t seem to know what I was saying so I just thanked her and left. On my way to security I heard her say to her colleague “did you understand what he was saying?” It’s bad when I know more than people in a service business. I was through security easily and spent a half hour reading articles at the gate before we were called to board:

Flying
Gate C4
Seat 11A Main Cabin – Exit Row
ERJ-140, N852AE
Actual Board: 9:02 AM
Actual Depart: 9:32 AM – 2 Minutes Late
Take off 12 minutes after departure

As LGA had been socked by harsh weather the previous two days, Eagle’s operations were still recovering. Some flights were boarding via the hanger line and ours was boarding via air stairs. This meant all 30 some odd passengers had to walk across the tarmac in 25 degree weather, many having to wait outside to board and many not wearing coats. The plane was also freezing and I thanked the Holy Ones that there were blankets on board. Soon enough though we got the heat going and the flight attendant barely was able to get out “Are you…” before I said “Yes I’m ready, willing and able to operate this exit in the event of an emergency”. With her laugh we taxied out and took off into the cold, albeit sunny morning.

The flight was a standard routine Eagle flight. It consisted of a 56 minute trip across Pennsylvania and Upstate New York while we were served snack mix and drinks with the full can if we wished. There was a surprisingly heavy load to go up to Buffalo today but that’s good for American and good for people who want to see this route continue. Presently the seatbelt sign came back on (not that anyone had gotten up during the flight) and we touched down in snowy, icy, coldy Buffalo.
Scheduled Arrival: 10:45 AM
Actual Arrival: 10:43 AM
Gate 14

Preflight
American Eagle Flight 4909
BUF-LGA
Scheduled Departure: 5:22 PM
Scheduled Board: 4:52 PM

I stepped out into the bright terminal of what was my 48th US Airport and 63rd overall and began my walk towards USAirways territory. Along the way I took note of the large gates with ample seating but poor amount of concessions. Even so it seemed like a really nice airside overall. I didn’t have to wait long for Jason and Bob to emerge from their ratty 737-300 and we set off to fully explore the terminal. My earlier inkling was correct that the airside was quite respectable, but the landside left something to be desired. While the check in areas were nice, there was nearly no room for expansion (though who else wants to fly to Buffalo?). Also, the baggage claims were a pit, there were too few claims (the US flight from DCA and WN flight from BWI were sharing a claim) and the area was ill-lighted. Overall, however, it wasn’t a bad airport. Following our tiring spelunking and our even more tiring flights, we decided food was in order. After garnering boarding passes we cleared security without a note that our flights weren’t even boarding yet for hours. After a lunch of damn tasty wings (though Bob claims his were dry), we parked ourselves at an un-used gate at the end of the terminal to view landings and arrivals until Jason and Bob’s A319 to PHL arrived. Too soon it seemed they boarded and I was left to fend for myself.

Even so I managed splendidly as I was able to make headway into my book, a fictional account of what happened to TWA Flight 800. As a side note, is it bad luck to read a book about a plane crash onboard an aircraft? Just as the sun was beginning to leave our skies, an American Eagle ERJ-135 landed and I headed off to the gate. Once there I was greeted with an announcement that the lavatory was in-operative on the plane and they were going to delay boarding a few minutes so people could use the bathroom if need be. Once everyone who needed to had relieved themselves, we were allowed to board:

Flying
Gate 11
Seat 1A, 9A Main Cabin – Exit Row
ERJ-135, N732DH
Actual Board: 4:57 PM
Actual Depart: 5:18 PM – 4 Minutes Early
Take off 10 minutes after departure

Once on board, I had scarcely begun to enjoy my prime seat in 1A with extra legroom, first on first off privileges and two windows before I was approached by the FA. He asked me to volunteer to move to the back due to weight and balance issues. I said I was up here for the legroom and he suggested the Exit Row so I ambled on back there. As soon as I got back there he came aft and thanked me again for “volunteering”. While I wouldn’t call it that, I appreciated the gesture of thanking me a few times. Once I had been put in charge again of exit row operations, we were airborne to return to the Big Apple.

Again another routine Eagle flight (though un-routine things may have happened while I dozed for the first ten minutes of the flight). We were all offered the full can and a pack of snack mix AND pretzels by another one of Eagle’s excellent FAs. The best part about this flight was the approach into New York as we overflew downtown Manhattan and Central Park before landing over the Grand Central Parkway. Nothing beats this approach at night, even San Diego cannot compare. The only negative part of the trip came when our gate was occupied due to our early arrival so we spent 10 minutes taxing up and down the ramp waiting for jets to clear. And then it was over and I was off to go back home for all of 20 hours before returning to Fiorello’s Airport.
Scheduled Arrival: 6:30 PM
Actual Arrival: 6:29 PM
Gate D1

Pics:
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CMK10

Preflight
SUNDAY JANUARY 16, 2005
American Eagle Flight 4902
LGA-DCA
Scheduled Departure: 4:00 PM
Scheduled Board: 3:30 PM

Most people say the hardest part about trips is the goodbye and I agree, but for a different reason. I have no problem with just a handshake and a “see you later” but my mom does not follow my school of thought. After giving many promises to call, I hopped in a cab which took me away from my home and my home town and back to LaGuardia where so many trips had started. Once at the airport, I headed up to the check-in counter and changed my seat on the flight down to DCA to 1A (something I wish we could pre-reserve online) before heading to Concourse C. Incidentally, my flight down to DCA had been scheduled for an ERJ-135 and was now an ERJ-140. This marks my third equipment change of the year and fourth in the last calendar month.

Before I could head through security I ran into my friend Matt Smith, fresh off one of his many non-reving adventures with his mother. After entertaining them for a few minutes I went back into the C Concourse which amazingly hadn’t changed a bit since the last time I was there 31 hours ago! As I’d arrived early and still had time to kill, I took a wander around the concourse. Not much was going on as, is usual for a lazy Sunday afternoon; however there was football on the screens that were usually for CNN so I partook in some gridiron watching. After a quarter of watching the Eagles have a feel good victory, I walked down to the worst Eagle gate (just my luck) and ambled on board:

Flying
Gate C8
Seat 1A Main Cabin
ERJ-140, N824AE
Actual Board: 3:32 PM
Actual Depart: 3:56 PM – 4 Minutes Early
Take off 16 minutes after departure

After dropping off my bag in the jetway, I settled into the rich, plushness of the first seat in the cabin. And then after I stopped my delusions, I realized I was on a two year old ERJ in which everyone walking to the rear of the aircraft bumped me in some way. Oh well, it’s a 214 mile flight, they can’t all be operated by Triple 7’s. After the first 30 revenue passengers boarded, a surge of 11 non-revs all in uniform or wearing ID badges boarded to fill the cabin up to near capacity. At that point we were able to shut the door and push back, alleviating my worries about my 47 minute connection.

After joining a sizeable line for takeoff, we lifted off to the east before swinging around and giving me another panoramic view of New York City. There is no better way to start a trip then to see the beauty of your own city spread out at your feet and on this day it seemed to be saying goodbye to me. Don’t worry New York; I’ll be back in two months. Once the ding went off in the cabin, we were once again reminded we weren’t allowed to get up or there would be serious repercussions. This meant that I couldn’t get to my bag, but I’d stuffed my book into the pocket in front of me so I’d be adequately amused for the 44 minute flight. The FA, however, made sure everyone was happy as he volunteered to get things down for people and did an excellent beverage service offering both pretzels and snack mix and offering the full can to everyone. He even got my name off the manifest and would talk to me by name. I sent a letter to AA congratulating him, something that I hope he’ll get wind of. After an enjoyable half hour sipping my juice and flipping pages we began the descent and suburban Maryland including Andrew’s Air Force Base came into view. And then we were over the Potomac River and our wheels rejoined the earth in Our Nation’s Capital. Unfortunately, as we were early, we had to wait for the gate agent to meet our plane before I could head into the warmth of the terminal.
Scheduled Arrival: 5:13 PM
Actual Arrival: 5:03 PM
Gate 34

Preflight/Transit
American Flight 609
DCA-DFW
Scheduled Departure: 6:00 PM
Scheduled Board: 5:30 PM

After waiting 10 minutes for each bag to be pushed into the jetway, (mine was of course among the last) I laid rubber in the direction of the Admirals Club. Some may say I am stupid for walking to the end of the concourse to use the club for 10 minutes, but I bought this membership and I’ll use it any time I can, damn it! After the aforementioned 10 minutes I tramped back to the gate and joined the cluster of people showing off their “FIRST” adorned boarding passes before us band of brothers were requested to board:

Flying
Gate 30
Seat 5A First Class
MD-80, N592AA
Actual Board: 5:32 PM
Actual Depart: 6:04 PM – 4 Minutes Delayed
Take off 11 minutes after departure

Somehow whenever I’m sitting in the window (which is nearly always), my seatmate beats me to our row. Stupid criticism aside, I accepted the orange juice offered to me and enjoyed the people watching that early boarding provided me. Kudos to the many people utilizing online check in, a good feature to take advantage of! Soon First filled to capacity and coach to about three fourths of capacity and the 90 some odd of us were off the ground heading for The Lone Star State and all the dreams that come with it.

On the way up to 35,000 feet, the pilot reminded us that on “flights out of the Washington area” we weren’t allowed to stand up until 30 minutes out. I decided not to go correct him that it was National only as you can dance in the aisles as early as you like ex-Dulles. Still, the flight attendants were allowed to be up so we were brought our drinks and mixed nuts as a precursor to our dinner. While eating, I watched the ground move by slowly as a tiny hint of sun still winked in the west but soon it was gone until tomorrow. After a few minutes I was a bit disappointed to see them roll a cart down the aisle and serve a single tray containing salad, entrée and dessert. I had been hoping for a three course dinner the likes of which I always enjoy but it was not to be. Instead I got a salad with lettuce, pineapples and peppers with vinaigrette dressing next to my entrée of chicken parmesan (instead of Beef Short Ribs) adjacent to my dessert of apple caramel cheesecake. Overall this dinner was decent; the entrée was excellent and complimented well by the steamed vegetables. The dessert was good as most cheesecakes are but the salad was horrid. I applaud AA for trying something interesting, but the whole thing tasted like the pineapples which I really didn’t want it to. But it was a meal I got off a Q fare so no complaining.

After my tray was taken I was able to sip on and enjoy my red wine and baileys with coffee while Tom Petty soothed my ears all the way into Dallas. It’s good when you are really able to enjoy a flight and as I had my comfortable seat, good music, good book and a decent crew who spent more time in the aisles then most but not enough to warrant a commendation, I really enjoyed my 2 hour 53 minute trek. Soon enough though it was over and we taxied across the cold Dallas tarmac (seriously, it was 32 degrees, I thought it was warm in the south!) before we docked at the gate and I was a mere 868 miles from home.
Scheduled Arrival: 8:29 PM
Actual Arrival: 8:25 PM
Gate C25

Preflight/Transit
American Flight 1955
DFW-PHX
Scheduled Departure: 9:56 PM
Scheduled Board: 9:26 PM

Simply put, Dallas was dead. With only a dozen or so flights left on the night, the airport was emptier than I’d ever seen it. No dodging golf and Smarte carts, no crowded gates, no long lines at Food Courts, just an empty, echoing airport. I liked it in fact; I think I’ll connect here more often later at night. The Admirals Club was still open, until 9:30 at least as they kept reminding us over the PA. Therefore I grabbed some peanuts and a Diet Coke before settling in at one of the computers. The time passed fast as I was able to say “Guess where I am?” to everyone who logged onto AIM. Before I knew it, I was back in the elevator to head to the gate ten minutes early as is standard operating procedure. Unfortunately once at the gate we had a problem, a lack of plane problem. It turned out our ex-TWA 757 was late inbound from Baltimore (probably dodging all the bullets) though it arrived two minutes after I got to the gate. After a short delay during which half the passengers inquired whether there would be food or when we were boarding, we finally managed to board:

Flying
Gate C21
Seat 8A Main Cabin – Exit Row
757-200 (ex-TWA)
Actual Board: 9:40 PM
Actual Depart: 10:03 PM – 7 Minutes Delayed
Take off 12 minutes after departure

As I love to say, people show a sense of camaraderie when there is a delay. Everyone wants to get where they’re going so the plane loads up fast and everyone takes the bin that’s most convenient. In fact we managed to board in less than 20 minutes for a planeload of 120 people, many of which were old. That is no small feat. As we pushed back, I realized for the second time in a row that I had the seat next to me empty on flight to or from Phoenix. While this is good for me, I worry for PHX; we can’t afford to lose any more flights. However I put my worrying aside as the old engines fired up and we were off and I was finally going home back to where all the action is. The smile didn’t leave my face the entire flight.

Once at our safe and comfortable cruising altitude, the flight attendant started the movie. Movie? Now that was odd. I’d been on several PHX-DFW or DFW-PHX flights on 757s (5 in fact) and I’d never heard of a movie being offered before. However, I did not partake in The Bourne Supremacy but it looked like a lot of people did judging by the headphone sales. I instead spent the flight pecking away at my laptop and sipping the drink (with can) I was given and eating the pretzels. As a side note, Rold Gold Pretzels which American serves, are way better than Fishers which Eagle serves. The flight passed quicker than I would have expected and soon we were descending and the glow of the Valley of the Sun began to fill my window. I quickly freshened up in the bathroom (after all I was being picked up by a girl) and stowed my luggage. The descent into Phoenix is among my favorites and it means even more when I’m coming back after a long trip. Mesa quickly gave way to Tempe and ASU glowed at me a little brighter that night before I touched down back at my favorite Harbor. I walked into the terminal and under the sign which reads “Welcome to Phoenix” and I was home.
Scheduled Arrival: 11:21 PM
Actual Arrival: 11:17 PM
Gate 6

dchristiva

Nice writing, and a thoroughly enjoyable trip report. Looking forward to another installment in a few months!

JAXPax

Excellent report as always, Charles.

It was an enjoyable meeting in Buffalo and I hope we can do it again sometime in an equally obscure place (that's what makes it more fun, doesn't it)?

QF WP

CMK10, enjoyed reading your TR. I agree, meeting up with friends at out of the way airports makes the trip so much more interesting. I used to do the same thing with my best friend (whether it was in Australia or somewhere else around the world). Sadly, now we tend to meet at the airport when he's leaving to go back to SIN.

Given your next break, I'm sure you be off to meet up with JAXPax somewhere

Trvlr

Great trip report, as always! Let's meet up for a drink next time I come to JFK (march perhaps?)

Aaron G.

Seat 2A

As always, a thoroughly enjoyable read, Charles. I’ve always enjoyed your writing style and could, for example, easily feel your frustration at being presented a tiny portion of a “jumbo” crab. I also got a kick out of your having to surreptitiously read about the history of Jet Blue. For a good read sometime, may I recommend Airline Design, Identity and Culture

With fifty to sixty AA flights coming up this year, the odds are good that one of these days our paths will cross in some major airport. I’ll look forward to that.

By the way, who’s who in the first picture?

anthonyanthony

Gotta say damn good insightful writing for someone who's only been on this planet for 19 years.