Continental Airlines Flight CO167 Houston, TX (IAH) to Seattle, WA (SEA)
Scheduled Departure: 7:45 AM
Actual Departure: 7:44 AM
Scheduled Arrival: 10:17 AM
Actual Arrival: 10:31 AM
Equipment: Boeing 737-800
Class of Service: First

My upgrade cleared at the 5 day window (W fare) and this would be the start of 6 F flights in a row!

But first I had to get through security. Over the past few months I've found that the IAH TSA agents are increasingly fond of using the NoS instead of the WTMD. Today was no exception. At just after 5:30 AM I arrived at the transit security checkpoint and put all of my stuff on the belt. I saw the the WTMD was roped off so I prepared to opt out.

After opting out they told me to walk through the NoS. I said no, I won't walk through that thing. Two-striper said I would have to go through so I asked for the supervisor. She wasn't very friendly but agreed to let me walk through the WTMD. At this point I was getting frustrated. They made me wait at least 5 minutes before the male assist arrived. He was clearly upset about having to wake up from his nap.

My passport and GRU-IAH boarding pass were sitting in the bin with my laptop. The male assist saw it and said (in an accusatory tone), "What were you doing in Brazil?" I asked if I was required to answer that question and he made a grunt. Once more I asked for the supervisor. Now she was starting to get tired of dealing with me so she told him to finish up. I requested a comment card, grabbed my stuff, and walked off.

Now it was about 5:50 AM, I didn't get any sleep on the plane, and I still had a 4.5 hour flight to SEA.

IAH was deserted this early in the morning so I didn't have to deal with crowds.

IAH ~6:00 AM


After boarding I was surprised that the FAs served pre-departure drinks in actual glasses instead of plastic cups. I don't know if this is a permanent change or just a fluke but I like it!

The standard omelet/cereal breakfast was offered but I didn't feel hungry so I politely declined. The power outlets weren't working but the DirecTV functioned normally.

I was able to get a few hours of sleep on this leg before we landed in SEA. This would be my first time to actually leave the SEA airport in several years so I had some activities planned.