My First (Very long) Trip Report - Vancouver, BC, Canada

Outbound
UA 7577 SYR to IAD Operated by Atlantic Coast
Canadair Regional Jet
06:30 - 07:50
Y class

For this short hop to IAD, I get to the airport at 5:30 with plenty of time to spare...or so I think. I walk to the First/Premier line (no one in line) and wait for about 5 min for the two agents manning Economy counters to finish with their passengers. They helped two groups - one family and one middle age group (6 pax or so). This made it take longer than normal. The 6 or 7 people in the Y line were getting agitated as well. Finally, to my delight, the agent calls "next First Class/Premier please."

This is the first time that a Syracuse agent hasn't ignored me while waiting in the F/Premier line! I greet him, hand over my passport and Mileage Plus card, and he asks the security questions. He is tapping away at the computer for an extraordinarily long time, and I hear the computer spit out a BP... But it wasn't. I peek over the counter and see a BLUE card being placed on his work surface. Oh, great, am I a security selectee? Nope, it's even worse. As I try to read it upside down, it hits me. That's a DEPARTURE MANAGEMENT CARD! Gasp!

He keeps tapping away at the computer, and he prints out two GOLD cards. Then he asks his supervisor (I think), "Why is it printing out a DM card?" The two of them work on it, and Corey (might be Cory), the regular agent, tries several times (unsuccessfully) to force me through the DM list and get a seat. I find out that my flight from IAD to DEN is oversold, and EVERYONE is getting a DM card. Wait, how can that be? I already have a confirmed bulkhead seat in C on a 777, right? Nope, not anymore. Six people have checked in for the flight so far, and I'm number 1 on the list, as there's only 1 other status member, a 2P. Apparently, F is open, C is overbooked by 3 out of thirty something seats (this should have tipped me off, but it didn't), and Y is overbooked by some ridiculously high number.

So, he tries to reroute me through ORD, with no luck. All flights from ORD to YVR are severely overbooked as well. What is this? Is everyone trying to go to YVR now? It wasn�t bad when I booked it, so why now? Must be all those vacationers (myself included). Sigh. I tell them that I'm meeting up with my parents in DEN, so a reroute is not an option.

Corey then says that he might be able to put me in F on my original flight, as seats are available, and I'm thinking, well, if he does that and I manage to snag an F SUITE, they might find out, downgrade me, and I won't have a seat assignment. Before I have a chance to respond, the supervisor says, "wait, he's already been upgraded. It might raise a red flag at IAD, and he might not be able to get that C seat." I'm thinking, Exactly! That's something that I don't want to happen. So, I tell them, "No, I need to get on that flight. Leave me in C, I'm sure (actually, not really) it'll clear at IAD." So, after 15 minutes (or so it seemed) of finding out what to do, Corey puts a First Class bag tag on my suitcase, puts my Y class IAD UX BP, Confirmed C class DEN DM card, and F class YVR BP in a shiny Gold ticket holder.

Sidenote: The DM card showed a BP code of 01A. What does this mean?

I'm off through the 0 minute 0 second wait at SYR's security, and I'm at the gate at 5:50. A pretty cute guy headed for Florida asks me a question about checking in for his return. His blue BP with no MP number tells me that he's inexperienced in traveling. I'm pretty stressed at this point (with the DM card), so I answer him quickly and rather rudely.

The flight itself is uneventful, with only about a third of the plane filled. This flight, we got a Quaker strawberry cereal bar instead of the snack mix that I'm used to. It was a nice change, but I actually like UX's snack mix. We leave the gate early, take off early, and arrive at 7:30 or so, but at the dreadful T gates (we were scheduled for the A gates). I get lost on my way to the mobile lounges, and I get to the C terminal 15 minutes later.

UA 1135 IAD to DEN
777-200 Worldwide (don't know which one) changed to 767-300 Worldwide
08:45 - 10:19
C class

I head straight to the RCC next to the mobile lounge gates, rush to the concierge, only to be told rudely, "you have to go to the gate for that. There's nothing I can do." Needless to say, I was really peeved. I thought the RCC concierges are supposed to assist with your travels in a relaxing and comfortable lounge, not brush you away to wait in line at a crowded gate.

Anyway, off I am to the crowded gate, where a line of about 20 people has formed. I get in at the right time, as the length doubles in two minutes. The seats in the waiting area are all taken. I only wait for about 10 minutes, though, and I get up to the counter at the next gate over (she summoned me) and show my DM card her. She then tells me that I have to wait in the crowded gate area to wait for my name to be called. I then tell her that I would rather be paged in the RCC, at which point, she walks over to the other gate's (the one handling our flight) supervisor and passes on my request. Very nice gesture, but she comes back and apologizes that they'd rather have us in the gate area. But, she says that I can go to the RCC, if I'm back no later than 8:15. I agree, thank her, and move on my way.

Back at the RCC, I rush to the buffet and grab a few muffins, mystery breads, and fruits. I grab a few drinks, down a bottle of Evian, swallow a banana, and stuff the rest of the food in my bag. Before I rush back to the gate, I ask a different (and nicer) concierge to check on my parents' flight. She can't tell me if they're on it or not (security reasons or something), but she says that it left on time and will arrive on time as well. I thanked her, and then ran to the gate.

At the gate, I wait until 8:25-8:30 or so until my name is called. I receive my new BP with a row 5 on it. Then it hit me. It's an equipment change to a 767! That's why everyone was put on the DM list! Ok, that's great. Now, is it a 762 or a 763? I was planning on an internationally configured C seat, and I would be seriously disappointed if it wasn't.

Another sidenote: I don't know why they didn't bother to email or telephone the people on this flight in advance. The flight was zeroed out two days before departure, and I never knew why. Three days prior to the flight, it showed 9s for C and Y. I never received an Easyupdate email to inform me of the changes. It caused severe headaches for everyone.

Fortunately, I get onboard, and I find my new bulkhead C+ seat. I place my bags into the very small overhead, and sit down in the unbearably narrow seat. If given a choice, I would avoid the 767 C seats like the plague. True, these seats had terrific legroom, but the seats were just too narrow. (Mind you, I'm only 160 or so cm tall and 50-odd kg, but I couldn't stand those seats.)

My seatmate was a middle-aged man, traveling on business, but I forgot where he was off to. He was a very nice person, and he definitely traveled a lot (his BP said 1K). Unfortunately, he was asked to switch seats to the rear of the cabin, as a woman who was allergic to cats found her young seatmate carrying a feline onboard. This charming woman was moved to the seat next to mine.

The flight was uneventful as well, except that the Channel 1 movie was inop, they sub'd it with another one, but they found out that the Channel itself was messed up, so they decided to move it to Channel 9, just while I was watching the program. The nerve. I wonder if the Spiderman tape was damaged or if it was just the channel. I would've liked to see that movie again.

Oh, btw, no pre takeoff drinks for C, and my original seatmate had to wait for eternity to get his coat hung up. Service was at best mediocre. An interesting discovery with the food service, though. My seatmate and I found it amusing that the knives were silver colored, with the United logo! We were cracking up for a while before we started to eat. If this is how United wants to spend its money, then it's no wonder they're in trouble. I'�m perfectly fine using the white or black plastic knives (although I�d prefer real silverware), but this is just ludicrous.

The breakfast choices were the fruit plate or the egg dish. I can't remember what the egg dish was called (probably the bistro eggs), but it was good. The fruit appetizer tasted fresh on this flight. The bagel was the same pitiful looking creature that I would call something else. It tasted fine though...with the cream cheese, of course.

Anyway, we landed at DEN at around 10:40, 20 minutes late, where I found my parents waiting for me at the gate.

UA 1037 DEN to YVR
757-200
11:15 - 13:00
F class

I was planning to check out the RCC in DEN, but I skipped it as we were boarding already.

Pre departure drinks offered by a relatively young and friendly F class F/A. I didn't get to chat with the other F/A. Although she made several mistakes (either I wasn't clear or she had trouble hearing), she was a very pleasant F/A. I saw meals being taken by status, and I think that there were a few 1Ks (about 4 or 5 in F) on this flight. I doubt there were any in back, because they didn't get any food, and several F seats were open. I was by far the youngest pax in F, as most were middle age or seniors (including my parents). The rear, however, was filled with families, business people, and in general, younger pax. The meal selections were the chef salad (I think) and the chicken sandwich. I chose the sandwich, which was rather difficult to eat (those huge pieces of bread). I don't know what kind of bread UA uses for their sandwiches, but it should be changed - impossible to eat. But, other than the size, the sandwich was good. Eli's cheesecake was delicious, but I had already eaten too much.

A few short subjects were shown, but I didn't watch them. I listened to Channel 9 the whole way. I would have watched a movie on my laptop, but the power ports were all covered up.

The seat next to me was empty, and it wasn't too full up front, but coach was booked full. While I felt stupid to use my miles on the outbound, I'm glad I did, or else I may have not gotten to sit in C from IAD to DEN.

Once we got to YVR, we had to wait for my brother, who used AS for his trip from the west coast.

Vancouver
Day 1

Wow. That was my first reaction to the city. I'd been to Vancouver once before, and I didn't do much other than watch movies at my friend's place. This time was different. My entire family was impressed with this beautiful city. Nature right alongside a city. Very interesting but terrific combination. But, of course, we were all very tired from our flights (9 hours for my parents and I), so we went to sleep early.

Of course, we went shopping first. The Hertz agent gave us completely WRONG directions to get to Costco, so it took 30-40 minutes trying to get off a highway and find where the h*ll we were. A kind man in a Staples (or Office Depot or something) parking lot told us where the Costco was, and we went shopping.

Day 2
The first day we went to Grouse Mountain, passing by the Capilano Suspension bridge on the way. We found a pay parking spot, and my dad spent days trying to get the machine to accept his credit card. In the end, we found enough coins for the $4 day parking (not bad price). My brother didn't think we'd be there for more than 2 hours, so he wanted to get a 2 hour pass (fortunately, the rest of us decided against it, just in case).

We walked up to the gondola building, and we had just missed it. We purchased the tickets for $24 each (!!). In our minds, we were thinking, why on earth would it cost so much to go up a stupid mountain? Were we wrong or what. The 8-minute journey to an altitude of (I believe) 1,200 meters (or something like 150 meters from the top) was spectacular. Excellent views of Vancouver marveled us.

When we reached the top, we grabbed a quick breakfast for my brother, who had missed out earlier, and then watched a Kodak video presentation on Grouse Mountain and Vancouver. This was a great way to start off the day. After the video, we roamed around the souvenir shops a bit, and then we headed off to explore the rest of Grouse. We got to the bird show just in time, as they were in the middle of presenting several different birds. We got to see an eagle, a hawk, a vulture, and some others. After this was over, we headed over to the bear habitat (a small enclosure), but the bears were sleeping at the time. We waited until the lumberjack show started.

The lumberjack show was interesting, but the acting was kinda obvious. It's basically two (hot) guys competing on axe-throwing, log sawing, log climbing, etc. It was actually entertaining. At the end, they had another competition where they would try to kick one another off a log in a small pool. One of the guys slipped on the log, fell, and hit his *$%&# in the process. I don't know if it was part of the gig, but it looked like he was in pain (Yes, for those of you who don't know, it does hurt).

We used the chairlifts to the top of Grouse, and watched people paraglide(?) parasail(?) from the top. It was a spectacular sight. We stood there for an hour or so, getting tanned and enjoying the view.

We went back down, and we saw the bears being fed while we were on the chairlifts. We finally caught a glimpse at these marvelous creatures. They were pretty cute and playful. All of us were glad that we got to see them before we left. On our way to the gondolas, we passed the lumberjack show again and saw them doing the same routine. We never got to see whether or not the fall was a genuine one or simply acting.

After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed down the gondola. I noticed that there were A LOT of teenagers/twenty-something ppl working here. I guess it's a popular spot for a summer job. I miss my summer jobs... but not to worry, I still have another one coming.... Anyway, in the future, I would like to hike up this mountain. It's just so wonderful.

On our way back to the city, we ran into a traffic jam right in front of the Capilano bridge area. The parking lot was packed with buses and cars, and there was a HUGE line leading up to the ticket counter. We decided to pass on the bridge and head out to search for the Hatchery, which we didn't find that day. The Lions Gate (?) Bridge was packed with cars trying to go southbound. Four lanes of traffic had to merge into one, and it wasn't a pretty site. Fortunately, while we were on the bridge, the center lane was opened up for the southbound traffic. I feel for those who have to do this commute every day.

We had some delicious Japanese food that evening, stuffing ourselves. The bill ran at $120 or so Canadian, which was very good for the 4 of us. Although, like many North American Japanese restaurants, they had questionable items deep-fried, the food was great. And, the fish was fantastic. Oh, don't forget the beer! It was good Asahi, but it was produced in the Czech Republic (imported, but not from where you'd expect). My father said it tasted different from the Asahi he was used to, but I couldn't tell - it's been a few months since I had Asahi (and I don't like beer that much). Oh yes, one advantage of Canada is that the legal drinking age is lower than the US! Well, actually, AFAIK, every other country in the world has a lower age of majority when compared to the US... Anyway, I can't remember the name of the restaurant, though...

Day 3
At the advice of my friends, we headed to Stanley Park. This place was wonderful. We used our car, and I regret doing that. I think that we should have rented mountain bikes instead, but my parents probably wouldn't have been able to handle it. We headed to the aquarium, where we saw many marine creatures. We even got to see the new baby beluga whale. And, part of the "aquarium" includes a section on butterflies and birds; and a snake (!). We spent several hours here, but it was packed with families (mostly with younger kids).

We walked along a path to the totem poles. We mingled in with a tour group, and listened in as the guide described the history. After a long stay in the souvenir shop, we walked back to our car and headed back.

This night, we explored a food court of primarily Chinese food. The prices were unbelievably low, and a $5.00 Canadian meal from a Korean stall yielded a huge pile of food. It was delicious, but I couldn't finish it. Everyone else was stuffed as well.

Day 4
We drove to Granville Island to take a charter boat out fishing. My first thought, oh great, we get to go on a small, old motorboat and I'll get seasick (again). Nope, we get on this large, comfortable, and new-looking boat. This day we were to go troll fishing (is that right?) for King Salmon. Sounds fun, right? Wrong.

One hour after going out, it hits. I'm sick. The boat kept moving up and down, up and down. The seas were calm (apparently), but it didn't matter to me. The rest of the five hours was complete h*ll. Not just for me but for my mother as well. We ended up not catching anything, even after 5 hits. According to my brother and father, the captain neglected his duties as a guide and took control of EVERYTHING, not giving us any chance to do things for ourselves. They weren't impressed with him. He was an able fisherman and captain, but a miserable choice as a customer service rep. Sure, his job is to take us out fishing, but all he did was fish himself and not let the customers do anything.

Anyhow, after the fishing trip, we spent some time in Granville Island so we could check out the guys and girls. Just kidding. (Well, my brother did hear that Vancouver has many beautiful women. Indeed, Vancouver does have many attractive people, both male and female.) So, after our trip, we grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, which had delicious food. I was torn between a Seafood Caesar Salad and Seafood Chowder, but I chose the salad, which was a good choice. The rest of the family had burgers �Emeat or salmon, not very original...

We roamed around Granville Island in the blazing hot weather, window-shopping. Well, my parents did buy quite a few things here. We stopped by a tattoo stall, where my father, brother, and I were very amused with some of their offerings. The Chinese characters on display were written horribly. A lot of times it is hilarious to see people walking around with tattoos or shirts with characters. Many don't make sense in Chinese or Japanese. I guess it's the same thing as Japanese wearing absolutely meaningless English shirts or posting English signs. If they weren't so vulgar, it'd almost be funny. Well, if the person/people displaying these think that they are meaningful, then I suppose it's ok.

After Granville Island, we decided to visit a Suspension Bridge. No, not the Number 1 Tourist Trap Capilano Suspension Bridge. We went to a FREE one, but I have no clue what it's called. It's isolated, in a place you'd never think would have a suspension bridge. Parking was very limited, but we found a spot. The bridge was narrow and short, but it was a h*ll of a lot better than paying a ton of money just to be surrounded by a hundred strangers.

After crossing the bridge, we followed others down to the river, where a bunch of people were swimming and diving. It was a beautiful place. After an hour stay, we set out to do more shopping.

Day 5
For our final day in Vancouver, we set out to explore the hatchery, which we were finally able to locate on a map. Once we drove there, we found out why we didn't find it before. The sign was only visible from one direction, as was the access route. It was a bumpy road to get there, but we arrived there safely. The views were fantastic. You could see the salmon jumping out of the water in the stream below.

Several displays guided us into the hatchery, and we got to see various types of salmon of all sizes. Quite an interesting experience. Although there wasn't really that much to see, I thought it was worth the trip. We visited the small tourist trap, oh I mean, souvenir shop. We bought a ton of smoked salmon, figuring that we wouldn�t stop by a grocery store later on. I forgot to buy salmon and crab pat�Eand maple syrup, which I had planned. Oh well. I also bought some stuffed animal souvenirs for my housemates, which I hope they'll like.

By the time we finished our tour, we set out for an apparently very good Chinese restaurant, Kirin. We went to their branch in City Square, and we had the most fabulous meal. The dim sum (dian xin) was delicious. We also ordered other items, including a Shark's fin dumpling soup. Everything we had was extraordinary. No wonder this restaurant is so popular. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, as we were by several people. We were so stuffed that we weren't looking forward to the dinner appointment we had that night.

But were we wrong or what. My father's friend took us to a fantastic restaurant in Stanley Park, umm... something Cafe. Definitely a high-end restaurant, but the prices seemed reasonable ($10 Canadian for appetizers, $18-$30 for entrees). We picked out a California Chardonnay, the Roger something (you can tell my memory was affected by the alcohol. Too bad my parents took the corks...). Of the wines listed, I had only tried the Kendall Jackson before (plus a few of the bubblys, including Domaine Chandon, Moet, and Veuve), but my brother wanted the Roger. It was a good choice, and all of us enjoyed this $50 bottle. My brother and I were the tasters. I had smoked salmon as my appetizer and chose Lobster Ravioli for my entr�e. Both were absolutely delicious, and I had no room left for dessert. Vancouver food, especially this day's, was absolutely unbelievable. Our bill ran to about $65 Canadian per person, including the wine, so it wasn't bad. After dinner, we had to get packed for our trip back.

The Return
UA 1032 YVR to ORD
757-200
06:35 - 12:30
F class

We got to the airport at 5:00, but we had trouble returning our rental car. No one was in the office. After a few min, we figured it out, though.

We went on our way to the Intl/USA terminal, and once we arrived, we saw hoards of people all over the place. Quickly, we went and filled out our customs forms, and lined up in the F/Premier line (no one in front of us, except those being served). Only one person manned this line, while about 8 others served the Y line. The group in front of us took forever, and I was finally called up to a Y counter; my parents were eventually called up to the F counter. We received totally different treatment. I had to remind the agent to put a priority tag on my bag (yeah, I know, it doesn't make a difference, but hey, it makes you feel better.), put my tickets in an F class ticket holder (she put it in a blue one), and direct me to the MLL. I get in the long line for passport/destination checks and wait for my parents, only to see them with a GOLD ticket holder (as opposed to my silver), F class luggage tags (vs my Priority), and a Fast Track invitation stamped on their BPs (mine wasn't stamped).

Ok, so I'm being picky and elitist, but you'd expect to get the same treatment, right? I do make use of the ticket holders at home, and I have a collection of the silver ones, but very few Gold ones. The real thing that annoyed me was that they got fast track invitations whereas I didn't. (They were in F as a 1P and a 2P, and I was in F as a 1P) It would have sped up the process, so we could relax in the MLL.

Anyway, after a 30-minute pass through immigrations, customs, and security, we headed for the MLL... only to find it CLOSED. Their website says that it opens at 5:30, but obviously it hasn't been updated - the sign said it opens at 6:00 EVERY DAY. Terrific. I finally get the chance to explore the superior MLL, and I can't. Many other people were very annoyed that they couldn't go there and grab a cup of coffee and breakfast. Anyway, we took a seat near the Starbucks and talked with my brother before we had to leave for our flight. When we passed the MLL again at 6:05, people were still waiting in front of it. What a great way to tick off passengers by making your lounge unavailable before a * partner flight (which was an AC codeshare, btw)

I overheard someone saying that they were pre boarding F and Premiers, so we went in line. Many people were in line for boarding, and several people cut in front of us too (how rude). Anyway, at the gate reader, quite a few people were being turned away. All had gold BPs, btw. Y+ but not Premier. They made another reminder announcement for pre boarding. It's a pretty straightforward announcement: "First Class, Premiers, and Star Alliance Gold members." If you have F printed on your BP, you're a go. If you have Premier on it, in any form, you're a go. If you have *G printed on your BP or have a *G card, you're a go. Is it that difficult to understand?

Anyway, my dad was selected (I think) for gate screening. They were about to choose the young lady in front of me, but she was a non MP Y+ pax, rejected by the gate reader agent. So, instead, they chose my dad. We got on the plane with no problems, and I notice that this time F is filled with younger pax and families. We were offered pre takeoff coffee or juice, and newspapers were on the armrests of every F seat. The cabin F/A informed me that Channel 9 wasn't working (the empower ports were again covered on this flight, btw), so it wouldn't be on. Oh well, at least I got to watch a few of the short subjects (I skipped the movie), one of which was about tennis. Unfortunately, I missed the blurbs on several players (Lleyton(?) Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Anna Kournikova, etc), though.

The breakfast was somewhat repulsive. Meal orders were taken fore to aft, prior to takeoff. (The choices were fruit plate and cereal or one of the ever-popular egg dishes - today it was quiche.) The fruit appetizer was bland, the crepe like egg thing was disgusting, and the bacon/ham a bit too oily. The quiche was ok, but I didn't want to finish it. The bagel, I'm happy to report, was a NORMAL and EDIBLE one. It wasn't too warm when it got to me, but it was adequate. The breads were brought out on a trolley (!) with coffee, tea, water, and juices on it as well. I thought that it was nice to have these come back.

Service from the younger cabin F/A was good, but the attitude of the galley F/A was horrible. I'm glad she was in the galley for most of the flight. She was older, probably in her 50s, and had thick glasses covering her glaring stares. A mother and daughter sat in the row in front of me, and mid-flight they decided to have the father come and switch with the daughter. (Btw, during meal orders, the mother asked if it would be ok to have her husband in Y be served her F meal, as she didn't want to eat. The young F/A apologized to her, saying that it wasn't allowed, in a very nice manner IMO.) The matron stared at the couple for a long time, before informing her colleague. When the pleasant F/A (who apparently didn't seem to mind) went to use the lav, the matron confronted the illegal squatter and ordered him back to where he belonged. Moments later, the daughter returned.

While seat swapping may not be allowed, it was completely inappropriate for the F/A to act in a "get the h*ll out" manner. A simple, "I'm sorry, but we don't allow passengers to switch seats in flight. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to move back to your original seat," would have sufficed.

Later on, towards landing, the same F/A catches me using a calculator (while calculating our bills for my parents). I completely forgot that we were 15 minutes to landing, and she points her finger in my face and orders, "Turn that off." She could have said, "I'm sorry, we will be landing soon. Could you please turn off your calculator?" It would leave a much better impression, and it doesn't confront nor threaten the passenger.

So, all in all, not a terrific flight. We arrive at ORD roughly on time, and we head for the C concourse RCC.

UA 1738 ORD to SYR
737-300 (I think)
14:10 - 16:54
F class

We arrive at the RCC reception, clear right through, and head for the sofas. We chose a very bad spot to sit, right under the A/C. It was freezing the entire time we were there. We should have just moved... Anyway, I didn't see any of the nasty chips/salsa or the stale vegetable sticks, but I did see a bunch of fruit piled up. Plus, Quaker cereal bars, like the one I had on my UX flight, were in a basket as well. Oh, don't forget the blue and gold nut/pretzel/snack mixes.

I had a few pieces of fruit and a bag of the snack mix and just relaxed w/ my parents until they left.

After about an hour, I bid farewell to my parents, on their way to a different flight. I stayed for a bit, then headed to the concierge to see if my flight was overbooked. Sure enough, it was, but she said it was against policy to say how overbooked it was (very weird). She asked if I wanted to volunteer, and I asked what the compensation was. Guess what she said? Yup, the free ticket. I asked if vouchers would be available, but she replied, "NO VOUCHERS ARE GIVEN OUT ANYMORE." Huh? Ok, fine then. I guess I won't be volunteering. Thanks and goodbye.

I went to the gate, and the monitors didn't show any signs for needing volunteers, so I didn't bother them at the podium. (Plus, I didn't want to wait for another 4 hours in the RCC if I did get bumped.) We boarded late, but I got settled into my seat with the offer of a pre departure drink. Channel 9 was up and running, but power ports were again covered.

Our departure was delayed by the fact that only half of the runways were being used (or something to that effect), and that departures and arrivals were using the same runways. So, this delayed our arrival into Syracuse by about 15-20 minutes. Service was the normal short hop F, and I slept most of the way, as we had to get up at 4:00am to go to the airport.

Once we arrived in Syracuse, bags took forever. I am always seriously disappointed with baggage handling at this airport. It's so small, yet it takes forever for them to deliver bags. We get in at 17:10. Bags start coming out at 17:35. Mine doesn't emerge until 17:50. In fact, I think they made a conscious effort to withhold all the Priority bags, because not a single one came out until 17:49. And mind you, there weren't that many. I am disgusted at how baggage is (mis)handled. Fortunately, my ride patiently waited for me.

I definitely regret using miles for my return. I would have done just fine with 500 milers. Oh well. That's life, I guess. My parents, OTOH, probably wouldn't have cleared for F on their flights (our mutual YVR flights would�ve been fine). F was down to 2 at the 100-hour mark for the outbound (0 on departure day), and it was 0 for the return right before we started the trip. As a 1P and 2P on a very low coach fare, I doubt they would have made it.

Secondary Security Searches at Checkpoint: 1 (3 YTD)
Gate Security Searches: 0 (4 YTD)
U/G flights: 4 (21 YTD)
UX flights: 1 (5 YTD)

* * * * *

All in all, this family trip was fantastic. It was the first one in many years, and I�m glad that we chose Vancouver. Ok, so part of it was for the status miles, but who cares? If I have the chance, I'd definitely return - and for a longer period. By the way, the weather was fantastic in Vancouver. It was sunny/partly cloudy with highs of 22-28 (Celsius) for our entire trip.

Well, that's my first (and long) trip report. Thanks for bearing with me, and let me know how it was!

[This message has been edited by Tennen (edited 08-19-2002).]

It took me forever to submit this. I kept on getting error messages that I had too many images! I had to delete 4 or so, until I was down to 4 or something. Very strange. Oh well.

[This message has been edited by Tennen (edited 08-19-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Tennen (edited 08-19-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Tennen (edited 09-21-2002).]