February 12, 2010
Horizon Airlines Seattle – Spokane 700a – 807a DHC-8-400 Economy Class
Horizon Airlines Spokane – Portland 840a – 1000a DHC-8-400 Economy Class
Horizon Airlines Portland – Seattle 1100a – 1140a CRJ-700 Economy Class
Alaska Airlines Seattle – Washington DC 205p – 955p 737-800 First Class
Most of Horizon’s flights from Seattle depart from the C2 complex of gates, conveniently located at the head of the C concourse, less than a minute’s walk from Alaska’s Boardroom or the central food court. This is especially true of the Portland Shuttle flights, almost all of which depart from C2B/D. Unfortunately, almost all of the Spokane flights seem to depart from over on the older, narrower and more distant B Concourse. Oh well. At least there are some exercise benefits to be had from the longer walk.
So, my day started out with a quick triangle of flights from Seattle to Spokane to Portland and back to Seattle, followed by the transcon across to Washington, DC. I look forward to the short flights, though not so much to my exit row window seat on the long flight. A lot of people would look at an itinerary like this and get stressed over all the connections. Granted, most people would never fly a routing like this, but then when one’s in pursuit of miles, it’s surprising what can be endured. Having gotten a better sleep last night than I would have gotten had I been in Spokane, I arrived at B3 reasonably bright eyed and ready to go. With no baggage checked, my connections in Spokane and Portland should be no big deal. Indeed, I rather like the idea of getting off one plane long enough to have a good stretch, perhaps enjoy a cup of coffee, and then be on my way again.
And so it was today as we whisked over to Spokane in just 42 minutes, arriving early enough that I had time to wash up in the deserted restroom facilities on the upper level and then grab a leisurely cup of coffee at the gate side Starbucks concession. Then it was off to Portland aboard N415QX, allowing me to cross another Horizon Dash 8 off my list. Our arrival at 9:50am left me plenty of time to sit down to breakfast at the Laurelwood Public House and Brewery. This restaurant/bar is conveniently located right in the heart of Portland’s A Concourse, from which all of Horizon’s flights operate. I’d walked by it so many times in years past but had never eaten here. Although it was a bit early to sample their locally brewed ales, I thoroughly enjoyed my excellent Denver omelet as well as the top notch service from the ladies working the floor. When I come back through here in a couple of days, I’m definitely going to order the Tree Hugger Skillet. The couple across from me had it and it looked delicious.
Flight time to Seattle aboard SkyWest’s ex-Horizon CRJ-700 was 34 minutes – no better or worse than flying aboard the Dash 8s. In fact, I’ve timed a Dash 8 SEA-PDX flight at 27 minutes, possibly faster than any jet I’ve flown on this route. Granted, the 129 mile distance between Portland and Seattle doesn’t give jets any time to maximize their speed, so the Dash 8 makes perfect sense for this route. It’s hard to believe that back in the seventies, the Seattle to Portland route was routinely flown with large four engine aircraft. I’ve even flown it in all three widebodies (United DC-10, Eastern L-1011 and Northwest 747).
With all flights operating on time, I had plenty of time to rendezvous in the Boardroom with a friend who was passing through Seattle on her way to Denver. After seeing her off, I relocated to the United Club, conveniently located in the basement of the North Satellite from whence Alaska’s flight 2 to Washington National routinely departs from.
Once again I found myself ensconced in an Economy Class seat for the four hour and fifty minute flight over to Washington. As I mentioned earlier, this route is one of the hardest – perhaps the hardest in Alaska’s system on which to score an upgrade. Still, I’m feeling pretty comfortable back here in exit row 15C and I’m also looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow since my flight to LA doesn’t depart until 9:15am.
February 13, 2012
Alaska Airlines Washington DC – Los Angeles 915a – 1205p 737-800 First Class
Alaska Airlines Los Angeles - Seattle 315p – 552p 737-800 First Class
Horizon Airlines Seattle – Spokane 800p – 859p DHC-8-400 Economy Class
And sleep in I did until the airport police stopped by to inform me that despite the relative obscurity of my chosen campsite, they’d really prefer I be up and at ‘em by 7:00am. Yes, officer.
Being up a little earlier than planned allowed me that much more time to check out Delta’s Sky Club, located upstairs above gate level in terminal B. As always, there was a pot of fresh hot oatmeal and a nice selection of mini-breakfast muffins available. Since both of my upgrades came through today, I limited myself to a coffee and orange juice in anticipation of the more sizeable hot breakfast to be offered on Alaska’s flight to LA. A wide selection of newspapers and magazines was available, so I grabbed a copy of last month’s Business Traveler magazine and retired to a comfy chair by one of the large picture windows that provided an excellent view of the ramp below.
Business Traveler magazine has a section called Tried and Tested where the First or Business Class products of various airlines are reviewed. Prior to discovering FlyerTalk back in 2001, BT was one of my best sources of information about premium class airline services. Interestingly, I discovered FlyerTalk after Googling “Trip Reports” after seeing the term used in a BT article. A link then led me to a report by one time Trip Report Forum luminary
tfung, whose well written and well photographed reports made him one of the best trip reporters I’ve ever read here at FlyerTalk.
Down at the gate, a large crowd was gathered and even though boarding had probably been underway for some time, the small gate lounge looked more than a bit overwhelmed by the crush of humanity. I picked up a couple of newspapers and then took advantage of the First Class/MVP line to skip the long line of people still waiting to board.
Once settled into my seat, my seatmate took notice of my two newspapers and offered me any of his six different papers if I so chose. He then proceeded to rattle off the names of each of his papers – all of them high powered business or political journals that I would never ever read with the occasional exception of the Wall Street Journal. I couldn’t help but sense that he was showing off or at the very least yanking my chain a bit, so I pointed to my comparatively pedestrian copy of USA Today and reminded him of that time honored adage: “If it’s in USA Today, it must be true!” I then took a quick look around us as if to ensure nobody was listening and then confided that I only looked at the pictures anyway. He had a good laugh over that and then pretty much ignored me the rest of the flight. No problem there.
Breakfast would be served on this five hour and twenty minute flight to Los Angeles. Menus had been distributed just prior to pushback and I was disappointed to see that the two main choices were the same as what had been being served on my five flights to Boston from Portland and Seattle last month. It’s not that I didn’t care for the choices so much as I was simply looking forward to something different. Oh well. I’ll have the Caramelized Onion Strata please. The other option was the two mini-quiches. I liked the onion strata better because it was accompanied by sausage and asparagus whereas the quiches were served with a single small wedge of tomato. The service was very good as our coffee cups were never left wanting and our trays were cleared promptly once we were finished.
Outside the airplane it was a nice day for flying. The skies were clear over much of the country as we sped westward, and with the assistance of flightaware.com I watched as we passed right over Alamosa and Monte Vista, Colorado where my rental car had broken down just nine days ago. We landed in Los Angeles about fifteen minutes early and I headed upstairs to Alaska’s Boardroom where hot soup, cold beer and a great view of the LAX tarmac could be found in abundance.
Next month Alaska will be moving into its new home in Terminal 6. While I’m definitely looking forward to enjoying the newly refurbished and improved facilities available there, I’ll sorta miss old Terminal 3. It’s like a living museum – a window into LAX as it was back in the 1960s and 70s. But, it’s also an outdated and aging facility in serious need of a facelift. It’ll no doubt get that in the coming months and then I can look forward to coming back and seeing the new Terminal 3. In the meantime, I also have fond memories of the old Terminal 6 which I used to fly out of regularly back in the 1970s aboard Continental and Hughes Airwest, the primary tenants of the building back then. It’ll be interesting to see how much the building has changed with the new improvements. I particularly look forward to checking out Alaska’s new lounge facilities.
Having stocked up on chicken gumbo soup and salad in the Boardroom, I decided to pass on the turkey sandwich that was being served on the flight up to Seattle. A couple of Bloody Marys did nicely in accompanying me through one hundred pages or so of John Grisham’s latest legal thriller. Upon landing in Seattle, I stopped by the Boardroom to pick up a fax I’d been sent, then headed over to B3 for the flight to Spokane. An hour later I stepped off the plane into a cold, windy night. Thankfully the Ala Cart baggage was ready and waiting by the time I’d disembarked. I hurried inside and, after a short consultation with the local constabulary, returned to my quiet spot upstairs but on the other side of the hallway. I was sleeping comfortably just a couple of hours later.
February 14, 2012
Horizon Airlines Spokane – Portland 840a – 1000a DHC-8-400 Economy Class
Horizon Airlines Portland – Seattle 1100a – 1140a CRJ-700 Economy Class
Alaska Airlines Seattle – Washington DC 205p – 955p 737-800 Economy Class
February 15, 2012
Alaska Airlines Washington DC –Seattle 755a – 1045a 737-800 Economy Class
Horizon Airlines Seattle – Spokane 100p – 200p DHC-8-400 Economy Class
Wash, rinse, repeat. None of my longer flights upgraded and aside from this being my third trip to Washington in the past five days, there really wasn’t anything worthy of reporting. I had the next day off – no flights to anywhere! - and so upon arrival in Spokane I booked a room through Travelocity’s Secret Hotels where I ended up at the airport Ramada Inn. The next two days were spent in and around snowy Spokane.
On the topic of hotels, I would like to say that over the years I’ve grown a bit leery of Ramada Inns. I have stayed in some that were very poorly run and, perhaps because their price was lower than many of the surrounding properties, they seemed to attract some of the worst clientele – i.e. idiots young and old who couldn’t appreciate that they were in a public setting rather than a private home and so carried on noisily and drunkenly into all hours of the night, be it in the hallways or in their rooms.
Most of you who’ve read my past reports will know that I have no qualms about staying at budget properties. I’d like to think I have a discerning eye and pick some pretty decent places but the fact remains that many of the places I consider decent hotels or motels would not be acceptable to most FlyerTalkers. I understand. I myself know people who actually think that flying in economy on international flights is perfectly acceptable while I think that even Business Class is slumming it compared to flying First Class on airlines like Cathay Pacific. I’m still trying to come to grips with the fact that next week I’m flying all the way to Brisbane and back in Economy.
But I digress. The Ramada Inn at Spokane International Airport deserves kudos for being the nicest Ramada Inn I have ever stayed at. Everyone – from the maid to the bartender to the front desk staff was both very presentable in appearance as well as being very polite and efficient. Whoever runs this hotel deserves a medal! A letter singing their praises is forthcoming to both the hotel and Ramada’s corporate offices.
One thing that’s odd though is that this hotel is described as a “waterpark”. From what I could see, there was a swimming pool and an 8 foot tall slide into the pool. This was hardly a waterpark. No complaints here though as waterparks generally include lots of noisy children running about.
February 17, 2012
Horizon Airlines Spokane – Seattle 930a – 1040a DHC-8-400 Economy Class
Alaska Airlines Seattle – Washington DC 205p – 955p 737-800 First Class
I love mid-morning departures. With no alarms going off at some dreadful hour of the morning, I get to sleep in. Today my alarm went off at 7:30am. I took a leisurely shower, enjoyed a hot breakfast in the hotel dining room and then caught the shuttle van out to the airport.
So – two more roundtrips to Washington, DC and then I’m finally done. It certainly has been a long haul! I left Fairbanks on January 13th and have been on an airplane all but eight days since then. About a week ago, USA Today had an article in their Business section about so-called “extreme flyers” focusing primarily on some folks who had attended a OneWorld Mega-Do. Their itinerary had them flying to New York, London, Dallas, Seattle and Los Angeles – all in just a few short days. The article went on to gush reverentially about one guy who’d flown roundtrip from Austin to San Francisco via Dallas in a single day! I wonder what they’d have written about me if they’d have known – I probably would have been written up in the mental health section. Austin to San Francisco in a single day – pffft! On this trip alone I’ve done five PDX/SEA to BOS single day round trips.
Seriously though, hats off to anyone who’s willing to do a mileage run and not be too embarrassed to talk or write about it. That’s the part that always gets me – people who feel awkward or embarrassed about flying for the sake of mileage. What are they – too grown up to be associated with such frivolity? What’s to be embarrassed about? Oh, it’s not normal. So what? But what will people think? Who cares? We’re up in First Class while they’re jammed into a coach seat. Let them be normal back there as we eclectics get wined and dined like plutocrats while ensconced in the lap of luxury, sometimes for less than they’re paying back in economy all because we’re just weird enough to have taken the time to apply ourselves a bit towards something that we enjoy. Normal is overrated and conformity is stultifying. If you’ve got a freak flag, go ahead and fly it high and proud!
As for me, sure, I like flying, but my days of flying simply for the sake of flying (as with those Unlimited Mileage Fares of the 70s) are for the most part behind me – unless some incredible deal comes up overseas that allows me to fly aboard a whole bunch of airlines that I’ve never flown before. Or if I won free First Class for life aboard Cathay Pacific – I guess I’d just move into Suite 2A, like those eccentric billionaires who just buy a room at some swank Florida hotel for the winter. No - this trip is all about mileage accrual and frankly it’s been hard work at times. Most people would never subject themselves to 82 flights worth of domestic US air travel in four weeks, but the payoff of course is that by the time I get home to my humble abode in the spruce forests outside Fairbanks I’ll have deposited quite a significant amount of mileage to my account. And then, the real fun will be traveling in the lap of luxury after having spent some of those miles on international First Class air travel. But that’s another trip report for another time.
*** *** *** *** ***
Back in April of 1997, I was aware that both my 1000th flight upon United
and my one millionth mile flown upon United would both be coming up in the same week. I knew Joe Hopkins, United’s PR man, from back when I did the 50 State Marathon, so I sent him a package with copied pages from my flight log detailing every flight I’d flown upon United. I thought he might get a kick out of it, especially the coincidence of my 1000th flight and millionth mile coming just three flights apart. About two weeks later I got a call from United’s Anchorage Station Chief asking if I’d mind if they commemorated my feat with a small reception at the gate. Sure, that’d be really cool!
On the day of flight, I checked in a bit early and was met by a lady from the Anchorage Sales Office. She presented me with a nice leather tote bag bearing United’s logo. I was also informed that I’d been upgraded to First Class on that morning’s flight to San Francisco. Finally, down at the gate, there were two big cakes and a couple of coffee urns. A small speech was made by the station chief and I was presented a plaque commemorating my 1000 flights with United. I took a bow and thanked United for all the great times I’d had in the friendly skies and then all of us had coffee and cake. It was a very nice gesture by United, an airline that for the most part I’ve had very favorable experiences with.
Today marks my 1000th flight on Alaska Airlines. It’s taken me thirty-seven years since my first flight back in 1976 from Seattle to Juneau aboard a 727-100 emblazoned with a red miner on the tail. That flight also marked my first ever trip to Alaska and at the time I could never have known that Alaska would someday become my home or that I’d one day log 1000 flights with them, much less any other airline. Indeed, back then, the idea of just logging 1000 flights was a pretty fantastic concept since at that time I’d flown just 124 flights in my whole life. In any event, it’s been a good relationship with Alaska – I’ve been fortunate to have logged a lot of flights with them when their First Class was amongst the finest in the industry, and although the stark reality of trying to operate profitably in today’s environment has resulted in a considerable loss of inflight élan, Alaska has always remained as friendly an airline as ever there was. So to Alaska and its many great employees, I say Thanks for the memories and I look forward to many more.
I did not inform Alaska of my 1000th flight because these days I honestly doubt it’s all that big a deal to anyone anymore. I have mentioned it in passing to a couple of Alaska employees and the response has generally been along the lines of “That’s nice.” (Try to keep him calm…) Seriously though, lots of people have flown a million of miles and a thousand flights on Alaska, even if they weren’t aware of exactly when they crossed those thresholds. As for flying a million miles on Alaska, I expect to cross that threshold sometime next year. I’m at just over 950,000 right now.
As for my 1000th flight, I’ll chalk it up to good fortune that I was able to get upgraded. As I’ve no doubt mentioned earlier, the Seattle to Washington route is a tough one to score an upgrade on with so many people buying First Class seats outright, or purchasing upgrades at the gate. The primary benefit for me on this flight was getting to try out that other entrée on the February transcon menu. That would be the chicken breast with bacon and sage sauce, accompanied by julienne vegetables and polenta cake. It was delicious!
Chicken Breast with Bacon and Sage Sauce
The flight attendant serving the First Class cabin did a great job despite the occasional distraction from a male flight attendant who from what I could see and hear seemed to be trying his best to hit on her. From my vantage point at 1C, I watched as he spent an inordinate amount of time hanging around the First Class galley where he referred to her as “girl” almost exclusively, as in “I’ll get that for you, girl” and even the old tried and true “You go, girl!” Nothing in her actions or demeanor suggested she had any more interest in him than she would a doorknob and ultimately she did a good job of ignoring him while still managing to handle her duties with aplomb.
Our early arrival in Washington allowed me a chance to scope out Terminal 2 and 3 for a decent place to sleep. I found none because the entire building is extremely well lit and has those obnoxious airport safety announcements going on all night. So, I made the long walk back over to Terminal 1 where I’ve been using an excellent spot just off the old viewing area that’s dimly lit and very quiet.
February 18, 2012
Alaska Airlines Washington DC –Seattle 755a – 1045a 737-800 Economy Class
Horizon Airlines Seattle – Spokane 700p – 814p DHC-8-400 Economy Class
One of the nicer benefits about being at the top tier of Alaska’s Mileage Plan frequent flyer program is the ability to not just standby for a later flight on day of departure but to actually confirm a seat on that later flight – pending availability, of course. My flight from Washington arrived in Seattle at 10:45am and I was scheduled to connect to a 12:00n flight to Spokane. Well, there’s a lot more to do in Seattle than Spokane, so I rebooked for the 7:00pm departure out of Seattle and then caught the train into the city for lunch and a movie.
Arriving back at the airport with an hour and a half to go before my flight, I rehydrated with a couple pints of delicious Manny’s Pale Ale in the Boardroom, then stopped by the bookstore at the head of concourse B to pick up a couple of new books before heading over to B3 where boarding of my Dash 8 to Spokane was in progress.
There’s a thread currently making the rounds over at the Travel Buzz forum asking what could you absolutely not do without on a long flight. Long flight, short flight – it doesn’t matter – I need a book. My brain requires a good book every bit as much as my body requires food, and for me at least, when it comes to high quality nutrition I find books far preferable to the internet. The bookstore at the head of the B Concourse offers a good selection of reading material – far more than the average Hudsons.