Seat 2A

January 18, 2013
Frontier Airlines Denver – Albuquerque 810a – 923a ERJ-190 Economy Class
Amtrak Albuquerque – Los Angeles 445p – 815a Southwest Chief First Class

My first flight aboard an Embraer ERJ190 came in 2006 aboard Air Canada between Ottawa and Toronto. I was impressed. From a passenger’s perspective, I think Embraer’s got a real winner in the E190 and its smaller sibling the E170. Both offer a wide spacious cabin that’s big enough to allow for normal sized coach seats much like you’d expect to find in a Boeing sized jetliner rather than those hard, skimpy little things that pass for seats in Embraer’s smaller 135-145 series aircraft as well as many CRJs.

The impetus for my flight aboard Frontier’s E190 down to Albuquerque this morning was a reservation aboard Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, departing later this afternoon for Los Angeles. United also offers nonstop flights between Denver and Albuquerque but it does so with comparatively uncomfortable Dash 8 turboprops and CRJ-700s. Even though I could earn mileage were I to fly United, it’s just not worth it for only 340 miles and an hour in those little planes. I paid Frontier $44.00 plus $5.00 extra for the right to book seat 5F in advance of my flight.

Many years ago I flew a Frontier 737 down to Albuquerque and was served a full hot breakfast that included an omelet, a couple of sausage links and some potatoes. Ah… those were the days, so in their memory I stopped by a great little place on the A Concourse called Chef Jimmy’s Bistro where I started the day with a delicious Denver Omelet in advance of my flight.

Although none of the other passengers in the gate area seemed to care one way or the other, I was distinctly disappointed to find that the aircraft operating Frontier 1333 down to Albuquerque was an ex-Midwest machine still wearing Midwest’s attractive blue, gold and white livery. I’d really been looking forward to flying the 190 painted up as one of Frontier’s “Animal Jets”.



Frontier ERJ-190

In any event, the ex-Midwest aircraft provided a comfortable ride down to America’s 32nd largest city. It was a beautiful day for flying and I recognized much of the geography below us as we sped south at 33,000’. I was briefly tempted to take a couple of pictures of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, but I’ve yet to own a camera that can make features on the ground look anywhere near as impressive as they do with the naked eye when viewed from the troposphere.

It also occurred to me that exactly one year ago today, my circumstances were considerably different. It was not a beautiful day at all and I was stuck in Seattle with my immediate future rather uncertain. I believe this picture, taken from the SeaTac tower complete with date and time stamp, tells the story much better than words:



SeaTac Airport Tower Cam ~ January 18, 2012

My last flight through the Albuquerque International Sunport was 27 years ago. I’d come up from El Paso aboard a United 737-200 registered N9001U. Amongst the handful of passengers onboard that day, I may well have been the only one aware of (or who even gave a hoot about) the fact that we were flying aboard the very first 737-200 ever built. Some years earlier I had flown into Seattle aboard a United 727-100 registered N7001U. This was the prototype 727 and since at that time the 727 - not the 737 – was the best-selling jetliner in history, I considered this particular aircraft to be a significant and noteworthy airplane. Wouldn’t you find it interesting to know that you were flying aboard an airplane that was the very first of its type? No mention of this was ever made, however. After the flight, I approached the crew and mentioned my thoughts on this. The captain and his First Officer were aware of the airplane’s history although the Flight Engineer was not. The captain pointed out that the reaction of most passengers to flying aboard an older, albeit historic aircraft was generally not as positive as mine, so for that reason no mention of its history was ever made – before or even after the flight.

Back in the 1970s I used to fly through Albuquerque often. Continental had a routing between Denver and Los Angeles that allowed you to connect through Albuquerque and El Paso. There were no frequent flyer programs back then and my only impetus was to fly as many flights as I could. The El Paso to Los Angeles flight made stops in Tucson and Phoenix along the way, so typically I’d get five separate take offs and landings between Denver and LA. I mean honestly, why fly nonstop when you can get five flights instead? I’m sure at least one or two of you can relate, no? As an added bonus, CO 75, the late night milk run between El Paso and Los Angeles was fared FN/YN, meaning that anyone who had paid a full day coach fare would be sat in First Class on that flight. Typically I’d be served a substantial snack basket between Denver and Albuquerque followed by free drinks between El Paso and Los Angeles. The only downside was the 1:50am arrival at LAX.

The Albuquerque airport has undergone a significant makeover since those halcyon days of 35 years ago. Although a small portion of the old terminal remains, it is used as office space for the TSA. The thing I’ll miss most about the old terminal is the Casa del Sol Café which used to serve a wonderful bowl of gazpacho. I always looked forward to that on my transits through ABQ. I like the new terminal a lot though. The architecture is distinctly New Mexican and between the food court and a couple of attractive looking full service restaurants, I’m sure one could still satisfy their appetite with some good, spicy New Mexican cuisine.



Albuquerque International Sunport

I had arranged to have lunch with some old friends from Bernalillo so I did not get a chance to sample the airport’s culinary attractions. I did however take a few minutes to check out the rather extensive display of model jets that had served ABQ over the years. I’m already looking forward to my next visit through ABQ and hopefully it won’t take another twenty-seven years until then.



A small portion of the model plane display at ABQ

The Alvarado Transit Center is home to Albuquerque’s light rail and city buses as well as Greyhound and Amtrak. My friends dropped me off there at 4:00pm, forty-five minutes before the scheduled departure of the westbound Southwest Chief. To our surprise, the train was already in the station having arrived a full hour early. After my most recent rail experience just two days earlier, I could only accept this as a very good omen. Boarding was already in progress and due to the heavy load on today’s departure, seating was by assignment. I asked for a window seat and was thankful some were still available. Even though most of the journey would be overnight, the benefit of a window seat – for me at least – is that I seem to sleep better propped up against the sidewall.

As I was getting settled in, my seatmate arrived with just a small duffel bag in tow. His name was Larry and he was returning to LA after having spent a few days in Albuquerque. Larry was 63, about to finalize a divorce to his wife of seventeen years and preparing to move to Albuquerque from LA. The only thing keeping him from leaving LA sooner was his daughter’s high school graduation in June. We hit it off immediately and conversation flowed easily as The Chief accelerated out of Albuquerque and headed west into the setting sun. Next stop was Gallup, New Mexico - about three hours away. I’d initially envisioned spending this portion of the trip up in the lounge car but I was having such a good time chatting with Larry that I just stayed put. As a black man having grown up in New Orleans in the 1950s and 60s, Larry certainly had some interesting tales to tell. Being the experienced Amtrak travelers that we were, we’d each brought our own supply of adult beverages along for the ride - a small bottle of brandy for Larry and a couple of airline sized bottles of Jack Daniels for me.

I enjoyed watching out the window as we rolled through the land of the Hopi, Apache, Navajo, and Zuni Indians. The setting sun illuminated beautifully the Red Cliffs of New Mexico, so named for the spectacular color they take on during sunset. Between admiring the view, chatting with Larry and hittin’ the Jack’s, I never did get around to taking any pictures.

Arrival in Gallup was five minutes early and smokers were advised that they could step off the train for a smoke. After that, the next smoke break wouldn’t come until our arrival in Flagstaff, three hours down the line. When I was at college in Durango, Colorado back in the late 1970s, I used to hitchhike down to Gallup occasionally to catch the westbound Southwest Limited out to Flagstaff. I had friends in school at Northern Arizona University and it was no big deal to hitch the 180 miles down to Gallup and then pay $12.00 for the three hour ride over to Flagstaff.

During the planning stages of this little expedition, I had looked into upgrading to First Class sleeper accommodations out to LA. Last year I saw that it was possible to upgrade between Albuquerque and LA for as little as $100.00 but this year the least expensive upgrade I could find was $167.00. That was a little too much for my budgetary sensibilities and so I settled for the coach seat. With the money saved I figured I might take dinner in the diner but between chatting with Larry and later visiting the lounge car, I ended up settling for a microwaved sandwich and a packet of almonds. The additional money I saved could go towards purchases at the airliner collectible show tomorrow.

Thanks to my blanket, a rolled up vest, my pillow and a quarter tab of Ambien, I slept fairly well as we sped through the night across the broad expanses of the Mojave Desert. When I awoke at about 6:30am, they had just announced that the dining car was now closed and that we’d be arriving in Los Angeles in about 45 minutes. Whoa, Nellie! We were gonna arrive almost a full hour ahead of schedule! Awright!

Larry had awoken a bit earlier and managed to make breakfast in the diner. He returned about ten minutes later and we both set to getting our bags repacked and readying to disembark. Looking out the windows I could see that we were in for a beautiful day in the Southland. The snowcapped San Gabriel Mountains were clearly visible in the distance and the skyscrapers of downtown LA shimmered brightly in the morning sun. A couple sat behind us had a radio and had heard that the high temperature was projected to be 78°. Wow. We won’t see those temperatures in the Alaskan Interior until June!

Larry and I bid our adieus – two travelers in passing along our respective journeys. There was no exchanging of addresses or any of that – just a handshake and the acknowledgement of a pleasant interlude shared while traveling together. I wished him well and stepped off into the morning sun.


January 19, 2013
American Eagle Los Angeles – San Jose 200p – 310p CRJ-200 Economy Class
Alaska Airlines San Jose – Seattle 545p – 753p 737-400 First Class
Horizon Airlines Seattle – Billings 845p – 1146p DHC-8-400 Economy Class

I love days like this! Here I am arriving in LA by train, an hour early no less – with a fun morning planned meeting old friends and doing stuff I enjoy – then heading back to the skies for an afternoon and evening of flying that will deliver me to a completely different corner of the continent in Billings, Montana. Let’s get rolling!

Alighting from the train, I strode down the long ramp into the station concourse, then turned left and made my way up to the bus stop for the FlyAway bus service to Los Angeles International. The bus was already loading passengers but there was still enough time for me to purchase a ticket and then climb onboard. The door was closed and we were on our way about one minute later. Bim, bam, boom! My timing could not have been better if I’d had my own private limousine.

It was about 8:30am when I arrived at the Embassy Suites South where the convention was being held. I arranged to store my bag and asked about the possibility of purchasing breakfast. Technically the Embassy Suites doesn’t have a restaurant that sells breakfast because it’s included in the cost of a night’s stay, but the nice young lady at the reception desk presented me a coupon good for a complimentary breakfast and wished me a nice meal. Thanks!

For those of you who have never attended an airline collectibles convention, picture a big hotel meeting room filled with table after table of everything from airline timetables to airliner models to dinner service china to books to postcards to just about whatever you can imagine having anything to do with the airline industry including barf bags and old 727 operations manuals. Back in the 80s and early nineties I used to rent tables and sell postcards, magazines and menus. My postcard collection exceeds 15000 cards and I have about 3000 spares. Most of my menus were from the 1970s and 80s and in the case of both menus and postcards, most of my best stuff has been sold off, if not at a collectibles show then on eBay. These days I enjoy just browsing as well as meeting up with old friends, many of whom still work the circuit.

Although the convention ran from 9:00am to 3:00pm, I had to leave at 12:30 in order to catch my 2:10pm American Eagle departure up to San Jose. In all I spent just $15.00 on thirteen First and Business Class menus from exotic airlines like Qatar, Air Madagascar and Cameroon Airways. I also scored about a dozen new airline issue postcards from Dave C. who puts on this show twice a year. We’ll meet for lunch in Las Vegas two weeks hence – my treat.

One really nice aspect of being an MVP Gold level flyer in Alaska’s Mileage Plan is the reciprocal agreement with partner airlines Delta and American that allows me to use the premium check-in facilities along with the elite flyer lanes at security checkpoints. Nobody likes to wait in long lines any more than me and I reckon those benefits saved me a good twenty minutes of idle standing around this afternoon.

Over at the American Eagle Terminal I purchased an overpriced turkey sandwich and then boarded the little CRJ-200 that would take me up to San Jose. In years past American Eagle has operated ERJ-145s and SAAB 340s on its intra-California services. Their recent contract with SkyWest to operate these flights has replaced the tube-like ERJ-145s with the slightly wider CRJs. I booked this routing through SJC and SEA primarily because I wanted to see and fly upon one of the little CRJ-200s in American’s livery. I know, I know, what difference could it possibly make, especially sat in coach on such a short flight? What can I say? Perhaps someday some form of therapy might provide a modicum of help for me but until then, this stuff is exciting! I can’t imagine the comparative tedium that must beset the more pragmatic amongst us who are simply too well travelled or mature to be roused by such “trivial” concerns. I don’t envy their lot one bit!

As with yesterday’s Frontier flight being operated by a Midwest liveried aircraft, today’s aircraft was wearing SkyWest’s colors. Damn! I swallowed my disappointment whole and headed on up the jetway. At least I was able to take a small measure of consolation in the fact that this was the first SkyWest airliner I’d ever flown upon that was actually wearing SkyWest’s livery.

With nearly three hours to layover in San Jose and no airline lounge access, I bought a big cup of Starbucks’ darkest roast, popped a Vicodin and set to work bringing this report up to date. As much as I actually enjoy writing these things, it’s so easy to fall behind because you can’t help but be busy having a good time just living. No doubt all of you who’ve ever written one or more of these reports know what of I speak. It doesn’t help my situation that I tend to be a bit wordy, if only to address all the details that I can’t help but notice or memories that I feel might be relevant or simply might add a bit more color to the report. For me at least, details and memories are like spices in a recipe, so anyone out there that just wants a meat and potatoes trip report should definitely not read mine!

I’d been upgraded to First Class on the 700 mile, one hour and forty minute flight up to Seattle. As such, I was the beneficiary of a cheese plate and a glass of red wine. It wasn’t enough. Food, that is, so I dropped by Waji’s for a delicious bowl of chicken fried rice with extra hot chili before boarding Horizon’s Dash 8 for the one hour and fifty minute flight to Montana’s largest city.

I understand that the Dash 8 is 40% more fuel efficient than most comparable jet aircraft, and as such airline executives are anxious to use it on increasingly more routes, many of them extending over 500 miles. I think the Dash 8 is a great airplane for flights of 300-400 miles or less. Actually, from a passenger perspective my main concern is with comfort, so it’s more about total time spent on the aircraft rather than distance flown. On Horizon’s aircraft at least, the seats are thin with minimal padding and they don’t recline. I’m ready to get off those Dash 8s after about an hour. If only Horizon had purchased the Embraer ERJ-170 for flights like the 660 mile run between Seattle and Billings. With its wider cabin and subsequent ability to support larger, more comfortable coach seats, I reckon I could probably handle transcon flights on it.

By the way, back in the early 1980s Northwest Orient used to operate a DC-10 from Seattle to Chicago with stops in Spokane, Great Falls and Billings. Seating was a generous 2-4-2 configuration and meals were served enroute.

I have flown into 209 airports around the U.S. Of those, I have slept in 62. Given the late evening arrival of my flight into Billings, I decided to make Billings’ Logan International Airport the 63rd. Two other people were overnighting in the airport as well but unlike myself, neither of them appeared to be very well prepared to make the most of it. Last I saw they’d commandeered a couple of benches down near the brightly lit baggage claim area. At least they weren’t sitting in chairs all night. After a little reconnoitering I found a nice dimly lit area upstairs on the mezzanine. It was carpeted and much quieter than the lower level. Unlike most airport dwellers who look for a bench or as comfortable a chair as they can find, I require only a floor - preferably in a nice, dark, quiet area. With my Thermarest Pad, warm wool blanket and pillow I can sleep just about as comfortably as if I were in a hotel but without the annoying room charges.

I spent the next day watching football at the Montana Brewing Company in downtown Billings. Beer was drunk and beef was consumed. Back when I was putting this trip together, I’d envisioned sitting in a local Montana bar and guzzling beer with a partisan crowd whist cheering my Denver Broncos on to victory over the New England Patriots. Unfortunately for both my Broncos and the Patriots, Baltimore’s Ravens had other plans, playing two superb games to win a spot in the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers. In the process I was impressed enough by their performance that for the Super Bowl at least, I suppose I’ve become a bit of a Ravens fan.

I spent that night at the Western Inn, a 56 room motel just five blocks off the central business district. The couple who owned it could not have been more gracious or accommodating. They upgraded me to a King sized bed and went out of their way to save me some breakfast even though I didn’t show up in the lobby until about an hour after the advertised end of the complimentary breakfast. I wasn’t expecting anything more than a cup of coffee so that was quite a nice surprise.


January 21, 2013
Rim Rock Trailways Billings – Bozeman 100p – 425p Bus

My next stop was Bozeman, Montana – located just 140 miles west of Billings off Interstate 90. The local bus line – Rim Rock Trailways – was offering a one way fare of $36.00. Not bad but still, why pay $36.00 if you might be able to get a ride for less. Had the weather been nicer, I would have just hitch-hiked it. Bozeman is only a short drive up the interstate highway and I’m sure I’d have had no problem in getting a ride or two into Bozeman. The problem was the temperature (18°F) and the wind (5-10mph). I didn’t bring along a jacket designed for extended periods outdoors. Typically those jackets tend to be a bit larger and aside from one or two situations where I might possibly need that level of warmth, it just didn’t make sense to take one along for the entire three and a half weeks. After all, it was 78° in Los Angeles yesterday, and about 50° in both Albuquerque and Denver over the preceding three days.

Another option was to place an ad on the Craigslist ride board for Billings. I did that and got three responses – all of them woefully inadequate. The first respondent offered a ride on a different day than I had specified. The next one claimed she had a car but no gas, but that she liked the idea of a short road trip out to Bozeman and back. It went without saying who would be paying for all of the gas. The next guy said he’d take me to Bozeman for $85.00. I emailed him back and asked if he were perhaps driving there in a road grader. $85.00? Sheesh!

Ultimately I ended up spending the $36 and riding the bus to Bozeman. Upon arrival I was met by old friends and fellow drivers from Denali. More beef was eaten and good beer was drunk. The next morning we went out to breakfast and visited the Gallatin Pioneer Museum before it was once again time for me to take to the air.


January 22, 2013
Horizon Airlines Bozeman - Seattle 350p – 455p DHC-8-400 Economy Class
Alaska Airlines Seattle - Phoenix 700p – 1047p 737-800 First Class

The last time I flew out of Bozeman was twenty-three years ago aboard a Delta 737-200 down to Salt Lake City. Though I don’t remember anything particularly noteworthy about the old Bozeman airport, I was immediately impressed by expanded terminal building of the renamed Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. Incorporating generous amounts of local stone and wood with glass and steel, the architectural effect can only be described as stunning. The building actually looks inviting in much the same way that a rustic Montana lodge beckons after a long day out in the wilds. And yes, there is a fireplace.



Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport

My 540 mile long flight to Seattle this afternoon would be my 100th aboard a Horizon DHC-8-400. The total mileage I’ve logged aboard Horizon’s Dash 8s comes to 20,860 miles, or an average of 209 miles per flight, and out of a fleet of 49, I’ve flown all but six of them. I’ve got three more flights on this trip scheduled aboard Horizon’s Dash 8s, so wish me luck!

On a passing note, I’m saddened to report the passing of ex-Horizon Air DHC-8-400 registered N425QX. This was the aircraft painted in Horizon’s colorful 25th Anniversary livery. The aircraft was parted out and eventually scrapped in Toronto this past November.



R.I.P. Ship 425

Today marked the first time I’ve boarded a Dash 8 through a jetway. Normally I rather enjoy walking out to my aircraft and climbing up the stairs but given the windy conditions outside, boarding through the jetway this afternoon was an unexpected pleasure.

Flight time to Seattle was an hour and fifty minutes, highlighted by some nice late afternoon views of the Gallatin Valley as we climbed away from Bozeman. Upon arrival in Seattle, I headed on over to the North Satellite United Club since my Phoenix flight was scheduled to depart from N-8.

Some of you may recall that back in the planning stages of this trip, I had envisioned myself enjoying a nice First Class dinner aboard Alaska’s 737 down to Phoenix this evening. Indeed, it would be fair to say that this vision provided much of the impetus for me to book this leg of the journey. I know, I know – it’s only an airline meal and a U.S. domestic one at that but unlike many of you who regularly traipse about the troposphere in First and Business Class comfort, I haven’t been served a First Class dinner of any ilk inflight since way back in October.

Unfortunately, the “meal” served on the two hour and eighteen minute flight down to Phoenix consisted of a small plate of salad topped with two slices of roast beef. The only accompaniment was a small PC of salad dressing. There wasn’t even a Seattle Chocolate. Back in September on a shorter 6:55pm departure between Seattle and Denver I was served a hot chicken breast topped with a portion of pesto salsa and accompanied with a side salad. Could this be a case of Alaska catering down to the level of its primary competition on this route – US Airways? Perhaps. To be fair, Alaska did indicate this as a “snack” flight on its website but for a scheduled two hour and forty-seven minute flight leaving at a prime dinner hour, I was mistakenly expecting a hot meal. Either way – the lesson has been learned. I will be more likely to cater my own meal on Alaska’s flights of similar time and distance from now on.

Alaska uses Terminal 2at Sky Harbor, as does United – my airline of choice for tomorrow’s flight up to Denver. I checked in with airport security and was informed that I could sleep airside for the night. This was great news since there was an entire gate area on the concourse that had been completely abandoned. The jetway had been removed and there were just a few banks of seats. It featured a nice dark alcove at one end that proved to be a perfect place to sleep undisturbed for the night.


January 23, 2013
United Airlines Phoenix - Denver 1215p – 205p 737-900 Economy Class

When Sky Harbor’s Terminal 2 opened in 1962, it comprised 330,000 square feet, provided19 gates and was considered one of the nation’s most modern facilities. As a kid I remember walking down its cinderblock corridors and out on to the tarmac to board Western Airlines flights up to Denver. Boeing’s 720B was normally the aircraft of choice on Western’s PHX-DEN flights but once we flew aboard a Lockheed Electra. It was my mom’s fault. She so enjoyed driving this Ford Mustang that she’d rented that she took the long way to the airport (I think we went via Carefree) and we missed our flight. Being a child of the jet age, I remember my disappointment at having to fly aboard a boring old prop. Now of course I look back on that day and consider myself fortunate to have been able to log a flight aboard that historic aircraft. Many years later I was able to log three more flights aboard Reeve Aleutian Electras out to Saint Paul Island and Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Though small, the United Club at Sky Harbor is one of my favorite airport lounges. I just like the ambience of the facility with its comfortable seating and big windows looking out over the tarmac. The attractive breakfast spread offered a nice variety of cereals, bagels, muffins, Danishes and fruit juices and overall it was just a nice place to while away three hours while putting in some work in this trip report which now is up to almost 14000 words. Is it too long? Should I put in more pictures?



Breakfast Bar at the Sky Harbor United Club

Waiting at gate 5 was N38458, a four month old 737-924ER that looked quite fetching in United’s new Continental livery. The flight was totally sold out and the substantial crowd that had gathered to board easily overwhelmed the small gate lounge which - in terms of seating and space – appeared to be better suited for regional jet sized aircraft.

Despite having logged 1.2 million miles aboard United Airlines, I am no longer the beneficiary of any status whatsoever with United’s Mileage Plus program, so I’ll not be able to regale you with a fabulous accounting of all the extra legroom available in United’s Economy Plus seating. Alas, as a pyrite level member of the nation’s second oldest frequent flyer program, I had been assigned seat 34C, wayyyyy back there in the dimly lit part of the aircraft cabin.

I guess I should take a moment here to explain how one who once enjoyed unlimited free First Class travel aboard United could possibly suffer such a precipitous drop in status. Simply put, United stopped flying to where I lived. Once upon a time, wayyyyyyy back in the mid-nineteen eighties, United had at least two – maybe even three flights a day out of Fairbanks International. Over the years, I logged many a flight out of FAI aboard a collection of red, blue and orange striped 727s, 737s, 757s, 767s and even DC-8-71s. Of course, back then we also enjoyed jet service from the likes of Western, Wien Air Alaska, Markair, Reno Air and of course Alaska Airlines. Sadly, the only airline serving FAI on a year round basis these days is Alaska Airlines.

United quit serving Fairbanks sometime in the late nineties (They’ve since returned on a seasonal basis with DEN-FAI flights during the summer months), but even then I remained loyal to the Mileage Plus program by buying local fares down to Anchorage and boarding United flights to places like Denver, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle. Eventually, United‘s year round Alaska service was reduced to a single 1:00am departure out of Anchorage to Seattle. After a couple of times of waiting up all night to board that flight and then arriving in Seattle a complete wreck only three hours later, I decided to switch my allegiance to Alaska’s Mileage Plan.

I would like to make clear that the reason I stopped flying United had nothing to do with the service I received either on the ground or in the air. I feel like United always treated me very nicely over the years. I have particularly fond memories of the excellent Four Star Service I received on flights in the seventies, my participation in United’s 50 State Marathon in the 1980s and finally the presentation and gifts that United bestowed upon me back in 1997 when I logged my 1000th flight and 1 Millionth mile flown aboard United both within the same week. Overall my relationship with United has been nothing but First Class and it is my sincere hope that they regain as much of their “Friendly Skies” panache as is humanly and economically possible in the years ahead.

Although the livery said United, the interior said Continental in the worst possible way. No don’t get me wrong – Continental’s another airline that I’ve particularly enjoyed flying upon over the years, dating way back to the 1960s when golden tailed 707 and 720B Fanjets delivered me in style between Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago. My first ever flight aboard a 747 was with Continental and I logged many a flight aboard Continental’s beautiful lounge configured DC-10s throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. One could very easily argue that Continental Airlines, as run by its founder and president Robert F. Six, was the finest airline in America. I can only consider myself blessed to have been able to log a couple hundred flights aboard The Proud Bird with the Golden Tail during its heyday.

Following the malaise of the Frank Lorenzo years which included one bankruptcy and precipitated another, Continental had to redefine itself. Kudos to Hollis Harris and later Gordon Bethune for a great job of bringing the airline back to health but forever gone were the days of five across seating in Boeing cabins or Gold Table Service in First Class. Even recently, Continental’s inflight service was in many respects superior to that of other airlines and its BusinessFirst seating on international flights redefined the concept for most US airlines.

Back in the economy cabin however, seating was tight. And it still is. I would estimate the legroom in row 34 at 30”, maybe 31” at most. According to Seatguru it’s 31”. The seat itself was comfortable enough – at first. Flight time from Phoenix up to Denver was projected at one hour and twenty-six minutes. After about an hour in flight however, my back was killing me. To make matters worse, we landed way out in Kansas somewhere and it felt like it took a good twenty minutes to make our way across the plains toward DIA’s distinctive white capped terminal building.

Normally, I’m not one to immediately get up upon arrival at the gate – especially when sat towards the rear of the economy cabin. I mean – what’s the rush? This time I had my seatbelt off and was poised like a runner on the blocks so when the chime finally did ring, I was up and enjoying some blessed relief. Getting old sure can be a pain, especially when you’ve got a handful of twenty-letter conditions affecting your back.

Though I have a sister in Denver, her apartment’s not really conducive to overnight visitation so I booked a room through Travelocity’s Secret Hotel function and scored a room at the downtown Ramada Inn for just $43.00 all in. Due to its downtown location there was no free shuttle service from the airport so I hopped a ride on the RTD Transit bus and sat next to someone who smelled like he had about three pounds of really good weed on him. We’re talkin’ fresh buds here. They put off a distinctive and not at all unpleasant aroma. Of course with pot now being legal in Colorado, I suppose I should not have been surprised. Although I no longer use it personally, I enjoyed the nice olfactory journey down memory lane.

Located at Colfax and Downing, the downtown Ramada Inn offers three star accommodations in a lively neighborhood with many fine musical venues nearby. I had dinner at a bar across the street called The Irish Snug. They had an excellent selection of ales and a nice variety of menu items ranging from Irish Stew to Green Chili Ortega Burgers. I had the burger along with a couple pints; then stuck around awhile to enjoy the live music. I don’t particularly care for most Irish music – too much fiddle and penny whistle for my tastes – but tonight’s quartet was doing an admirable job of banging out some old Django Reinhardt tunes and other jazz standards. Well alrighty then – maybe I will have another beer!

In the morning, I took advantage of the hotel’s free shuttle service to anywhere within three miles. For me that would be the train station. While awaiting the van, it was interesting to observe the early morning action along Colfax Avenue. It was 6:55am and a fair number of the folks walking the street looked like extras from the television series “Breaking Bad”. Certainly very few of them appeared to have gone to bed yet. One guy shuffled up and asked if I’d be willing to sell him a couple of beers from the twelve-pack I’d purchased for the train ride. I would have but had I opened the cardboard container there would have been an exponential increase in the likelihood that many of the cans would have tumbled out while in transit atop my suitcase. This guy didn’t look like the type who’d care to weather that particular explanation so I simply said no and he continued on down the street.