Trip 3: Slots and Siblings

Trip Background: July 4th is my sister Catharine’s third birthday and as my Dad was off in Africa hunting; both my Mother and I felt it best that she have some form of strong male influence to help her blow out a few candles. Plus I hadn’t seen most of my family since mid-May and I think they missed me or something. As I had to work on June 30th and I wanted to be home for as long as possible, I would need a redeye as my chariot home. While trying to decide which western US gateway to use, my friend Dion informed me he’d be in Las Vegas that weekend. As he resides in Rye and goes to school in Boston, we don’t see each other nearly as much as in the old days so I elected to take a mid-afternoon HP flight up to Vegas and then take the 12:40 AM AA flight to Dallas. With that, I dusted off my good luck charms and worked my last day at my student job which ended that afternoon.

Preflight
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2006
America West Flight 694
PHX-LAS
Scheduled Departure: 4:18 PM
Scheduled Boarding: 3:48 PM

I arrived at the airport in a very elated mood. I had finished up my rather tough Romanticism Studies class, I had finished up my job and I was heading off for a very relaxing weekend. The fact that I’d finally had a PHX-LAS upgrade clear only sealed the deal. Once at the airport, I picked up my boarding pass and headed through security to return to the same lounge I had visited a mere week before. Once again I enjoyed conversing with the agents, one of whom said she’d never been to Vegas but had always wanted to go and she gave me a dollar to play the slots for her with the incentive that if I won anything big, she’d buy me dinner. I was also informed the flight was oversold but if I volunteered, they’d be unable to get me out to either Las Vegas or Raleigh-Durham until late the next day. Therefore, I was forced to head down to the gate and board:

Flying
Gate A6
Seat 1D – First Class
N680AW – A-320 (New Colors)
Actual Boarding: 3:43 PM
Actual Departure: 4:36 PM – 18 Minutes Delayed
Take off 9 minutes after departure

I was a bit annoyed that I was stuck in the bulkhead; especially as I had an essay that needed to be written and posted electronically by midnight or there would be hell to pay. However, my spirits were uplifted when I saw that this would be my first flight in the new leather seats HP had designed which I found to be quite comfortable. My seatmate was also an interesting fellow as he was an environmental engineer, a type of engineer I didn’t know existed. While we were waiting for the full flight to board, the captain gave a lengthy PA announcement in which he said that due to severe turbulence, no cart service would be provided and this was not because the FAs were “lazy” but it was “for everyone’s safety”. He also came out of the cockpit so I asked him if it would be possible for me to retrieve my bag from the overhead to do my work, he told me he’d inform the FAs if anyone was allowed to be up. I rather appreciated the gesture of this pilot, especially after the aloof ones during the week before.

After takeoff, the turbulence was indeed bad for a while and there was only a six minute pause in the seatbelt sign being turned off and “flight attendants prepare for landing” and during that pause I managed to write a whopping three sentences. I was able to notice though that despite the pilot informing us the FAs were not lazy, the First Class ones preformed no service during the interlude in the turbulence as they had instead chosen to sit and gab. After a very bumpy landing, I was back in Vegas and the pilot came to me and asked if I’d managed to get any work done. When I told him three sentences, we had a good laugh and I thanked him once again.
Scheduled Arrival: 5:22 PM
Actual Arrival: 5:32 PM
Gate: B22

June 30 – Las Vegas, NV
After a brief taxi drive, I was deposited at the Wynn Hotel and Casino where Dion’s very generous friend Rich and his family had elected to spend the weekend. Once there, Dion showed me the spacious room and the lobby before heading over to the Rio. As both of us are avid poker players, we enjoyed seeing some of the early qualifying rounds of the World Series of Poker though we were unable to fulfill our real dream of running into any big named poker players. After dinner there, we headed back to the Wynn to see the $5,000 a play slot machine and we played a few nickel slots. While I had been up $7.50, instead of choosing to quit, I ended up down $1 proving my father right in that the house always wins. With that weighing heavily on my conscience, I traveled back to the airport to finish my paper and hop a pair of flights.

Preflight
SATURDAY JULY 1, 2006
American Flight 324
LAS-DFW
Scheduled Departure: 12:40 AM
Scheduled Boarding: 12:10 AM

During a previous connection at Las Vegas, I had visited the USAirways Club which is rather Spartan in its accommodations and décor and poorly located. However, because I was flying out of the D Concourse where America West is not located, the fact that the lounge is outside of security paid off in spades today. I sat there happily for 90 minutes writing my essay, using the free LAS wireless and sipping on the free sodas. When 11:30 rolled around, my essay was submitted and I made my way through security into the newer part of the airport. Once at the gate, I was informed the flight was oversold by a whopping fifteen and I put my name down for a bump. However, after fifteen minutes I was told there were 13 no-shows so I and a fellow traveler were given an operational upgrade to First Class. This happy piece of news made it so I didn’t care when I heard we’d be delayed due to a late arriving crew:

Flying
Gate D8
Seat 5A – First Class
N704X – Ex-TWA 757-200
Actual Boarding: 12:20 AM
Actual Departure: 1:15 AM – 35 Minutes Delayed
Take off 10 minutes after departure

“And the delays just keep on coming” I muttered to myself as we waited on our late inbound crew who were due in from Dallas an hour late. However, because I was lucky enough to be seated in First Class, I was given a pre-departure drink in addition to my large seat. As we waited, we were bestowed with humor from our flight attendants who said at one point, after making appropriate sound effects “we interrupt this regularly scheduled blah blah to give you an update on the crew”. Once they’d boarded, we taxied out while the passenger next to me talked in his sleep during the P.A. announcements, at one point saying “WOULD YOU TURN THAT DOWN?!” rather loudly. After takeoff, I do not know what kind of service ensued as I fell asleep until I was rudely awakened by our wheels smacking the Texas ground.
Scheduled Arrival: 5:09 AM
Actual Arrival: 5:35 AM
Gate: A25

Preflight/Transit
American Flight 1094
DFW-RDU
Scheduled Departure: 6:52 AM
Scheduled Boarding: 6:22 AM

I emerged into the sprawling Metroplex with bleary eyes and a groggy head which made it difficult for me to stumble my way to the Admirals Club. Once there I took the liberty of selecting a shower for myself which I used to wash the sleep from my eyes and prepare for yet another flight. After a few orange juices and the good news that my upgrade had finally cleared, I strolled down to the gate to be greeted with the news they did not need volunteers on this oversold by five flight. With that news, I boarded just as the sun began to rise:

Flying
Gate A24
Seat 3A – First Class
N552AA – MD-80
Actual Boarding: 6:22 AM
Actual Departure: 6:47 AM – 5 Minutes Early
Take off 8 minutes after departure

Once on board, I grimaced at my seating arrangement as I was in the tight confines of the 3A bulkhead which features the worst legroom in the front cabin. Still, I’d be getting a hot meal and as it turned out, a lot of hot air. Despite it being 6:30 in the morning and me being engrossed in my book, my seatmate decided to engage me in conversation. The conversation was banal and bordering on rude as she launched into an assault on American Airlines because they’d:
- Advertised a larger plane on this route and had delivered this “tiny one”
- She’d misconnected on the way in from Tokyo after building herself a one hour connection.
- They’d been unable to bump someone out of First Class for her and despite offering her coach she’d chosen to wait for this flight.
She then informed me how she was going to write a letter and possibly sue them. I kept trying to show I wasn’t interested, but she continued to gab with me about how horrible service was and how I must have known it too. Finally, I got up and informed the lead FA that the woman might be difficult, she tried to move me to 4F, but at the last minute, the people with that ticket boarded. Therefore, I was stuck next to her for the duration.

My mood was lightened somewhat by the beautiful sunset that I was afforded on takeoff and the smell of the cooking breakfast further made me happier. Thankfully, after takeoff, the woman next to me got involved in her book and kept her banter to a minimum. As we flew eastward, I enjoyed my early morning specialty of Cranapple and lime which was followed by the standard choices of an omelet or cereal. I selected the former and happily noshed upon my cheese omelet which came served atop potatoes. To compliment this I nibbled upon the honeydew and watermelon while eschewing the mango. To cap off the feast (by domestic airline standards) I enjoyed the biscuit and a bagel. With that being digested, I reclined my seat and drifted back off to slumber. Once my eyes were open again, we were two minutes from touch down. After the short taxi, I was given a handshake by the flight attendant who thanked me for the warning and apologized again she couldn’t move me. With that nice gesture giving me renewed faith in airline personnel, I headed off to be showered with family love.
Scheduled Arrival: 10:30 AM
Actual Arrival: 10:21 AM
Gate: C14

July 1-4 : Durham, NC
I’ve now been coming back to Durham for a year and while I still do not like the place as much as my former home in New York, it really is starting to grow on me. I enjoy the quieter life of Durham compared to the constant attempts to impress using your wallet that was the norm in Westchester County and I’m starting to learn which places I like to eat at and visit. Plus my parents have put together an amazing house so I had a fun relaxing few days enjoying my family’s company and doing errands my Mom needs help with. My sister’s birthday went well and I enjoyed two very nice meals with my Mother before I was packed off in the car and deposited back at RDU.

Preflight
TUESDAY JULY 4, 2006
American Flight 1634
RDU-ORD
Scheduled Departure: 3:36 PM
Scheduled Boarding: 3:06 PM

I arrived at a lightly populated RDU where check-in was accomplished quickly. With two boarding passes in hand, I slipped easily through security into the oft visited Admirals Club. Because my family really doesn’t understand how easy air travel has become, I’d been taken to RDU an hour before boarding was to begin so I had plenty of time to cool my heals during which I was asked a few times if I wished to purchase something from the new RDU bar menu. I declined, however, and enjoyed the free Krispy Kreme doughnuts before heading down to the gate for:

Flying
Gate C15
Seat 7F/8F – Main Cabin
N76200 – MD-80
Actual Boarding: 3:18 PM
Actual Departure: 3:36 PM – On Time
Take off 10 minutes after departure

At the Cub I’d switched my exit row seat for 7F in the bulkhead after being assured no one would be in either 7D or E. Sadly, I was dismayed to see a young woman and her 13 month old daughter would be sharing the row with me. Despite her assurances that her daughter was always very quiet, I chose to move to the empty 8F for the rest of the flight. This proved to be a good decision as once after takeoff, the child, cute as she was, cried for five minute stretches every fifteen or so minutes. Even so, I was able to ignore her as I was rather enjoying my book and the fact that I had pretzels to munch and a full can of Dr. Pepper to sip on (with extra pretzels offered to anyone who wanted them) helped immensely. After the lovely approach over Lake Michigan followed by downtown Chicago, I was back at O’Hare for yet another extended connection.
Scheduled Arrival: 4:40 PM
Actual Arrival: 4:41 PM
Gate: H10

Preflight/Transit
American Flight 1509
ORD-LAS
Scheduled Departure: 7:15 PM
Scheduled Boarding: 6:45 PM

Upon arriving in Chicago, I noticed my flight was already delayed by twenty-five minutes. I felt a sense of dread at this as my connection at Las Vegas was an hour and change. Once at the Admirals Club, they were unable to rebook me through St. Louis as it would be an illegal connection and Dallas was suffering through thunderstorms so any connection through there would be unthinkable. Unfortunately, the inbound aircraft had a mechanical delay in Hartford that wasn’t solved as fast as was originally thought which meant the departure kept getting pushed back. By the time we boarded, it had become 8:25 PM. I wasn’t too worried as I already had my HP boarding pass and there was a later flight to PHX.

However, despite the jetway being pulled back at 8:30, it was quickly reconnected and we were informed the hydraulic pumps had failed and we’d need a new aircraft. I knew there was now no chance of making either HP flight and I decided to walk to the Admirals Club to get rebooked to Phoenix the next morning. Just after I exited the aircraft, I noticed the 7:30 PM flight to Phoenix was now showing a departure time of 9:10 PM and being it was 8:55, I had a chance to make it. However, I was at gate L4 and the flight was at H18 so I knew it’d be a mad dash. Even so, I gave it my all and I ran like I was being paid for it. After four minutes, I fell against the H18 podium asking to be put on the flight. I was greeted with a “and who are you?” After two minutes, I managed to convince the agents of the severity of my situation and after telling them I didn’t care if there was nothing left in First Class, I was given the last seat on board:

Flying
American Flight 2487 – Scheduled Boarding: 7:00 PM Scheduled Departure: 7:30 PM
Gate H18
Seat 13D – Main Cabin
N7548A – MD-80
Actual Boarding: 8:40 PM
Actual Departure: 9:17 PM – 1 Hour 47 Minutes Delayed
Take off 8 minutes after departure

I fell into the aisle seat and was faced with the very stern glares of the people in 13E and F who had obviously figured upon an empty row all to themselves. However, I was too happy to be getting out of Chicago that night to care about any angry looks. My spirits were uplifted slightly upon takeoff when I was presented with multiple fireworks displays from each side of the aircraft all the way until we disappeared into the clouds. As we headed west, my stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten anything since the pretzels on the way to RDU and it was catching up with me now.

When the FA selling snack boxes approached me, I told her my tale of woe hoping she’d take pity on me and give me a free snack box. When she told me it was American’s policy to account for each one of them and she couldn’t do that I told her that was fine and I bought one. However, she obviously enjoyed my story as I was given a free alcoholic beverage to eat with my silver box. The snack box was not too bad, though probably not worth a whole $5. It came with crackers and cheese, goldfish, a stick of beef jerky, some dried fruit, mixed nuts and a pack of shortbread cookies. All of this went down very smoothly with my vodka and Cranberry juice and once it had all been consumed and I was unable to finish the crossword puzzle, I drifted off to sleep to be awakened by descent into Phoenix.
Scheduled Arrival: 9:10 PM
Actual Arrival: 10:42 PM
Gate: 5

Once in Phoenix, we did something strange and docked at the former ATA gate, gate 5. I’ve never seen this gate used for American before and it seemed faulty as the jetbridge broke and the entire plane was forced to deplane out of the rear air stairs. This was a unique opportunity and on that I did enjoy and it almost made my downgrade worth it.

Trip 4: Going Home Back Where I Belong

Trip Background: Nick and I have been friends for several years since he lived in Arizona. However, he chose to transfer to Embry Riddle in Daytona Beach, FL earlier this year and because of that, we see each other far less than usual. When he informed he he’d be working in JetBlue’s finance department in Darien, CT and living in Stamford, CT, we decided I should come up to show him around my old neighborhood. As I’d once again have obligations on that Friday, I needed yet another red eye. This time, I chose to take the SAN-JFK one as it meant I could dine with Carol San Diego 1K in her glorious home town. This would make a very fitting end to my four week jaunt.

Preflight
FRIDAY JULY 7, 2006
America West Flight 187
PHX-SAN
Scheduled Departure: 4:29 PM
Scheduled Boarding: 3:59 PM

After another hard day’s work at good old ASU, I was deposited at good old Terminal 4 to start the final trip of this marathon session. After another quick check in, I headed back to my usual HP lounge where I was remembered not only by the agent, but also by my seatmate from PHX-LAS the week before. After catching up with the pair of them and having a few snacks and a cold drink, I headed down to the gate to find that our plane had only just arrived from Kalispell at 4 PM. I did an about face and went to the smaller and more crowded High A gates lounge where I waited until 4:20, despite the agent’s assurances that I’d have an “on time departure”. Once back at the gate I was able to stroll on board:

Flying
Gate A27
Seat 1D - First Class
N837AW – A-319 (Old Colors)
Actual Boarding: 4:21 PM
Actual Departure: 4:47 PM – 16 Minutes Delayed
Take off 9 minutes after departure

Another trip with HP, another “very full flight”. This time it was so full that a woman who managed to clear the standby list came onboard to find there was someone in her seat and she was told to get off the plane and try the next flight. After pushing back and taking off on the same take off pattern I’d experienced each time during this experience, we were airborne and heading towards better weather and friendly faces. The flight was as routine as most America West flights I take, I read a book and sipped on the drink I was served. Sadly, this drink was poorly mixed and it wasn’t really scotch and water but actually very watery scotch. Still, I didn’t want to be too liquored up for my dinner so I didn’t mind too much. The snack mix also went down smoothly, almost as smoothly as our easy glide into San Diego during which I was annoyed I was on the wrong side of the plane to experience the amazing views of downtown. After a short taxi, I left this less than a year old Airbus for friendly company.
Scheduled Arrival: 5:38 PM
Actual Arrival: 5:47 PM
Gate: 33

July 7 – San Diego, CA
Upon calling Carol I found she and her husband were stuck in traffic on the way to the airport. Therefore, I popped in at the Admirals Club and picked up my boarding pass for the red-eye and also picked up some irritation that the only seat left was in the aisle. Still, 6E beats 18A any day. The agent there was also extremely friendly and he invited me to stash my bags at the Club as long as I took my ID and boarding pass. After thanking him, I headed outside and into the back of Carol and George’s spacious Mercedes. We drove a mere five minutes to Island Prime, a steakhouse that offered an outstanding view of downtown San Diego, the Naval Yard and Point Loma. For 90 minutes I enjoyed excellent food and conversation and to quote George “usually when you go to a restaurant with this nice a view the food is lousy…but it’s great here!” Carol was also a dear and presented me with a bag of airline trinkets she’d collected from her international First Class travels. It made my 757 trips seem even worse in comparison but I still really appreciated it. Sadly, as the sun set and the bill was paid, we made our way back to Lindbergh Field for my trip east.

Preflight
American Flight 208
SAN-JFK
Scheduled Departure: 9:30 PM
Scheduled Boarding: 9:00 PM

After hugs and handshakes were dispensed, I gave a last glance at the departing car which held my friends and then headed up into the terminal. After the quick jaunt through security during which I was given a wary look because my only bag was filled with assorted menus and bag tags, I re-entered the Admirals Club. Once inside, I asked the agent if I was allowed a drink coupon as I was in transcontinental First Class. He informed me that no, only international itineraries got those, but he said I could have one anyway to which I was much obliged. Annoyingly, the red wine I had the bartender pick for me was undrinkable, but it came in a very nice glass. After a few minutes sending emails, I headed out into the concourse and joined the line of fellow First Class passengers for:

Flying
Gate 29
Seat 6E/6F - First Class
N620AA – 757-200
Actual Boarding: 8:55 PM
Actual Departure: 9:30 PM – On Time
Take off 17 minutes after departure

Once on the plane, I sank into my aisle seat and cast a longing glance at the window next to me. I decided to pass the time during boarding by calling my friend Anosh and I said “hey remember when you got that last upgrade and you got stuck in 6E? It just happened to me!” Luckily, the woman in 6F was unable to avoid the noise from my loud mouth and she informed me she preferred the aisle and offered to switch. With that glorious revelation, I switched seats with her and felt much better. Unfortunately, despite our boarding through door 2, the flight attendants saw no reason to bestow pre-departure drinks upon us as they’d chosen instead to talk to some passenger who was sitting in row 9. Annoyed as I was, the flight did manage to depart on time, something that was becoming increasingly rare during these last few weeks so I cheered up slightly. After an excruciatingly slow taxi across the field, we took off over the lights of San Diego and swung back to the east over the ocean.

As we climbed higher, I reminded myself, another flight, another essay to write. I usually eschew upgrading red-eyes, but as there’d be a meal on this flight and I had the aforementioned work to do, I was able to spread out my papers which allowed me to focus better than if I’d been crammed into the exit row in the back. While I was reading, drink and meal orders were taken as I wanted to sleep at some point tonight, I asked for a Cran-apple so I was caffineless. Once that had been served to me along with the standard mixed nuts, I took a break to read through the new Adrian Mole book by Sue Townsend, which is one of my favorite series. Shortly after nuts were offered, we received the sani-nap/hot towels before meal trays were delivered with all deliberate speed.

The choices on this overnight jaunt had been cheese pizza or pasta. Even though the flight was going to New York and pizza would have been a fitting choice, I grew up with the best slices so I chose the pasta. I received a tray with ravioli and tortellini in cheese and pasta sauce which came with half an apple and two slices of brie to be eaten with Carrs crackers. To round out the meal were a bag of oatmeal applesauce cookies. The pasta was excellent, though served too cold, but the FA happily warmed it up more for me. I would have liked some bread with the meal and perhaps a real dessert instead of the cookies, but as I couldn’t eat any more after the entrée, it didn’t matter much. Sadly, after I got a refill on my drink, the service ended. While I stayed up for another hour to write my essay, I was the only one awake and no flight attendants bothered to walk the aisles. I fell asleep with two and a half hours to go in the flight and when I woke up; my empty drink glass had neither been refilled nor collected. No drinks were offered prior to landing either and I never was offered wine with my meal. Still, I selected the upgrade to be productive not be pampered so when we arrived in New York I was still plenty happy with the five sticker expense.
Scheduled Arrival: 5:41 AM
Actual Arrival: 5:42 AM
Gate: 4

July 8-10 – New York/Rye, NY/Stamford, CT
After disappearing into the dump that is Terminal 8, I escaped to the Admirals Club that Kunz’s have been visiting since 1981. After being welcomed home by the agent, I had a shower and a bagel before heading to the suburbs. After a few train rides, Nick picked me up at the Stamford train station and afforded me a nap before we started our day. Once awake and functioning again, I took him to downtown Rye for lunch at Koo, our overpriced sushi place. After that I took him to the Westchester Mall, the best mall in the area and then gave him an extended tour of where I grew up. We ended up at the beach at Westchester Country Club for swimming and drinks before we met up with Dion for real Italian food and ice cream. After that very productive day, we called it a night.

The next day, being the airplane nerds that we are, we gazed at JetBlue’s finance Headquarters in Darien and ate lunch at Westchester County Airport while watching business jets do their thing. We then headed into New York City for dinner in Forest Hills at Santa Fe Steak House, my favorite restaurant of all time before looking at JetBlue’s Headquarters and the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia. After a trip back to the suburbs, we went and saw the surprisingly funny Devil Wears Prada before heading off to bed as we both had early mornings.

As not even I am worth missing work for, Nick dropped me back at Stamford for the 8:20 train to New York which I took back to Rye. Once there, I met up with more friends for breakfast who lovingly drove me to Newark Airport after I volunteered to pay for expenses. After some final hugs, it was time for my last trip back to Phoenix of this insane four weeks.

Preflight
MONDAY JULY 10, 2006
American Eagle Flight 4509
EWR-BOS
Scheduled Departure: 3:15 PM
Scheduled Boarding: 2:45 PM

Because I’d been driven to the airport, I arrived there at 12:15 which gave me a little more time to kill than I’d like, but it still beat riding the rails the whole way. After walking into the outmoded terminal, I picked up my three boarding passes and was informed my BOS-DFW upgrade was extremely unlikely as First Class was sold out. With that sad bit of news on my conscience, I waltzed through security into the Admirals Club. While I was being checked in I asked the agents if they knew my Dad as he was visiting the Club every Thursday on his way to Durham for a while and he always wore the same button down. They said “oh yes, we know him” and I informed them I was representing him in spirit on this Monday.

My time at the Club was to be a long one, but with sodas, snack mix, T-mobile internet and my insane amount of patience, it passed quickly. I was cruising along, happy as a clam until I overheard “…and Newark Airport has a ground stop in effect” on CNN. We hadn’t been informed of this but a quick check of the departure boards showed newly posted delays on several flights, including a 20 minute delay on my flight. Annoying as this was, I had a padded connection in Boston so I wasn’t too worried. Finally, the inbound aircraft landed and I was able to walk down to the gate where they were just about to board:

Flying
Gate 34
Seat 11A – Main Cabin – Exit Row
ERJ-140 – N838AE
Actual Boarding: 3:20 PM
Actual Departure: 3:47 PM – 32 Minutes Delayed
Take off 18 minutes after departure

The first thing I noticed upon boarding was the denim colored shirt the FA was wearing, I had not been informed Eagle FAs had new uniforms but I think it looked snazzy. As I sat waiting, I read through the New York Times while watching the assorted Continental aircraft taxi around. By this point, I was way beyond caring about delays as I had finally accepted I had pissed off someone in a previous life and was therefore paying for it now by having to spend more time waiting on aircraft. Speaking of waiting on aircraft, our taxi put us behind close to ten jets and I sat watching the Newark Airport Fire Department test its hoses before we took to the New Jersey skies.

The route up to Boston paralleled Interstate-95 for a while which allowed me to pick out my home town and had I been on the right side of the plane, I could have seen the house I grew up in. As that passed below us, we were all offered a drink as well as the snack boxes or cashews and I sipped at a Dr. Pepper while I managed to fill in the entire crossword puzzle in the Times . Sure it was a Monday, but I still think it’s an impressive feat. With the sound of reduced power in the engines, we began our uneventful discerent into Beantown and yet another routine Eagle flight was in the books.
Scheduled Arrival: 4:25 PM
Actual Arrival: 4:53 PM
Gate: B23

Preflight/Transit
American Flight 541
BOS-DFW
Scheduled Departure: 5:48 PM
Scheduled Boarding: 5:18 PM

I was a bit dismayed to find I was in the so-called Siberia gates in Boston which are former Business Express gates unconnected to the normal American pier. This meant I had to exit security and re-clear the metal detectors before I was finally able to enter the Admirals Club. Speaking of the Club, while taxiing at Boston, the Eagle FA had touted the AC and had encouraged people to buy a day pass to “experience the luxury of the Admirals Club”; I decided to go experience said luxury. While being signed in, I asked the agent on duty if my upgrade would happen and he gave me the dismaying news that “she’s checked in full”. With that I asked him to put me down for an upgrade on my DFW-PHX flight as I could at least get some First Class out of this trip. Sadly, that one didn’t clear either and I was left eating cheese and crackers in a corner of the Club feeling very sorry for my poor, un-upgraded self.

I headed to the gate at standard boarding time to find there was no aircraft, but they did want volunteers. Unfortunately, as I had a connection later that night, they refused to take me even though I offered to provide my own accommodations in Dallas. The agent told me “we can’t get you to Phoenix tomorrow, everything is oversold” and I was left feeling rejected for the second time in a half hour. Unfortunately, the plane didn’t arrive until our scheduled departure time so I headed back to the Club to make sure I was protected. The agents on duty were absolutely amazing and they managed to not only protect me on a DFW-PHX flight the next day, they got me a window seat, so much for them all being oversold. After picking up a chicken Caesar wrap, I headed to the gate just as they were calling Platinums for:

Flying
Gate B35
Seat 21F – Main Cabin – Exit Row
MD-80 – N208AA
Actual Boarding: 6:01 PM
Actual Departure: 6:19 PM – 31 Minutes Delayed
Take off 21 minutes after departure

I walked onto American’s 8th MD-80 which felt every one of its 23 years. Still, it still had seats that were bolted to the floor so I didn’t worry too much as I made frantic phone calls to Anosh who got me some hotel information in case I misconnected and to my ride who I informed through thick tears that it was possible I wouldn’t arrive that night. Amazingly, this 100% full flight boarded in 18 minutes and we pushed back far sooner than our projected revised departure time of 6:30. We did still end up behind a long line for departure, but after several Delta’s and JetBlue’s had taken to the sky, we returned to the air and I promptly dropped off to sleep.

When I awoke an hour later, the beverage cart had only just made it to me and I was able to grab a Dr. Pepper to compliment my Club Grub. This was my first time purchasing food from the BOS AC and I can’t believe how good it was. The wrap was extremely tasty and I ended up wishing I had several more. For $8 I ended up with a chicken Caesar wrap with a pack of croutons and dressing, a bag of chips and two cookies. This beat anything I could have found in the terminal for a similar price and I also enjoyed the longing looks people cast me as their stomachs rumbled throughout the 3 ½ hour flight. As we continued west, I noticed the conspicuous lack of flight attendants who offered no second drink service, an inexcusable fact on a flight this long. Still, I was happy reading through my book and trying to ration it so I’d have some left on the next flight. As we approached Dallas, I was treated to a wonderful sunset before we landed and I got to hear “we are arriving at gate C31, if you are connecting onto Phoenix, your gate will be A15.” What a welcome.
Scheduled Arrival: 8:57 PM
Actual Arrival: 9:10 PM
Gate: C31

Preflight/Transit
American Flight 1955
DFW-PHX
Scheduled Departure: 9:55 PM
Scheduled Boarding: 9:25 PM

To quote the amazing band Yes “one down, one to go, another town and one more show”. As worried as I had been about my connection, I found we’d be delayed 20 minutes as the aircraft was arriving late from Kansas City so I made a leisurely walk towards the Skylink while humming the Yes song I mentioned above. After four stops rumbling through the airport, I was deposited in the derelict low A gates. I decided to see if the Admirals Club was still open but all I was greeted with was the locked doors seemingly laughing at me as I trudged slowly back to my gate. At the gate I asked if the upgrade was looking any better and I was told that three people hadn’t checked in and when I asked for one of their seats to be released to me, I was met with a “not yet SIR” in a very rude tone. I explained to the woman that it was American’s policy to cancel seat assignments if people hadn’t checked in 10 minutes before a flight and it was now 9:50 for a 9:55 PM flight. She still refused to give it to me until we’d started boarding and I was given a BP for 4F with no acknowledgement of my thanks.

Flying
Gate A15
Seat 4F – First Class
MD-80 – N462AA
Actual Boarding: 10:00 PM
Actual Departure: 10:25 PM – 30 Minutes Delayed
Take off 10 minutes after departure

“Last one” I thought as I took my favorite seat on this MD-80, the second row window on the EF side. As the other passengers boarded, I noticed three non-revs joined the First Class cabin, making me even more annoyed the gate agent had made me wait for my seat assignment, but I swallowed my bitter annoyance. Sadly, not a pre-departure drink was given, but I forgave the FAs because we were trying to board this umpteenth very full flight and get off to Phoenix as fast as possible. Luckily, we boarded a little quicker than the accepted 30 minutes and we taxied out while I engaged in a banter with the male passenger in front of me who I think was hitting on me, but I took it in stride, though he asked quite a few questions about whether I was married or dating anyone.

Once in the air, I finished my book while sipping on a Cran-Apple and Vodka and eating the new premium snack mix AA has. This is a new product for me and it featured pretzels, cheese sticks and sesame sticks and I much prefer it to Rold Gold pretzels and almonds. With my book finished, I pulled out my laptop and began to write this epic trip report which, for anyone who cares, is my second longest of all time. Soon though I had to stop pecking away as we had begun our descent into Phoenix and just after I’d picked out my apartment complex off to the north, our wheels found purchase in Arizona and I was to be ground-bound for a while.
Scheduled Arrival: 10:15 PM
Actual Arrival: 10:35 PM
Gate: 4

My ride was waiting for me inside the terminal (God I love when they do that) and as we left the airport, I cast a final glance at the place where four amazing trips had started. Over 20,000 miles were in my figurative pocket; I’d consumed a lot of snack mix and spent enough time delayed to fly nonstop from Phoenix to London. I put a smile on my face as I thought about how I’d be waking up in my own bed this weekend, though I had already begun to plan my next trip.