I am big on plans. When I travel, besides traveling well, I like to know what it is I am going to do before I do it, and this trip was no exception, I planned to the T. When I bought the tickets home (ATL-IAH), I planned on retuning to ATL at around 10pm at night to maximize my time at home over the all too brief thanksgiving break.

These plans would change. The week before I left I met with my tutoring student and due to an illness (hers) we needed to meet on Sunday (11-25). This necessitated that I change my flight back to Atlanta from a night flight to a morning flight. I did what any savvy FTer does when picking flights, I went on to seatcounter.com and selected the flight with the most open F seats to maximize my chance at an EUA. I turned to continental.com to evaluate the cost of the change and it turned out that in addition open F seats, there were also open seats in my fare class, and the total change fee was $10.00. As this was a last minute change I was given seat 23b, there be no open elite, aisle, or window seats.

Flight 1420
737-300
Depart IAH 10:40(am)
Arrive ATL 01:40(pm) appx
coach meal service: Heh you're kidding right??? There be no meal service here.

The Friday before my flight found me out and about in downtown Houston with some old friends of mine drinking a Jefe Bar. Yes, I am a young man and I like to party. I do not like paying cover for just a DJ, but it is downtown Houston. As this is a trip report not a drinking story, the details will be spared. I got home at 3:30am and set the alarm for 10:35am so I can OLCI at 10:40am.

10:35am 11-24
alarm goes off
10:35:30 11-24
slam alarm off button with an undue amount of force
10:36am 11-24
fish laptop out from under the bed
10:36:15am 11-24
power up the laptop
10:38am 11-24
log on to CO.com account
10:39am 11-24
Begin hitting refresh every 10sec
10:40am 11-24
look for OLCI link, can't find it.
10:40:15am 11-24
continue to hit refresh.
10:41am 11-24
begin to wonder if OLCI is down
10:41:30am 11-24
panic sets in, begin to think of alternate solutions like calling.
10:41:40am 11-24
OLCI link appears.
10:41:41am 11-24
sigh in relief, click link, enters OLCI
10:41:42
Begin to think, that I just maybe be a little paranoid.

I learn several things during the OLCI process. First, I learn that I am eligible for a first class upgrade if one is available and I am asked if I would like to see if one is available. I select no, because who wants to ride up front... Like any sane singleton passenger I select yes. The next screen informs me that no upgrade is available and that I have been added to the stand-by list. great, 23b here I come. Next, I move through the dumb questions like I am over the age of 13, blah blah blah. I click through screens without even reading them anymore, I know them by heart.

I am on automatic until I get to the seat selection screen. I am told that I am in seat 23b, and then asked if I would like to review my seat assignment. Seeing as middleseats in the back of the cattle car are not the most appealing seats I click yes. Ahh the exit row seats have opened, now I know better than to select the first exit row because there is no recline. I select the second exit row, aisle seat. I go from a middle seat to an aisle seat with bonus pitch, I am clearly moving up in the world.

(as a quick aside I am not intending to restart the debate on recline in coach, but the seats are just not comfortable for me to sit straight up, so I always recline just a little.)

I finish OLCI, and select the e-mail option for my BP. Hey, I keep my laptop near my bed but not my printer.

The following times are straight of my gmail account.
From CO.com to [email protected]
10:45am
Here is your BP
flight 1420
Gate, see airport display
seat, See gate agent

10:45:30am
From CO.com to [email protected]
Congrats you have been upgraded to F

10:46am
From CO.com to [email protected]
Here is your BP
Gate, still unknown
Seat, 1B
segment 9

All I can say is who were the eight people who checked before me?? Were they clicking refresh even more than me?

11-25
arrive at IAH terminal C at appx 9:30am
I guess I should have had my family drop me at terminal E, but I am elite and the line though the TSA cluster.... should be a smooth as possible. I walk into the C check in area and I see the standard amount chaos that one would expect.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with terminal C, the check-in area is split in half down the middle and both sides are roughly symmetrical. The check-ins and bag drops are against the wall, no bag check in in the center, and security against the far wall opposite the entrance. The left side has non-elite and crew security, the right side has another non-elite line and the elite line. The non-elite line has several switch-backs and the line stretched back to the entrance. I entered the elite line and with-in five minutes made my way to the check point. For elites have the choice of merging with the non-elites or using a dedicate security line. The lines were about of equal length and I chose the merge line as it was closer.

While I was waiting for the security line a young family, car seat and infant in-tow cut infront of me when I went to get the ubiquitous grey plastic tray for my laptop, and shoes. I wonder when all of these grey trays that get used over and over again will begin to glow in the dark from the radiation. Does anyone know?? While normally I would point out to the line cutter that I was there first, I have a certain sympathy for parents of young children, and said nothing. They noticed that I was there and they graciously offered to let me in front of them, I tried to decline but they insisted.

I exited security and looked at the big board of departures, while avoiding the carts, (EXCUSE THE CART PLEASE!!!) hmm gate C-36, I know this gate. C terminal, southside. I move in that direction. I ponder stealing internet from the PC, but I decline with only an hour before the flight boarding will start soon. The gate area is next to a walled off area so the departure area is smaller than normal and due to the full flight no seats are available so I adopt some space around a support column, and the smell tells me there is a trash can around the other side of the column.

I sit and watch a hub airport on the busiest travel day of the year. There are of course several varieties of gate lice. First there is the self-important gate lice variety. This species of gate lice is predominantly male, all dressed in some sort of business attire, today's variety had nice jeans and a sport coat. As this species varies in appearance and gender they all have two universal characteristics, they all have the bluetooth headset that they are not using but have installed in their head anyways, and they all have to be standing in the elite boarding line waiting to be first on board. There were five people standing near the boarding line, counting me that accounts for all first class passengers.

The GA announces first class boarding and I get up to board and so does someone sitting near me in a chair. That means seven people for six seats?? the math doesn't add up. Let me introduce to the more common gate lice variety the common line crowder. This person varies in age and gender and can commonly be found blocking the boarding line while waiting for their time to board. I had to physically push my way past these people while being polite, while hauling my small carry-on and my laptop bag.

Pre-flight

I board and secure my carry-ons in the smaller overhead space above 1B. The flight crew is a veteran flight crew and all are professional. Jackets are taken I have none. Drinks are offered, coffee cream, no sugar. seats are re-arranged the two people in the window seats swapped so a couple could be together. We were delayed on the ground for about an hour due tow weather, and a person having to use the restroom (cost us our departure slot).

I am not a huge fan of the first seats because of the lumbar support. I tend to slouch when I sit and the lumbar support tends to dig in, in all the wrong places. When I sit up, it also feels like it is in the wrong place due to my height (or lack there off).

Maybe I should ask Santa for premium economy and split the difference.

The flight itself.
After some turbulence on departure service gets under way. Hot towels are offered, more like towels with a cup of hot water poured over them. Yes that's what happened. Drinks served, coke and lunch is served.

Lunch
I wasn't hungry when we pushed back but after the delay I was looking for lunch. The FA described it as a light shrimp salad. The salad was a lunch sized salad with IIRC 5 or so cocktail sized shrimp on a bed of mixed green lettuce. The positives were actually clean, fresh, deep green lettuce^^^ with little to no taste. There was also little to no iceberg lettuce in the salad. The shrimp were clean^^^, I can not stress this enough proper de-vaining of shrimp is key not to taste but texture. Improperly cleaned shrimp have this horrible gritty texture that makes me think I am eating dirt.

In addition I was given a bag of mixed nuts, a small fruit salad side of a good size, a warm yeast roll from the bread basket, a hunk of processed cheese, crackers, and a package of cookies for dessert. all of this was served on a tray with metal silverware and a cloth napkin. Y got nothing besides peanuts.

The only downside to lunch was I wish my drink would have been re-filled more, which is to say at all during lunch. Eventually I was offered another drink, after I was done with lunch. I would also wish for slightly more salad dressing.

As the captain put the petal to the metal to make up time, actuall flight time was only about an hour. Lunch was over and we began to descend. The flight landed about 25-35 minutes late, and I was the first one off the plane. On my way out I noticed the airworthyness certificate posted above the door, dated October 30, 1986.

Welcome to Atlanta.