Seat 2A

I had an interesting conversation with a flight attendant yesterday. I was seated in 2D and was entering data on this latest flight into my flight log. We were chatting a bit about nothing in particular (well, not exactly - There was the usual thanks for being a Million Miler and the usual curiosity as to what do I do to fly so much. For my part I was curious if there were a way to actually get the beer ice cold. Mostly they just set it on top of dry ice and hope for the best. As a result, most of the time the beer is cool to tepid. That might be fine for British ales, but a proper pilsner should be refreshingly cold - about 38-40°F. But I digress. Anyway, I believe I mentioned that I'm actually approaching 2 million miles flown on Alaska but a lot of those flights don't count towards the total because the were either non-rev award travel or code-shares past of tickets bought through Delta or American many years ago. He asked me how would I know my totals if Alaska doesn't credit the flights in Mileage Plan. I pointed to my laptop which was open on the tray table for 2F and replied that I keep a flight log. The conversation went something like this...

FA: That's your flight log?
Me: It is - of a sort.
FA: Of a sort?
Me: Well, this particular page addresses flights on individual 737s. Yesterday in fact I logged my 500,000th mile on a -900.
FA: 500,000? But we have you down as a Million Miler.
Me. Oh, I am. But what I mean is that I've now flown over 500,000 miles just on the 900 variant of the 737-900.
FA: OMG! That's probably more than I've flown on them!
Me: How long have you been working for Alaska?
FA: Over 10 years, but a half million miles is quite a figure.
Me: Oh, that's nothing. I've logged over 750,000 miles aboard 737-800s.
FA: OMG! Is all of that on Alaska?
Me: No. But most of it is.
I then showed him an Excel file I keep specific only to Alaska flights. I keep track of total Alaska flights as well as individual flights per aircraft type and even specific aircraft. After 5.6 million miles of flying, the numbers really start to add up... Anyway, it was a fun little chat. Most people, when they hear I keep a flight log, adopt a polite but distant approach as in "Try to keep him calm..." Here's a couple photos. Right. I go back under my rock now. But first, I've gotta fly to Portland and on to Las Vegas. The Mojave desert beckons...


A listing of all 737-900 flights

A compilation of total flights and mileage flown on all variants of 737s. The blue numbers are total individual or unique aircraft flown upon


737 flight breakdown just for Alaska Airlines

Ford Fairlane

Doesn't seem so weird to me. Did you start tracking from the first flight you ever took? If not, when did this start for you? I wish I had records of every flight I've ever taken, but when I first stepped onto a plane in 1984, I had no idea I'd become so fond of air travel later in life.

seacarl

No Alaska 727 flights? No MD-80's?

edgewood49

that is a bit strange I have been flying since 2001 MM have a bit of MD80 flights a lot quieter flights and you can stand up in the FC Lav

seacarl

MD-80 was particularly quiet in FC! I hate to admit that I am old enough to even remember Gold Coast service on flights SEA-SFO which included steak and eggs on a morning flight.

jrl767

oh, Seat 2A doubtless has tons of AS 727/72S/M80 flights, all doubtless extractable from his master spreadsheet

Seat 2A

You'll have to forgive my self-deprecating humor - most people are bored silly by this stuff, even here at FlyerTalk where most of 'em just wanna fly for free or get upgraded.

As for me, I began tracking flights from when I could first remember them. Family members say there are a couple more that oughta be in my log but as their passion for this stuff doesn't burn anywhere near as bright as mine - correction: Their's doesn't burn at all! - they can't remember them, especially since they would've been taken back in the early 1960s or thereabouts. In total, as of the flight I'm on now, I've logged 5,688 flights on 202 airlines totaling 5,619,030 miles. My first flight with Alaska was back in May of 1976, back when Alaska had just 11 jets in its fleet.

BTW, if you're curious about any of your early flights and you remember some of the routes you flew plus anything else about the flight, drop us a line over at the Old Timer's Airline Quiz & Discussion thread over in the Travel Buzz Forum. We might be able to help you figure out some of your missing flights.

Seat 2A

You got that right, J - though not quite "tons" in a figurative sense, I was fortunate to log a good number of flights on the 727s. I loved those old First Class seats, especially when the -290s first joined the fleet in 1979. Those seats - upholstered in a bright orange and yellow tiny checkerboard pattern - were deep and wide and well cushioned, truly proper First Class seats from back in the days when First Class was truly "First Class". I also logged a good number of MD-80 flights as well. Here's the breakdown:

727-100 22 Flights 6,450 Total Miles

727-200 49 Flights 20,110 Total Miles

MD-80 150 Flights 133,030 Total Miles

seacarl

I'll have to check that thread - have never been there, and sadly haven't really collected a flight history.

But my vague-ish recollection is that in the mid 1960's (as a young child) I flew FRA-JFK on a JL DC8. Is that even possible? Did JAL have 5th freedom flights FRA-JFK?

Ford Fairlane

jrl767 also recommended that thread to me earlier this year; lotta history there to enjoy reading about. I should get back there too.

One of the routes I flew more than a couple times in my first years of flying (mid-80s) was DAY/BOS/PWM on (the original) People Express Airlines. I don't mind when I get upgrades on AS, of course, but my first FC upgrade ever was on People Express, as a 20-year old college student on a BOS/PWM leg, due simply to overbooking. I wish I remembered more about those flights, but I do recall there was some unique brand of cookie that everyone got (wIthout options for anything else to eat, as I also recall).

Seat 2A

They may have. I recall JAL once flying between London and New York as part of its Around The World network. I don't recall them flying to JFK out of Frankfurt. I have a 1966 Worldwide OAG (Official Airline Guide) back home that I could check. Only problem is - I won't be back home until the 21st. That said, below is a link to a JAL route map from a 1966 timetable. If you did fly out of Frankfurt (in 1966 at least), it looks like you would've stopped in London.

JAL 1966 Route Map

seacarl

You know what, it may well have been LHR-JFK (or vv) that I was remembering, because my family did move from Frankfurt to London when I was about 3. My recollection is that I was allowed to sleep on the floor of the cabin. And I think it was a DC-8, but who knows, it could have been a 707. It was definitely before the 747 was a thing.

Seat 2A

Sometimes it's the little things that you remember. For example, most early DC-8s had curtains rather than window shades, and of course their windows were huge. Prior to the "wide-body look" interiors, 707s had those bulky passenger service consoles that hung down over each row of seats. You'll see examples of both in the pictures below...


Air New Zealand DC-8 with curtained windows

Havin' a smokin' good time aboard a Lufthansa 707. The overhead consoles housed air and light controls

jrl767

note the pillows in the overhead “storage area” (maybe 4-5” clearance to the ceiling from the shelf attached to the sidewall) ... the space was barely big enough to accommodate the briefcase that was the traveling businessman’s standard accessory

Seat 2A

Although you can't see the overhead consoles on this early Alaska Airlines 727, you can see the famous Golden Samovar along with a nice bowl of chilled caviar. Note the colorful wall panels as well. I remember those from my first flight on Alaska back in 1976. And let's not overlook those trim flight stewardesses in their cossack inspired outfits. And now it's off to the desert and no internet for a few days. Cheers!