I do most of my flying on weekends, and it seems deader than usual around here, even for a Saturday. Did just watch a 744 in DL colors roll by, though.

ETA - Weird, Airframes.org lists my DL-colored plane as still Registered to/Operated by NW. I'm still listing it as a DL flight. If it has wings and a widget, it's DL.

I have never flown a CR9 myself -- I don't think anyone brings them to PHL, and I'd book away if they did -- but the consensus on the US board is that they are awful.

The airport has been connected to the Rapid since I was a kid 30-35 years ago, but I'd say that RTA is a bigger problem than the airport not promoting the rapid stop. The problem is that, unless you're going downtown, to University Circle, to Euclid, or to Shaker Heights, the Rapid isn't all that useful. I've taken the Rapid to CLE exactly once, and I grew up 5 mins away from a Rapid stop. Maybe if you're in town for the weekend to stay downtown, or if you're a student at Case, or if you're going to a meeting at KeyBank or something, the Rapid might be useful.

For most of us locals it is a bigger pain than it is worth, but the Rapid is a key connection to downtown that should be advertised as such. Not many towns can say that you can go from your gate to your hotel without going outside! (the Ritz and Renaissance are connected to Tower City, the hub for the light rail system). Then again, much the business in the region is located in the 'burbs, but that is a long discussion in itself. It is also a shame that they do not go forth with some PAX service on the freight lines that also hub downtown. I am sure a ton of people on the southeast side would love to avoid 77 and I can confirm that a ton of west siders would love to avoid the mess on 90 and the Shoreway. I write this as I look at the tracks that run through the northwest suburbs....

Don't get me started.


+1

It is a NW crewed and operated flight.

I flew in a NW painted A319 but a DL painted A320....
one of the crews even had a mix of DL and NW among them, but I think it was just that one looked good in the DL 'wrap' dress and one was a bit hefty for that :D

That assumes that anyone at the RTA has vision and money. I'm not sure there would be enough interest to run rapids to Maple Heights or Lakewood or wherever on any schedule that would be convenient enough without bleeding money.

Cleveland hasn't had much of a downtown, at least in my lifetime, and the merger of key (no pun intended) companies headquartered there hasn't helped (I'm thinking here of BP and National City). I worked on E 9th for a summer 20+ years ago and took the Rapid to work, and it wasn't crowded then. I can only imagine what it's like now. As you say, the real issue is that the business community in Cleveland is pretty well dispersed.

Sorry about that. ;)

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8830/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

Nothing worse than shoping with the wife (for her). Currently stuck in Banana Republic but at least they have chairs.

Speaking of which, breakfast (eating now) is:

Sausage acquired last night (~60 cents),
A nice potato rosti (~15 cents),
Eggs (~25 cents),
Diet coke (~12 cents)

You have fun there. I'll be in the LAS madness again.

My netbook can barely fit in the port bins (in F - don't know about Y). My compact rollaboard fits in the starboard bins but is designed to fit on a CRJ.

Good afternoon box
I think my friend went , he asked me to go with him but I also had to work :-:

I detest woman's stores that have zero chairs. I do not mind accompanying Mrs. MBM3 to the mall but fewer and fewer stores have the man seats anymore. Like I need to walk around the same rack six times! ;)

That might be due to general capacity reductions and the fact that it's a Saturday more than the merger. It is strange, though, to walk around DTW and see all the signs changed to DL.

Particularly given the Northern Ohio winters ...

great pics, makes me want to go back to Tokyo ^

Maybe they expect you to go to the electronics store.

If the BNA burbs didn't have 80%+ humidity overnight year round, I would join you.

WN captains are smart cookies.

Saturday still seems to have a pretty big bank around 4 p.m. but there are indeed cutbacks.

NW-operated but "DL colors" (how those flights are described to ATC) still means NW to me.