FlyerTalk Forums - US Airways in Rain, Sun and Snow

This is my first attempt to write TR. Yesterday I did MR on US Airways at 4cpm. Sorry no pictures. After my first leg I wasn't able to take any pictures :)

The night before I just charged my iPad and iPod, checked-in for my flights and called Yellow Cab to pick me up at 4:40am for 15 minutes ride to DCA. I set my alarm clock for 3:30am and went to bed around midnight. When alarm finally woke me up I saw that it was 4:20am already. I hit the snooze button and went to sleep. When I realized that I overslept I started to panic.
In 20 minutes I had my coffee, smoked 2 cigarettes, shaved, brushed my teeth and took the shower. My driver called me at 4:40am to let me know that he'll be there in 3 minutes. Apparently he got lost which worked out in the end.
The weather was nasty and the driver took the longest possible way to get to the airport. I arrived at terminal C around 5am and went to US Airways check-in counter to print my boarding passes.
After that I proceeded to almost empty security check point.

DCA-PHL
US Airways A319
N745VJ painted in Allegheny Airlines retro colors.
Seat 2A.
Flight time: 28 minutes

I've opted to fly this early to PHL to avoid Air Wisconsin CRJ and my least favorite terminal F in Philly.
Boarding started at 5:30am and they closed the door at 5:45. Pre flight drinks were served, and after departure orders were collected. Pilots announced that we might have to go for the deicing before we take off.
Thankfully we didn't have to and proceeded to runway 1 for 6am departure.
As soon as we reached cruising altitude, FA distributed drinks to people who ordered them before. She also did quick walk thru with snack basket.
Around 6:40am we were at the gate in rainy and cold Philly.

We arrived at terminal B and I had exactly 3 hours before my departure to San Juan. There was another departure to SJU but I've opted for the later one because I wanted to fly in B767-200. Since I had plenty of time I've decided to go outside and have a smoke. Philly was even colder than DC and sleet was coming down. After my smoke I found empty chair next to US check-in desks. I was reading FT (checking for new deals) :) and interesting topic in United forum about EWR-ZRH flight cancellation and problems with cross fleeting. That preoccupied me for over an hour. I had one more smoke and decided to go to the gate. At 8am security check point in terminal B was empty. Soon after I was on my way, taking the stroll to gate A23.

As I was approaching the gate I've noticed that the crew also arrived for my flight.

PHL-SJU
US Airways B767-200
N246AY
Seat 2C
Flight time: 3:23 hrs

At 9am boarding process started. People that need assistance, FC, elites and everybody else.
As I was getting comfy for my flight. Purser came over, introduced herself and offered me PBD. Around 30 minutes later boarding completed was announced and gate agent went to the back to pull two people and put them in two empty seats in first class. These people were very happy.
The purser collected drink and meal orders. The options were veggie lasagna or chicken with re-fried beans and rice (Puerto Rican style).
I really miss old seats in the 767s. The new seats are so uncomfortable. They are exactly the same as LOT Airlines is using on their 767-300s.
It takes a while to find semi-comfortable reclining position.

Right on schedule at 9:40am we were pushed back and taxied to runway 9L for departure. The pilot announced our trip details, and said that we will hit some turbulence on the way up. He was right. Shortly after departure we were going up and down for 10-15 minutes.
The service started right after we were in the clear. I've got my wine in proper wine glass and cranberry nut mix. I was watching the movie and my glass was constantly full. At one point, the purser came over to me and apologized for disturbing my movie, but she wanted to let me know that the food was almost ready. Apparently the catering people have dropped the food on the floor before the flight and they had to get new meals for this flight. She said that the new meals were frozen and it takes so long in the oven to warm them up.
I really didn't care about it. I was happy with the drinks :)
Before the food showed up, we were given warm towel. The strange thing that I've noticed was that some people were using these towels to wash their face (?). I thought that the idea behind the towels was to wash your hands.

Anyway. I've got my chicken meal with side salad and warm roll. The meal itself was good, but I don't recall ever seeing chicken on my plate :)
After the brunch (thats what the crew was calling this meal) I was offered carrot cake with coffee. I've politely declined and stated that I can stick to the wine :)

Soon after I switched from iPad to iPod, fully reclined my seat and went to sleep. The crew woke me up when we were 15 minutes from landing. I've asked the purser if they were going back to Philly or continuing to Charlotte. She said that they are going back to Philly and asked about my inquiry.
I've told her that I'm connecting to Charlotte. She asked how long I'm staying at SJU. I've replied that only 45 minutes. She was stunned. I had to explain that I'm doing mileage run. Then we were talking about flying in general. She said that she was flying with US for 32 years and her husband for 29 years. He was also working first class cabin with her. He kind of reminded me of John Goodman :)

Overall, the flight was uneventful with pretty good inflight service.

We arrived in sunny San Juan 20 minutes ahead of schedule, so I've decided to go outside and have a smoke. What I didn't do was to check how long were the security lanes.
When I left the terminal I was instantly hit with 90 degrees humid weather. That's when the wine started revolution in my head. I was pretty drunk :)
After my smoke I couldn't find my way back to departure level. Finally I found elevator that took me up. When I got back inside the terminal I saw huge line for security. There were probably 300 people in front of me. After few minutes I've noticed that some people are bypassing the lane. That's when I saw priority lane. All of a sudden I was number 2 for screening.

At that point I still had 30 minutes before the boarding commenced.
I went to duty free shop to pick up my favorite rum, DonQ Gold. Two 1 liter bottles for $25. You can't beat that price. By the time I reached the gate, they were announcing beginning of the boarding.

SJU - CLT
US Airways B767-200
N256AY
Seat 2A
Flight time: 3:10 hrs

This time I had window seat. Since I was on the left side of the plane, purser came to my row last and I didn't have any choice in food selection.
I didn't want any wine before the flight, but PBD was offered.
They closed the door right on time and we were following Delta B757 to runway 10 for departure. I felt bad that I didn't stay at SJU at least for one night, but that would drag CPM to 11 cents :) I'll be back. I promise.

This is short video that I took with my phone of our take off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKaKV...er_profilepage

There was no snack service on this flight. We were given our drink choices and soon after meal service started. By default I was given pasta with marinara sauce, 3 shrimps with cocktail sauce, side salad and warm roll.
After that flight attendant brought warm apple pie.
That pasta was purely disgusting. Tasteless and overcooked. I ate it because I was hungry. The pie was the best part of this meal.
This time wine was served in big glasses. I had about 4 of them and I was out. :)
I woke up 3 minutes before landing in Charlotte. Crew on this flight wasn't as nice as crew on my previous flight. They were like the pasta they served, bland.

At Charlotte I had 1:40hr to kill before my last flight of the day to DCA. I wanted to go outside and have a smoke, but halfway thru I realized that I have two bottles of liquid in my backpack. That killed the idea of smoking in Charlotte. Instead, I went to Starbucks for cup of coffee to sober up.

While I was sitting at the gate D2, I've noticed on the departures board that all flights to PA, NJ, NY, CT and points north were cancelled. Fortunately my flight to DC was still on time.

CLT - DCA
US Airways A319
N742PS painted in PSA retro colors.
Seat 3A
Flight time: 47 minutes.

So after an hour of sitting in the gate area it was time to board my last flight. The flight was completely full as was the gate area. I didn't have any bags with me (besides my backpack) so I've decided to board last.
When the agents were calling "All rows" I joined the queue. It took probably 15 minutes to walk the jetway. When I took my seat, flight attendant asked me for PBD. I declined and soon after we were on our way to runway 36R for departure. No traffic jams on the taxiway, and soon we were number 1 for take off. After the seat belt sign was off, FA did serve snacks and I had last one glass of red wine. The wine works well because I woke up 5 minutes before the landing.
When I left the terminal I saw snow/ice on the ground. It was sooo cold.
I had quick smoke and took taxi back home. My taxi driver was from Eritrea. We were chatting all the way to my place. We were comparing cultural differences :)

This morning I woke up with huge hangover :) Thanks God for energy drinks :)

So this was my first TR. Thanks for reading. Comments, remarks are welcome.