mkjr

Nice and wow that you got your camera back. Pretty weak of a parent to use their child to help steal stuff.

Glensea

Thanks for another great report giving detail and your personal perspective. Your enthusiasm always shines through the words and pictures.

Did it miss it or weren't you told how the camera was recovered? Getting it back is wonderful news for you.

LPDAL

Unfortunately, they did not tell me how they got it back. I'm just thankful that it is once again in my possession.

Thanks for all your kind words!

-LPDAL ^

cmd320

Nice and thorough report as always. I didn't realize the US Club at TPA still had US branding up. I haven't been there since late December but all I can recall seeing was AC branding.

Those US Airbuses look like they're in quite a state of disrepair and seriously need a cabin refurb. I only hope they don't end up looking like the new AA Airbuses which IMO should take the coveted title of slAAveship from the 767.

LPDAL

Any obvious branding, that is. Other than that, only the sign outside and the board behind the desk have been changed:


LPDAL's Photostream on Flickr - Photo Sharing
Less obvious things, like logo and tableware, still have US branding. Of course, on the other side of the fence, there are Vignelli Scissor Eagles and old fonts all over MIA, particularly the gigantic one near the AA Credit Union.

I think that, given the rather rapid timeframe of consolidation over the last decade, it is rather amusing and fun to search airports for old airline logos, signage, and fonts during layovers, even with my club memberships. When I went to ORD back in May, FLL was full of Continental Airlines logos, and ORD was full of Tulip-adorned ERJ-135/40/45 and CRJ-700 blue-jays.

I have a CRJ-700 ride coming up on ORD-CMH, I'm hoping for a Tulip! ^

Thanks for your kind words as always CMD!

-LPDAL

offerendum

Sad! But glad you got your camera back^ Hope the women changed her adress :-)

1P

Am I the only one who thought to myself "Here is one arrogant so-and-so, telling us upfront that he is going to do things his way and stuff the rest of us" ? As if that were not enough, he reiterates the warning, not once but twice at least. And so — I couldn't bring myself to look at the TR which, indeed, as I skimmed through to the bottom, has entirely too many pictures. Should I report OP to the moderators for provocation? Or is this all a matter of taste? This is a serious question. I think warnings like this should be prohibited.

zcat18

This thought crossed my mind too. I've got mixed feelings. The disclaimer is unnecessary and, clearly, is inviting/provoking just the sort of commentary that the OP claims to wish to avoid. To some degree, this "disclaimer" applies to all TRs posted here: the unwritten rule is generally that it's YMMV, not everybody is going to like every TR, and if you don't like it, then it's usually best to just move on and not read it rather than inviting conflict with what is usually unnecessary criticism. In this case, however, I think--at long last--criticism is certainly warranted.

I've read this poster's TRs since he started posting them. I've been quietly rooting for him to become a great trip reporter and for people to take him seriously (I believe that the latter is the case for the most part, and the former will come with time and patience). I think we need enthusiastic young blood with different perspectives in this hobby. I really do appreciate his enthusiasm, and I think he provides a valuable service to the FT community. There is certainly a very real niche need for reports on short-haul products.

However, all of that said, the reports have become increasingly difficult to navigate, and while I realize that it is out of his control, there seems to be a maturity level issue that prevents him from leaving some insults unpunished. The results are trip reports that are overwhelmingly self-serving and that (deliberately?) over-utilize many of the devices and stylistic issues that have turned people off in the past.

From a purely practical standpoint, the overwhelming number of photos take an absurd amount of time to load--even on the very fast network that I use day-to-day. This, plus the increasingly provocative, sometimes almost vindictive tone (which includes the disclaimers), will prevent me from reading this poster's reports from now on. That said, I don't think it warrants interaction with the mods. They pay close enough attention that I believe they would step in if he were running afoul of the "rules," and I trust their judgment. That said, I had the same reaction you did.

Glensea

Reading of any trip report is voluntary, and no one who has started to read has to finish if the reader is unhappy with the report. I've done that at times and never felt the need to express my displeasure to others.

The OP is clear at the beginning what will be covered and how; I appreciate that. I think this OP has responded to friendly suggestions in the past and now is well on the way to becoming a very good trip reporter.

It's one thing to note factual errors or different experiences, but is it really necessary or even appropriate to criticize the writing style? Can that be taken as a personal attack which should be reported to the moderators?

Can't folks who want something else just move on and let the rest of us enjoy what's been presented?

LPDAL

I just started the graphic design, photo processing, and filling out the flight templates for Report 27: United First Class+BusinessFirst, 777-200, Dash-8-Q400, Silver Airways Saab 340B+, and a night in Portland, Maine + Portland Jetport FLL✈IAH✈EWR✈PWM✈EWR✈TPA✈FLL

I'm really excited about it!!












LPDAL's Photostream on Flickr - Photo Sharing

Coming soon to a trip report forum near you! ^

-LPDAL

aviatorzz

A couple of things.

1. The hash line for the 747/707 that you posted is actually for a 767, 747.

2. I love the Marriott tampa airport. One of my favorite places to stay when visiting florida.

3. Great report, up to but not including the disclaimer. That is unnecessary and flamebait. You are on a public forum, that is posted by the public and run by moderators. They are tasked to handle the very thing you are "warning" (lol) about and not yours to dictate.

LPDAL

Hi everyone,

I forgot to post this in the report, GAH:


Sister, reunited, now safely in the McCormack household. I cannot thank Detective Kauffman enough...He has my eternal gratitude...

-LPDAL

qukslvr619

Wait so you're saying that 300 pictures + webpage screenshots (of the airlines international premium class product that isn't even offered domestically, i.e. BusinessFirst on IAHEWR) are excessive for what equates to a 40 minute gate-to-gate trip?

Sure the "if you don't like it don't read it" line comes to mind. But being an enthusiast whose trips are limited these days due to kids and corporate travel cutbacks, I like reading trip reports. I enjoy looking through the pictures and reading the commentary; I just don't need the history of the world or an explanation of every detail as it relates to an aircrafts installation of a bolt that occurred 15 years ago. I also don't want to listen to a tone that is condescending ("don't ask me about how I pay for these trips, but oh by the way my graduation gift is $15k to go on
a plane ride" or "it is due to jealousy--a large amount of the people who lambast my reports again and again and again are frequent coach fliers (or they don't fly....oh my don't let me say the curse word...FIRST CLASS... at all"). Look, I'm by no means jealous of 30 minute intra-FLA First Class hops because I have flown 1 million+ miles across the world on many airlines with the best First Class available. I don't have a problem explaining how I did these trips because, since this is a site mostly geared for mileage programs, people exchange tips for better redemption options (like <24 hour layovers on UA MileagePlus, or fare deals, etc). I'd imagine most people are asking because either they are looking for similar strategies on traveling or may have suggestions as to maximize your routings (like did you know that a simple EWRORD search can be put in as EWRMCO / MCOORD for the same amount of miles and additionally add additional segments where essentially you could fly EWRIADMCODENORD in a day).

That aside, people have been encouraging you and obviously want to read your reports (minutia or not) but a lot of us are just trying to make it easier for more people to actually read or load the reports. The calls for fewer pictures, lower resolution, or less detail is for common posting courtesy not as a means to be rude. So it comes across as rather arrogant that you are putting disclaimers or warnings when most people are just expressing concerns because they want to read the reports but can't because the content is overwhelming and takes forever to load.

So you can either take this as criticism or just friendly suggestion. I've been your age, I still get excited getting on a plane, and try and capture every moment of it. But any good travel blogger will tell you that you also have to consider your audience and what they want to read and how you want to phrase it. Just because you think its crucial to include a picture of your bag being tagged, loaded onto the belt, coming off the carousel etc, what value does it add to the overall content. Just because you can afford to buy full fares doesn't mean everyone else can or is necessarily jealous of it either (why would I buy one full fare F ticket when I could get 3 F trips and more miles for similar trips?). Take it with a grain of salt just a suggestion.

Loose Cannon

Glad you got your camera back

CDKing

Id suggest for the future to keep your camera in a bag through out the screening process/checkpoint.