Well friends, I don't get to fly as much as I would like to so when I get a chance to post a trip report...yahoo! I am going to do my best QuietLion impression while eating dessert!

I was invited to our companies Bi-Annual Quality Conference and had to stay another day for a meeting and workshop with my workgroup. So it was off Charleston, West By God Virginia!

I had a 9:15am Saturday morning flight so I decided to get up early and head to the LAX Presidents Club for pre-flight bloody mary's. Since I don't have a Hunnybear to drive me to LAX in a black convertable Cabriolet, I jump in my black Honda Accord with a roof and take the secret freeway (the 405) from Long Beach to LAX. Drop the car off at the Car Barn and ride the shuttle with the other flyers to begin our journeys.

The trip starts off with the shuttle driving forgeting that I was on CO at terminal 6, so I get dropped off at terminal 7 in front of that other airline. The PC is nice and quiet in the morning, so I quaff down 2 bloodies and a cup of non charbucks before boarding seat 2F. Nice smooth flight with enjoyable breakfast of fruit plate, cheese omelet, waffle, and 2 slabs of ham. Got a great view of the Grand Canyon also!

Sipped a glass of so so cab but had 2 nice glasses of Frescobaldi, yummy, yummy, yummy! Was looking forward to my first visit to the Cleveland PC but due to heavy traffic around CLE, we had to circle for 1/2 hour. I knew that I should have taken the 6:15a flight so that I could have met Old Gold while he was passing through on his way to Toronto for the Red Green Show. I ran from the C terminal over to the D terminal to make my flight to Charley West.

First on board for my first flight on the magnificent BE1900D. No first class, no lav's, and no cocktails. The First Officer gave us the safety info and showed us how to open the door. Turns out that 2 of my co-workers from Lake Charles, LA were on the plane also. We all have heard of each other but had never met, so to celebrate, we asked the pilot for cocktails, but he acted like he was too busy for us.

Stayed at the Charleston Marriott Town Center. Pulled into the parking lot and the Ohio chapter of the Hell's Angel's MC was there checking out. They certainly were a nice group of guys! Very Polite! Nice hotel with a fun bar where I only got stuck with one tab for $50 for the 4 nights that I was there. My shower had a severe water hammer and flow restriction problem and the front desk had it fixed while I was at the first seminar. Nice breakfast buffet also!

Had meetings all day on Thursday then headed for Chuck Yeager Airport (CRW) for the trip home. Another BE1900D with 6 passengers. One thing that I liked was the pilots kept the cockpit doors open so you got to see the takeoffs and landings. Had 45 minutes before the next flight so I head over to the PC. Nice club with Veronica at the bar. Ola in the LAX PC asked me to say hi for her if I saw her so I hopefully got to make her day with a hello from a long distance friend. Had a Crown rocks and headed for the gate. It was time to board seat 2E for the flight back to reality. The gate agents upgraded 4 people including one elderly gentlemen in his 90's who was in a wheelchair. Two gate service agents carried the man from his chair into his seat. It was a nice touch as the man could not do it himself nor his middle age daughter.

Nice flight with a very young and attractive seatmate. As the FA was taking our meal orders, she decides to ask my seatmate first what she would like to eat. The options were filet mignon or (one-color) pasta with roasted salmon. Just as the FA says we only one filet left, my seatmate says "I want the filet". The FA apologizes to me as she knew that I am a steak kind of guy and I told her that I was easy and would take option B. I was really hoping for a free bottle of wine but no dice. The pasta was very...lets just say it was palatable. Then it happened very quickly...the vaunted HEATED NUTS appeared! Yes, my night was made. Then as I was enjoying another Frescobaldi, out comes the ice cream sundaes! As a rule, I always eat dessert so I had vanilla ice cream with strawberries and whip cream, yummy, yummy, yummy! Meanwhile my young attractive seatmate was gulping down the chardonay's and was up and down to the lav's all during the flight. Never heard her utter a please or thank you to either me or the FA's. I can be crude with the best of them but I always make it a point to be polite to others.

My bag was the first down the chute (thank you priority tag) and off to the car barn shuttle. I was standing at the carrosel at 9:30p and walked through my door at 10:30p. All in all had a very nice trip back to corporate office, met a lot of new friends, and got to meet with both of my bosses. I now have a choice of going back into project sales where I had a chance to live in Venezuela for a year or so (kind of a dead end job with no growth but ex-pac money) or stay in my current job with increased travel, growth opportunites, and many e-commerce projects to get involved in with our major customers. I think I was stay with my current job. My workgroup of 4 is pushing for company cars and I certainly could use it since I don't have a Hunnybear. I used 2 of the 4 confirmed First Class Upgrades that CO had sent to me for whatever reason that I don't remember. I think that I could have saved them and used my Silver Elite status to upgrade but oh well, I knew that I was upgraded at booking so I didn't have to play the upgrade game.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my trip report. I like to tease my good friend QuietLion so hopefully he will read my report and give me he** at the next FlyerTalk get together.

By the way, if you want to read my other trip reports, click on www.justkidding.com

Very enoyable, Newself! Thanks!

HAHAHAHAHA. That was a great report. One inaccuracy...EVERY seat on a 1900D is first class . Coach is in the baggage hold.

What do you expect from someone who gulps down Chardonnay with beef?

I know you were eagerly awaiting CO to CRW...
I don't know how a B-1900 can improve things, though.
JL

Egg-celent!

QuietLion
The desert was to die for! Now I need to run around the block a few times.

Jamiel
By the time that CO Express finally gets all of their routes to use jets, they will drop CRW and I will be forced to fly NW/Mesaba Saab 340's again.

Newself, you crack me up!

I actually like commuter flights. While I wouldn't want to be crammed in an ATR or similar for two hours, they are fun for quick rides. It reminds me that I'm really in the sky, which is something that doesn't happen on a 747 or 777 or A330. You really get to "feel" the air.

globalstar

A Four Paws up report, but YOU DIDN'T DRINK SAM ADAMS? Wine? (well MY airline has very good wine.)

If I have a chance at FREE SAM ADAMS I would take it.

OMNI: Sorry you don't have a Hunnybear. My "hunnybear" is named Billy. Or if he's not available, Jimmy.

Right on about that Beech 19 to CRW. Especially looking through the cockpit window as you land. Really trippy.

Took the 5:30 a.m. back to CLE and rode with the crew to the airport on the hotel shuttle bus!

motnot
Where did you stay in Charley West? The US Airways crew stay at the HI Charleston House but I don't know where the CO crew stay.

ps: When there, have you been to Joey's?

Yeah, I was at the Charleston House. Saw a few different crews there. Didn't go to Joey's (or hear of it). This was the first time I'd been there since I was a kid.