Seat 2A

Howdy Gang

I’ve submitted a single flight report before, along with a train trip report, but this will be my first real trip report. This was, of course, a mileage run consisting of 17 flights which will ultimately net me just over 60,000 miles. Total expenditure on airline tickets: $669.00. Since I discovered FlyerTalk.com, my favorite part has been the flight reports. Although my primary interest is in First Class, there have been some great tales of travel in Economy Class as well. I enjoy and appreciate all of the detail that many of you include in your reports, particularly taking the time to print out the menus and describe the meal experience in either class.

Although only four segments of this trip were in First Class, I had a fine time criss-crossing the continent and experiencing the post 9/11 Coach Class as well. Also reviewed in this report are Northwest First Class, American Coach Class and Alaska Coach Class.

The overall itinerary looked like this:

ANC-SEA-MSP-MCO-MIA-ORD-RNO-LAX-DFW-MCO-MIA-ORD-RNO/SJC-ORD-MCO-MSP-SEA-ANC

The trip was long so the report is pretty long as well. Lots of flights, lots of insights, lots of meals… I hope you enjoy and of course, I welcome any feedback, including from those of you who may feel this report is too long.


05 December 2001
Alaska 190 Y ANC-SEA DC-9-83 N968AS Seat: 22A

I arrived at the Alaska Airlines ticket counter at 525a, a mere 45 minutes before my scheduled departure time. No problem. Only two people were waiting in line at the MVP counter so I was checked in and on my way to gate B8 within ten minutes.

Despite my lofty status as an MVP Gold in Alaska’s Mileage Plan, I was unable to upgrade into First Class. I had hoped that with the early morning departure, (610a) one or two people might have elected to sleep in. Alas, it was not to be, so I settled for the next best seat on the plane, exit row 22A.

We boarded on time but de-icing took quite a bit longer than usual so we didn’t get airborne until 645a. The First Officer came on over the PA and announced that despite our late departure, tailwinds approaching 200mph would have us at the gate in Seattle about 15 minutes early. That’s cool.

Cabin service started as soon as we reached cruising altitude. Breakfast this morning would be a choice between Scrambled Eggs with Rosemary Potatoes or Cold Cereal. I think it’s great that Alaska still offers a hot meal option for breakfast in Economy Class. Most of the major domestic airlines have long since ceased offering anything beyond cereal for breakfast on flights less than 3-4 hours. Now the question was ~ would eggs still be available by the time the cart reached me back in row 22? Yes! And they were actually quite tasty, too, despite being sprinkled throughout with tiny flecks of what can only be described as an indefinable protoplasm. If I had to guess, I’d say it was soggy bac-o-bits.

We landed in Seattle 10 minutes ahead of schedule and, despite our early arrival at AS’s major hub, didn’t have to wait for a gate. We taxied in briskly and parked at D5, right next to Alaska’s 737-400 N794AS, the 3000th 737 ever built. I’ve yet to fly this aircraft and am curious if there is any type of plaque onboard commemorating this benchmark achievement in commercial aviation manufacturing.

Northwest 44 F SEA-MSP DC-10-40 N159US Seat 5J 1400/2800

Northwest’s partnership with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air allows for a quick transit between each airline’s respective gates via a shuttle bus which departs from Gate C2A. By utilizing it, I avoided having to head back into the main terminal, clear security again and then take the train out to the South Satellite.

Northwest operates a very nice World Club facility here at Sea-Tac ~ spacious, plenty of work stations and lots of big windows affording a great view of the tarmac and aircraft activity outside. Both my CO President’s Club and AS Boardroom memberships are valid in any NW World Club (AS on day of departure only, though) so I headed right in through the pneumatic doors, upgraded my seats to First Class with the receptionist, grabbed a Club Soda and completed a multitude of small tasks.

The aircraft for this flight was a DC-10-40, parked right next door to the club at Gate S8 - very convenient indeed. Upon boarding I was happy to see the DC-10 operating this flight was outfitted in the international World Business Class seating configuration.

As Business Class seats go, these seats are nothing special. Essentially, they are a domestic First Class seat that’s been modified with the addition of a leg rest and a greater recline. They’re a real treat for a domestic flight but considering the standards set by the world’s leading airlines when it comes to modern day Business Class seating, these seats are outdated. They certainly don’t compare favorably, for example, with United’s “new” Business Class seat, which itself now lags behind the next generation 180 degree reclining “flat” Business Class seats such as those now offered aboard airlines like BA, SQ and CX.

The First Class cabin checked in full for today’s flight. While my seatmate busily chatted on her cell phone and took copious notes, I got my jacket hung and ordered my usual mineral water with a squeeze of lime. Ah…. Refreshing…

Northwest’s pre-flight safety video just about lulled me to sleep. It began with two female Flight Attendants welcoming everyone aboard, followed by the usual safety related folderol. What was so strange about it was how the FAs behaved on the video. They spoke so slowly and calmly and moved so deliberately that I swear they’d been medicated with something normally reserved for unruly mental patients. The passengers in the video also seemed unnaturally calm, smiling somewhat dreamily and gazing complacently at the Flight Attendants who smiled benignly back at them whilst demonstrating the proper way to fasten and unfasten a seatbelt. Everyone was soooo c a l m. It was like something out of that old movie The Stepford Wives. To make things worse, horribly tepid background music played softly throughout the video. Pink Floyd’s classic, “Comfortably Numb” would have been far more appropriate for this video.

We took off to the south and after banking east past Mt. Rainier climbed to 30 some odd thousand feet en route to the Twin Cities. Flight time was announced at 2hrs 50min.

Hot Oshibori towels were presented first. I believe Northwest introduced this Japanese tradition to American skies. It is one of the finer points of their service, especially since their Oshibori towels are 1) real cotton towels, 2) hot and moist, and 3) scented. Easy enough, n’est ce pas? Still, anybody who’s flown United domestically can tell you how incredibly and consistently challenged UA is by this simple little treat. Limp, often tepid paper “towels” usually devoid of scent would accurately describe United’s version of the towel on domestic flights.

The beverage cart rolled through the cabin next, followed by lunch. No menu was presented (does any domestic airline use menus for flights less than a Trans Con these days?) and no linen was set. We were offered a choice of beef or chicken. I asked our flight attendant how the beef had been prepared (i.e. steak, stroganoff, etc) and she feigned ignorance, claiming to be a vegetarian. Wow! Won’t even look at the meat! OK, I’ll have the chicken then. A single tray was presented bearing the following:

• A small bowl of salad with a container of Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.
• An appetizer plate consisting of two 3” sections of endive lettuce filled with curried krabmeat. A small ramekin of curried mayonnaise was included on the side.
• A large “Bolillo” style roll with butter
• The entrée, served in Northwest’s seven inch wide round entrée dish.
• A real napkin with a real fork, spoon and the unreal plastic knife.

The salad, though small, was actually fairly decent and included tomatoes plus red, yellow and green peppers. The curried krabmeat appetizer was well intentioned but ultimately bland due to lack of enough curry. The bread roll was pretty good. The entrée, however…

A decent sized piece of chicken was, for lack of a better word, dumped amongst a morass of stuffing, carrots and green beans. The stuffing and vegetables were all mixed together, not side by side. Then, as if this “presentation” hadn’t already insulted the appearance at least a potentially good meal, the entire lot of it was drowned in beef gravy, effectively ruining the taste as well. That’s right, folks ~ beef gravy. I was reminded of meals small children attempt to make for their parents on Mother’s or Father’s Day. Sigh… The end result was more slop bucket than proper First Class fare. Indeed, this definitely ranks as one of the worst entrees I’ve ever been served on any flight. Honestly, I’ve seen children’s mud pies that had better presentation.

All this notwithstanding, I was hungry so I ate the entire meal. All of it! I had Rolaids and Budweiser standing by but ultimately required only a couple of Buds to initiate digestion that I may yet live to regret.

It’s worth noting that dessert was an ice cream sundae, consisting of two decent sized scoops of vanilla ice cream topped with either strawberry sauce or hot fudge. I opted for the fudge and was treated to Hershey’s Chocolate syrup. I know the Hershey’s flavor well. It was one of my favorites as a kid. But hey! At least we got a sundae! On a 2hr 50min flight! You won’t even sniff a sundae on most airlines unless the flight is scheduled for four or more hours.

The last hour of this flight was just perfect. An agreeable glass of Merlot at hand, great music through my headphones, my window seat comfortably reclined as I watched the sun sink below the southwestern horizon… From gold to orange to pink to bluish purple, all reflected beautifully atop the clouds below. As we made our approach into MSP at dusk. the sky was filled with incoming flights, their landing lights aglow like so many slowly moving fireflies. It really was quite a pretty sight.


Northwest 588 F MSP-MCO 757-200 N551US Seat 3B 1300/2600

After an hour in the MSP World Club, I began my expedition out to Gate G18. That G concourse at MSP just goes on and on… and on some more. Finally I arrived at my gate and was surprised to discover the aircraft operating this flight was N551US, an aircraft I’ve flown three times since July. Now that might not seem like all that big of a deal in as much as I log all my flights and have flown many individual aircraft more than once. But when you consider that I have flown Northwest only eleven times since July 25th, and add to that the fact that NW operates literally hundreds of aircraft, including 54 different 757s, it’s quite a coincidence that out of only eleven flights I should get the exact same aircraft not twice but three times! And not all on the same route either. I’ve caught Ship 551 from MSP-ANC, MCO-DTW and now MSP-MCO.

This flight was totally full, front and back. Our F Class flight attendant, Richard, announced that dinner would be served this evening. Dinner! I was expecting the usual turkey sandwich NW serves up front on seemingly all non-MSP/DTW to West Coast meal flights. Sure enough, when “dinner” came around it was NW’s ubiquitous post-911 Sandwich as I like to call it now. This month however, turkey is out and NW is offering an Italian Sandwich ~ a small Kaiser roll generously filled with ham, salami, pepperoni and a slice of cheese. It was accompanied by a … potato salad, I guess it was, and a small green salad with pears and Feta cheese. Dessert was a rich and delicious chocolate torte. True, it wasn’t dinner in the usual sense, but it was good and satisfying ~ certainly better than the Chicken Disaster from Flight 44.

A couple of real positives I noticed about Northwest Flight Attendants today ~ they worked hard during the entire flight. In First Class at least, they were always available and came by often to check on beverages and clear meal trays and other detritus of the meal. Good job, people.

Secondly, Richard of the MSP-MCO flight twice protected the sanctity of the First Class cabin. Two guys seated in front of me seemed to have a lot of youthful associates back in Coach who wanted to come up and chat, block the aisles and scam swigs of First Class wine. As well, the man across the aisle from me, who talked nonstop from the moment he boarded the airplane, had his teenaged daughter come up from Coach to visit. A nice girl I’m sure but loud and giggly and ultimately annoying. Richard ran ‘em all off! Thank you, Richard!

Call me a hard case, but First Class should be exclusive. As F Class passengers, we’ve either paid more for our extra space and service or we’ve earned it through consistent patronage of and loyalty to the airline. For me, one of the nicest benefits of travelling in First Class is the peace and quiet I enjoy relative to the back of the plane. The one thing most offensive about these visitors up front tonight was the amount of noise they were making. So I say to everybody out there, if you’ve got children or friends back in Coach and you want to visit with them, go back to coach and visit. DO NOT bring them up to visit in First Class.

All right then, well here I am touting First Class exclusivity so you might expect a guy like me to have a limo waiting to take me somewhere prestigious upon arrival. Perhaps an exclusive hotel or resort…

Actually, I claimed my backpack off the carousel and headed off to the lobby adjacent to the Hyatt Hotel, which is located inside the airport. I’d love to stay in that Hyatt sometime but a night there is likely more than the cost of my ticket so instead I set myself up in a nice dark area just behind the big arrivals and departures sign. It was past midnight local time and it just didn’t make sense to shell out $70.00 or more for a hotel room when I’d be leaving in just a few hours anyway! I’m on a budget here.

So, once I’d located a quiet out of the way corner of the airport, I inflated my Thermarest pad, pulled out my sleeping bag and a pillow from my pack, and lay down for a proper rest. The Thermarest pad is only 1” thick when inflated and rolls up much smaller than any Insulite pad.

I’m always amazed at how many people, when circumstances conspire to have them sleeping in an airport, try to sleep in a chair. That’s no way to sleep! Still, I understand some people are a bit embarrassed to be seen lying on a floor and sleeping in a public place. Or perhaps they feel a bit more vulnerable. I figure, who cares what anybody thinks of me if they see me lying on a floor in an airport. I’ll likely never see them again anyway. I’m not proud (at least not in that regard) and in the big picture there are far worse transgressions in life than sleeping in public. Like vanity and excessive pride or ego. So, while those poor folks in the chairs are sleeping fitfully at best, constantly waking and trying to reposition themselves into something marginally more comfortable, I’m snoozin’ like Rumplestiltskin. Plus, I’ve just saved a nice chunk of change. Believe me, I’ve been places on this planet, including here in America, where the equivalent of one night paid to stay a few hours in an airport area hotel has gotten me food and lodging for many days.


06 December 2001
American 1291 Y MCO-MIA A300-600 N59081 Seat 10A 500/1000

One thing about sleeping in airports ~ you’re rarely going to sleep in. If the din of the early morning passengers bustling nearby doesn’t get you up, the airport police generally will.

I awoke on my own, found a secluded bathroom and cleaned up for the day. I washed up in the sink and changed cloths in a stall. Nobody entered the bathroom. I should add I’m not talking a full-scale strip down wash-up here; just face, arms, hair and armpits. I dried my hair off with the hand dryer and wiped down everything around the sink I’d just used. There now, fresh as a mountain spruce and ready to take on anything airport security can throw at me.

It turns out my Alaska MVP Gold status allows me to check-in at American’s First or Business Class counter. This saved me a long wait and allowed me to catch an earlier flight down to Miami. MIA is a far more interesting airport to hang out in than MCO, plus the aircraft for the earlier flight was an A300-600. While I’ve flown a few A300s, I haven’t flown American’s version. I was assigned seat 10A

What can one say about a 47 minute flight? The orange juice was tasty! The First Class cabin, however, looked old and worn out. I was surprised at how small it was given the size of the A300. I think there were only two and a half rows of seats up there, maybe 16 seats. Also, the seats were the old pale brown leather ones from the late 80s/early 90s. Coach was quite a bit better looking.


American 1383 Y MIA-ORD-RNO 737-800 N913AN Seat 17A 2550/5100
The Miami International Airport is a plane spotter’s haven. Here’s just a few I saw that one doesn’t see very often: a Centurion DC-10 freighter, an AVENSA DC-10-30, a BWIA 737-800 in the new color scheme, an Aeropostal (Venezuelan) 727-200 and an AeroSur (Bolivian) 727-100.

Concourse B Security instructed me to: take off my jacket, take off my hat, take off my shoes, unbuckle my belt and unbutton my jeans (top button only) and submit to wanding and light frisking. They really should have some kind of lounge music in the background suitable to strip acts. I briefly considered twirling my jacket provocatively above my head and tossing it to the nearest National Guardsman but decided that might be a bit risque. They then scanned my carry on daypack with the Explosive Residue Detector. The National Guard looked on with heightened interest. Later, as I was boarding this flight, my ID was checked at the gate not once but twice. Hmm… Must be the beard. I don’t have one of those dainty little goatees that are so popular with the Hip n’ With It crowd and I’m just not a soul patch kinda guy. No, I sport a full size genuine Alaskan Keep You Warm in 35 Below Zero Beard. Perhaps it is cause for concern down here in the Sunshine State. Oh well…

This was my first ever flight aboard a 737-800. I’ve now flown all of the 737 family derivatives except for the -600. That’ll be a tough one to get, too. Nobody in North or South America currently flies it. The closest one to these parts would probably be operated by SAS. I believe China Southwest flies one also, and possibly Royal Air Maroc or Tunis Air. Presently I have no plans to visit any of those locales.

I was seated in 17A, affording me a great view of the wing, the flaps, and the engine nacelle. I must say I really like AA’s More Room Throughout Coach program. While I still think UA’s Economy Plus offers the best coach seat in the sky short of an exit row, there’s ample space on these AA planes in every seat onboard. Certainly that’s got to hold some allure to the casual vacation traveler not to mention any frequent flyers out there lacking in enough status to consistently upgrade.

On the topic of seats, these AA 737-800s feature a whopping 20 First Class seats! UA’s -300s, which seat maybe 20 less passengers, offer only 8. Still, I would bet UA’s new domestic First Class seat will have it all over those skinny little F class seats up front on AA’s -800. Those new United Seats are way comfortable.

Despite this being a 1200 mile, 3 hour leg up to Chicago, there was no meal service short of a bag of pretzel mix. However, dinner was to be served on the 1640 mile leg into Reno.

Wrong! Despite the flight into RNO being scheduled for 4hrs 7min, AA’s infamous Bistro Bag was our lot back in steerage. I had heard AA had cut back on meal service but I thought that was for flights under 4 hours in length. Guess I thought wrong. The Bistro Bag included a turkey sandwich, a small bag of chips, a little packet of granola, a bottle of water and a packet of Pepperidge Farm cookies.

I passed on the movie. United has spoiled me by not charging for movies (Movies Free Throughout Coach) and I can rent any of these movies AA offers for much less then AA’s $5.00 headset fee. Instead, since AA now leaves the curtains open between cabins, I used my binoculars to watch what was being served in First Class (Just kidding!) I was impressed however with the excellent visibility offered by the multitude of TVs screens throughout the cabin. I counted eleven screens in the entire plane.

Due to headwinds, we landed in Reno just a little late. I waited until most of the passengers had disembarked so that I could quickly sample the comfort of those skinny little First Class seats. Given how thin the seatback is, they’re surprisingly comfortable. Still, I think UA’s are just a bit better in that they feel not only softer but just a bit deeper as well.

I was met at the airport by friends of mine who live in the hills above Truckee. Camaraderie, good beer and a comfortable Futon closed out the day.

07 December 2001
American 833 Y RNO-LAX DC-9-80 N7548A Seat 21A 500/1000

I got dropped off at the Reno airport a couple of hours before my flight departure. Check in and security were non-eventful, as they ought to be, and I grabbed a cup of coffee and put in some work on this report. When I showed up at the gate about a half hour before departure we were informed that due to a fuel leak in one of the engines, there would be a bit of a delay. I was scheduled for an hour and twenty minute connection at LAX so I wasn’t too concerned. Even if I mis-connected at LAX, I didn’t absolutely have to be in Orlando until about noon tomorrow. Fortunately, AA’s crack RNO mechanics have more experience than many stations with MD-80s. They found and remedied the problem quickly and we were airborne only 25 minutes past our scheduled departure time.

Beyond that, what more can I say about a 310 mile, 50 minute flight? I remember thinking what a beautiful day it was for flying. My coffee was hot and flavorful and we landed smoothly at LAX. A nice little flight.

While taxiing to our gate, I noticed four QANTAS 747-400s and three AIR NZ -400s plus a 767-300 as well. In the case of AIR NZ, I think that’s just about their entire fleet of 747-400s. I wondered where QF would be flying four of those big birds to? SYD, MEL, AKL… anywhere else? PPT maybe.

We parked at Terminal 3 and were told that for most of us, our connecting flights would be departing out of Terminal 4. This meant exiting the terminal, heading over to Terminal 4, and having to suffer another wait in line for another security screening. While I enjoyed walking over to Terminal 4 - probably faster than waiting for the inter-terminal bus, in any event - I did not appreciate having to once again deal with security screening and the long wait in line again. For this reason alone, I would avoid booking American if my trip with them involved any connection through LAX. There’s a fair bit of construction going on in AA’s main Terminal 4 so it could be that this will be a moot point soon if they build enough gates to move out of T-3 all together.

American 2450 Y LAX-DFW 757-200 N193AN Seat 9C 1250/2500

Once through screening, I headed over to Gate 45 to check out the airplane for this flight. Specifically, I was looking for the N number as I keep track of these things for my log. Due to the angle at which the plane was parked coupled with the available windows in the gate area, I had some difficulty seeing the number and had to squat down and peer under the wing to read it. Ah, there it is! N193AN. As I arose, I noticed a couple of AA gate agents looking at me suspiciously. I waved and smiled, then strode off nonchalantly towards the central part of the terminal. All the while I was considering how I would deal with the possibility of a firm hand on my shoulder and the polite request “Excuse me, Sir. We’d like to ask you about your activities back in the gate area just a moment ago.” Thankfully this never happened though I was prepared to give a thorough explanation of my flight log if need be. Depending on your relative interest in commercial aviation, you would either be extremely impressed or extremely confused.

Although I’ve now flown 114 times on 757s, this was my first flight on one of American’s 757s. As such, there’s always a bit of excitement and anticipation as I board what for me is a “new” plane. What’s it look like inside? What’s First Class like? What color is the carpet? What color are the seats? I know, I know what you’re thinking. Still, I am unrepentant. This is exciting stuff!

From the outside, Ship 193 looked shiny and new under the bright California sun. Once inside however, it was back to the Nineties. Old, dull leather F Class seats, and pale blue striped seats without the adjustable headrests in Coach. Not bad though I really do like AA’s newer interiors alot more.

Upon checking in earlier this morning, I had asked for and received exit rows on all of today’s flights. This meant over wing exits on every flight except this one where I settled for 9C, the first row of Coach. Most of my experience on 757s has been aboard United and while I realize every airline configures its aircraft to its own specifications, I would have expected the row by the number 2 door to be behind the door. It is, on United, as they use the number 2 door for boarding more often than not. On American however, they are set beside the door, effectively blocking half of it. As a result, there is no window, you are right in front of the lavatory and the forward Coach class drink galley is right across from you. Exit row notwithstanding, 9C was, to me at least, one of the worst seats on the airplane. Ah well, live and learn. I’ll never book row 9 again, at least not on an American 757.

On the bright side however, since AA no longer closes the curtains between the F and Y cabins, I had an excellent view of the proceedings up in this airplane’s better half. (I didn’t even need my binoculars!) A bowl of nuts served with the first round of drinks. Hot towels. Nice large salads individually served off the cart. Good looking entrees served on big plates. Ice cream sundaes for dessert. This on a 1250 mile flight. Why can’t United do this?!

For comparison’s sake, on a flight of this length aboard United, only a packet of pretzel mix would be served with drinks (Nuts are out supposedly because of passenger allergy concerns, though I believe UA still serves them on its trans-con routes.) and the meal would generally be served all at once. (It varies from crew to crew on UA as to whether they want to present a meal or just put it all on a tray and be done with it.) There’d be a choice of entrees but rarely course by course service. Salad would be in that little 5” bowl, not the classier (and larger) glass bowls that AA uses (and UA used to use) Ice cream sundae? Forget it! Try one of Eli’s endless varieties of cheesecake. Tasty yes, but lacking the panache that a good sundae presentation delivers to end a good meal.

Mind you, I’m not saying UA’s First Class fare is not tasty. It is generally pretty good. Where United really lags behind is in appreciating the Class and the Service in First Class Service. On occasion, you can get a crew that’ll be top flight but over the last six or seven years I feel that more often than not those United FAs really do believe that bit about Safety being their primary concern. Actual service appears to have slid considerably farther down the list. I hope UA’s Customer Service Dept. has heeded my advice and logs on to FlyerTalk now and then. If I were living in Chicago, based on what I’ve experienced of AA’s service so far, I’d be taking my business to American.

Now, lest any of you AA aficionados begin to feel too prideful about your favorite carrier, I found it interesting that on a 1250 mile, 2 hr 50 min flight departing at 2:40pm, AA would chose to serve a hot snack (consisting of a hot turkey and cheese sandwich, a bag of chips, a packet of granola and a cookie) when last night on a 1840 mile, 4 hr 30 min flight departing at the dinner hour of 7:04pm and headed for a hub city, they served us a measly Bistro Bag. Go figure. The hot turkey sandwich on today’s flight really hit the spot though.

Approach and landing at DFW were nothing to get excited about. Which is good. I headed right over to Gate C37, anxious to discover if my next 757 might be outfitted in the new interior.

American 458 Y DFW-MCO 757-200 NN603AA Seat 20A 960/1920

On my way to gate C37, I called up Priceline to see if my bid for a room tonight in Orlando had cleared. My flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 1:20pm tomorrow and I didn’t feel like hanging out all morning in the Orlando airport, nice as it is. Still, thus far I was a two-time loser with Priceline for tonight as no three or four star hotels would accept my paltry $23.00 bid. Well all right then, make it two and a half star! And, just to sweeten the pot, I added a buck. Well lo and behold, my bid got accepted! Where?, I wondered breathlessly… Day’s Inn, Ho Jo’s? No. Courtyard by Marriott! Wow! That’s some two-star facility all right! Or, what a difference $1.00 makes!

Tonight’s flight into Orlando wasn’t that full but it took forever to get to my seat because a couple of lummoxes didn’t realize they weren’t the only people in the world and took forever and a day to stow their carry-ons and decide who was going to sit where. If the man directly behind them hadn’t rather gruffly reminded them that a good thirty people were waiting on them we might still be at the gate!

Alas, this 757 into MCO also had the older style interior but more importantly had benefited from AA’s MRTC upgrade. We pushed back on time and were on our way to Orlando after only a 24-second take-off roll. Which runway? I don’t know, one of the shorter ones, I suppose. It was, after all, a pretty quick take-off.

Seriously though, I’ve noticed a number of people routinely post all kinds of detail that I would have no interest in like what runway we took off from or what our cruising altitude was. To me, those things have no bearing on getting a sense of the over all flight experience. I time all of my flights on my own watch, starting at the moment we begin the take off roll. It was only because we leapt into the air with such alacrity that I even bothered to look at my watch and note the length of this flight’s take-off. Even so, I recognize that this site appeals to not only frequent flyers but also people who genuinely enjoy the experience of flight, some more so than others. Please let me know if you’d like that kind of detail. I’ll try and provide it.

Not much talk about this flight so far because there hasn’t really been much to report. I’m happy with my reclining exit row seat, 17A, the Club Soda and lime I ordered came promptly and was delicious, the numerous children on board have been remarkably well behaved (They must be on Dramamine…) and the flight has been very smooth. All things considered, a most pleasant flight.


08 December 2001
American Eagle 5026 Y MCO-MIA ATR-72 N545AT Seat 1A 500/1000

I didn’t wake up this morning until 11:00am (7:00am Alaska Time) On a mileage run like this, I’m in the Twilight Zone. Not Rod but rather his brother Robert Serling’s Twilight Zone… For those of you unfamiliar with Bob Serling, who really is Rod’s brother, go down to your local bookstore or over to Amazon.com to check out all the books he’s written about commercial aviation. In any event, good thing this hotel had a 12:00n check-out time. Jimmy Ray, our driver, whisked myself and three Canadians off to MCO. After dropping the three very friendly Canucks off, he finally dropped me off at “Murcan” Airlines. I figured that must be “American” in J.R.’s neck o’ the woods, presumably the Deep South.

Lots of people flying out of Orlando today. I was particularly grateful that my AS Mileage Plan status allowed me to check in at AA’s First Class counter. I was quickly checked in and able to get exit rows for both flights today. I had about an hour before my flight departure and wanted to hit the Starbucks over by the Hyatt side of the terminal but, given the crowds, I figured I’d better head right over to security. A good decision. Last time I saw crowds like this was in downtown Denver after the Broncos had massacred the lowly Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 33.

We had a fairly full flight down to Miami this afternoon. Thankfully, the seat next to me was unoccupied. Seats 1A-D are far and away the best seats on the ATRs as AA’s MRTC program does not extend to American Eagle turbo-props. Don’t know about the Jungle Jets.

Once we were airborne and at cruising altitude I found the ATR-72 quite impressive as commuter planes go. It was relatively quiet and vibration free, the two factors that generally steer me away from propeller aircraft. The flight attendant came on over the PA to advise us that it’d be a 50-min. flight down to MIA. More interesting however was her comment that “Miami has weather conditions and 80 degrees” Weather conditions? That seems a little like saying today’s forecast calls for widely scattered daylight in the morning hours followed by increasing darkness at night. Ah well, as long as we can land safely and expeditiously.

We landed in sunshine amidst MIA’s usual scattered cumulo nimbus clouds. No rain, no wind. Weather conditions, I reckon. A bus meets American Eagle passengers as they exit the aircraft onto the tarmac and delivers them to the main terminal, in this case Gate D10. American seems to be spread out all over MIA, from the B Concourse through the E. I checked a TV monitor and found my next flight leaving out of Gate B15. I had about an hour to spare and set off to look for a bite to eat as I’d had only a wake-up cup of hotel room coffee so far today.

Aside from the halfway decent Cuban Cafeteria at the entrance to the D Concourse, or perhaps the restaurant in the Miami International Airport Hotel (expensive) there really isn’t much to eat at MIA besides junk food and sandwiches. Unfortunately, I didn’t really have time to enjoy a sit down meal in the Cuban café, especially considering the long line emanating from it. There is one place that sells fresh fruit salads and I did see a smoothie place that looked interesting but I wanted more substantial food. I stopped by the food court at the entrance to the B Concourse where pizza and pasta were available. As a rule, I eschew the use of airport pizza. Unfortunately, the $5.95 portions of lasagna and spaghetti looked pretty small. The lasagna in particular had not fared well under the heat lamp. I checked out the Chicken Caesar salad but they wanted $7.00 for it!

I decided to head down the B Concourse towards my gate and see what might be down there. Once again, I was selected for stripping, wanding, frisking, etc. They really have it in for me on this Concourse. I got the same treatment here two days ago.

There wasn’t much available down by the gate area either ~ some hot dogs, pizza, popcorn and coffee. I noticed the menu at the hot dog kiosk had Turkey Sandwiches. I’ll take one of those, please. $4.99. Then I went next door to the pizza stand and scored a decent sized mixed salad with broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese for $1.99. With Ken’s Lite Italian dressing! That stuff is the best! As light Italian dressings go…

Armed with what was effectively my breakfast and lunch, I headed on board my waiting 737-800 to Chicago and on to Reno

American 1383 Y MIA-ORD-RNO 737-800 N922AN Seat 14F 2550/5100

Another full flight! Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheap fare days so I wasn’t really surprised.

I really like American’s 737-800s! Twenty seats in First Class, More Room Throughout Coach, laptop PowerPoint’s in each row of seats and eleven TV screens throughout the aircraft. All the -800s have the new interiors which I find very attractive. Especially First Class. Yes, the seats are smallish and not quite as comfortable as UA’s new F Class seats, but the overall ambience is far superior to that dusty old grey on all the UA aircraft. UA, US and anyone else that’s big on this ultra-businesslike overly serious grey interior and exterior needs to lighten-up in my opinion.

The Miami-Chicago leg of this trip was planned for 2hrs 36min at 35000 feet according to our First Officer. Only beverages were offered back in steerage though I could see some type of food was being presented up in First Class. I really must invest in a proper pair of binoculars!

I strolled back to the coach lavatory at one point and overheard a passenger querying one of the FAs as to why Chicago’s airport code was ORD. Midway’s code of MDW made sense, he pointed out, but as there is no D in Chicago or O’Hare, ORD made no sense to him. The FA was totally flummoxed by his question as well so it was a good thing that one so well schooled as myself just happened to be in the area.

The reason O’Hare airport’s code is ORD is because once upon a time it used to be known as Orchard Place Field. It was renamed after a Lieutenant Eddie (?) O’Hare, a WWII ace lost over the Pacific. There is a plaque that explains all this in one of the terminals, I think by the G and H concourses.

Are any of you taking notes?! These little bits of esoterica can really come in handy. After all, you never know when you might end up on a game show. So hey! Why is Spokane GEG or Portland PDX?

We had a nice smooth flight up to Chicago, kissing the concrete of one of O’Hare’s many runways at 2hrs 39min by my watch.

We actually arrived a bit early and though I was tempted to wander over to the Northwest World or Continental President’s Club, I had a four hour flight coming up and a laptop running low on power. I plugged in at Gate 15 and finished off Pico Iyer’s fine travel expose, “Video Night in Kathmandu”. The title says it all. In addressing some of the unfortunate effects of tourism on local culture, Iyer makes a point when he says “Western tourists are the cultural terrorists of the world.”

Saturday low fares notwithstanding, we had a light load from Chicago into Reno tonight and as I boarded I remember thinking this was how flying was most of the time back in the seventies. Airplanes were often only half full in both First Class and Coach. All the extra space was appreciated. Though I didn’t count, I’d say First Class on this flight was less than half full. I hardly ever see that on United or Alaska.

We left the gate on time, zipped right on out to the runway and got airborne. Captain Smith came on the PA and informed us it’d be 3hrs 59min out to Reno this evening (Why not just 4:00hrs?), once again at 35000 feet. Turbulence was to be expected over Iowa, then we’d pass just south of Cheyenne, Wyoming and right over the top of Steamboat Springs, Colorado before bee lining it on into Reno with the expectation of arriving 17 minutes early.

Early?! Fantastic! I’ve got some driving to do tonight so an early arrival suits me just fine.

Satisfied that all was well in the world, I tore into my Bistro Bag with abandon, washing it all down with a full can of Club Soda! The $3 or 4.00 AA wants for a single beer will be applied towards a twelve pack of Red Tail Ale later. I can wait. Once again, I got to occasionally watch but not listen to tonight’s movie choice, a romance called Breathing Room. The actress starring in it sure is pretty though. A memorable face and eyes.

By my watch, we landed after a flight of 3 hrs, 57 min and 49 sec. Not bad!!!

OK, that’s all for now, folks! I’m headed for the Sierras to have some fun! I’ll try to get the rest of this posted soon.

airbus320

I enjoyed the tale of your odyssey. Thank you.

richard

Great report, the most detail I've read here in a while, really good insights re NW, AA and UA too.

myleguy

This report is a classic. Great job.

AS Flyer

Spokane - GEG - Geiger Field
Portland - PDX - have absolutely not a clue

Shinkansen

Excellent report. I also enjoyed your train report. I look forward to more...

Seat 2A

Thank you all for your kind words. Coming from people who have traveled extensively themselves, I am most honored.

AS Flyer, right you are on Spokane. As for PDX, as I understand it some airports simply used the same city codes as had been in use by the railroads, who originated the concept of 3 letter city codes. This was the case with Portland, Or. and also Los Angeles. Many other airports with odd codes are named for someone, thus TYS for Knoxville (Tyson Field) or FSD for Sioux Falls, SD (Forbes Field)or perhaps the best known, JFK in NYC.

I hope to have the rest of this report online tomorrow.



[This message has been edited by Seat 2A (edited 12-13-2001).]

Seat 2A

The AAmerican odyssey continues...

December 10, 2001
American 1698 Y SJC-ORD 737-800 N972AN Seat 13A 1840/3680

With a 140-mile drive ahead of me this morning, I was up and on my way to San Jose at the crack of dawn. Thankfully, my concerns about morning traffic into the South Bay area approaching San Jose were unfounded and I encountered surprisingly little congestion and only one accident en route.

I did however encounter some minor difficulties when I tried to get assigned an exit row upon checking in. Suffice to say that as AA continues to consolidate its acquisition of TWA, a growing number of TWA agents (Still outfitted in their TWA uniforms, I might add) are now working the counters and gates for American flights. They are having to deal with new computer commands and procedures and, despite having undergone at least a modicum of training, are nevertheless experiencing some difficulties in the transition. While this is understandable, the fact that two different ex-TWA personnel could not even handle something as simple as a seat change request without AAdult supervision strongly suggests that they’ve not been properly trained prior to being put behind the counter. I mean, one can’t be expected to know everything under these circumstances but one ought to at least be able to handle the basics.

Eventually, I got an exit row for SJC-ORD. I had to go to the gate to get it though. In the interest of expediency, I decided to take care of my ORD-MCO leg in Chicago. I would like to say that all the agents involved were very professional and polite and I felt quite badly for the TWA gate agents’ embarrassment. I wished the gate agent well with her future on-the-job training. Sadly she informed me that her future was as a furloughed employee. Jeez, it’s a rough industry to be in these days…

Anticipating another Bistro Bag, I stopped first at Starbucks for an industrial strength cup of coffee, then headed down to this great little deli adjacent to Gate 12 where I bought a superb smoked turkey sandwich upon which I am now dining as I type this up, high above northern Utah.

Everything else about this flight has been normal and enjoyable. We took off and headed north, right up the East Side of San Francisco Bay before banking to the east somewhere over Benicia and heading towards Chicago. It is a beautiful sunny day and those of us on the left side of the aircraft were afforded excellent views of the entire Bay Area – all of the cities on the peninsula, all the bridges, and of course great views of both SFO and OAK airports.

The captain came on shortly after we’d leveled off and gave us an extremely detailed description of our route of flight today. She named off a lot of places that we’d be passing over, so many that I can’t even begin to remember them all except for the always unforgettable burgs of Rock Springs, Wyoming and Dubuque, Iowa.

The movie today is the Grinch That Stole Christmas. As I am unable to handle Jim Carrey unless I’ve been sedated, I have elected to type this up and delve into some of my latest reading material, Born Indian by W.P. Kinsella. Kinsella’s a marvelous writer and while many of us know him for his books about baseball, he’s written a number of books about life on the Indian reservation in his native Canada. The book is written from the Indian’s perspective and if you like Kinsella, you’ll enjoy meeting Silas Ermineskin and Frank Fencepost.

Worth noting: I noticed the salads being prepared and served up in First Class. The dressings were ladled on individually and to taste, a much nicer presentation than the aesthetically clumsy single serving containers offered by other well known airlines here in America.

We arrived just a tad early at O’Hare so I decided to wander over to the President’s Club for a couple of cold ones before shuffling back over to Gate H6 and my onward flight to Orlando.

It’s quite a stroll from the H Concourse over to the E Concourse where CO and NW fly out of. Still, I hadn’t really checked out the H Concourse much less this side of O’Hare during my two MIA-ORD-SJC stopovers this week, so it was interesting to get out and explore a bit. Following are some observations:

The H Concourse has obviously had a facelift in the past few years and I’d have to say the initial impression is a good one. Wide central walkways, spacious gate areas, and very well lit, Lots of shops and a large food court are located up at the junction with the K Concourse. Most of the food offerings appear to be the usual airport fare ~ high in fat and carbohydrates. Comfort food. After all, travel is so stressful! Uh huh… I wish someone would start a chain of a good build-your-own salad bars in our airports.

The promenade connecting Concourses H and K to the main terminal is very new and modern in style, really quite grand by airport standards. Again, very spacious with high rounded cathedral like ceilings. Lots of grey metal pipes, glass and the colors grey and granite in abundance.

By contrast, the E and F concourses are structurally unchanged since I used to travel through them daily back in the mid-eighties as a United 50 State Marathoner. The addition of carpet over what was once linoleum has warmed up the overall ambience considerably and tonight the wonderful aroma of fresh baked waffle cones wafted throughout the entire F Concourse.

I was surprised to discover that CO and NW have merged their two clubs into one at O’Hare. While I must concede this makes sense for these two airlines given their working relationship and the proximity of their gates to one another, I was nonetheless disappointed as the President’s Club always had the nicer bar and definitely better beer. I could always count on a Sam Adams or even a Beck’s with CO and as I strolled over there tonight I was indeed looking forward to a couple of cold Sammys at the bar.

The new club mixes the best of both clubs and really is quite nice overall. It’s got the nice dark wood walls and doors of the President’s Club and the near floor to ceiling windows of the World Club. It’s quite a bit larger than either of its predecessors and even offers a fireplace. Alas, the new club also inherited NW’s choice in beer and I was left to choose between a Heineken or a Bud Lite. There is no bar in this new club. It’s self-serve with little 10 oz. glasses for beer. No pitchers! A variety of stronger liquor is nearby. I’ll miss the bar if only for the camaraderie.

Given the amount of time it took me to walk all the way over from the H Concourse, there was no time for a leisurely couple of beers at the bar bantering with the gang. I pretty much had time to pound a couple of Heinekens, take a look around, have another Heineken and start back towards gate H6.

American 1209 Y ORD-MCO DC-9-80 N459AA Seat 21F 990/1980

This flight was almost done boarding by the time I arrived at the gate. A very light load tonight, I counted 6 up front and only about thirty in the back.

On the way back from the E Concourse, I stopped at the food court and ordered a Chinese Take-out from Panda Express. Chicken and vegies, mainly broccoli and mushrooms on steamed rice. It looked and smelled pretty darned good. Certainly better than the Bistro Bag. As I boarded and walked down the aisle to my seat, I received a number of comments from hungry passengers. These days, if you’re traveling in Coach and desire a nicer meal, you just have to bring your own.

Takeoff was interesting. The pilots spooled the engines up to their usual high pitch and we began the take-off roll. Then the engines were throttled back, then up, then back just a bit. I was sure we had an aborted take-off coming up but the Captain kept the engines at the lower level and completed an otherwise normal take-off and climb out.

There wasn’t much to report on this flight – two hours down to Orlando and a beverage service. I finished my Chicken and Broccoli and checked out my fortune cookie. “You will be appalled by the collection of losers and reprobates the State considers a jury of your peers.” Actually, it was the usual run of the mill fortune prediction with some lucky numbers thrown in. What a bonus!


December 11, 2001
Northwest 843 Y MCO-MSP 757-200 N514US Seat 18F 1300/2600

Somehow, despite being told otherwise at check-in, I was never placed on a stand-by list for First Class upgrades. When the gate agent called for everyone awaiting a First Class upgrade to approach the front desk, I thought I’d hit pay dirt! You can imagine my disappointment upon being informed that I’d never actually been put on the list and there were now no more First Class seats available. Grrrrr….. Ah well, as I was using an Alaska MVP upgrade it’s possible I might not have gotten on anyway as everyone else seemed to be NW or CO mileage plan members.

I remember thinking as I boarded that there are worse things in life than a three-hour flight in Coach on NW. Once I’d squeezed into my row and seat however, I decided the answer to that would be any flight longer than three hours. After five days and eleven flights aboard American, I’d been spoiled by AA’s More Room Throughout Coach program. The seat pitch on NW could not have been more than 31”, if that. Seriously, Shuttle By United felt more spacious! Operating this laptop was simply not possible without contorting either myself or the laptop regardless of whether the seat in front of me was reclined.

It’s a 1300 mile, three hour flight to MSP from MCO. First Class got a snack though I couldn’t tell what as NW closes the curtains between cabins. Back in Coach, we got beverages and an Oatmeal bar.

We circled around Minneapolis, going way out to the west of the city before coming back in and landing to the southeast. I was surprised at the lack of snow despite this being December. At a nearby gate sat a venerable NW DC-9-10 from the Republic days, operating prior to that for either Hughes Airwest or Southern. So far as I know, NW is the only major carrier in the world still operating this model of the DC-9. Actually, the baby DC-9 is a pretty rare bird anywhere on the planet. I also saw a 727-200, an increasingly rare sight amongst the major carriers after 9/11.

Northwest 975 F MSP-SEA DC-10-40 N152US Seat 1A 1400/2800

Another rare bird over US skies is the DC-10. Northwest is now the only major airline flying passengers aboard the DC-10 within North America. Hawaiian Air still operates some of those ancient ex-AA machines but for the most part the “Ten” has been relegated to cargo duty worldwide. Only a handful of airlines still operate them in passenger configurations. I hope NW keeps theirs for another year or two because after this flight, I’ll have flown 296,180 miles aboard DC-10s. It’d be nice to crack the 300,000 mile barrier.

We boarded this flight on time, closed the doors and pushed back from the gate right on schedule. It was a very light load today, full in F (42 Passengers) but sparsely populated back in Coach. This aircraft did not offer the WBC configuration up front but was very comfortable nonetheless, particularly after three hours of of NW’s 757 Y Class. As we were taxiing out, the lead FA announced our flight time as 2hrs 57 min into Seattle today. 2:57!! The jet stream must’ve dipped way south!

We taxied out onto the runway, sat there for a moment, then taxied to a spot off the runway and did nothing for maybe three minutes. Eventually, the captain came on and explained that something had vibrated in the number one engine that shouldn’t have and although he didn’t think it was any big deal (He explained that as we were facing into a fairly stiff wind for take-off, the wind could have caused the vibration at such low power) he figured the prudent thing to do would be to taxi back to the gate and have it checked out. Fair enough.

As things turned out, it really was nothing. We were signed off by the mechanics and airborne by 12:15pm. The captain came on, apologized, and said with the lack of headwinds we’d arrive in Seattle only about 5 minutes off schedule.

This was a luncheon flight and I was curious to see if NW might somehow make up for last week’s disastrous meal on my eastbound SEA-MSP leg.

I knew this flight was off to a good start when the flight attendant did her best to get me excited about a local Minneapolis micro-brew called James Page. It was evident from her description of the beer that she’d enjoyed more than a few pints of it and as I support a knowledgeable and enthusiastic approach to work, I took her up on a can. It was pretty good, not too sweet like so many microbrews. No sooner had I finished off that first can than she’d reloaded me again. Lest this begin to sound like a fantasy letter in Beer Drinker’s Weekly, let’s move on to lunch.

Although once again there were no menus, linen was laid and hot Oshibori towels were passed out. Very refreshing. I was ready for lunch. We were offered a choice between two entrees: Chicken Pizzoli or Meat Loaf. I opted for the chicken, while my seatmate ordered the meat loaf. The chicken entrée consisted of a breast of chicken served with orzo and vegetables. The orzo had a bit of cheese blended in and tasted delicious. A lemon slice garnished the chicken breast. The meat loaf was essentially a slab of meatloaf and a pile of green beans. My seatmate, an engineer from Ohio, said that whatever it lacked in presentation it more than made up for in taste. Unlike American, Northwest does not serve their salads individually so we got a small salad on the side consisting of mixed greens, feta cheese and two pear slices. There was also an appetizer: Two 6” long strips of beef marinated in a teriyaki sauce. This was quite good as well. This meal was a marked improvement over last week’s fare. Dessert was the ubiquitous ice cream sundae, always a welcome conclusion to any meal aloft. Baileys and coffee finished off the repast and I’d have to say Northwest more than acquitted themselves after last week’s debacle. Well done, Northwest.

Despite the aircraft being wired for audio and movies, neither are offered any longer on domestic flights aboard NW except to Hawaii and Alaska. That’s cool. I had an interesting chat with my seatmate about Cleveland, the early days of rock and roll and life in the Sixties. Before long we were beginning our initial descent into SeaTac and got some wonderful views of the snowy Cascades along the way. We came in over US 2, flying over Lake Chelan and Stevens Pass before banking left at the town of Goldbar to approach SeaTac from the south. Though I’m used to circling south and then landing to the north at SeaTac, this time we went way south, about five miles south of Tacoma. Though Rainier was a bit hazy, we did get fine views of Tacoma and the Puget Sound. A nice smooth landing followed along with relief at being back where the climate suits my cloths.


Alaska 181 F SEA-ANC 737-400 N771AS Seat 2F 1450/5068

After checking in, I headed over to Alaska’s Boardroom for a couple of pre-flight libations. Alaska has operated their SeaTac Boardroom out of the same location at the entrance to the D Concourse for many years now. During that time, Alaska and its sister company Horizon Air have grown considerably and with that growth has come a commensurate growth in Boardroom membership. As a result, the Boardroom is in real need of expansion because more often than not it’s pretty crowded in there. Today was no exception.

I left the club 20 minutes before departure and boarded the plane. Alaska’s 737-400s seat 12 in First Class. First Class was, as usual, completely full. My seatmate was asleep when I arrived and I actually had to wake him in order to take my seat. He bore an amazing resemblance to the actor Wilford Brimley, right down to the big cookie-duster mustache. Once I took my seat, he fell back asleep and proceeded to sleep right on through the take-off and dinner. Good thing I hit the bathroom before boarding this airplane because I had a window seat and didn’t want to have to wake this guy if I didn’t have to. He seemed exhausted.

Alaska’s First Class seats are dark blue leather and more comfortable than the coach seats. Well, duh. Yeah, but really, they aren’t that special. I would describe seat comfort as OK compared to what I think is the best non-international First Class seat going, United’s new First Class seat on their A320s, 737s and 757s. Also, legroom is no more than American offers in their MRTC planes in Coach.

Any negatives about Alaska’s First Class service end with the seats, however. Everything else about their service is first rate. My jacket was quickly hung and I was offered a pre-flight drink. La Croix and a squeeze of lime worked well for me as I settled in and looked over the Sky Catalogue in search of a couple of late Christmas gifts. We pushed back from the gate on time, taxied on out to the runway and took off to the south.

My seat was 2F and if you’ve ever flown between Seattle and Anchorage you know that all the great scenery is on the F side of the airplane heading North. Unfortunately, diminishing daylight and clouds conspired to rob us of any views of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the snowy peaks of BC’s Coastal Range. Oh well. I had a McTarnahan’s Scottish Ale and a packet of cashews in hand 32 minutes after take-off. The aroma emanating from the galley had me looking forward to dinner as soon as possible.

I have only been offered menus once on Alaska and that was on an ANC-ORD service last March. I understand menus are no longer used even on the longer runs anymore. That’s unfortunate as I collect menus and feel that if nothing else, they heighten the anticipation to a nice meal and, by extension, a nice flight.

Our flight attendant, a very personable and charming lady named Jill (?) had an interesting method of determining the menu selection hierarchy. She cut up and numbered 12 pieces of paper, then passed them around in a serving dish as a dinner choice lottery. Though I support United’s method of choice based upon status, I liked this approach and I think the rest of the passengers did as well. Fortunately, I drew number 5.

Our entrée choices this evening were Pork Tenderloin served with a Mushroom Gravy or Mushroom Tortellini with Putanesca Sauce. Those of you familiar with Italian cuisine or even the Italian language may appreciate the roots of the word “Putanesca” Pasta Putanesca translates literally into “The Prostitute’s Pasta” and legend has it that it was prepared by ladies of the night in Naples, Italy, during their lunch or dinner break. Another says it was concocted to entice clients into their brothel. In any event, it’s quite good and zesty. I learned about it as well as ate it at an Italian restaurant right in Fairbanks. Even so, I still opted for the pork. I wanted meat!

While I awaited the entrée, a tray was presented bearing silverware (and of course the plastic knife) bread, salt and pepper shakers and the salad. A typical Alaska Airlines salad, more vegetables than greens but still very good, served with a creamy cilantro dressing. Although I was unable to discern any cilantro, the dressing was flavorful. With my salad I enjoyed a glass of 1999 Stone Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Not bad for a $10.00 bottle of wine…

When dinner finally arrived, it was well worth the wait. Three large pieces of pork were covered in a light mushroom gravy and accompanied by a colorful basmati rice and a medley of braised red, green and yellow peppers. I wish I’d had a camera. The plate and the presentation looked every bit as nice as anything I’ve seen posted here from a CX dinner. As for the dinner itself, delicious! And filling!

Plates were cleared and we were presented with dessert, a peach cobbler. At least, that’s what I think it was. I’ve had this dessert before on Alaska. It’s not bad but always just a bit dry. I would recommend Alaska consider a different dessert, something a bit moister. Once again, coffee and Bailey’s closed out an excellent meal.

The rest of this flight passed by quickly as we flew past the lights of Juneau off to our north, then over Yakutat and Cordova before descending in Anchorage for an on-time arrival.

All things considered, a very nice flight. Alaska’s service and food rank amongst the best in the nation. No wonder First Class is always full. If you haven’t yet experienced Alaska Airlines’ service, much less the State of Alaska, by all means try to do so. You won’t be disappointed!

trentis

a great trip report! enjoyed the odd comical interruption!

aw

Thanks for this detailed and informative report. I enjoyed reading it.

Seat 2A

If anybody out there should acquire some First Class menus from American's domestic services, (Trans-con only, these days?) I would love to have one! Just e-mail me at my address listed in my profile and we'll work something out! I'd be happy to reimburse postage fees as well.

P.S. I am ALWAYS interested in First Class International menus! Any airline. I don't have any CX trans-Pacific yet

bers

Thanks very much for a very detailed read - the more detailed the better

I could never sleep in an airport like that.

Oh and QF's 4 planes would have been serving the LAX-MEL, LAX-AKL-BNE, LAX-SYD and the (JFK-)LAX-SYD routes - the latter not having its JFK-LAX route flown until March due to Sep 11. QF actually operated 3 daily LAX-SYD flights - one a morning flight, the others being late night flights - for a while there and will hopefully return in the not too distant future.

hedoman

Great report......lets do a publishing deal.

Seat 2A

hedoman~

Call my agent ~ we'll do lunch next time I'm in RNO and work it out!!


[This message has been edited by Seat 2A (edited 12-26-2001).]

Pinchuck

Great report, I enjoyed every word, except for the larger ones.