US ABE-PHL-PHX-PIT-ABE
 

I just got back from a week long trip to PHX on US.

Outward
Date: September 7, 2003
Airline: US Airways
Scheduled Flights: US 3785 -> US 1011
Actual Flights: US 3903 -> US 177

Check In: Typical ABE, parked the car, walked about 500 feet to the terminal, and proceeded upstairs for check in.

This was the first time I had flown out of ABE in a while, (lately my company has been sending me to PHL to save money). The first thing I noticed is that US has reconfigured their counters, to support the kiosks. At first I think, ok this is probably a good thing, but then I realize that the way the queue and the counter is setup it makes it really hard to figure out which line will get you to a person. Since I was traveling with a coworker and upgrading both of us, I wanted to make sure the e-upgrades came out of my account and they didn't get stuck in Y.

Figured out that it really didn't matter because no one was using the kiosks and everyone was just waiting for the two counter people to actually check them in.
We were assigned 8DE on the DSH-8 to PHL and 3DF on the A319 from PHL->PHX.

We got to the gate at 2:20 for a scheduled 3:10 departure. I ended up walking the length of the terminal to pass the time. US 3785 got delayed twice, once to 3:30 and then a second time to 3:45, due to a mechanical issue.

At 3:05, they announced that they were cancelling the flight. I immediatelly call the SP Reservation center to rebook. They first tried to reroute me through PIT, which wouldn't have been a problem except I got to tell the agent that I just watched the PIT they wanted to get me on pull back from the gate.

They rebooked me on US 3903 to US 177, and I still got to have an upgrade from PHL -> PHX. Unfortunately, this meant I got to hang out at ABE for another 3 hours. We were in seat 9AC, all the way in back to PHL. Arrived at gate F35 in PHL, and proceeded to go to the shuttle bus to take us to the C terminal.

While walking to the bus, I noticed a pure white, I think it was a ERJ, parked a couple of gates. I have no idea whose plane it was or where it was going. There was nothing on the board at the gate.

We made it to the C terminal, and stopped in the PHL food court for a quick bite, enroute to gate B3. Since it was scheduled to be an 8:00 pm departure I had no idea what, would be served on the plane.

Boarding went smoothly, it was a realitivly full A319, we were in seats 3DF. Before departure the flight attendant for the F cabin offered us a predeparture drink. Dinner was one of US's Inflight Cafe meals. I had a smoked turkey sandwich, and my coworker had the other choice which was a chicken ceasar salad. For that late of a flight, I was stuffed, and I thought it tasted pretty good for a boxed meal.

F was completely full, and Y looked about 85%-90% full.

The Flight Attendent for F was extremely attentive and the plane looked reasonably clean. The limes were green :-) I missed the actual glassware you used to get in US F.

We had an on time arrival in PHX at 10:15pm.

Baggage Claim: It took about 20 minutes for our bags to come off the plane. I had enough time to get the rental car, and walk back to the carrousel before anything got off the plane.

Overall, with the exception of the flight cancellation, it was a good trip.

Return
Date: September 7, 2003
Airline: US Airways
Actual Flights: US 158 -> US 5275

We get to Sky Harbor at a little before 6, to return the rental car and to check in. I go through the preferred check-in line and found out my upgrade to PIT didn't clear, but I was able to get my second choice: Exit Row to PIT.

We go over to security, and I didn't realize it before but in Terminal 2 there is a Preferred lane through security for UA, US, and I think it was either CO or AK. Went through that and bypassed a really long line.

Went to Gate 9 and waited about an hour for them to call boarding. From PHX -> PIT it was an A320. We had seats 10AB. Plane looked reasonably clean, one thing I noticed is that the cover on the power adapter had been broken off. I would think this could be a safety issue.

We pushed back from the gate on time and then spent about 10-15 minutes on the tarmac waiting to take off.

I skipped the In-Flight Cafe that they sell to Y passengers. Someone else in my row had the Turkey and Brie sandwich. It looked pretty good. They ran out of one of the choices the row behind me, and I'm not sure if they made it all the way to the back of the plane before running out of the second choice.

It was typical Y service, I got a glass of coke and a bag of pretzels.

We arrived about 5 minutes late in PIT, and had about a 2 hour layover until my connection to ABE. PIT is a really nice airport to have a 2 hour layover it. Unfortunately, it seems to be a shell of its former self. I remember when both A & B concourses bristled with traffic.

It was a 4:25pm departure from PIT to ABE on an ERJ. We had seats 15DF. I got another glass of coke and a bag of pretzels. Overall it was a smooth flight up until we began final approach to ABE, then it got a little choppy.

We arrived ontime at ABE, and by the time I got to baggage claim the bags started appearing from the flight.