Transcon MR, DTW-LAX-BWI (and in between!)
Oct 16, 2006, 12:46 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DTW
Programs: DL Silver Medallion
Posts: 613
Transcon MR, DTW-LAX-BWI (and in between!)
While my destination over the next several days is “nowhere in particular”, I decided to go ahead and plan a trip report nonetheless, if nothing just to give me something to do for the next 36 hours.
The journey starting today is a domestic mileage run on NW. The (planned) route is DTW-MEM-LAX-DTW-BWI-DTW-LAX-DTW, which is a culmination of 2 great K fares posted in our very own Mileage Run forum: DTW-LAX and LAX-BWI. The yield is roughly 9,000 EQMs, for a total of 18,000 RDM with my elite bonus. First flight is at 5:06pm on Friday, getting me home at about 6:00am on Sunday.
The “psycho trip” (wife’s coinage) starts yesterday with OLCI. I have already been EUA’d on the DTW-BWI segments as well as the final LAX-DTW red-eye. I OLCI at 23:59, where I am promptly told that F is full on my DTW-MEM and MEM-LAX flights. OLCI doesn’t want to check me in all the way on this trip, only giving me passes for the first 2 segments. No matter, I’m in 15D on the 752 to MEM, and 11C on the A320 to LAX, so I’ve still got the best Y has to offer. As it happens, I’m fighting off a sinus infection. Frequent trips to take medicine in the middle of the night also double as nighttime OLCI periods, so I take the opportunity to check-in for LAX-DTW and DTW-BWI at around 3am EST. Again, OLCI seems to only want to give me passes for 2 segments at a time.
9am rolls around, and having decided at the last minute yesterday to take the day off, I relax and pack for my trip. I get my essentials organized – Laptop, Solitudes, cell phone charger, then pack a small duffel bag with a change of clothes. I plan on one of the DTW visits to shower in the WC. I make a mental note that if I really want to, I can bail out on this MR at either of the 2 DTW stops in the middle – this is going to be a long weekend. I’ve got my 1 quart, TSA-approved, zip-top bag loaded with OTC medication – Sudafed, Dayquil, Nyquil, Afrin, Claritin-D, multivitamins, the no-jet-lag which came with my Flyertalk bag tags, tooth paste and brush, deodorant, and some cologne.
About 3:30, I get into the main WC at DTW. I haven’t flown for a few weeks, but had no problem getting through security. I didn’t even need to use the elite line. At the WC, I asked the kind agents (who were wearing—appropriately—Detroit Tigers apparel) if they could print off my boarding passes for the whole trip. I was told that they could only print off my current segment (why?) but she would double check to ensure that I was on the upgrade waitlists for the 4 flights that did not EUA. I sat down in the bull room near the bar, enjoyed a glass of merlot, and did what any self-respecting FT member would do before a series of trans-pacs – I “synchronized” the FT forums onto my laptop for the voyage! I also inquired with KVS about the flight loads. KVS showed P1F0 to MEM, so I gave up on any chance of a BF upgrade. MEM-LAX was more peculiar, showing P4F1, so I figured I’d have a decent chance.
Around 4:10, I took the tram over to A68, and parked for a few minutes across the gate. Based on the gate lice, it looked like the flight was oversold (later confirmed when on-board, but no volunteers ended up being used). Very surprisingly, I heard the GA page 4 people to the podium, including myself. Knowing exactly why, I was pleased to hand my Y BP in 15D to the GA in exchange for… 2C! Boarding began immediately afterward, so I hopped onboard, and stuffed my bags into the tiny bin right over 1B, to save room in the bins for rollaboards. This is where the trip has started exceedingly well. We had a mechanic in the cockpit, but it didn’t seem too serious. A deadheading FO who was to sit jumpseat was chatting with some of the folks in F mentioning just a simple indicator lamp was out. Then, the gem who was our Purser, Ms. Kimberly, started what was quite possibly the best in-flight experience I’ve ever had. Not only did she offer pre-flight beverages, she kept those beverages FULL until we departed. I personally took 2 refills, starting with a Bloody Mary, then enjoying 2 glasses of Chardonnay. We departed about 15 minutes late, but Kimberly was bouncing through the cabin for the whole flight, refilling drinks and snacks. She was working the 2nd half of her stretch, which began last night as a SEA-DTW redeye, then a few hours of shut eye, and off again to MEM and then back to SEA. If NW had the equivalent of a GTEM, I’d give 2 of them to her. I will definitely be commenting to TTU upon arrival at MEM. NW is not well-known for the in-flight services, particularly in domestic F, which made this experience all the more valuable, and gave the beginning of this MR a pleasant start. At descent, we found out that we would be landing a bit late into Memphis, but only by a few minutes. It sure is nice to see some sunshine up here, especially considering how gloomy the weather in Metro Detroit has been.
Wow, I didn’t realize what a short connection I had in Memphis. I got out of the plane at around 6:05, and the monitor showed my flight to LAX departing out of B30 at 6:45. I only had enough time to use the restroom, then off to the gate. I took a few minutes to call my wife, when suddenly I was pleasantly surprised with a page to the gate – the ONLY page to the gate. I exchanged 11C for 2D, and noticed on the marquee at the gate that a “meal” was supposed to be served on this flight… I somehow doubted it, considering the late departure time. Preflight service was typical, a drink order taken and served from the tray. The purser here is a more “seasoned” FA, but drinks were served by a very lovely young woman. My seatmate inquired about my FT.com bag tag, so I explained the site, and what my mission was. He was amazed at how cheap my trip was, and vowed that he would be visiting FT.com upon arrival in LAX. Around 8pm CST, I was surprised again, this time to realize that we would be receiving a meal service – Chicken in an apple cider glaze, or pesto ravioli, with salad, warm roll, and German chocolate cake. The chicken I had was surprisingly good, considering the source! The flight got a bit bumpy over the mountains, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Once at LAX, I stopped in one of the shops in the airport to buy some (gasp!) bottled water for my return trip in Y. I also picked up some more sinus medication… man, having a sinus infection while flying stinks! As anticipated, F was totally full on the flight, so I was relegated to a crummy aisle seat, but at least the middle seat was empty. A Nyquil very much helped the flight go by, and it went by without incident.
Back at DTW, I’ve found myself flat-out exhausted. I arrived at about 5:15, and waited around for the WC to open. I bump into Bob, a fellow FT’r at the WC, and he’s doing essentially the same MR as I am. I planned to shower, but didn’t realize that I didn’t have much time until the next flight. A look at KVS showed that there was a turn-around I could do at BWI instead of waiting for the 12:53 flight, so I planned to standby for it. I wondered why I (or NW.com) didn’t book that to begin with – maybe no K availability. Bob and I walked down to A49, where DTW-BWI was about to board. We again had a very nice cabin crew, and a very friendly captain. I happily slept most of the flight, and was surprised to see that F was only about half full on this 32R. Upon arrival at BWI, I went to the GA to inquire about standby, he told me no problem and handed me a BP for 1A. My plan at this point was to try to go standby on earlier flights for the rest of the MR – the 12:24 to LAX versus 3:35, and the 5:30 return to DTW versus 10:00.
As luck would have it, the 12:24 to LAX was overbooked, but ended up having 1 extra seat for me on the 757… 35B. I weighed over it a little bit, but ultimately decided to keep my 11A exit-row seat on the later flight. I headed to the WC with my tail tucked between my legs, further disappointed to hear that there are 6 PEs ahead of me on the F wait list, and that some #$#!@ is sitting in 11B next to me, instead of leaving it empty. Oh well, you get what you pay for. During boarding, the aircraft quickly turns into a sauna. There is absolutely NO air coming out of the vents, and everyone is becoming quickly irritated. Even after the engines are started up, the air coming out is warm. I was hoping that per SeatGuru, it would be cold sitting next to the exit door. How wrong they are! I will also add that the cushion on the window seat in the exit row is extremely thin – it looks like CRJ-surplus material. It also urns out that the guy next to me in 11B is a complete jerk. He is complaining during the whole boarding process (to no one in particular) how hot it is, and he is arguing with me and 11C, because we are taking up too much of his space, and he doesn’t want us to touch his arm. To remedy that, I just take over the whole arm rest, so he can fold his arms and not worry about it! 11B also makes this annoying sighing/moaning sound as he rests. During the beverage service, of course 11B brings out a VERY overripe banana, which promptly stinks up the plane. I only received a glass of La Croix, no can (RAR?), but the FA brings by multiple refills of water if desired. I sure can’t wait to get into LAX and out of this tiny tube. Unfortunately, strong headwinds have been slowing down westbound air traffic significantly. I am SO relieved that I have been EUAd for the flight home. This flight gets in at 5:22, and the “earlier” LAX-DTW flight departs at 5:30… think I can make it for standby? Only I wish…
As we pull up to gate 22 at LAX, I notice the 5:30 A320 back to DTW taxiing out, so there goes that chance. Got off the plane and headed upstairs to the WC. I had about 4 hours to kill, so I sat down with a beer and a glass of Jim Beam to kill the time. Imagine my surprise when Bob shows up!! While I took DTW-LAX, he went DTW-MSP-LAX, leaving DTW a couple of hours early but getting into LAX just a little bit after I did. This was the end of Bob’s journey… for the night! He mentioned to me that there were several runners on that flight, and he was trying to round everyone up to get into the WC. I grabbed a bite to eat, and headed down to the gate. At the gate, I noticed that a soldier was on our flight back to DTW, and I inquired about using a companion upgrade for him. F was full, and she REFUSED (she was not a pleasant woman) to let me give the soldier my seat in F in exchange for his. I suppose I should have asked him to just swap boarding passes with me, but I never got around to seeing him again until after we boarded. I heard the gate agent paging, “Paging sbagdon, please come to the podium at gate 22 sbagdon to the podium”. I chuckled, as I found it amusing that I was EUA’d on the flight while he had to earn it the BF way. On board, I met several additional mileage runners in F, I think 4 of us altogether. An FT lurker was aboard, and she was surprised (impressed?) by my FT.com luggage tags! I told her, well, we have to have a way to know who is who some how! I was so exhausted, I fell asleep during the ascent, listening to my fellow FT’rs banter with each other about EQMs, whether a membership to the WC is worth the money, and international MRs with immediate turns. I (happily) missed all of the in-flight services, and woke up several hours to the wonderful sound of “Flight attendants, prepare for landing.”
The total tally was 9,165 EQMs, 18,330 RDMs, for a cost of $350, for $0.019 CPM. I happened to use a DB210 as well, bringing it down to $0.008 CPM, and made it the longest MR I’ve done to date. I also got to meet a couple of great, yet similarly insane, fellow FlyerTalkers. It killed a weekend and cost some bucks, but it was ABSOLUTELY worth it!
The journey starting today is a domestic mileage run on NW. The (planned) route is DTW-MEM-LAX-DTW-BWI-DTW-LAX-DTW, which is a culmination of 2 great K fares posted in our very own Mileage Run forum: DTW-LAX and LAX-BWI. The yield is roughly 9,000 EQMs, for a total of 18,000 RDM with my elite bonus. First flight is at 5:06pm on Friday, getting me home at about 6:00am on Sunday.
The “psycho trip” (wife’s coinage) starts yesterday with OLCI. I have already been EUA’d on the DTW-BWI segments as well as the final LAX-DTW red-eye. I OLCI at 23:59, where I am promptly told that F is full on my DTW-MEM and MEM-LAX flights. OLCI doesn’t want to check me in all the way on this trip, only giving me passes for the first 2 segments. No matter, I’m in 15D on the 752 to MEM, and 11C on the A320 to LAX, so I’ve still got the best Y has to offer. As it happens, I’m fighting off a sinus infection. Frequent trips to take medicine in the middle of the night also double as nighttime OLCI periods, so I take the opportunity to check-in for LAX-DTW and DTW-BWI at around 3am EST. Again, OLCI seems to only want to give me passes for 2 segments at a time.
9am rolls around, and having decided at the last minute yesterday to take the day off, I relax and pack for my trip. I get my essentials organized – Laptop, Solitudes, cell phone charger, then pack a small duffel bag with a change of clothes. I plan on one of the DTW visits to shower in the WC. I make a mental note that if I really want to, I can bail out on this MR at either of the 2 DTW stops in the middle – this is going to be a long weekend. I’ve got my 1 quart, TSA-approved, zip-top bag loaded with OTC medication – Sudafed, Dayquil, Nyquil, Afrin, Claritin-D, multivitamins, the no-jet-lag which came with my Flyertalk bag tags, tooth paste and brush, deodorant, and some cologne.
About 3:30, I get into the main WC at DTW. I haven’t flown for a few weeks, but had no problem getting through security. I didn’t even need to use the elite line. At the WC, I asked the kind agents (who were wearing—appropriately—Detroit Tigers apparel) if they could print off my boarding passes for the whole trip. I was told that they could only print off my current segment (why?) but she would double check to ensure that I was on the upgrade waitlists for the 4 flights that did not EUA. I sat down in the bull room near the bar, enjoyed a glass of merlot, and did what any self-respecting FT member would do before a series of trans-pacs – I “synchronized” the FT forums onto my laptop for the voyage! I also inquired with KVS about the flight loads. KVS showed P1F0 to MEM, so I gave up on any chance of a BF upgrade. MEM-LAX was more peculiar, showing P4F1, so I figured I’d have a decent chance.
Around 4:10, I took the tram over to A68, and parked for a few minutes across the gate. Based on the gate lice, it looked like the flight was oversold (later confirmed when on-board, but no volunteers ended up being used). Very surprisingly, I heard the GA page 4 people to the podium, including myself. Knowing exactly why, I was pleased to hand my Y BP in 15D to the GA in exchange for… 2C! Boarding began immediately afterward, so I hopped onboard, and stuffed my bags into the tiny bin right over 1B, to save room in the bins for rollaboards. This is where the trip has started exceedingly well. We had a mechanic in the cockpit, but it didn’t seem too serious. A deadheading FO who was to sit jumpseat was chatting with some of the folks in F mentioning just a simple indicator lamp was out. Then, the gem who was our Purser, Ms. Kimberly, started what was quite possibly the best in-flight experience I’ve ever had. Not only did she offer pre-flight beverages, she kept those beverages FULL until we departed. I personally took 2 refills, starting with a Bloody Mary, then enjoying 2 glasses of Chardonnay. We departed about 15 minutes late, but Kimberly was bouncing through the cabin for the whole flight, refilling drinks and snacks. She was working the 2nd half of her stretch, which began last night as a SEA-DTW redeye, then a few hours of shut eye, and off again to MEM and then back to SEA. If NW had the equivalent of a GTEM, I’d give 2 of them to her. I will definitely be commenting to TTU upon arrival at MEM. NW is not well-known for the in-flight services, particularly in domestic F, which made this experience all the more valuable, and gave the beginning of this MR a pleasant start. At descent, we found out that we would be landing a bit late into Memphis, but only by a few minutes. It sure is nice to see some sunshine up here, especially considering how gloomy the weather in Metro Detroit has been.
Wow, I didn’t realize what a short connection I had in Memphis. I got out of the plane at around 6:05, and the monitor showed my flight to LAX departing out of B30 at 6:45. I only had enough time to use the restroom, then off to the gate. I took a few minutes to call my wife, when suddenly I was pleasantly surprised with a page to the gate – the ONLY page to the gate. I exchanged 11C for 2D, and noticed on the marquee at the gate that a “meal” was supposed to be served on this flight… I somehow doubted it, considering the late departure time. Preflight service was typical, a drink order taken and served from the tray. The purser here is a more “seasoned” FA, but drinks were served by a very lovely young woman. My seatmate inquired about my FT.com bag tag, so I explained the site, and what my mission was. He was amazed at how cheap my trip was, and vowed that he would be visiting FT.com upon arrival in LAX. Around 8pm CST, I was surprised again, this time to realize that we would be receiving a meal service – Chicken in an apple cider glaze, or pesto ravioli, with salad, warm roll, and German chocolate cake. The chicken I had was surprisingly good, considering the source! The flight got a bit bumpy over the mountains, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Once at LAX, I stopped in one of the shops in the airport to buy some (gasp!) bottled water for my return trip in Y. I also picked up some more sinus medication… man, having a sinus infection while flying stinks! As anticipated, F was totally full on the flight, so I was relegated to a crummy aisle seat, but at least the middle seat was empty. A Nyquil very much helped the flight go by, and it went by without incident.
Back at DTW, I’ve found myself flat-out exhausted. I arrived at about 5:15, and waited around for the WC to open. I bump into Bob, a fellow FT’r at the WC, and he’s doing essentially the same MR as I am. I planned to shower, but didn’t realize that I didn’t have much time until the next flight. A look at KVS showed that there was a turn-around I could do at BWI instead of waiting for the 12:53 flight, so I planned to standby for it. I wondered why I (or NW.com) didn’t book that to begin with – maybe no K availability. Bob and I walked down to A49, where DTW-BWI was about to board. We again had a very nice cabin crew, and a very friendly captain. I happily slept most of the flight, and was surprised to see that F was only about half full on this 32R. Upon arrival at BWI, I went to the GA to inquire about standby, he told me no problem and handed me a BP for 1A. My plan at this point was to try to go standby on earlier flights for the rest of the MR – the 12:24 to LAX versus 3:35, and the 5:30 return to DTW versus 10:00.
As luck would have it, the 12:24 to LAX was overbooked, but ended up having 1 extra seat for me on the 757… 35B. I weighed over it a little bit, but ultimately decided to keep my 11A exit-row seat on the later flight. I headed to the WC with my tail tucked between my legs, further disappointed to hear that there are 6 PEs ahead of me on the F wait list, and that some #$#!@ is sitting in 11B next to me, instead of leaving it empty. Oh well, you get what you pay for. During boarding, the aircraft quickly turns into a sauna. There is absolutely NO air coming out of the vents, and everyone is becoming quickly irritated. Even after the engines are started up, the air coming out is warm. I was hoping that per SeatGuru, it would be cold sitting next to the exit door. How wrong they are! I will also add that the cushion on the window seat in the exit row is extremely thin – it looks like CRJ-surplus material. It also urns out that the guy next to me in 11B is a complete jerk. He is complaining during the whole boarding process (to no one in particular) how hot it is, and he is arguing with me and 11C, because we are taking up too much of his space, and he doesn’t want us to touch his arm. To remedy that, I just take over the whole arm rest, so he can fold his arms and not worry about it! 11B also makes this annoying sighing/moaning sound as he rests. During the beverage service, of course 11B brings out a VERY overripe banana, which promptly stinks up the plane. I only received a glass of La Croix, no can (RAR?), but the FA brings by multiple refills of water if desired. I sure can’t wait to get into LAX and out of this tiny tube. Unfortunately, strong headwinds have been slowing down westbound air traffic significantly. I am SO relieved that I have been EUAd for the flight home. This flight gets in at 5:22, and the “earlier” LAX-DTW flight departs at 5:30… think I can make it for standby? Only I wish…
As we pull up to gate 22 at LAX, I notice the 5:30 A320 back to DTW taxiing out, so there goes that chance. Got off the plane and headed upstairs to the WC. I had about 4 hours to kill, so I sat down with a beer and a glass of Jim Beam to kill the time. Imagine my surprise when Bob shows up!! While I took DTW-LAX, he went DTW-MSP-LAX, leaving DTW a couple of hours early but getting into LAX just a little bit after I did. This was the end of Bob’s journey… for the night! He mentioned to me that there were several runners on that flight, and he was trying to round everyone up to get into the WC. I grabbed a bite to eat, and headed down to the gate. At the gate, I noticed that a soldier was on our flight back to DTW, and I inquired about using a companion upgrade for him. F was full, and she REFUSED (she was not a pleasant woman) to let me give the soldier my seat in F in exchange for his. I suppose I should have asked him to just swap boarding passes with me, but I never got around to seeing him again until after we boarded. I heard the gate agent paging, “Paging sbagdon, please come to the podium at gate 22 sbagdon to the podium”. I chuckled, as I found it amusing that I was EUA’d on the flight while he had to earn it the BF way. On board, I met several additional mileage runners in F, I think 4 of us altogether. An FT lurker was aboard, and she was surprised (impressed?) by my FT.com luggage tags! I told her, well, we have to have a way to know who is who some how! I was so exhausted, I fell asleep during the ascent, listening to my fellow FT’rs banter with each other about EQMs, whether a membership to the WC is worth the money, and international MRs with immediate turns. I (happily) missed all of the in-flight services, and woke up several hours to the wonderful sound of “Flight attendants, prepare for landing.”
The total tally was 9,165 EQMs, 18,330 RDMs, for a cost of $350, for $0.019 CPM. I happened to use a DB210 as well, bringing it down to $0.008 CPM, and made it the longest MR I’ve done to date. I also got to meet a couple of great, yet similarly insane, fellow FlyerTalkers. It killed a weekend and cost some bucks, but it was ABSOLUTELY worth it!
Last edited by DTW-HomeyFour; Oct 17, 2006 at 5:41 am
