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Sfo-bos-sfo
I'm a rookie to this site and this is my first trip report. I don't expect to file reports for all of my various and frequent business travels, but this one had a bad weather ending, so here it goes.
1/22/08 -- My travel day was as perfect as could be considering the time of year. It all began when I found an excellent parking spot in the International "G" Garage at SFO. This is a bit more expensive than the long-term lots, but is closer to all of the SFO terminals. My four day tab was $80. It would have cost me $100 for RT cab rides from my office in dwtn. SF to the airport, so I figure I saved my company $20. Admittedly, it is a long walk from the garage to the domestic terminals, but it is much better than having to use the shuttle bus to/from the LT parking garage and I like walking through the international terminal. I used my corporate AMEX to enter and exit the garage, so I didn't have to wait in line to pay when I returned home on 1/25/08. Level 3 is the best place to park. The moving sidewalks between the garage entrance and the international terminal gives you some excellent views of the planes parked at int'l terminal "G" used by UA and its Star Alliance partners. 1/22/08 -- UA 176, Dp. 1130a (PT), Arr. 803p (ET). 757/Seat 9A. No upgrade on this leg. As I do whenever I am in coach, I try to get seat 9A. It is right in front of the door and has great legroom. Best of all, I can have my window seat and not have to bother the people in 9B/C when I need to use the restroom. Checked in online the night before. Had one bag to check. Used the UA BagCheck kiosk -- no lines. I bypassed the Premier Exec. security line and instead entered security adjacent to the hallway that connects Terminal 3 (near Gate 74) with the international terminal. Minimal wait thanks to friendly TSA staff. 15 minutes elapsed between the time I parked the car and the time I finished the security check. Spent some time at the RCC reading the paper, checking emails, etc. Crowded as usual, but still found a good seat near the window. Flight departed from Gate 90 -- boarding started just before 1100a. I was in my seat by 1103a. Friendly male FA was in charge of my section. He was pleasant without being too obtrusive. Boarding door secured at 1123a; pushback commenced at 1126a. Due to the southerly wind flow in the Bay Area, departures were using runways 10L/R and the Dumbarton Six departure. Wheels up at 1137a. Channel 9 active the entire way. I failed to get something good to eat prior to boarding, so I was forced to shell out $5 for a teriyaki chicken wrap. It was adequate. Movie = December Boys, an indie film from Australia. I turned it off halfway through and went back to Channel 9 -- fell asleep for two hours. When I woke, we were just south of Chicago -- I had a terrific view of ORD and the Loop. The sun was gone by the time we reached Detroit (my hometown), but I still had a nice view of DTW. Landed on Runway 27 at BOS at 727p -- more than 30 minutes early; parked at Gate 16. My bag was the third one out and there was no one in the taxi line. I was on my way to the hotel at 750p. 1/22/08 to 1/25/08 - Hilton Financial District, Broad Street, Boston -- This is the closest Hilton family property to my Boston office. It is your typical business hotel. Nothing fancy. Because of my HH status, I got a great room with a basket of fruit and free bottled water waiting for me upon arrival. Didn't use the gym on this trip. My biggest complaint was that the heat was on high when I arrived (outside temps. in the 20's.) I immediately turned it down, but hot air kept blowing out of the vents. I didn't want a late night visit from maintenance, so I turned the system off and cracked the window. (I love to sleep in cold rooms.) I never did inform the hotel of the problem. After two days of meetings, I awoke at 530a on 1/25 and checked out using the video system. A cab was immediately available for me at 600a for the quick trip back to BOS. 1/22/08 -- UA 173, Dp. 807a (ET), Arr. 1145a (PT). 757/Seat 1D. First class upgrade. I again printed my boarding pass the night before and used the BagCheck at BOS. There was a bit of a line at security. 25 minutes elapsed between the time the cab dropped me off at BOS and the completion of the security check. Spent some time at the RCC -- very small, and I didn't feel like reading the paper so I went back into the gate area. There are good views of the runways from Terminal C at BOS, so I went to Dunkin Donuts to get a cup of coffee and watched the early morning departures. Headed over to Gate 17 around 715a. Boarding started at 730a. We had a great FA in our section -- Pam; she was very friendly and provided good service. Pushback commenced at 755a and we began our taxi out to Runway 33L for the Logan 4 departure. There was the typical early morning "rush hour" at BOS, so wheels up was at 830a. We were vectored toward Manchester, NH and then turned on a more westerly course toward California. I ordered the cheese and mushroom omlette with sausage and fruit, and opted for a cheese danish from the microwaved "bread basket." Not the greatest food, but for some reason I still like have a meal served to me on an airplane. Moreover, Pam made me a very good Virgin Mary. Bypassed the movies and kept Channel 9 on the entire flight. Slept for about an hour and read the rest of the way. The weather in the Bay Area was miserable and the captain warned us just after takeoff that we would be greeted by minimal visibility and heavy rain. We began our descent over Mono Lake, CA on the border with Nevada. At 17,000 ft. we were put into a holding pattern at GROAN (ten mile legs). After about 20 minutes we were given vectors for an approach to Runway 10L at SFO. This is very unusual. Those who fly to SFO often know that 90% of the time aircraft land using the FMS bridge visual approach to runways 28L/R. Most other times (usually in wet weather because of the southerly wind flows) the 19L/R ILS approach is used. For this flight, our vectors took us out over the Pacific Ocean to the STINS intersection 22 miles NW of SFO. Because of wind shear and low visibility, NorCal approach indicated that a number of aircraft aborted their landings. Upon hearing this, our pilot indicated that we had a fuel emergency and requested priority clearance to OAK. At this point, we were low enough that I could see that we were over the ocean off of the Marin County coast. We made a turn to 090 degrees and headed east for our landing on Runway 11 at OAK. We landed at 1230p., and taxied to a remote parking spot. Because the pilots were busy landing the plane, they did not inform us of our new destination while in flight, so there were a number of surprised pass. Much to the pilots' credit, however, they provided us with frequent updates while we were on the ground in OAK. A number of other SFO-bound aircraft arrived at OAK after we landed, including at least two 747s and two 777s. By 145p we had refueled and received our clearance back to SFO. By this time, planes were landing using the 19L/R ILS approaches. We began to taxi at 150p and were in the air at 206p. We departed OAK on Runway 11 and climbed to 5,000 ft. After flying southeast toward the Fremont area, the plane turned toward the north to the BERKS intersection over Contra Costa County and then turned back toward the south to intercept the runway 19L localizer. We landed at SFO at 225p in heavy rain and taxied to Gate 88 (where we had to wait 5 minutes for someone to direct the plane up to the jetway.) The end of a long and eventful trip. Again, my bag was the third one out at baggage claim and I was on my way home by 300p. (Of course it took me 90 minutes to make the trip home to San Rafael.) |
Hey
I enjoyed the read, if u like read my recent TR's
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=783496 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=772891 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=771131 I hope you enjoy. I liked your TR, but pics help ;) Have a good weekend
Originally Posted by thumbun
(Post 9140509)
I'm a rookie to this site and this is my first trip report. I don't expect to file reports for all of my various and frequent business travels, but this one had a bad weather ending, so here it goes.
1/22/08 -- My travel day was as perfect as could be considering the time of year. It all began when I found an excellent parking spot in the International "G" Garage at SFO. This is a bit more expensive than the long-term lots, but is closer to all of the SFO terminals. My four day tab was $80. It would have cost me $100 for RT cab rides from my office in dwtn. SF to the airport, so I figure I saved my company $20. Admittedly, it is a long walk from the garage to the domestic terminals, but it is much better than having to use the shuttle bus to/from the LT parking garage and I like walking through the international terminal. I used my corporate AMEX to enter and exit the garage, so I didn't have to wait in line to pay when I returned home on 1/25/08. Level 3 is the best place to park. The moving sidewalks between the garage entrance and the international terminal gives you some excellent views of the planes parked at int'l terminal "G" used by UA and its Star Alliance partners. 1/22/08 -- UA 176, Dp. 1130a (PT), Arr. 803p (ET). 757/Seat 9A. No upgrade on this leg. As I do whenever I am in coach, I try to get seat 9A. It is right in front of the door and has great legroom. Best of all, I can have my window seat and not have to bother the people in 9B/C when I need to use the restroom. Checked in online the night before. Had one bag to check. Used the UA BagCheck kiosk -- no lines. I bypassed the Premier Exec. security line and instead entered security adjacent to the hallway that connects Terminal 3 (near Gate 74) with the international terminal. Minimal wait thanks to friendly TSA staff. 15 minutes elapsed between the time I parked the car and the time I finished the security check. Spent some time at the RCC reading the paper, checking emails, etc. Crowded as usual, but still found a good seat near the window. Flight departed from Gate 90 -- boarding started just before 1100a. I was in my seat by 1103a. Friendly male FA was in charge of my section. He was pleasant without being too obtrusive. Boarding door secured at 1123a; pushback commenced at 1126a. Due to the southerly wind flow in the Bay Area, departures were using runways 10L/R and the Dumbarton Six departure. Wheels up at 1137a. Channel 9 active the entire way. I failed to get something good to eat prior to boarding, so I was forced to shell out $5 for a teriyaki chicken wrap. It was adequate. Movie = December Boys, an indie film from Australia. I turned it off halfway through and went back to Channel 9 -- fell asleep for two hours. When I woke, we were just south of Chicago -- I had a terrific view of ORD and the Loop. The sun was gone by the time we reached Detroit (my hometown), but I still had a nice view of DTW. Landed on Runway 27 at BOS at 727p -- more than 30 minutes early; parked at Gate 16. My bag was the third one out and there was no one in the taxi line. I was on my way to the hotel at 750p. 1/22/08 to 1/25/08 - Hilton Financial District, Broad Street, Boston -- This is the closest Hilton family property to my Boston office. It is your typical business hotel. Nothing fancy. Because of my HH status, I got a great room with a basket of fruit and free bottled water waiting for me upon arrival. Didn't use the gym on this trip. My biggest complaint was that the heat was on high when I arrived (outside temps. in the 20's.) I immediately turned it down, but hot air kept blowing out of the vents. I didn't want a late night visit from maintenance, so I turned the system off and cracked the window. (I love to sleep in cold rooms.) I never did inform the hotel of the problem. After two days of meetings, I awoke at 530a on 1/25 and checked out using the video system. A cab was immediately available for me at 600a for the quick trip back to BOS. 1/22/08 -- UA 173, Dp. 807a (ET), Arr. 1145a (PT). 757/Seat 1D. First class upgrade. I again printed my boarding pass the night before and used the BagCheck at BOS. There was a bit of a line at security. 25 minutes elapsed between the time the cab dropped me off at BOS and the completion of the security check. Spent some time at the RCC -- very small, and I didn't feel like reading the paper so I went back into the gate area. There are good views of the runways from Terminal C at BOS, so I went to Dunkin Donuts to get a cup of coffee and watched the early morning departures. Headed over to Gate 17 around 715a. Boarding started at 730a. We had a great FA in our section -- Pam; she was very friendly and provided good service. Pushback commenced at 755a and we began our taxi out to Runway 33L for the Logan 4 departure. There was the typical early morning "rush hour" at BOS, so wheels up was at 830a. We were vectored toward Manchester, NH and then turned on a more westerly course toward California. I ordered the cheese and mushroom omlette with sausage and fruit, and opted for a cheese danish from the microwaved "bread basket." Not the greatest food, but for some reason I still like have a meal served to me on an airplane. Moreover, Pam made me a very good Virgin Mary. Bypassed the movies and kept Channel 9 on the entire flight. Slept for about an hour and read the rest of the way. The weather in the Bay Area was miserable and the captain warned us just after takeoff that we would be greeted by minimal visibility and heavy rain. We began our descent over Mono Lake, CA on the border with Nevada. At 17,000 ft. we were put into a holding pattern at GROAN (ten mile legs). After about 20 minutes we were given vectors for an approach to Runway 10L at SFO. This is very unusual. Those who fly to SFO often know that 90% of the time aircraft land using the FMS bridge visual approach to runways 28L/R. Most other times (usually in wet weather because of the southerly wind flows) the 19L/R ILS approach is used. For this flight, our vectors took us out over the Pacific Ocean to the STINS intersection 22 miles NW of SFO. Because of wind shear and low visibility, NorCal approach indicated that a number of aircraft aborted their landings. Upon hearing this, our pilot indicated that we had a fuel emergency and requested priority clearance to OAK. At this point, we were low enough that I could see that we were over the ocean off of the Marin County coast. We made a turn to 090 degrees and headed east for our landing on Runway 11 at OAK. We landed at 1230p., and taxied to a remote parking spot. Because the pilots were busy landing the plane, they did not inform us of our new destination while in flight, so there were a number of surprised pass. Much to the pilots' credit, however, they provided us with frequent updates while we were on the ground in OAK. A number of other SFO-bound aircraft arrived at OAK after we landed, including at least two 747s and two 777s. By 145p we had refueled and received our clearance back to SFO. By this time, planes were landing using the 19L/R ILS approaches. We began to taxi at 150p and were in the air at 206p. We departed OAK on Runway 11 and climbed to 5,000 ft. After flying southeast toward the Fremont area, the plane turned toward the north to the BERKS intersection over Contra Costa County and then turned back toward the south to intercept the runway 19L localizer. We landed at SFO at 225p in heavy rain and taxied to Gate 88 (where we had to wait 5 minutes for someone to direct the plane up to the jetway.) The end of a long and eventful trip. Again, my bag was the third one out at baggage claim and I was on my way home by 300p. (Of course it took me 90 minutes to make the trip home to San Rafael.) |
thanks for the links -- I will read them now.
i usually take pictures, but not when I'm flying for business. I 'll start to do so if I am going to make trip reports. |
Have fun reading
Originally Posted by thumbun
(Post 9140569)
thanks for the links -- I will read them now.
i usually take pictures, but not when I'm flying for business. I 'll start to do so if I am going to make trip reports. |
Having lived in the BAY area for some 10 years before coming down to LA I can only too well remember the all too frequent SFO difficulties....
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Nice report. Liked the details you chose to share.
I look forward to reading more in the future. -Brian |
I enjoyed this TR, thanks! Glad the WX diversion didn't cause too much trouble.
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