Background
All right I know what you’re thinking, Arizona State University
Freshman on Spring Break, he must be going down to Rocky Point or
Cancun to get very very drunk. Well as appealing as that sounds, I
wouldn’t earn enough Frequent Flyer Miles by doing that, and can I
pass up that AANYC promotion? I should hope not! So I saddled up both
my warm weather and cold weather clothes, and got ready to spend time
on both coasts and Florida all in one week. It’s Spring Break
Flyertalker Style.
Preflight
SATURDAY MARCH 13, 2004
American Flight 356
PHX-DFW
Scheduled Departure: 7:30 AM
Scheduled Board: 7:00 AM
“I have really got to stop doing this to myself” I said as I splashed
warm water on my face in an effort to get the rest of the shaving
cream that my razor had missed off. In order to complete an odd
routing (such as today’s PHX-DFW-BNA-STL-LGA) I have to be awake at
5:20 in the morning. This allows me time to make one of the early
departures to an AA hub. On mornings like this, I usually don’t
remember rolling out of bed and having a shower. It isn’t until I
press the cold Gillette steel onto my cheek that I become at least
partially conscious. As it was too early for the sun to come up and
too late for my beer swilling buddies to still remain awake, I had to
utilize Supershuttle to get to the airport today. Unfortunately, the
Phoenix area was having a rare morning and it was pouring rain. It
seems anyone who lives out west cannot drive in the rain so my
Supershuttle showed up 15 minutes late. By that point I was wet and
annoyed and didn’t react to the half-hearted half-mumbled apology of
the driver. But even still I was at Skyharbor at 6:15 AM with plenty
of time to spare.
Check in was a breeze. I feel AA handles it far better then UA at PHX
as AA staffs its First Class/Elite line with more people allowing the
line to move quicker. This morning I had a one minute wait between
getting in line and hearing “are you taking the scenic route or
something?” Reasons for traveling fully explained, I shouldered my two
carry-ons and headed upstairs. Holy Christ on a Cracker I thought as I
saw the security line for the Gates 15-25 (Delta/Northwest) pier. The
line was over 600 people long and had wrapped itself around the
escalators to get upstairs from the check in area. Inversely, the
Gates 1-14 (America, ATA, Aloha) pier had no one in line. Perfect,
enough time for an overpriced Starbucks bagel with a little schmear
(cream cheese) and coffee concoction before heading off to Dallas. As
I stated earlier, security was empty so I was through it quickly and
procured my preferred Arizona Paper ( The Republic ). There was
only a brief wait at the gate before I strolled on board:
Flying
Gate 6
Seat 8A Main Cabin – Exit Row
757-200, N706TW
Actual Board: 6:53 AM
Actual Depart: 7:2 AM – 8 Minutes Early
Take off 12 minutes after departure
My seat aboard today’s 100% full ex-TWA aircraft put me right next to
door 2L with all the legroom one could ask for. During boarding as I
was the first coach passenger onboard, I entered into an enjoyable
conversation with the flight attendant. She had positioned herself
next to my seat to survey the massive ingress of passengers which was
a sight to behold. Unfortunately, today’s load was some of the more
non experienced travelers that although loveable, are not yet familiar
with the many nuances that make an easier flight for everyone. Today’s
free tip, if the overhead bin is shut, it’s full, don’t open it to see
if there is room for your stuff. Upon seeing this, the f/a commented
that the plane had nearly no closets and she had no idea how the TWA
flight attendants stowed their coats in the winter. Hmm, interesting
point. Soon all passengers and their respective luggage were secured
and we were off to colder skies but at least ones minus rain.
Today’s bill of fare for my cabin provided a full cup of the
passengers preferred beverage with a hearty dose of ice and a healthy
granola bar of this month’s flavor. This meant I had a Cran-Apple
juice to compliment my Oatmeal Raisin bar. After this I felt I should
get a little reading done so I got Mystic River down from the
overhead and was about to start reading it when I fell asleep. Now, I
never used to sleep on planes, but recently I’ve realized that as long
as you’ve had your meal or drink and they’re not playing a movie you
want to see, there’s no point to forcing yourself to stay awake if you
are tired. As it turned out, the short respite was all I needed as
when I awoke (during the announcing of connecting gate information), I
felt excellent. I returned the book to my bag, freshened up and then
we were deep in the heart of Texas (where the sage in bloom is like
perfume).
Scheduled Arrival: 10:47 AM
Actual Arrival: 10:40 AM
Gate C26
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 322
DFW-BNA
Scheduled Departure: 12:37 PM
Scheduled Board: 12:07 PM
I do love a long connection at DFW. The airport is well suited for a
meal as they have both good amounts of fast food restaurants plus some
sit down places and two amazing Admirals Clubs (I cannot comment on
the B Concourse Service Center though). As I had a C Concourse to C
Concourse Connection I headed to the (anyone see it coming?) C
Concourse Admirals Club! Before I could present my credentials to the
gate keeper on the ground level, I had to wait on a family of three
all in Full Fare First Class seats to Richmond. It was patiently
explained to them that their tickets did not grant them access, but
they could buy a membership. There were no takers among them.
I had an enjoyable time at the Admirals Club, slinging back free sodas
and using the free internet before that crappy bagel had long since
evaporated and I needed better food. I left and went over to the
McDonalds near C6 and as I consumed food that would make Dr. Atkins
thwap me with a rolled up newspaper. As I ate, I watched the 737-800
to LaGuardia load up and mused how a lesser Frequent Flyer would be on
that flight.
Now C3 is one of the nicer DFW gates. It has windows that haven’t been
covered due to the construction and generally has an open feel about
it. There was only one problem today, there was no Super 80. A quick
check of the arrivals board showed the plane was due inbound from
Tucson and was going to arrive 25 minutes late, 5 minutes after our
scheduled boarding time. Argh, I was irked. Still, airports are no
place to mope. Being the worrier I am, I called up Sean and had him
tell me the latest possible BNA-LGA nonstop and latest possible BNA-LGA
connection. After he adequately made fun of me for worrying, I got the
information I needed. I then called my friend Josh to see how his trip
home from San Francisco was going. While talking with him I realized
something, Gate C3 also has good cell phone reception unlike most of
the other gates! After what seemed like a while but wasn’t much time
at all, we had a plane and they allowed us to board:
Flying
Gate C3
Seat 9A Main Cabin
MD-80, N417AA
Actual Board: 12:34 PM
Actual Depart: 12:55 PM – 18 Minutes Delayed
Take off 10 minutes after departure
Once again we had another full flight. Even so, I’ve noticed that when
there’s a delay ensuing, the passengers form a kind of unspoken
agreement. After the bond is made, they take as little time as
possible to get situated to ensure we all get out of there fast. Today
was no exception as places were found for all bags and people very
quickly and we were off earlier then I had hoped. Next to me was a
grizzled EXP who looked very annoyed he had to share coach space with
the likes of me. Hang in there buddy, only 5 more days and you don’t
ever have to sit in 9B again.
Once we were wheels up, the flight attendants sprang into action. Even
though a certain other airline with a DFW hub would serve a fast break
on this one hour 18 minute flight, I was not on a Widget bearing
plane. Everyone on the Silver Bird received a full can of preferred
beverage and a salty yet scrumptious pretzel bag snack. I drank my Dr.
Pepper while attempting the Mensa Quiz and Crossword puzzle and
generally reminding myself why I attend ASU. Thanks American Way for
letting me struggle with 9 letter words that can be formed into other
9 letter words. Soon though I was able to forget my shortcomings and
concentrate on the approach into The Volunteer State which allowed
it’s runway to grasp our plane. After a brief taxi this flight was
over.
Scheduled Arrival: 2:19 PM
Actual Arrival: 2:25 PM
Gate C2
Preflight/Transit
American Connection Flight 5788
BNA-STL
Scheduled Departure: 3:41 PM
Scheduled Board: 3:11 PM
Now, one of the reasons I picked this crazy routing was that one of
my goals in life is to see all 50 of the states in this great
country. For too long it seemed I had been lacking Tennessee. With
no plans to visit the place for any kind of prolonged visit I
decided a stopover was in order. But for me to be able to go tell it
on the mountain that I have spent time in Tennessee, I had to go
outside security and touch solid ground. So with no misgivings I
did. I exited the secure area, headed down a couple of escalators
and walked outside. Across from the parking garage, I basked in the
weak sunshine for a little before going back inside to re clear
security.
Unfortunately this proved to be a daunting task. In spite of the
fact that I had everything out of my pockets and my shoes were off,
I managed to activate the metal detector. Instead of being allowed
to go back and try again without my belt or watch, the bored agent
decided he needed a good wanding to complete his day. Therefore I
ended up on the business end of said wanding. Sexual Harassment by
beeping two foot long phallic object done with, I headed down past
deserted American gates. These gates once supported this airport
when it was considered a hub and connections here weren’t
outlandish. Ironically my gate was in the shadow of the old Admirals
Club whose long since shut doors still bore the 5 stars inside a
circle. The symbol reminded me of a forgotten time when Fokkers were
new and we flew mainline jets nonstop from Newark to Raleigh Durham.
During my wait, a US Marines F-18A landed to be refueled and its
progress was watched not only by me, but the two gate agents and a
handful of other enthusiasts. Once it had taxied to the other side
of the airport, they declared pre-boarding (for mothers with
children only, not Group 1’s) and then general boarding for:
Flying
Gate C12
Seat 11A Main Cabin – Exit Row
ERJ-140, N295SK
Actual Board: 3:20 PM
Actual Depart: 3:35 PM – 6 Minutes Early
Take off 6 minutes after departure
During boarding I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. A look at the
screen to see who it was showed it was Parental Unit M. This brought
out a sigh before I answered it. The conversation was what I
expected, a diatribe of warnings about how I was to behave (or else)
over break. One misgiving I had about going home was that when I
grace Rye, NY with my presence, I am no longer an 18 year old
college student but just Diane Kunz’s son Charles. Meaning
everything I’ve learned and discovered and become out in Arizona is
thrown out like a United 767-200. I realized that for the next week
I was going to have to swallow my pride and yes ma’am/no ma’am
constantly if I wanted to remain sane. Soon enough I was able to
hang up as we shut the door and the Chautauqua Flight Attendant
(after reminding us of Chautauqua’s 30th Anniversary, also
celebrated by promotional cards in the seat pocket) activated the
safety demonstration. Although my Exit Row seat provided me with
excellent legroom and a nice window, I had to affirm to the F/a that
I was “ready willing and able” as I always say to operate said exit
in the event of an emergency.
After our takeoff from Nashville, the F/a (despite the fact that
this was an EVEN numbered flight) brought her drink cart all the way
to the rear and started the service from there. I hope someone on
the ground will explain to her exactly what FEBO means. The
Chautauqua Cervice consisted of a bag of Fisher’s Cheddar Snack mix
containing pretzels, cheese puffs and peanuts and a Full can of Cran-Apple.
This offering was definitely adequate for a one hour five minute
flight. If only AA would ditch the pretzels for this mix, I enjoy
the mix more. Drink polished off, I decided to stimulate the ol’
noodle with some reading and entered the world of Boston Homicide
via my book. I really did enjoy reading M.R. and I recommend it to
anyone who needs a read, it’s even good enough to be read when NOT
traveling. Soon though I had to shut the book on Dave Boyle for a
while as I enjoy the decent into Lambert, as this was my first trip
to STL since the downsizing I wanted to remain extra alert to see
the changes. I felt them as soon as we hit solid ground, the place
was just, empty. No American MD-80’s stacked up as far as the eye
could see, no 763’s doing the evening departures to LGW and HNL,
there was just nothing there. The D Concourse presented the worst
site of all. Any junk American needed stored, like extra baggage
carts or D-24’s Jetway was thrown haphazardly in front of the old
Connection Concourse. I averted my eyes and stared at my backpack on
the ground in front of me, this was a sad sight.
Scheduled Arrival: 4:55 PM
Actual Arrival: 4:34 PM
Gate C5
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 682
STL-LGA
Scheduled Departure: 6:10 PM
Scheduled Board: 5:40 PM
Before I could make my trek to the Admirals Club I had to reclaim my
valet checked Duffle Bag. As I sat in my A side seat watching the
bags come off the plane I saw mine. I saw it not be caught by
anyone’s hands, I saw it fall off the conveyer and end up upside
down on the ramp. I then saw it picked up and thrown and land
(upside down still) on top of the cart, thanks STL rampers. Once in
the Jetway I was greeted by a bit of a mess. The majority of the ¾’s
full plane had tagged baggage and as they were giving us the bags
one at a time, the congregation was in a state of confusion.
Eventually I was able to push my way through the waiting people,
grab my bag and enter the terminal. If I thought the feeling of
dereliction was bad outside the terminal, it was horrible inside.
Four out of the six departure monitors were empty as were most of
the gates and cities that had once enjoyed mainline service (PHL,
MSP etc.) had ERJ’s waiting to be flown to them or worse yet no
service at all. The Admirals Club was no better as it literally 4
people including me in it.
I decided that because I don’t enjoy eating at “Snack Bar”, one of
the few STL concession stands, I’d buy some Club Grub. The sandwich
and bag of chips I received set me back $7.75. For that I received a
sandwich similar to one you receive in a Bistro Bag, just bigger and
heated up (it even came with Dijonaise). But the money went to
American so it was cash well tendered. While waiting for my
sandwich, I had a chat with the amicable bar tender who was reading
some trash novel a passenger had left behind. After I asked him if
he wrote as much as he read (he admitted to reading a lot), he said
he didn’t write but wanted to start. I suggested he write about
something he was passionate about (as I write about traveling). To
this he gave me a very odd look and said “I like Science Fiction.”
At this point I politely took my food and left before I got into
another discussion on whether we really landed on the moon. Two of
my dorm mates are convinced otherwise.
After consuming my meal, I decided to take a leisurely walk down to
C16 to see if the rest of the terminal was as bad as what I’d just
seen. Unfortunately it was. The last time I’d made an STL connection
was in August of 2003 when I was on my way to PHX. At the time every
gate had an MD-80 or the odd 757. Back then the terminal rang with
clashing announcements of Group 1’s to Atlanta could board versus
New Orleans which was pre-boarding First Class only. Today it seemed
that if I’d shouted “American Rules!” they could have heard me 10
gates away. I really did enjoy St. Louis the old way; this new
half-ass STL leaves a curdled taste in my mouth. I arrived at my
gate a little early and was forced to wait as boarding was delayed
due to an unexplained reason. Finally at 6:10 it was time to say
“how ya doin’?” to New York State.
Flying
Gate C16
Seat 8F Main Cabin
MD-80
Actual Board: 6:10 PM
Actual Depart: 6:09PM – 1 Minute Early
Take off 8 minutes after departure
This flight was my first relatively empty one of the day. I ended up
with all of 8DEF annexed to 2003 Rye High School Graduates.
Although, First Class only had one revenue passenger and a
Chautauqua Captain making me wish I’d upgraded myself. The f/a’s
today reminded me why I enjoyed riding the Silverbird Express as
they embodied everything a passenger could ask for. They were polite
and funny but not over the top, they didn’t sing to me or engage us
in stupid games, but they were always around to make sure we had
everything we needed. Once airborne as we had a light load, a little
extra was given to every passenger. I ended up with two cans of Dr.
Pepper and three bags of pretzels. These were just enough to
compliment my earlier meal. I enjoyed the short ride up to New York
writing and listening to some Moody Blues (remember, it’s easier to
try then to prove it can’t be done – “Blue World”).
Right before decent I walked back to use the rear lav’s and on my
way peeked into the rear galley. In there was a giant black hefty
bag trash bag that was slowly accumulating more and more refuse. I
wondered how long it had been there but it certainly wasn’t just our
flight. Now the New York approach is one of the most fabulous there
is, up there with San Diego and Honolulu, that is if you’re not an
idiot like me and sit on the A side. I was treated to a panoramic
view of Staten Island and Brooklyn instead of downtown Manhattan,
slick one Kunz. Even with my screw up, LaGuardia accepted our plane.
Soon we docked and it was time for me to try old the home life
again.
Scheduled Arrival: 9:25 PM
Actual Arrival: 9:08 PM
Gate D3
Waiting for me just beyond security was a 54
year old man in a casual weekend clothes. This was none other then
my father who had started his day in Hamilton, New York watching
his old hockey team Colgate lose. He had then driven all the way
to LaGuardia to fetch me, now that’s parenting.
--March 14, 2004 – Rye, NY – Pawling, NY--
Even after my adventure yesterday, I got up early and my father,
brother William and I drove 47 miles north to the hamlet of
Pawling in Duchess County. Located upstate is a hunting club in
which my dad owns part interest. Once there we practiced in the
age old art of male bonding as we enjoyed discharging firearms
while catching up with each other. As I had another busy day ahead
of me tomorrow, I decided to have an early evening. Before bedding
down I made sure to steal my Brother Edward’s alarm clock so I
wouldn’t oversleep.
Preflight
MONDAY MARCH 15, 2004
American Flight 1859
LGA-MIA
Scheduled Departure: 8:00 AM
Scheduled Board: 7:30 AM
Once again the alarm exploded on the bedside table in the wee
hours. My bed was made and I had showered, but I don’t remember
any of this. All I remember is walking downstairs into the kitchen
at 5:15 AM to find my father ready to go. He was headed out to the
Central African Republic on Friday and he had to lug equipment
he’d need to his office. Because of this I had successfully
convinced him to take me to LaGuardia even if it meant going 20
miles out of his way. Today’s trip called for a LGA-MIA-TPA-LGA
jaunt. This would serve as half of the qualifying flights I needed
to get that AANYC cert as well as allowing me to pick up Miami. An
airport I had only heard the horror stories about, today I was
going to see, hear, smell, touch and taste them.
Once at LaGuardia, I entered the terminal and gave a small smile,
it was teaming with business travelers just like me. Flying on
weekdays has its perks as the clientele is generally more adept at
traveling. While waiting to check in my friendly (for once) LGA AA
agent asked me what I was doing going down to Tampa for the day.
After I pointed at the giant AANYC banner behind her, she said
“ah, we’re getting a lot of people like you. Wait a minute; you’re
under 21, a Platinum and an Admirals Club member, wow.” I do enjoy
conversations with airline employees, when they’re not angry about
something that is.
Speaking of being angry about something, I rounded the corner to
head down to the D gates pier and the sight of 400 some odd people
trying to make it down to their flights was my wake up call. I
approached the rent-a-screener and I asked her for the Elite Line
and she said “no line! You go down to the end of that one!” Good
to know those 52K+ miles weren’t in vein last year. Thankfully as
I already stated the line was filled with Group 1’s and First’s
and we moved fast. 20 minutes later I was at the head when I heard
“Hey Charles.” I turned around to run into someone I had graduated
High School with. Now that is a small world experience. Frankly, I
didn’t really like the guy or I would have invited him to the
Admirals Club with me, but he can rot at D4 before his MSY flight
for all I care.
Speaking of the LGA Admirals Club, if I had to list places that
where I’ve spent the most time, in the top 10 would be the LGA and
JFK (T8) Admirals Clubs. Frankly, I know the outlay of the LGA
club so well that I’ve directed confused patrons around it before
the helpful front desk staff could answer their queries. This
morning was like all the others. I poured myself a glass of OJ and
Cran J and ate a bagel before checking emails and talking to one
of my dorm mates who was unfortunately stuck working the front
desk at 4 AM Arizona time. But then it was 7:25 and I strolled
down to the gate where the flight was boarding and I was onboard:
Flying
Gate D8
Seat 9A Main Cabin
MD-80, N430AA
Actual Board: 7:30 AM
Actual Depart: 8:10 AM – 10 Minutes Late
Take off 28 minutes after departure
Today’s flight was packed to the gills. 30% of the load was
business travelers, 30% students on spring break (mostly headed
down to Nassau). About 30% were Senior Citizens going back down to
the heat and the rest of the 10% were too odd to put into a group.
What a nice welcome to any Miami flight. As this was LaGuardia on
a weekday, we had an agonizingly long wait before push back
followed by a worse one to takeoff. I believe we were number 20
for rotation. Of course to add insult to injury, we turned off the
taxiway to a penalty box by the Delta/NW terminal for a couple
minutes before finally heading for the southern US.
Once airborne I finished up my New York Times and had the
usual breakfast service of drink and granola bar before drifting
off to sleep. Once again I was awakened up as they read out the
gate information. Of course I had managed to lean on my right ear
and when I woke up it was numb and tingly.
Scheduled Arrival: 11:11 AM
Actual Arrival: 11:23 AM
Gate E4
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 984
MIA-TPA
Scheduled Departure: 1:02 PM
Scheduled Board: 12:32 PM
My transfer had been announced as E4 to B12 which would put me at
a gate right next to the Admirals Club. Therefore, I grinned and
bore the 15 minute walk even though I was extremely sore from
playing squash with my family the night before. Once at the
Admirals Club I was informed that we had a gate change and were
now leaving out of D4. Oh well that’s just lovely, I get a long
walk back to a full flight what could be better? The D concourse
Admirals Club was one of the worst I’ve been to in a while. The
bartender would disappear from behind the bar for prolonged
periods of time to do god knows what and the general atmosphere
seemed to be of confusion and apathy. By 12:10 I’d had enough and
I decided to take the walk back to D.
On the way walking through the winding corridors with low ceilings
that reminded me of being in an office building I noticed the
following.
- A place where an “Authorized Personnel Door Only” was having the
door jamb painted, but the painter had wandered off leaving the
door wide open and his paint brush stuck to the door.
- A woman in a fur coat (did she realize it’s 80 in Miami)?
- 30 Frat Boy’s all wearing identical blue blazers and khaki pants
off to some Caribbean destination.
- At Gate D4 a divorcee shouting at her son on the phone because
he didn’t want to stay with his “******* father”
- A man wearing a fishnet shirt and nothing under it.
It seemed everyone had fake hair, bad tans and wore cheap jewelry.
They were also buying drinks from a bar kiosk like it was going
out of style. I was glad when my brief MIA experience was over and
I could board:
Flying
Gate D4
Seat 10A Main Cabin – Exit Row
757-200, N654A
Actual Board: 12:35 PM
Actual Depart: 12:59 PM – 3 Minutes Early
Take off 12 minutes after departure
After I sat down it seemed like the people would never stop
coming. Every seat in Coach and most of those in First were
filled. This left petty spats over overhead bins and armrests to
rage up and down the cabin. I thanked the Elite Gods for allowing
myself to pick an Exit Row Seat ahead of time and I shut my eyes
until it was over. Thankfully it soon was and we took off and
over-flew some elevated tracks of Miami’s subway system, something
I have heard nothing about. Once airborne, the F/A announced there
would be no service in the Main Cabin making this probably the
least memorable flight I’ve been on in all of 2004. Soon enough,
our big bird touched down in Cloudy Tampa and I had 4 hours to
kill at what I heard was a very boring airport.
Scheduled Arrival: 2:04 PM
Actual Arrival: 1:54 PM
Gate F79
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 1282
TPA-LGA
Scheduled Departure: 6:15 PM
Scheduled Board: 5:45 PM
--March 15, 2004 – Tampa International Airport, Tampa, FL--
Once I’d deplaned, I tried to override my natural instincts that
require me to walk at a brisk pace. Hopefully if I could slow
down the day would move faster but to no avail. After riding the
shuttle back to the main terminal, I walked around the Marriott
Hotel and looked through nearly every store. Following that, I
ate lunch at TGIFriday’s. Meaning I have now eaten at a Fridays
at JFK (T8), PIT and TPA. The Tampa one has had the best service
and food so far. After chicken fingers were consumed, I got my
boarding pass and found myself at Gate F80. This was after
having seen the entire landside terminal and F pier with an hour
and I still had an hour and a half to go before scheduled
boarding. Overall the airport had a nice selection of shops with
a decent restaurant selection but it was geared heavily towards
a leisure crowd. Thankfully I had my cell phone and my book and
using both I managed to get through the next hour and a half
until we boarded:
Flying
Gate F80
Seat 8F Main Cabin
MD-80, N523AA
Actual Board: 5:42 PM
Actual Depart: 6:08 PM – 7 Minutes Early
Take off 12 minutes after departure
This plane should have been painted in black and white
pinstripes, not red, white and blue. The vast majority of the
coach cabin consisted of people on their way back from Yankees
Spring Training games. The First Officer was a huge Yankee fan
himself so he positioned himself right next to the boarding door
and he was firing questions like “How’s Jeter look? How’s A-Rod
look?” at anyone in Yankee garb. I learned from these
conversations that Jeter had been playing the Prima Dona down at
camp, how naughty of him.
I’d never taken off from Tampa before (or even used the airport)
but the take off was stunning. We ended up over Tampa Bay,
crossing an extremely long bridge. The large body of water
coupled with the fading sun made for a very nice view. Once
airborne it was all business again. That being a Dr. Pepper with
Pretzels and work on my laptop while the kids in Row 7 and 8
regaled those around them with stories of who gave them
autographs and who was rude about them (from what they said,
don’t ask Torre for an autograph).
Now I’ve been flying a lot these days (as of March 20 I have 51
YTD segments) but I will never stop enjoying the sight of a
sunset from the air. As routine as flights are for me sometimes,
no amount of repetition can take the beauty of the sun melting
into deep blue sky away from me. The stars coming out and the
quarter moon only made it better. Once again I had forgotten to
get a seat on the damned A side and we had the same approach as
two days ago. For the second time in three days I watched New
Dorp turn into Bensonhurst which melted into Forest Hills until
we were down at LaGuardia. Once there my father greeted me with
the news that it was going to snow tomorrow. Oh lovely, I think
I’ll just get on a plane to Phoenix right now.
Scheduled Arrival: 8:49 PM
Actual Arrival: 8:32 PM
Gate D8
--March 16, 2004 – Rye, NY--
Today for the first time in over a month I had nothing to do
until late that afternoon. This meant I got to make like a
teenager and just sleep until I felt I was done sleeping. This
was accomplished at 1:30 PM when I got up and made myself some
oatmeal. I also decided that even though it was snowing really
hard and I was still sore, I’d go out and play some squash at
the Club with my brother, after getting my haircut of course.
Preflight
WEDNESDAY MARCH 17, 2004
American Flight 291
JFK-LGB
Scheduled Departure: 7:30 AM
Scheduled Board: 7:00 AM
At 5:10 on that Wednesday morning, my father and I were greeted
with quite a sight. It had indeed snowed a good amount the night
before. And of course neither of us had remembered that we would
be driving to JFK this morning. But we bravely knew what had to
be done. My dad grabbed a can of windshield deicer and I (who
was only wearing a short sleeved shirt) grabbed the snow
scraper. Working as Team Kunz we managed to get that car
de-snowed in less then ten minutes. That being done, the drive
to Kennedy was surprisingly easy for a morning after a
snowstorm. I guess New Yorkers have just realized that sometimes
the weather will be inclement and that if you are cautious you
can drive in it (unlike people out west who have heart attacks
when a few drops sprinkle from the sky).
The construction on the new terminal was looking good today
silhouetted against the gray sky. With prospects of a terminal
that hadn’t once belonged to United or been built too many years
ago to remain effective, I walked into the Terminal 8 Admirals
Club to check in. Unfortunately I was greeted with the news that
my flight was to leave from Gate 43 and I was in the wrong
terminal. This would mean I got to walk outside in the cold
(remember I don’t have a jacket) to get to my gate. Bah I said
as I went to go spread butter and jelly on a bagel only to find
there were no bagels, just some horrible Rye bread. Well today
wasn’t going very well. I decided to cut my losses and saunter
over to T9 where hopefully the plane would be catered better
then my favorite Admirals Club.
As my luck this morning seemed to be higher then the average
hippy at Woodstock, I was not surprised to see a huge line
growing at Security Check Point for Terminal 9. I don’t know
what the problem about this place is in the morning, but
everytime I come here in the AM the line is gigantic. Thankfully
there is a First Class/Elite Line and I managed to get into it.
Although I first let some people hoping to get on the Final
Boarding San Diego flight go ahead of me. Just keep paying it
forward Kunzie and you’ll get that sweet reward eventually. As
much as I hate the snow, I owe it one as the planes that were
draped in snow looked absolutely stunning. Especially the SJU
bound A300 at 48A which had sheets of white stuff all down its
fuselage, I loved it most. Soon though it was time to stop the
loving and get myself to the other coast via:
Flying
Gate 43
Seat 10A Main Cabin – Exit Row
757-200, N185AN
Actual Board: 7:08 AM
Actual Depart: 7:34 AM – 4 Minutes Delayed
Take off 19 minutes after departure
I knew today’s flight would be an enjoyable one. I was sitting
on one of American’s newer 757’s, this one having been delivered
in 2001 and I had 10B empty. But the best part was that I was
going someplace warm and I was taking my first actual vacation
since October of 2003 (ironically I went to California then too,
but to San Diego instead of Long Beach). The woman in 10C (who
subsequently moved to 9D to be with her husband) gave me a brief
rundown of Long Beach. I was told I’d have lots of fun and how
much more she enjoyed flying to LGB over LAX. Her sole reason
was that you only had to walk across the street to find rental
cars. When I asked her if it was hard to get a cab she appeared
shocked and said “it’s not a honky tonk town you know!” Too bad,
I was hoping to meet a honky tonk woman who’d take me upstairs
for a ride.
There is nothing better then being able to take off from
someplace where it is cold and snowy and get to go someplace
where it is sunny and warm. Unless of course you have to go
conduct a business meeting or something but that wasn’t the case
for me. What I really loved about this take off was that it was
drab and miserable in New York, but even so, after getting above
the clouds the sun was shining and everything was bathed in
golden light. After the plane leveled off I reclined my seat,
stretched out my legs and waited for my meal. It has been over a
year since I got a hot meal in AA coach (I’ve had too many
Bistro Bags to count though) and I figured I’d get something
decent. Soon I was asked if I wanted rice krispees or the old
standby of a cheese omlette. Having not partaken in any Admirals
Club grub, I selected the omlette. I was thusly presented with a
tray containing my omlette and the piece of Canadian Bacon
American has been using since the early 90’s. Next to that was
two slices of honey dew, also there since the early 90’s plus a
biscuit which came with butter. Now this was new and American
must know me because I love biscuits as much as I love DC-10’s.
After devouring everything on the tray I was able to say that
was a quality meal. The omlette had cheese and some spices in
it, the bacon was good and the fruit tasty. I really did enjoy
that airplane breakfast, something I don’t usually say, thanks
AA!
The meal having been eaten and the movie being Intolerable
Cruelty (which is intolerably bad) I decided to sleep. I have
learned that packing an eye mask in my shaving kit is a catalyst
to a good plane ride’s sleep. Earlier this month I picked one up
flying United Business giving me 3 hours good sleep and when I
woke up, we were over flying SNA. This left me just enough time
to get oriented before we landed at LGB. The amusing part about
getting into LGB was that the AA 757 out to DFW hadn’t pushed
back yet. We were thus forced to remain on the taxiway until it
had pushed back. During this time the First Officer assured
everyone that we would still have an early arrival. I believe
sweat was wiped off many brows on that plane.
Scheduled Arrival: 10:49 AM
Actual Arrival: 10:37 AM
Gate 23
--March 17, 2004 – Long Beach, CA--
Finally, a vacation, everything that I was going to do was
planned by me and me alone. I walked outside of the terminal
into the brilliant California Sunshine and breathed in hot
air. I had a feeling today was going to be a good day. My row
mate from the flight was right, there was no problems getting
a cab. There were over 20 lined up and the cabbies even had an
argument over who got my fare. I ended up in a minivan cab
(for just me and my one bag) which I rode to the Aquarium of
the Pacific. Once there, I purchased a ticket for both the
Aquarium and the Queen Mary for the reasonable sum of $34.
Now, this is what I call an aquarium, it was large with lots
of different exhibits. These included ones based on Sea
Otters, Sea Lions, Sharks and Jelly Fish and others based on
certain areas of the world including Australia and Baja, CA.
The only drawback with me showing up on a Wednesday meant that
nearly every school in Southern California sent a few busses
over. This resulted in me having to wade through throngs of
children and deal with “BUT I WANT CANDY!!!!”
After I had my fare share of Clown Fish, I headed across the
street to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. which provided me with a
very enjoyable meal. To celebrate my Jewish Heritage I went
with a Pork Sandwich. I was a little miffed by the high level
of service I received. Firstly, when I asked for a table for
one, the hostess said “do you have a girlfriend who would mind
if I joined you for lunch?” As she delivered this without a
smile or a laugh I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or get her
number. I ended up doing the former. Later while eating my
sandwich I saw a hand reaching for my face and I instinctively
flinched. It turned out it was just a waitress trying to get
some BBQ sauce off my face. Where I come from (NY) we aren’t
this touchy unless we have six inches of pure steel to back it
up!
After my meal I began a nice slow trek over a causeway to get
to the QM. As I had nothing to do and all day to do it and the
weather was beautiful I took my time. While walking along the
coast of a bay I began to reflect. Although I was alone and it
would have been nice to have someone to talk to, being alone
did gave me a sense of freedom. If I felt like sitting on the
grass and watching the sun shine on the downtown buildings, I
could do that. If I felt like eating at 2 instead of 1 PM, I
could do it. And if I felt like pouring strawberry ice cream
on my head and letting the seagulls pick it off, I could do
that too. Sometimes it’s just nice to be in a new place by
your lonesome, I certainly enjoyed it.
Once at the QM, I noticed there was a Russian Submarine docked
along side it, now this was a treat! I happen to find
submarines extremely fascinating. I’ve been on the USS
Nautilus in Groton, CT and that sparked me to start
reading books about submarines ( On the Beach by Nevil
Shute is a great choice). I immediately paid $10 and clambered
aboard a Foxtrot Class Russian Sub (non-Nuclear) Scorpion
(ironically there is a Scorpion in On the Beach
too ). The submarine was set up so you could take a
self-tour; along the walls were P/A speakers that had a
recording detailing every room in a faux Russian accent. The
only drawback was that this Submarine was set up the same was
it was when it was built in 1974. To get from compartment to
compartment you had to go through a hole that was 2 feet off
the ground and only came up to 4 and a half feet. To manage
this I had to grasp the top of the portal and stick one leg
through at a time, not an easy task when you’re 6 feet 1, 208
pounds and carrying a backpack!
Once done with my underwater experience I embarked on the
Queen Mary. As my mom had pointed out the night before, she
had taken me onboard this same ship back in 1986, this time I
remembered a lot more. The QM was great fun, I walked all over
it, viewed the exhibitions they had and took in Long Beach
from up high. Once done with my Ocean Cruise, I walked over to
the Coast Hotel where I enjoyed a dinner at their restaurant.
After ordering my meal the waiter asked me “do you work for
Skywest?” I was temped to say yes and get a $5 discount, but I
didn’t want to have to call up my parents and say “yeah I’m in
jail in California because I impersonated a pilot.” After
being fed and watered, I ordered a Supershuttle. It shortly
thereafter arrived and was piloted by a very jovial and
entertaining driver who regaled me with talks of driving to
Palm Springs and 200 car pile ups on the 405. But then I was
back at LGB and it was time to go home.
Preflight
American Flight 294
LGB-JFK
Scheduled Departure: 9:15 PM
Scheduled Board: 8:45 PM
I felt as we pulled up at the Long Beach terminal that I
should have been emerging from a 1936 Ford. I should also be
wearing a brown pinstripe suit, with a hat. My breast pocket
should contain a handwritten ticket for a DC-2 making 2 stops
on its way up to San Francisco. Instead I was in a
Supershuttle van wearing khakis and a polo shirt, about to
board a 757 nonstop to New York Idlewild, I mean JFK. Seeing
the terminal was like looking back in time to the golden days
of air travel where I wasn’t holding an E-ticket and didn’t
have the option to check in with a machine. To celebrate this
thought, I checked in at the counter before taking a walk
around the terminal. For a small airport it had a decent
amount of concessions. These included a small snack bar on the
ground floor where I tried my hand at CA Lottery. There was
also a souvenir shop and a restaurant upstairs. After poking
around until 7:45, I decided to go to the secure area and sit
down and read. Even though it was only an hour until boarding,
I found the security line empty. This was explained by the
screeners caution that there was nothing to do in the gate
area. She was absolutely correct. There were two other people
in the gate area which housed HP, AS and AA’s gates plus a
stray B6 gate. In a corner was a closed snack cart and a
bathroom. In the opposite corner was a TV displaying scenes
from the Aquarium of the Pacific. After a while a 757 from DFW
arrived and discharged its passengers and then people began to
filter in for the JFK flight. Unfortunately our plane got
delayed ex-JFK so a slight delay ensued. I became a bit
annoyed as I had to meet someone at JFK and I hate being late
more then I hate LRTC. Eventually the door was opened and we
all made the trek to:
Flying
Gate 23
Seat 10A Main Cabin – Exit Row
757-200
Actual Board: 9:05 PM
Actual Depart: 9:30 PM – 15 Minutes Delayed
Take off 8 minutes after departure
The trek out to our plane was a long trek indeed. We had to
circle the 757 which would be doing the early DFW flight and
we ended up about 1000 feet from the terminal. This was out
near a bunch of parked service trucks. Once again the kind of
camaraderie I’ve seen from delayed passengers prevailed. We
boarded quickly and stowed ourselves quickly. During boarding,
I said to the F/a standing by Row 9 “didn’t you operate AA 291
this morning?” and she said “yes, what are you doing back so
soon?” I could only respond with “quick trip.”
During pushback, I thought I’d made some above god happy as
10B and C were open ensuring a quiet night’s sleep. Of course
at the last second a mother traveling with six kids moved
herself and the fattest of the children next to me. I was not
pleased but I just nodded at them and smiled. Once airborne
while eating the usual redeye snack (two crackers, triangle of
cheese and Milanos cookies) I reflected that I have now used
all six airports that have transcon AA service to JFK (those
being LAX, LGB, SAN, SFO, SJC and SNA). To compliment that, I
have used all airports with 757 redeye’s (LGB, SAN and SNA). I
say someone should find a Gold Medal and give it to me, I’ve
earned it.
Musing and snacking aside, I slipped U2 into my CD player and
put my face mask on to attempt the flight to dreamland. It was
then that I realized AA decided to show “Duplex” on this
flight. This meant that every few seconds I’d here “AHAHAHAHA
that’s great!” from either the people on my right, in front of
me or behind me. Honestly, couldn’t they have played the most
boring, laugh free movie they could find? “The English
Patient” would have sufficed. After a while right as “The
Incredible Fire” was ending I managed to drift off to sleep.
As has become standard with me, I woke up with “Flight
Attendants prepare for arrival.” Groggily I stared out the
window to see we were about to cross the coast at Rockaway
before landing at JFK. Once on the ground we had the long taxi
around Terminals 5 through 7 until parking back at 8. On the
way out the flight attendants gave out leftover F class
cookies and they told me not to get on another plane anytime
soon. If only that was the case.
Scheduled Arrival: 5:11 AM
Actual Arrival: 5:15 AM
Gate 3
--March 18, 2004 – Kennedy Airport, Jamaica,
NY – Rye, NY--
Once exiting the plane I hit the nearest bathroom to make myself
presentable. Once looking neat and pretty I positioned myself near
the doors to Terminal 9 where I patiently waited until SanDiego1K
arrived. Once she did, I escorted her to the Terminal 9 Admirals
Club where she was my guest for this morning. Look at what the world
is coming to, an 18 year old meets a lovely, charming woman over the
internet and he has the privilege of escorting her to an airline
lounge, I love it. After 15 minutes of doughnuts and coffee, we bid
each other farewell. Her ride was a 757 in First; mine the Airtrain
to the A train to get back to Manhattan. To get home I decided to
change to the 4 train at Nassau Street which was a huge mistake. I
ended up being packed shoulder to shoulder with a large mix of
commuters. The mix was so wide I had to enjoy the moment. To my
right was a Spanish stock trader, to my left a black teenager on his
way to Hunter College, in front of me was a short Asian woman
looking terrified and behind me a white woman with very short
cropped hair on her way out to the suburbs like me.
Eventually Grand Central came and I grabbed a train back to Rye
where I slept before being treated to lunch by the mother unit.
Following that I treated my brother to dinner (only because the
restaurant had Idine though).
--March 19, 2004 – Rye, NY - East Elmhurst, NY--
I had planned to go out to Long Island to see my grandparent’s
graves but once again it snowed. This left me stuck just having
lunch with my mother and brother before spending my last few hours
with the Kunz family before heading down to New York. I had an early
flight out of LGA the next morning at 8 AM meaning I’d have to leave
the house around 6 AM. But with my dad being off in the Central
African Republic doing what hunters do, I had no way to make it to
LGA in time if I left Saturday morning. Thankfully Priceline saved
me again and for $65 I would be staying at the Wyndham Garden Hotel
at LaGuardia. Getting there was no easy task; I rode the 7:49 train
to Grand Central, transferred to the 7 line to Jackson Heights where
I took the Q33 bus. This endeavor took about 2 hours door to door,
as opposed to a 20 minute drive.
The hotel was a great deal, I had a large room with all the
amenities I expected. Upon check in I was asked if I needed a wake
up call and received it the next morning (at the LAX Marriott, one
of my other homes, I have to call to get the call and often it
doesn’t come). The hotel restaurant was also very nice. Although
service was a bit slow, the food was perfect and welcome to my
hungry body. Ultimately I did think I spent a good price for the
value I received.
Preflight
SATURDAY MARCH 20, 2004
American Eagle Flight 5003
LGA-BOS
Scheduled Departure: 8:00 AM
Scheduled Board: 7:30 AM
Today’s plan called for me to hop up to Boston for most of the day
to visit a High School buddy who attends Boston University. That
afternoon I’d zip down to JFK and pick up the nonstop to PHX which
was offering double miles. I woke up at 6:40, and was downstairs to
grab the 7 AM shuttle bus awake and alert. The operation was nearly
flawless except for the driver thinking I said Delta when I said
American. Even so I was at the First Class check in desk at 7:10 and
had boarding passes in hand; I should run into no troubles…except
the 100 person long line waiting to get into Concourse C! Once again
no Elite/First Class line in sight and once again a 20 minute wait.
The wait took so long in fact that I walked right onto the plane one
minute after arriving at the gate!
Flying
Gate C2
Seat 2A Main Cabin
ERJ-135, N737MW
Actual Board: 7:38 AM
Actual Depart: 7:58 AM – 2 Minutes Early
Take off 20 minutes after departure
One thing I love about flying regional jets is, baggage issues
aside, the planes board very fast and you are almost always early.
Today due to the new FAA weight mandates and our plane not being
full, I was asked to move to Seat 6C. Before I could protest that I
wasn’t fat, just big boned, the man in 2C agreed to move. Fat People
1, AA 0! Once we were pushed back, a repeat performance of Monday
ensued. We were in a long line of jets (mainly US and AA) waiting
for take off. Once airborne, the trip up to Boston allowed us to
follow the Westchester coast allowing views off all the beachfront
towns from Mt. Vernon through Port Chester. This included a view of
my very own domicile. Something I’ve never been able to take in
before and something I loved.
Soon thereafter, the f/a began the in-flight service. Unfortunately
she followed FEBO and started the service from the back of the
cabin. This meant I was the second last to receive my Cran Apple and
snack box. The snack box which is listed as “Breakfast” contained
breadsticks, “spread-able cheese” (as opposed to the unspread-able
kind that leaps off your knife), King’s Fruit Mix (cherries, applies
and raisins) and Oreos. Being hungry, I devoured everything even
though I really wish they’d provide a bagel or a muffin for
breakfast. Once the boxes has been collected, we flew over the icy
waters of Massachusetts Bay and touched down before making the short
taxi to the Siberia gates at BOS-Logan.
Scheduled Arrival: 9:10 AM
Actual Arrival: 9:03 AM
Gate B24
--March 20, 2004 – Boston, MA--
I walked out into the chilly weather and grabbed the shuttle bus to
the T. At the station I was met with the news that the MBTA has
hiked its fare to $1.25 since my last time in Boston (February
2003). After paying the highway robbery, I rode a packed Blue Line
train (with an AA employee) to Government Center. From there I took
the Green Line to Kenmore where it abruptly stopped due to
construction and a shuttle bus took me the rest of the way to BU –
East.
The differences in Boston University Dorms and ASU Dorms are night
and day. At ASU to let myself or other people in, I use a metal key
and can enter in through either the main entrance by the front desk
or directly into the stairwell. I could bring 40 naked, chainsaw
wielding psychopaths in with me and no one would know. At BU, I had
to approach a front desk, surrender my driver’s license to the
security guard and Dion had to swipe his ID at a turnstile for us to
be let in. That’s as tough security as my dad’s law firm! After
showing me around the dorm (which is a 20 story or so high rise),
Dion and I hit downtown Boston. We stopped at Charlie’s Steakhouse
for ribs and then did a little shopping along Newbury Street. After
a while I had to get back so I walked back to Kenmore and did the
reverse of earlier trip and ended up at the airport with time to
spare.
Preflight
American Eagle Flight 4807
BOS-JFK
Scheduled Departure: 4:05 PM
Scheduled Board: 3:45 PM
Once back at the airport I popped in at the Admirals Club to watch
the A300 to SJU prepare for its flight. After that I rode the
shuttle bus to the Amelia Earhart terminal (does anyone else see the
irony here?). Along the way I noticed the bus driver (an Eagle
employee) had a printed itinerary sticking out of his messenger bag.
Inspecting it showed he was on his way to Lima, Peru that night,
non-rev privileges and all. The Eagle terminal was offering both the
JFK and YYZ flight when I arrived but thankfully there was no
confusion. Before allowing passengers down to their gates, we had
our boarding passes scanned at a desk and then were told to proceed.
Once at the gate the stubs were checked to make sure we were on the
right flight. Soon we were boarding:
Flying
Gate B30E
Seat 2A Main Cabin
ERJ-135, N704PG
Actual Board: 3:47 PM
Actual Depart: 4:05 PM – On Time
Take off 10 minutes after departure
Today’s flight went out completely full (37 out of 37) with 1A being
occupied by a SFO bound f/a whom was working the JFK-SFO evening
departure. The f/a for our flight, Wendy, didn’t speak very good
English. She had a thick accent and skipped a lot of words so “Take
it out and follow along” became “Take out and forrow arong.” The
huge benefit of using the Eagle Satellite terminal in opposed to the
Siberia gates (B22 to B26) is that you’re on the runway and in the
air very fast. Had we not had to wait for landing US traffic, we’d
have been off the ground in about 5 minutes.
Once airborne Wendy neglected to follow my previous two RJ flights
and not start from the back. But this way I got my soda and pretzels
quicker so props to her. Once the trash was collected, Wendy and the
other f/a had an interesting conversation. It seemed the 1A seated
F/a used to be SFO based living in Saratoga, a San Jose suburb
(where my friend Josh lives when he isn’t in school). After a while
though, she couldn’t take the commute anymore so she moved over to
Boston. The Eagle f/a was a twice furloughed ex-AA f/a who had moved
onto Eagle. When the 1A seated f/a asked her if a lot of people who
were furloughed were now at Eagle and Wendy said she didn’t know. I
then spoke up and said that a lot of Eagle employees made a career
out of Eagle and didn’t use it as a stepping stone to the majors
like at other airlines. Soon enough talks of furloughing gave way to
Republic Airport and then over the marshes where I hear mob
witnesses sleep eternally. Once down we repeated the same taxi from
two days ago. This left me to make a bit of a walk over to T8 for
the last leg of a very long week.
Scheduled Arrival: 5:15 PM
Actual Arrival: 5:06 PM
Gate 40E
Preflight/Transit
American Flight 299
JFK-PHX
Scheduled Departure: 6:00 PM
Scheduled Board: 5:30 PM
I shouldered both my backpack and duffle bag and made the reverse
trip of two days ago by walking under the Airtrain and
upper-roadway all the way to Terminal 8. After setting off the
metal detector and putting my belt and watch back on I headed out
to gate 4X. 4X isn’t really a gate. It is a door across from Gate
4 which means before boarding a flight you sit with the passengers
who are leaving from Gate 4. Why it was built like this I don’t
know but it was. Once at the gate, despite it being 5 minutes to
scheduled boarding time, they’d already boarded all groups, all
rows. This meant I was able to just stroll on board and grab a
white bag of Bistro. Because of the early boarding time I was part
of the last 30 to board:
Flying
Gate 4X
Seat 10A Main Cabin – Exit Row
757-200
Actual Board: 5:25 PM
Actual Depart: 6:02 PM – 2 Minutes Delayed
Take off 43 minutes after departure
While waiting to head back to coach I noticed the seats were the
newer version seen on the MD-80’s, just without headrests. When I
remarked on this to the f/a, she said that they’d put seats back
in this aircraft, but only on this aircraft she assured me. Not so
I said, you’re forgetting the A-300’s. To this she looked annoyed
and told me she didn’t fly those. That put me in my place.
The plane filled up to about 85% capacity but luckily 10B was open
allowing me a more enjoyable flight. Now we pushed back relatively
on time but something happened between that and take off. There
was a large line for take off so I leaned my head on the window.
When I had fallen asleep I expected to be airborne when I awoke,
only to find that 40 minutes later we were only just starting the
takeoff roll. We weren’t de-iced as it was above freezing and not
precipitating so the delay must have been large amounts of
traffic. I didn’t realize lines got this long on Saturday
evening’s. Now that we were finally off, I was treated to the
sight of a deep blue sky with just the hint of fading sunrays in
the extreme west. This was a final glorious sight to end my long
trip.
Shortly thereafter I was handed a Dr. Pepper as well as a second
Bistro Bag by the woman in 9B. She told me she’d rather eat what
she’d bought at the airport. It was a win for all those involved
as I got more turkey, cheddar and Dijonaise (mixed with Ruffles
plain, carrots and brownie) and she got to feel happy. While
noshing, I watched “Sleepers” on my laptop until it ran out of
batteries. After that I felt sleep was in order yet no pillows had
been placed anywhere in the cabin or in the bins that I saw. When
I paged the f/a, she said that there were no pillows but she’d try
on a blanket. She spent two minutes scouring the plane until she
brought me one. She even delivered it with a smile. I hope she
realized my thanks was real, the woman had actually seemed
offended AA hadn’t given her pillows. She also truly made it her
goal to find me that blanket, which is the level of service we all
can expect from an airline.
And then once again I was awoken to sounds of “Flight attendants
prepare for landing” and views of the Arizona State campus
including my dorm delighted my eyes. We touched down and pulled up
to the gate and once in the Jetway I felt that hot but not sticky
yet sweet Arizona air. Home again at last after 11,716 miles
crossing this great country.
Scheduled Arrival: 9:41 PM
Actual Arrival: 9:27 PM
Gate 6
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