Eindhoven Netherlands: Arriving in Houston, TX (IAH) from Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS)

04MAY08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)


We touched down on runway 26L just before 5:00 p.m. and headed for Terminal E. The Emirates flight was the only one at Terminal D at this time as we taxied by.

The Emirates (EK) Boeing 777-200ER at the gate in Terminal D.


An unusual sight at Terminal D; a Continental Boeing 777-200ER, I guess Terminal E was full.

As we blocked in at Terminal E, I got my stuff together and headed for the Immigration area. The Immigration guy asked me why I was out of the country for one day, I told him I needed a beer.

Once I cleared Customs, I then headed over to Terminal C by taking the slow train. Since the bus was not going to arrive for another 30 minutes, I plugged in just inside of the Baggage Claim waiting area and caught up for a bit and then proceeded to the bus stop.

It was unusual as there were a lot of people heading downtown with at least one piece of luggage. Of course the driver did not advise us to place our bags in the hold below as the CEO of Metro told me when I talked to him on their blog a few weeks back. Instead, we placed them on the seat or between the two seats. Luckily the bus was not full.

Finally, we headed downtown.

Eindhoven Netherlands: Leaving Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

04May08 Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

It was 1:17p when the train pulled into Schipol. I alighted and made a beeline for the Flight Information Displays. I had to make sure the flight to Houston, TX was still ontime. Of course it was. I needed to get to the airplane store to get a book, but I had no time.

I raced up the moving walkway and through the airport agents asking for a boarding pass. I started to take it out and just continued as they were really wasting my time. I had the boarding pass and passport ready for the Immigration agent. I cleared there with a stamp from the Officer and proceeded to Concourse F.

Schipol gets really empty in the afternoon, so it was not an issue to get to the gate efficiently.

Once there, I cleared security as my name was being called for a seat. I then paid my departure taxes of 38 USD or 25 EUR, then got my aisle seat assignment and boarded (actually, I paid $40 as I had no change and was $2 short. I told the guy that next time he will owe me $2 and he said he would remember me). I asked if it was the bulkhead and it was, but the agent told me that the flight was open and that there were two other seats located further forwarded that were still open. It was 1:31p when I boarded the aircraft to Houston, TX.

Eindhoven Netherlands: Leaving Eindhoven

05MAY08 Eindhoven, Netherlands

I had not decided whether or not I’d go to London, Bristol or back to Houston so I just let it all play put naturally. I figure I would try to get back to Schipol for the Houston flight at 1:55p, but if for some reason I did not make it, I would go to London Heathrow and take the 4:00p flight to Newark Liberty (EWR), then the last flight into Houston. This option would make for a very long day. Alternatively, I could just stay in London or still get to Bristol.

One other thought was to fly out of Eindhoven airport (EIN), but I had already logged it so I decided against doing that.

I ensured that I checked in online and a rarity for me, I printed my boarding pass. This way, I could make my way down to the gate since I figured I would arrive at Schipol within an hour of my scheduled departure time.

After having breakfast, I got on the 11:47a train to Schipol which would arrive at 1:15p, just in time for the 1:55p flight to Houston, TX.

Eindhoven Netherlands: Arriving in Asmterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

03MAY08 Amsterdam Schipol International, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

We touched down on that far runway at 12:30p. This sucks as it means that it will take another 10 minutes t make it to the gate. I am kind of confused as to why we arrived so late since we only left about 30 minutes late. Maybe flying around that storm ate up a lot of our time. Back in Houston, we were even expedited to the runway.

Anyways, it was a beautiful morning and it was great to see plane spotters all along the length of the runway. Some were even sitting on benches that had obviously been placed there for this purpose. I never see that many people in Houston at Lee Road.

It was 12:41p when we made it into our gate. I got off quickly joining my other colleague as we headed for Immigration. He had to go change, so I left him and headed out. On my way, I saw a Delta Air Lines (DL) Boeing 757-200 with winglets being pushbacked. It was nice to see one of these as this was my first time seeing one of them. Something tells me they are running thin on airplanes. I am assuming that the proposed merger should help this a bit.

Immigration was a breeze as I was the second person in line of a total of three persons in all. I hurried through Customs and headed straight for the ticket counter. The next train was at 1:14p and it was now 12:50p. I paused for a moment to catch my breath before purchasing my return train ticket to my next destination.

Eindhoven, Netherlands: A massive storm

Eindhoven Netherlands: Arriving in Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

2MAY08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

It was not an issue clearing security, but the TSA closed one of their two security gates just as I arrived. This actually caused a delay as now everyone was in the line I was in.

Once we cleared security, I went towards Terminal E and my other colleagues went the other way towards his gate. We wanted to hang out in the Presidents Club for a bit, but that was not going to happen today.

I headed for the ticket office as I needed to get a few tickets for the journey once I arrived in Amsterdam. Thirty minutes later, I had tickets for Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) to Bristol, England (BRS) and Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) to Paris, France (CDG) to Bristol, England (BRS). I met a few of my colleagues in the ticket office as well. One of which was trying to get to Omaha, NE (OMA) without initial success. It did look like he would make the last flight of the day though.

While there, my colleague who was also going to Amsterdam showed up. As I was still waiting to get my tickets, he left with another of my colleagues for the Presidents Club. I followed moments later picking up two magazines and the Financial Times.

I made my way to the gate as it was running late. It was now 6:40p. on my way there, I saw two of my colleagues heading to Cleveland, OH (CLE). I said a quick hello and then headed for my gate. Once there, I said hello to the agent apologizing for arriving late. She said it was O.K. as we were slightly delayed. Another agent recognized me and said hello. I got my boarding pass and was lucky to get a window seat in BusinessFirst. I noticed that the barriers were still drawn and asked what was going on. She said they had not started boarding. I looked around and saw all the passengers still waiting, oops…

I then went back to Cleveland gate to continue chatting with my friends there. They stared boarding so I left. I then saw my friend who was on my flight again and we sat down and waited for the flight to board. We wanted to get seats together, but that was not going to be possible today.

A friend had lent me his phone, but the battery was not working as it was not holding the charge. I looked around for a plug and found one among two guys who were charging their phones and a computer; I plugged in.

It was time to board soon at 7:08p.

Eindhoven Netherlands: Leaving downtown Houston

02MAY08 Houston, TX

As previously arranged, I met my colleague in the lobby at 5:10p. my other colleague was missing and I had no idea why. I had called him before I left my desk, but no answer. We tried again and no go. As time was going, we decided to get going.

Traffic was unusually light and we arrived at the airport in no time and parked at Terminal C.

A trip report from an EOS Flight back in 2005

I did take a trip on Eos Airlines (EO) from London-Standsted (STN) to New York (JFK) on October 23, 2005. Here is a look at it.

http://cruisinaltitude.blogspot.com/2005/10/flying-eos-airlines-stn-jfk-october-23.html

Watch that second checked bag starting today May 1, 2008

It stands to reason that I should mention the new second baggage fees on U.S. domestic flights starts today, May 1, 2008.

USA 3000 kicked off the $25 fee for a second bag today and on May 5, 2008, most of the major U.S. airlines will start charging $25 for taking a second checked bag on your U.S. domestic flight. There are some exemptions based on Elite Frequent flyer status, etc., so please read the baggage policies for additional details. Also, there is still a weight limit on those bags usually up to 50lbs.

• AirTran (FL) - May 15, 2008 ($10 for online check-in and $20 at the airport)
• Alaska Airlines (AS) - July 1, 2008 for tickets purchased on/after May 2, 2008
• Allegiant Air (G4) - No charge for second bag
  
• American Airlines (AA) - May 12, 2008 for tickets purchased on/after March 12, 2008
• Continental Airlines (CO) - May 5, 2008 for tickets purchased on/after April 5, 2008
• Delta Air Lines (DL) - May 5, 2008
• ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. - No charge for second bag
• Frontier Airlines (F9) - No charge for second bag
• Go! (YV) - No charge for second bag
• Hawaiian Airlines (HA) - June 10, 2008 (flights between Hawaii and mainland U.S. only)
  
• JetBlue Airways (B6) - June 1, 2008 [the site does not say how much is the 2nd bag]
• Midwest Airlines (YX) - No charge for second bag. You can look here for charges
  
• Northwest Airlines (NW) - May 5, 2008 for tickets purchased on/after March 29, 2008
• Southwest Airlines (WN) - No charge for second bag
• Spirit Airlines (NK) - ($10 per piece each way for online check-in and $20 at the airport)
• United Airlines (UA) - May 5, 2008 for tickets purchased on/after February 4, 2008
• US Airways (US) - May 5, 2008 for tickets purchased on/after February 26, 2008
• USA 3000(U5) - May 1, 2008
• Virgin America (VX) - May 15, 2008
  

This weekend's trip

Umm...I'm thinking of heading to the Netherlands to see some friends there this weekend on Saturday and then head to London or Bristol to see others on Sunday.

So the plan is to go to Amsterdam tomorrow at 7:15p.

no camera and no computer

So the camera and the computer are both sent out to be fixed. Ouch when I get the bill for them :-(.

In the interim, I need a computer and a camera for travel...

Oh, and my phone is broken as well, I'll be getting a new one next week; Nokia or a HTC, not sure which.

Italy Apr.: Arriving in Paris Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG) from Genoa, Italy (GOA)

27APR08 Paris Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG)

As we touched down, on the left, you could see one of Continental Boeing 777-200ER at the gate in Terminal 2A.

Of course there were several Air France jets there as well. Terminal 2D was full of primarily Air France airplanes, plus one Northwest (NW) Airbus A330 and two Delta (DL) airplanes.

As we waited to cross the active parallel takeoff runway, two Air France Regional Embraer ERJ-145 took off as well as a Luxair Embraer ERJ-145 and another Air France Regional Fokker 70. It was pretty cool to watch them take off right before my eyes.

We then crossed the runway and taxied to a hard stand near Terminal 2F.





It still amazes me as despite the size of de Gaulle airport, we still have to get bussed to the main terminal from time to time. Once we all deplaned, we boarded the waiting bus and headed for Terminal D. There were several other Bombardier CRJ-700s as well as an Air France CityJet ARJ-85 in that hard stand area.














At Terminal D, we just went through Baggage Claim and then entered France.

We then headed for Terminal 2A where we checked in a little earlier than normal for our 12:55p flight as we had no bags to check and had already checked in online. Armed with our standby boarding passes, we went towards the French Immigration desk. A friendly airport staff told us to use the other area as it was less congested than the one we were trying to use.

We took the walk down to the other area, going through the congested narrow check-in area of Terminal A. There was no line so clearing French Immigration and security was a breeze. Off we went to the Continental Lounge.

We had a little issue gaining access, but it all worked out in about ten minutes or so. This Lounge used to be an Air France Lounge and was at one time used for Concorde. I can remember using it and seeing Concorde outside the window.

We settled in and had some refreshments as we waited for the flight.

As I waited, I saw Continental’s flight 10 from Houston arrive at 10:48a. I guess it is ontime/early today. Time dragged on very slowly, but it was good to see airplanes coming and going outside the window.

At noon, we departed the Lounge for gate A37, the Lounge and he gate are at opposite ends of the terminal. As we neared the gate, we heard the agent page us to approach the podium. We paid the departure tax and collected our boarding passes. I was lucky enough to get an aisle seat albeit in the very back of the airplane.

I also saw another of my colleague, he was also on the flight on Friday having spent the weekend in Paris, his home. It was time to board so we did, showing our passports and boarding passes as we did so.

Italy Apr.: Aeroporto C. Colombo, Genoa, Italy (GOA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG)

AF5846 27APR08 Aeroporto C. Colombo, Genoa, Italy (GOA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle, Roissy France (CDG) 7:30a 9:05a F-GRZM CR7 operated by Brit Air

Flight Time:
Seat Map

I walked down the jetway and towards the tarmac. It was great to see the 72-seater twin jet airplane waiting there without a jetway. Once on the ground, I noticed that it was the same aircraft as we had flown the previous day. I wondered if it was the same crew as well. I continued walking slowly behind an elderly lady in front of me so I could take in the surroundings. It was a cool morning and you could see tugs and boats moving around next to the runway in the distance. There was also a yellow helicopter taking off as well.

I waited as the lady gave her tagged cabin baggage to one of the four ramp guys, then she took the airplane stairs and I followed behind her. At the top of the stairs, I was greeted by the same male flight attendant from the night before. I said hello, he greeted me back checked my boarding pass and ushered me in. I commented that I was glad to see him again and he said they came back last night.

As I inched back to my seat in this 2-2 leather seat configured airplane, I noticed that the other flight attendant was also the same one from yesterday as well. My colleague filled me in adding that she had flown back and forth to Paris a few times and had spent the night at the airport hotel.

We got settled in and soon the door closed at 7:30a, after which an announcement was made to turn off the mobile phones. We got pushed back a few minutes later while the manual safety demo was done in French and English.

We taxied down the runway to the end and turned around as there is no taxiway at GOA. We then powered up and took to the cold morning skies. The view was not as spectacular as yesterday as it was a bit hazy, but still made for a good view of the city below. We made a nice left hand turn which allowed me to see the entire airport below.

As soon as we leveled off at our cruising altitude, a meal of croissant and pastry with choice of tea, chocolate juice water or coffee was served at 7:52a. In a few minutes, one of the flight attendants came back through with another croissant and pastry service.

It was a beautiful as we passed over the Alps and saw the clouds just sitting in the crevices of the mountains. Wow.

We started or descent at 8:16a.

At 8:31a, an announcement was made in French about documentation, advising that you may need a visa to enter France.

As our descent continued, I noticed that we were approaching the city of Paris. I had flown into Paris many times, but never over the city, so this was a treat.




Soon, the Eifel Tower loomed into view on this hazy morning.

It was amazing to see Paris like this. It was hard to tell which monument was which though.

As if the pilot wanted the other side of the plane to see the sights as well, we made a right hand turn and now you could see the Eifel Tower through the right window of the plane. I later used an Air France Magazine to decipher where everything was located on the pictures I took. We then continued our slow descent into Charles de Gaulle airport leaving the city of Paris behind. It was fantastic!




I looked off to my left and was able to see a Boeing 737 landing.

I knew it had a blue tail with a yellow logo, but had no idea which carrier it was. It landed before we did on the runway that is close to Terminal 1.




Terminal 1
We landed moments after spotting a few airplanes over by the cargo area.

Italy Apr.: Departing Aeroporto C. Colombo, Genoa, Italy (GOA)

27APR08 Aeroporto C. Colombo, Genoa, Italy (GOA)

We arrived at the airport departure level at 6:00a. We got on the queue and waited our turn to check-in. As we waited, the folks checking in before us had an oversize bag and were asked to pay for it. There was some conversation and finally they went to the ticket counter to make the payment. It was our turn as one of their party waited for the other to return.

We had no issues checking in as the ticket we had although not for the same city pairs was for the same zone. The agent called to confirm that all was well with the tickets and it was.

As the flight was open, we got seats right away. Boarding time was 7:30a. Since I had so much time on hand, I decided to get a picture of the airport from far away. As I did so, I saw an Air Dolomite Dornier at the hard stand and took some shots as it boarded.

Down the way, I saw two other big yellow propellerized airplanes as well as what looked like two experimental ones. Do you know what type of airplanes they are?


I did finally get my distance shot as I stood before the airport Sheraton to do so.
After that I headed back to the terminal and was able to see that Dornier taxi away.

I then rejoined my colleague inside the terminal and we both watched it take off.

We cleared security without any challenges and then headed to the Duty Free store and did some window shopping almost buying things we really did not need. As I left, I noticed the two ladies re-packing their carry-on bags near their gate. I also saw an AirOne Airbus A320 being pushed back and getting reading to get underway.

I then went over to my gate next to which was an Alitalia MD-80 at the gate getting ready to be pushed back. The AirOne A320 passed by and took off right away. Soon, it was time for the MD-80 which actually took off in the other direction so I was able to get some take off shots as well.


It was almost time to board at about 7:15a as I continued updating my blogs. I’ll upload later as I had to pay for Internet access here. I joined the queue, but not before I dropped my camera and later I found out that the lens was now broken :-(. I showed my boarding pass and passport to the agent and then boarded.

Italy Apr.: Ended up in Genoa, Italy (GOA)

So all the flights to Venice, Italy (VCE) and or backup Florence, Italy, (FLR) so we ended up going to the only Italian city that I've not been to that had seats, Genoa. Italy (GOA).

Alexis - Mexico City 2008: Back home

So I am home now. The day after I arrived, I received a call from a pilot with whom I had had a really nice talk at the Conference. He wanted to remember something I said about the job of air traffic control since he would be meeting soon with the air traffic control association in his country. That was good to hear as the close our organisations work together the safer aviation will be.

Italy Apr.: Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

25APR08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

It was 5:55p when we got dropped off at Terminal E. The security line was short and we had no issues making it through.

We both made it into the Presidents Club and tried to relax for a bit. I actually met another colleague there who was also going to Paris. I picked up a copy of the Financial Times, but really wanted a copy of the Wall Street Journal as well. My colleague was getting a little antsy as it was 6:05p, so she went ahead to the gate.

As I left the Club, I saw another colleague of mine who was trying to flying around the world in some kind of interesting routing. We had talked earlier, but had not come up with anything concrete. Options included Houston to Dubai and back to Houston via Atlanta, GA (ATL) on Delta (DL) as well as Tokyo, Japan (NRT) via KLM out of Amsterdam (AMS) and then Northwest from Narita to Seattle, WA (SEA) and then back to Houston. The flight to Amsterdam was delayed so he was kind of at a loss, but I told him to just continue on that routing and hope for the best. I had to hastily depart as I was really running late for my flight at 6:40p. I’ll find out on Sunday what he ended up doing.

I got to the gate at 6:15p (a little late), collected my boarding pass, asked for a different seat, was denied as the flight was full so I then boarded.

Alexis - Mexico City Apr. 2008: Miami, FL (MIA) to Port of Spain, Trinidad (POS)

AA1663 25APR08 Miami International, Miami Fl (MIA) to Piarco International, Port of Spain Trinidad (POS) 4:45p 8:20p 757

Flight Time: 3:08

Seat Map

The initial turn around was rather quick. By 5:35 p.m. boarding started. I noted that they were now showing a departure time of 6:20 p.m.. The passengers were all settled long before they finished loading the luggage. We eventually push back just after 6:20 p.m. and were taxing by 6:27 p.m.. We were later given a flying time of 3:08. I spent most of the flight reading. The movie was "Mad Money", which I had seen and enjoyed, but my headset did not work without the adapter that I had left in my other bag in the overhead locker, so I gave the entertainment system a pass.

On the approach into the Piarco, I noted that the aircraft seemed not to be holding, but the approach seemed to take a long time. After landing at about 9:55 p.m. we got to the gate at 10:00 p.m.

On deplaning, I asked the pilot what kind of approach he did. He said he came straight in, but had to slow for an aircraft ahead. That accounted for the turns I felt. He was doing what is termed "dog-legs" to create space. He said that he flies in to Trinidad regularly and commended the job we air traffic controllers do.

Italy Apr.: Leaving downtown Houston

We departed work at 5:01p. Traffic was light and in no time without using the HOV lane, we arrived at the airport parking facilities.

Alexis - Mexico City Apr. 2008: Delayed in Miami, FL (MIA)

Miami International Airport, Miami FL (MIA) 11:20 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

I set off looking for the book that I did not get last week. I am successful this time. After some browsing I go to eat; I read a bit and then answer some e-mail and try to organise my Inbox. At 3:00 p.m. I leave to clear TSA security. I check the board for my flight and see that there is no gate change, but there is a time change with a delay to 5:45 p.m.. I decided to continue to the gate, ultimately because I felt that I would be just as comfortable there as anywhere else.

At 3:55 p.m. American Airlines (AA) has just announced, for those who don't already know, I guess, that our flight to Port of Spain, Trinidad (POS) is delayed to 5:45p, but that realistically we should expect a 6:00 p.m. departure since the flight is international arriving from Aruba Netherlands Antilles (AUA) and requires more time to clear Customs.

They have just made another announcement about a gate change for AA1663. I guess that they had changed gates but have switched back to the original D39 which is the gate we are sitting at and which is the gate they gave me this morning.

It is now 5:06 p.m. and there is no activity at our gate yet so I won't be surprised at a departure even later than 6:00 p.m. I am premature. It is 5:10 p.m. and the arrival announcement is made, with a departure estimate of 6:05 p.m.; arrival POS 9:34 p.m.

Alexis - Mexico City Apr. 2008: Arriving in Miami, FL (MIA)

Arrival in Miami International, Miami FL (MIA) 10:37a

True to their word, we arrive in Miami in 2 hrs 31 min. That means I did not have to hear one of those ironic announcements about air traffic control delay. As an air traffic controller, it is amusing to hear an announced "air traffic control" delay instead of an "air traffic" delay. The delay happens because there is too much traffic in the system. During rush hour on the highways, we know that there is too much traffic on the roads; we don't blame the traffic lights! In fact, we know that were it not for the traffic lights there would be even more chaos.

Anyway, as I depart the aircraft, I asked the crew what time they were airborne. They told me that they pushed back eight minutes early and there was a flying time of 2:31. It seems that they don't pay much attention to the actual airborne time. Another irony since that is what we record and, at least in my jurisdiction, give religiously to the pilot.

Immigration and Customs

I take my time leaving the aircraft as usual. Once I get to the Immigration hall, I proceed to the far left and sure enough there are not many people in the lines there. Passenger always head to the officers that are in front of them when entering the hall so the lines to the extreme ends always have fewer people. Today the officers are working faster than last week. And I am through rather quickly even with the delay for a change of officers.

This allows me to have an interesting conversation about stress with the officer who on finding out that I am an air traffic controller remarked that I did not look stressed. (I will resist the urge here to digress on stress.) By 11:20 a.m. I have rechecked my bags. Not seeing my flight listed, I went to an agent to find out the gate, surmising that it was too early. I was given gate D39, with the usual proviso that it was subject to change.

Off to Venice, Italy (VCE)

At least that is the intended destination.

A colleague of mine loves to go to Italy and I told her that I'll go with her whenever I have a free weekend. That free weekend is this weekend although other trip options have come up such as:

Norway and a trip to South America.

She is a nervous flier so this will be an interesting trip. Already the Air France (AF) flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Venice tomorrow is overbooked, so that will make it interesting. The good thing is that if we get there, we can get back the next morning as the early morning flight is fine.

Our back up is to get to Florence, Italy (FLR) which is also overbooked on the outbound, but O.K. on the Sunday a.m. return.

We will see...

Alexis - Mexico City Apr. 2008: Mexico CIty, Mexico (MEX) to Miami, FL (MIA)

AA2144 25APR08 Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) to Miami International, Miami FL (MIA) 6:55a 11:05a 738

Flight Time: 2:33

Seat Map

We pushed back at what I make to be 7:50a. Having visited the Mexico City air traffic control tower the day before, I try to visual our pushback and subsequent taxi. The control tower is 120 feet tall, so the view is magnificent. It was easy to see all the surrounding ring of mountains, even though hazy, and appreciate that Mexico City is in a valley; albeit one that is more than 7,700 feet above sea level.

In less than ten minutes we are off. There are two runways in Mexico City and departures are from the 05L, while landings are on 05R. A flying time of 2 hrs, 33 min is announced. (I note that this is considerably less the 3 hrs 10 min flying time in the opposite direction. I make a mental note to find out why.)

The movie is National Treasure 2, which I have seen so know it is not worth my time getting my headset out of my bag. So I rested as best as I could, feeling the effects of the time I had to get up.

Alexis - Mexico City 2008: Pre-departure

Pre-departure: 25APR08

It is 5:00 a.m., and as I feared, my taxi has not arrived. I wait ten minutes and then reluctantly call my colleague, who sounds surprisingly alert. He says he will call the taxi-company and call me back. I wait, wondering again whether I should just take one of the (few) cabs passing in the street; and telling myself this is what I pay for being an "English only" speaker.

As I stand outside the driver of a car from the other side of the road signals to me and I presume this is my ride. He makes the block and comes back. I put my bags in the car and go back into the flat for my next bag. The telephone rings and it is my colleague telling me that the car should be there anytime. I tell him there is one here already. He gives me the number of the car and I am left wondering and whether I got into the wrong car. I say my goodbyes and thank yous, close the doors and starts scrutinising the car more closely.

The driver senses my doubts and makes the signal of having received a phone call. I get in the car and we are off, but he looks for and gives me a company card. A bit later, he picks up the clipboard and reads off my name. It is only in hindsight that I realised how perceptive he was and how much he tried to reassure me. The thing is I was just happy to be getting to the airport.

As I was only five minutes away from the airport I had elected to leave at 5:00 a.m., knowing, however, that if anything went wrong, I could be left rushing.

When I get to the counters there are not many people so check-in was quick. I proceed to my gate (A35) and find that it is right next to a restaurant so I have breakfast. Boarding starts while I eat.

Salt Lake City Apr.: Departing Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC)

23APR08 Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)

After a short drive in a light rain, we arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. I returned the car and was charged the fuel surcharge of 10.50 USD if you return the car having traveled under 75 miles and do not have a receipt for gas. We had actually driven only 38 miles and the needle had not even moved at all.

We entered the airport terminal and all used the four kiosk to re-print our boarding passes and then made it to the security area. One of my colleagues pointed out that the TSA has a posted with different categories; Expert Traveler, Standard Traveler and Family Traveler. They used the ski resort icons plus pictures of skiers skiing and sitting in a ski lift to denote the categories.

There were no issues clearing security except that I asked one of the guys what happens if I don’t want to take off my shoes. He said then I can’t fly! Really?, I said and then he said that if there is a medical reason why I don’t want to take off my shoes then they have additional screening procedures for that.

We were famished, so a stop in Burger King for a salad was warranted. While there I talked with some guys in the line who were going on a Rugby trip to Indianapolis via Chicago O’Hare on American Airlines (AA). They were all dressed in khaki pants and a black polo shirt. I commented to my colleague what a difference this was to the guys I had seen in Houston Intercontinental last Sunday. It is pretty obvious that this coach is teaching these young men some sense of public decency. Thank you for that.

After eating my fries, we went to the gate with my salad in tow. I’ll have it on the flight as this flight is only a beverage service flight :-(.

Once at the gate, I checked if boarding had commenced as it was 2:15p and it had not. I did notice that a wheelchair bound passenger had boarded just as we were arriving.

In a few minutes, the agent commenced boarding by row numbers so we all boarded accordingly.

Lee: PVG-ATL on Delta 18

22APR2008: Shanghai, People's Republic of China to Atlanta on Delta flight 18 in Coach

After getting checked in, I got a lounge pass to the contracted departure lounge in Shanghai. Delta offers all Skyteam Elite Plus and Business customers a lounge pass and as a Delta Platinum, I am also a Skyteam Elite Plus.

I clear customs and immigration without issues even with the 1 day stay and head to the lounge. The lounge was overcrowded and unimpressive so I decided to tour the airport. I still had these damn souvenirs to get. I ended up finding a great deal in the duty free shop for Cigarettes for my step-mom and a liquor for me. Both cost 37.00 US but it would have been almost 90.00 to purchase them here locally. After an hour and no luck with the gifts, I found a sore irony - the single largest supplier of these damn tourist trap gifts (shot glasses, etc) does not have 1 store that I found to actually sell them to the same Americans they make them for!?!

Depressed, I decided to head towards the gate as I knew we would be boarding soon. I passed the flight crew as they were heading to the gate to board and the ones that knew I was on the return trip were asking me how the layover was and the ones (like pilots) that didn't know I was on the return flight had this puzzled, deja vu look on their faces as I had been in the cockpit before departure in Atlanta 2 days earlier. Boarding was uneventful and I was happy to find that Bonnie, the coach lead FA I had gotten to know earlier on the first flight, was working my section on the return. I did have to defend my row one time to someone trying to change seats but there was no issues after that. I was fortunate enough to try both meals offered at dinner - the beef and pasta - as they had extra provisions after everyone was served. I watched several movies and ended up falling asleep after the sun had set. Our flight plan was an extremely southern route: we went out over Japan, started crossing the Pacific around Tokyo, and entered US airspace at basically the Oregon / California border. The winds must have helped the flight out. Even though we had less pax on board and had winds in our favor, we were heavier at 651,000lbs and 33,000 gallons of fuel - a fact contributed to the outrageous amount of cargo stuffed in our belly. This has been one of the top cargo performers for DL since starting.

I wake up once with some good turbulence that my seat belt has to restrain me - I quickly go back to sleep getting rocked to dream land. After some much needed sleep, I wake up to find I slept through the breakfast service and the FAs were preparing to clear the trays from the others that had eaten. Bonnie, not missing a beat, saw that I had woken up and she asked me if I was ready for breakfast. I told her yes and she quickly came back with not only the tray of food, but also a split of sparkling wine and 2 extra OJs so I could have a morning mimosa. She kept me well liquored up the entire flight, which I found as a nice gesture! I forced myself to stay awake as I could not throw my sleep schedule off anymore because I had a full week's worth of work starting early on Monday. I hung out in the galley some more to keep from falling back asleep.

After a very long 15 hours, we touched down on 27L and taxied to E concourse gate 17. Our flight would continue to TLV later that night as E17 is the only gate in ATL that has the supplemental security screening required for the TLV flight. I got home and quickly went to bed at normal time and was ready for work without incident.

I had a great time on my crazy weekend trip and I am already planning my next destination!

Salt Lake City Apr.: Arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC)

22 APR08 Salt Lake City International, Salt Lake City UT (SLC)

The runway on which we touched down was very close to our gate, so it took just about a minute for us to make it to our gate at 2:11p. I waited my turn and deplaned. It felt good outside in this 55F weather; much warmer than I had expected.

We made our way to the car rental, got our car and departed the airport.

Salt Lake City Apr.: Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Salt Lake City International, Salt Lake City UT (SLC)

CO2071 22APR08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to Salt Lake City International, Salt Lake City UT (SLC) 11:50a 2:09p XRJ N??102

Flight Time: 3:00
Seat Map

I greeted the flight attendant as I boarded and she said hello back. I made my way down the narrow aisle of this 1-2 configured leather seat airplane which is just about 6’ 2” in height. At 6’ 1” I had to actually lower my head as I walk through.

I found my seat and settled in as the boarding process continued. I was taking some notes and folded down my chair table to do so. Noticing it was messy, I went to the lav to find a napkin to clean it. As I did so, the Captain came on the PA, welcomed us onboard and said that our time from takeoff to touchdown today would be 3:00. That is a long time to be in an ExpressJet I thought.

Once back at my seat having completed my cleaning job, I noticed a lady and her two children getting settled. The lone flight attendant came over and said that they would have to move to row 7 as the row they were in did not have an extra oxygen mask. They complied and she helped them to do so.

A few minutes later another family of three entered the plane and sat in that open row. Here we go again, I thought. Well, not quite as the parent moved to a seat further back. Another family of three boarded; wow, lots of kids on this flight today.

My phone rang with the identity of an unknown number from the New York area. It was a friend of mine whom I had not heard from in ages. It was great to catch up with him in that short space of time.

It was way past our 11:50a departure time now and a few passengers boarded. Apparently they had been booked on the later flight and had stood by for this one and made it. One of them sat next to me at the aisle seat.

The flight attendant made an announcement to fasten seat belts and prepare for departure. She then came through and checked seat belts, then closing the door at 12:02p. She then played the safety demo instructions over the PA and did the demonstration as instructed by the female voice.

We pushed back at 12:05 and started our taxi at 12:08p with only one engine running. The other one started as the taxi continued. As we went past Terminal A, only an American Airlines (AA) MD-80 and a United Express CRJ-700 were at the gates.

As we inched nearer to runways 33R and L, I saw a Northwest CRJ-900 land and heading to the other side of Terminal A. Almost at that moment, the Captain told the flight attendant to take her seat for departure; she was already sitting.

Using runway 33R-15L, we took to the skies at 12:14p.

It was a hazy morning as we gained altitude and made a wide right turn and headed out. We had a little rough ride as we cleared the thick clouds over the airport and surrounding area.

I heard the 10,000’ ding and then the flight attendant gave her welcome aboard speech, advising about SkyMall, electronic equipment, joining the frequent flyer program. She also said that beer, wine or mixed drinks were 5.00 USD. There is no entertainment in this aircraft, so no mention was made of that.

Shortly after, a choice of a turkey or a ham sandwich was offered. They both came with a bag of potato chips mayo and a Milky Way bar. I chose the turkey sandwich which came with lettuce. I waited to eat my meal until the beverages followed a few minutes later.

It was 12:44p when the Captain announced that we were at our cruising altitude of 36,000’ with 2:30 minutes to go. He said the ride was smooth so he turned off the seat belt signs.

Offers for drinks came at 12:45p; I opted for Ginger Ale and water.

Thrash collection came at around 1:07p. I was quite tired so I went to sleep.

I awoke as we were descending into the Slat Lake City area. It was a beautiful day and it was great to see the mountains.

The Captain came on and said that the descent was going to be a little rough. It was not too bad though. We landed without issues and taxied in.

Salt Lake City Apr.: Leaving Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

I left the Presidents Club about 11:20a and headed for the gate. The boarding process had not started as yet, so I just waited. I looked around for my other colleagues and saw two of them close to the gate. I went over and said hello and sat with them. The fourth person in our party then came over and joined us.

We chatted as we waited, getting into a conversation about luggage. It was soon time for boarding. I noticed a lady with a kid strapped to her chest and one in a double stroller. I commented to my colleagues that there should be a law that a single mother cannot travel alone with two kids as it is so hard on them. She boarded first as she needed to do so. She was quite organized and quite efficient as she made her way down the jetway with the two kids.

I then boarded with two of my colleagues

New computer?

Well, as you know, I dropped this one back in October last year and have not fixed it as yet. It is getting pretty bad as the housing is now completely gone off the right hinge.

I'm actually considering getting that new NP 2133 Mini Note:
There is a British guy talking about it here at http://www.rm.com/HE/Products/Product.asp?cref=PD1164671, but he does not really say much.

Its competition is the Asus Eee PC at http://event.asus.com/eeepc/windows/specs.html.
http://eeepc.asus.com/global/product.htm

Decisions...

Salt Lake City Apr.: Arriving Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

I made my way into the terminal and cleared security with ease. A guy had walked away from his bag without realizing it, so I asked whose it was and he held up his hand from behind security and I just pushed it through for him.

I headed for the train to Terminal B as I was at B68. I had not realized that they had built out parts of the gate 84 area so much to accommodate for the CRJs operated by Chautauqua Airlines dba Continental Express.

Once in Terminal B, I made my way to the Presidents Club where I had breakfast and logged into work.

Salt Lake City Apr.: Off to the airport

It was 7:52a when I awoke. This was about 35 minutes later than I had planned. I got ready and headed out so I could catch the 8:30a bus. I arrived at the bus stop at 8:32a, luckily the bus was late in arriving. About two minutes later, it arrived.

At 8:50a, we pulled into the connecting stop downtown, right on time. I could see a TSA employee at the stop, which meant the bus had not yet arrived [I later found out he was a bus driver :-)]. After a short wait, the next bus to show was the 102 to the airport.

It was an uneventful ride and I managed to stay productive. There was a lady on the bus that talked the entire ride quite loudly. Just useless junk. She even continued talking after we arrived at 9:54a. She then went to the smoking area and had a cigarette still with the phone glued to her ear. This is why cell phones should be banned on airplanes...

Salt Lake City Apr.: Duty calls

I have to take a trip to Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) for work so off I go.