Lee - New York-JFK layover

16APR08 New York-John F. Kennedy International, Queens NY (JFK)

JFK layover
We get into JFK at 5:00 p.m. which is prime-time for trans-Atlantic departures and I have never seen so many Delta Air Lines (DL) planes in the remote parking areas getting prepped for their long journeys. I got to see one of the new Delta 777-200LRs during its ground time before departure to Mumbai, India (BOM). I was supposed to be on the first revenue flight to Los Angeles, CA (LAX) but mis-connected due to snow in Birmingham, AL (BHM). SNOW IN BHM?!?! Oh well, I am still a little bitter…

So I go by the gate (#20) for the Atlanta, GA (ATL) flight to see if there are any Gate Agents there. The flight loads I got off of http://www.expertflyer.com/ showed the flight was sold out and I know from my experience, there could be a good chance for a bump, or I volunteer my seat in exchange for a flight voucher for future travel if Delta needs the seat because more people show up for the flight than seats they have. With good weather in JFK the chances of misconnects drop and the bump opportunities increase.

I talked to a Gate Agent and she took my information, as they would probably need volunteers. The routing the agent offered was Economy class on the 6:15a departure tomorrow morning and it gets into ATL at 8:44 a.m. I did not like that option as I have to check in by 8:55 a.m. and I would only have 11 minutes in a perfect world to check in and we all know JFK operations and how often that would happen. So I go to the Delta Crown Room Club (CRC) and use expertflyer to find a better routing. I would go JFK-DCA [Washington Reagan National] at 8:50 p.m. and get in at 10:00 p.m. on a Bombardier CRJ-900 and then stay overnight in DCA and leave on the 6:00 a.m. flight that gets in at 7:44 a.m. First class was available on both flights so I knew I could get confirmed F instead of Y.

I go down to the gate at boarding time and the gate agent definitely needs the volunteer. They are so overbooked that she processes my voucher for 400.00 now instead of making me wait around the gate until departure. I get my confirmation and new F boarding passes to DCA. Since I added a segment, I had to get a paper ticket for an online transfer in conjunction for the routing change. I still have my Shanghai flight on my mind and am hoping to find a way to get into Business Elite on that flight.

I am worried about the hotel situation because the Gate Agent told me to check in DCA on getting a hotel (DL would provide). I go outside security to the medallion check-in in Terminal 2 and there is a “red coat” at the check-in desk. Red Coats are supervisors that can bend rules and make things happen when needed. I ask him about the hotel and he calls the DCA station to make sure they would have a hotel for me. After a long delay, he gets confirmation that I will not have any problems.

During this layover, I am discussing my flight to Shanghai and after I pull out some of my tricks and secrets, when its all said and done I am able to use miles to upgrade my flight tomorrow to Shanghai.

After getting confirmation, I am bouncing off the walls with excitement – I just turned a $600 RT ticket into a $5,000 OW ticket with an Economy return! It has been a REALLY good day.

Lee - Cincinnati, OH (CVG) to New York - JFK, Queens NY (JFK) in First Class

DL160 16APR08 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Covington KY (CVG) to John F. Kennedy International, Queens NY (JFK) 3:05p 5:21p 73H

Seat Map

As a platinum medallion for Delta Air Lines (DL), I get free space available upgrades to first class domestically and my upgrade cleared in advanced so I knew I would have a comfortable flight.

I chose this flight to get on the 73H, which is a new configuration in the Delta fleet. The 73H has been equipped with winglets and the Panasonic AVOD system for each seat and 24 channels of live TV on domestic flights. These planes are used almost exclusively for transcon flights and I found out from our lead flight attendant that it would be continuing to Portland, OR (PDX) from JFK.

After an uneventful flight, we descent over Newark Liberty International, Newark NJ (EWR) airport which is an awesome site from 10,000 feet. We land on runway 22L and taxi in without delay.

Lee - Cedar Rapids, IA (CID) to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Covington KY (CVG) and the layover

DL5088 16APR08 Cedar Rapids, IA (CID) to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Covington KY (CVG) 11:30a 1:55p CRJ operted by Comair

Seat Map

This was an uneventful flight – slept the whole way. We arrived into CVG around 1:35 p.m. and my flight to John F. Kennedy (JFK) leaves at 3:15 p.m.

I transfer over to B concourse from the Regional Jet (RJ) hell of C concourse and find the outback open for lunch. I set up my laptop and connect to the internet from the Delta Crown Room lounge on the floor above and get online to do some work and check emails.

Lee - Heading to Cedar Rapids (CID) airport

16APR08

To the airport: I had a computer install in Waterloo, IA, which is about an hour from CID. I leave the store at the last possible time due to some problems at 9:30am. I have an 11:30am flight to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Covington KY (CVG) but had a lot on my mind as we had some major problems with the new registers we installed that caused our customer problems during their breakfast rush.

I ended up missing my exit and went east instead of south and I didn’t realize it until I was almost 10 minutes off path. I thought, oh my God, I might miss my first flight. I have flown 400 segments in the last 3 years and (knock on wood) never missed a flight that I did not plan on changing to a later flight.

I frantically pull out the map from the rental car company and found a cut through road that will help me make up time. I start speeding to try to make up time but my estimates have me at the airport 20 minutes before departure.

I have a bag that must be checked due to tools and Delta Air Lines (DL) has a hard 30 minute cut off for baggage on the computer and I have learned on another trip there is no way to override this cut off.

As I am racing towards the CID airport, I try calling the airport to get in touch with the DL counter – but to no avail, no one will give me the phone number or connect me to talk to an agent. I hope to get an agent to pre-print my bag tag since I know I can make the flight but not the cut off. I call a friend who works with ASA (DL connection) that I met in my former hometown of Wilmington, NC (ILM). He used to work as a Gate Agent in ILM and now travels to open up new stations – I knew he might be get the number if he is working at a station.

I get a text message back saying “In a meeting in ATL, will call you in a few.” I think, oh @#$@ I am screwed. I sent a text message to him explaining the situation and hope. 10 minutes later he sends me back just the phone number to the station – how he got it, I don’t know. I call the station and get an agent to pre-print the tag and now I know I am good to go with a huge sigh of relief. I have to make these flights as I leave tomorrow morning to go to Shanghai, People's Republic of China for a weekend trip.

Alexis-Mexico City: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to Mexico City, Mexico

So Kerwin, believing that we mere mortals have the energy that he does, has invited me to blog about this trip. It is a good opportunity as I plan to start my own soon.

I am heading off to Mexico City, Mexico to attend two meetings, the 63rd Conference of the International Federation of Pilots' Associations and a Workshop by the International Civil Aviation Organisation on States Safety Programmes and Safety Management Systems Implementation.

I leave Port of Spain, Trinidad (POS) in a couple hours for Miami, FL (MIA) and then to Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) on American (AA). My ride to the airport should arrive soon, so I am off.

Until later,

Alexis

Atlanta, GA: Movies of takeoffs

Enjoy this Continental Airlines Boeing 737-700 taking off as well as an Boeing 737-300 taking off at Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH).

Continental Airlines Boeing 737-700 taking off


Continental Airlines Boeing 737-300 taking off

Atlanta, GA: Awaiting a flight

12APR08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

Clearing security was easy and then we headed to the gate. We got to the gate at about 1:30p and saw a bunch of people standing around. It was not looking good as I'd predicted.

They were able to clear two standbys who were ahead of us and we waited. Then one more lady got cleared, but had a friend who was not. They had confirmed seats on the 4:30p and the later 7:20p one respectively. The one who got cleared did not want to leave the other one but did eventually.

A lady came up to the counter and and said she had been waiting all day. She produced four standby boarding passes and a Delta ticket to the lady. I started thinking that Delta must b having MD80 issues as well. They do use the MD88 into Houston, but nothing had been reported about their issues, just American Airlines'.

Finally they had one more seat left and the lady who was next gave it to the lady whose friend had boarded before. What a nice gesture I thought. The lady said that she was on the 4:30p so it was O.K. Wow!

Dejected, we left and went to the Presidents Club after the flight had pushed back.

We had to wait for a bit as a guy was trying to gain admittance, but did not have the proper credentials. I started to say to my traveling companion that I should just have him be my guest as well. So after he walked away, I asked the agent if it was O.K. and she said, so I ran and got him. He was on the 9:05p to Sao Paolo, Brazil (GRU), so had quite a long wait.

He graciously accepted and entered with us.

We checked the flights and decided that the 4:30p was not going to work either. I called my sister and she said that she was in Austin, TX with my dad, her husband and her son as he had a basketball game. So going to Killeen, TX (GRK) was also out. Maybe I could go to Austin, TX (AUS) and meet up with them there I thought. But alas, I decided against all that. At about 2:30p, we left the Club and headed home.

On our way home, I stopped at the Lee Road plane spotting area and got the pictures below. I also did a movie which I will add soon as well:

Atlanta, GA: Trying to get to Atlanta, GA (ATL)

After talking with my friend in Atlanta, GA, I decided to try the flight at 1:50p. It was looking dismal, and we stood no chance of making it at all. But still we pressed on.

It was a nice drive to the airport as there was no traffic. The local weather was really beautiful as we headed north. As were running late, we parked at the terminal parking in Terminal C.

Possibly no trip

I have to be in town tomorrow for an Orthodontist appointment, so no trips, maybe.

I could still go to see family in Killeen, TX (GRK) or a friend in Atlanta, GA (ATL).

Tampa Day Trip: Arriving in Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL (TPA)

09APR08 Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL (TPA)

On the taxi into the gate, we passed three American Airlines (AA) MD-80s that were grounded for maintenance checks.

We pulled into the gate then I deplaned. I took my computer out as I know this airport has Wifi and voila it worked. Usually, I have trouble getting this to do so. I checked some e-mail and then departed with my colleague in tow on our mission for the day.

Tampa Day Trip: Houston Intercontinental Houston, TX (IAH) to Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL (TPA)

CO706 09APR08 Houston Intercontinental Houston, TX (IAH) to Tampa/St. Petersburg, Tampa FL (TPA) 7:30a 10:44a 733 N??346

Flying Time: 1 :45
Seat Map

As I boarded, I asked the flight attendant to ensure that there were two seats and there were, one at the Exit row window and the other at a forward window. I chose the forward window and my colleague too the Exit row. The flight attendant was suggesting that I take that seat, but I said the one I had was fine.

The aircraft has 12 leather seats in First class and 112 cloth seats in Economy class in a single aisle configuration.

I asked the folks at the middle and the aisle to allow me in and they did. I heard the door close and we started pushback at 7:30a sharp. At that time, the manual safety demo commenced, ending three minutes later just as the pushback was completed.

We then started our taxi out once the right engine was started. There was a Boeing 757-200 with winglets being towed out as well as a wingleted 737 from Continental getting ready to leave as well.


We passed Terminal A, I saw a United Airlines (UA) Boeing 757-200 (752) which is unusual for Houston Intercontinental. I wonder why it was there. There was also what looked like a Bombardier CRJ-700 at the gate next to, also in United colors. Aha, I think it is due to the American Airlines (AA) cancellations.

I saw an ABX Air Boeing 767-200F taxiing out to the runway. This was the first time I've seen that aircraft/airline in Houston. They are a cargo outfit based in Wilmington, Ohio.

At 7:43a, we took off on runway 33 in the bright morning. After takeoff, the lead flight attendant welcomed us on board and told us about the service today; a snack will be served.

Breakfast arrived at 8:05a, it was preceded by an announcement to watch your elbows in the aisle. It was a banana nut muffin with beverage of choice.
Alcoholic beverages if you so desired were 5 USD or you may us an inflight coupon.

The captain came on the PA once we leveled off at 35,000’ at 8:06a. He said we show an ontime arrival, the temperature was in the mid 70s, winds were from the east with scattered clouds above. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the flight and welcome aboard.

I was really tired so I fell asleep. I missed the nice view of circling the Tampa Bay area, but was able to see the St. Pete airport off in the distance. We touched down at 10:25a with ease and taxied to the gate.

Tampa Day Trip: Leaving Houston, TX

09APR08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

As I already had my boarding pass, I cleared security with ease and headed for the Presidents Club. There, I had breakfast of a banana, tea and a bagel with light cream cheese. I also took the opportunity to check e-mails and other things. I also had to call my mom to finish a transaction so I did.

At 7:00a, I departed and headed for the gate. I saw my other colleagues waiting and wondered why. The flight was overbooked so we had to wait. At 7:25a, only two of us made it, so we boarded.

Tampa Day Trip: Houston, TX

Houston, TX

I have to do a day trip to Tampa, FL today flying into the Tampa/St. Petersburg International airport (TPA). This is one of two airports serving the Tampa Bay area. The other is St. Petersburg (PIE). I’m not sure that any scheduled service airlines serve this airport anymore. I know that at one time ATA Airlines (TZ) had served it.

This is a day trip that takes quite a bit out of me when I do it every now and then. I was up and atom at 4:29a, about 30 minutes later than planned. I had only gone to bed at 1:30a and I think I did not fall asleep until about 2:00a.

I got ready as the shuttle bus (Super Shuttle) would arrive at 5:00a sharp. They wanted to show at 4:40a, but I deferred to 5:00a. They had warned me that since I had chosen this time, they would not be responsible if I missed my flight. I did not even know they had a guarantee in place.

The driver asked me for directions to his next pickup which he said they had also scheduled for 5:00a; actually they had scheduled three trips that were not next to each other for the same time. Luckily when he picked up the other two they seemed O.K. He then picked up one more passenger and we were on the highway at 5:21a.

The lone lady indicated that she was going to Terminal B, I told the driver that in 9 minutes, I’d let him know which terminal was mine as I’d get my TripAlert then. Sure enough, it came at 5:30a and the Terminal was C. I did not bother to say anything figuring that he would go to C anyways.

It was 5:47a when we pulled off U.S. 59 for the airport and 5:54a when I pulled into Terminal C. I paid the driver the 25 USD plus a tip and exited the van.

London Apr. 4: London City Airport, London England (LCY) to Amsterdam Schipol, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS)

KL1554 07APR08 London City, London England (LCY) to Amsterdam Schipol, Amsterdam Netherlands (AMS) 7:45a 10:15a F50 PH-KVH

Flight Time: 1:00
Seat Map

I left my bag outside the door with the gate claim tag as instructed by the gate agent and then boarded. My boarding pass was checked by one of the two waiting flight attendants on this 50 seat single aisle 2-2 configured aircraft.

I took my assigned aisle seat and got settled in, keeping my jacket on as the airplane was quite cold. A family of five boarded after I did at 7:56a. we now had 43 passengers. There was a bit of activity at the front of the aircraft as they computed the weight factor.

The Captain gave his welcome aboard at 7:59a, first in Dutch and then in English. He introduced everyone and apologized for the delay; we had a later slot time due to starting engines in 10-15 minutes he continued; our flying time would be 1:00. He then said he will do his best to make up for lost time and update us on the arrival time into Amsterdam later in the flight.

One of the flight attendants had to move two passengers to row 4 at 8:04a, just before the engines started.

The safety demo started at 8:10a, with one flight attendant reading the information and the other doing the actual demo. As we were going over water (The English Channel and the North Sea) life jacket demo was included.

By now, we were number 3 for takeoff behind a Lufthansa RJ-185

The meal cart passed by m at 8:42a, making its way from the back of the plane. Today’s breakfast consist of two sandwiches (egg and mozzarella on whole wheat) in a plastic bag along with napkins and condiments in another bag. Beverages followed; I had some hot tea with lemon and some water; as is normal in Europe, I got no ice in my water as I did not state how I wanted it.

We started getting a little chop, so the Capt. Came on the PA and said he was turning on the seat belt sign.

At 8:53a, we started our descent into Amsterdam Schipol.

At 9:01a, the pilot said that we had left our cruising altitude of 17,000’ approaching the Dutch remaining flying time left is 20 minutes and there will be a 10 minute made up 15 minutes l will dis at 10:30 5C thanks for flying KLM and hope to see you on your next flight.

At 9:04a, the flight attendants told us to prepare for landing.

London Apr. 4: At London City Airport, London England (LCY)

07APR08 London City, London England (LCY)

It was hard to determine which desk to stand as the KLM Ground Services staff was also checking in Air One and Luxair at the same counter. I think only KLM and Luxair had a flight at that time and were using 4 check-in desks. I asked the guy at the end of the queue if he was checking in for KLM and he said he did not know…So I found an agent and asked her where to check-in and she pointed me to the right behind that guy. I then started to stand on the queue, but had not realized that had I jumped it until a passenger advised me that he was also on the queue. I then apologized and stepped behind him.

As I waited, the queue got longer. I told the lady behind me that I’d be right back as I needed to talk with the ticket counter across the way. I was looking around for it and had finally sighted it after joining the check-in queue. There was a short wait as the guy in front of me had issues and he was not happy at all. He already had a boarding card for his flight and I assumed it was later than the 7:45a, so he was not in any hurry.

After about a five minute wait another agent called me forward and assisted me. After he was done, I went back to the check-in queue across the way. I got checked in at about 7:23a and made my way upstairs to the security and Immigration area.

I noticed that my gate was #5, so I hurried down there.

I checked in with the agent and he told me to wait for a moment.

As I waited, the boarding process started and everyone was boarded. Only myself and the two agents remained in the small gate area.

A guy came running down the stairs at about 7:35a looking for the Lufthansa flight that was at gate 6. The agent told him that he was at the wrong gate, but proceed to find out where his flight was located. A call came back that it had already closed so he could not make it. The guy started pleading, but to no avail, he had missed the flight.

My wait continued and one of the two agents working the flight came over and advised me that they were waiting for other passengers that were checked in and also that the flight is weight restricted.

I was able to get a seat at 7:50a. I did not mind the wait, as I got a chance to see the operations; airplanes landing ever so often as well as some fantastic takeoffs. I boarded right away.

London Jan. 4: Leaving the city

07APR08 London, England

It was 5:30a, when my alarm clock on my phone stabbed that darkness. I jumped up and turned it off immediately. Normally, I would snooze, but chose not to this morning. I had gotten about 4 hours or less sleep this time around. I got ready and left at 6:09a, nine minutes behind schedule. I was a bit delayed as I was checking e-mail and checking in for my flight from Amsterdam to Houston. While online, I noticed that another U.S. airline had ceased operations on Saturday; the less than one year old Skybus.

I walked out into the brisk cold morning air. There were lots of cars out, but not too many people. There were actually a few cars with snow on them. It was unclear if this was snow from yesterday morning’s fall or there was a fresh snowfall this morning. There was no evidence of a snowfall in the area where I was. I continued my brisk pace towards the Kings Cross St. Pancras train station. As I rounded the corner, I looked at the big clock over the St. Pancras station and it read 6:15a.

At the station, I checked the map for my routing, topped up my Oyster card with 10 GBP as I only had 1.30 GBP on it and then confirmed that the Northern Line was running then headed in that direction. The Oyster card is the best method of payment when using the London Underground. Using cash will cost you a little extra for each journey.

The train arrived in just one minute from my arriving on the platform. Inside is a good mixture of the people who make London go around. There were blue collar workers and office workers all alike. From a guy in a crisp pink shirt with cuff links (actually there was another guy in a pink shirt as well), a lady in her business suit to a laborer in a white paint stained jacket and holes in the top of his painted stained steel toe shoes. Almost everyone was reading a copy of Metro, the Transport for London newspaper. I was the only one who looked like he was going to an airport. It was funny when one laborer reached into his bag and took out a croissant from a packet and commenced to eat it. At least I thought it was. The train was silent and only had two standing passengers although all the seats were not taken.

We pulled into the Bank station at about 6:28a, I alighted and followed the signs to the DLR. It is strange, but there were no escalators or any sign of an elevator anywhere; just a series of stairs. As I got to the Docklands Light Rail (DLR), there was a train on the platform bound for Lewisham that was leaving in 1 minute. The King George V train (my train) would be the next train in 3 minutes. It showed up at 6:31a and it was 6:33a, when the DLR pulled out of the Bank station.

The crowd on this train is so different; a mix of flight attendants, airport worker, financial types and airport passengers. This is the train that passes through the London financial district and serves London City Airport (LCY).

We arrived at 6:56a and by 6:58a, I was at the check-in counter.

London Jan. 4: Leaving Houston-Intercontinental (IAH)

04PAR08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

I left the Club at about 6:45p and made my way to the gate at E-18. I wanted to stay longer as I was trying to upload the video of the congestion, but the flight was boarding and I did not want to be left behind since it was well past departure time. By the time I got to the gate, they were still boarding children. It would be good if Houston Intercontinental had complimentary WiFi throughout the airport.

I asked the Concierge if I could get a window seat, say 10L, she said no, but I could get one in the forward cabin of BusinessFirst near to my current aisle seat. We then spent a few minutes talking about the best seat in that cabin; it seems that it was 1K and after the boarding process had completed 8B. I’ll have to remember that the next time, but really, I’m a big fan of window seats.

She made the change and cheerfully handed me the new boarding after checking my passport. She then told me that I could board at my leisure, so I did.

London Apr. 4: (video) Congestion at Houston Intercontinental

London Apr. 4: At Houston Intercontinental

4APR08 Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

We arrived at the airport at about 5:05p. The traffic was bad and thank God we were able to take the HOV lane. Even with that it took a while as it started raining once we got closer to the airport.

I checked my bag and my colleagues headed for their respective gates. One had a flight at 5:25p, which sadly he missed as they closed the doors at 5:20p. As it turns out, it did not leave the gate until 5:57p. The other has a flight at 6:05p and had ample time to make it.

Clearing security was easy and then I made my way to the Presidents Club, showing my credentials to enter. I headed straight up to the top where I can get a better view of the ramp area and the Lee Road runway.

It is crazy at the airport due to the weather. It is actually cold and the wind has shifted so much so that the departure runway has changed to the Lee Road runway so the departure wait is really long. My flight is also delayed until 6:52p, but I'll still arrive early at 9:24a tomorrow at Heathrow. When I got to the Club, I saw it arriving as well as Lufthansa's (LH) Boeing 747-400 taxiing out to the runway.




The takeoff was fantastic as you can see.



I was just IMing (is that a word now?) who is going to bed in Munich, Germany as he is meeting me in Heahtrow at about 10:30a in Terminal 2. Ahh, the Inernet and technology!

There are at least 20 planes that I can see waiting for take off and I'm at one end of the runway. Even after we push at 6:52p, we are going to be here for a while...

Right now, nothing is moving as it is raining. Airplanes are taking off now, but at a diminished pace. The cloud ceiling has also decreased.

At 6:36p, we have not yet boarded. The 6:45p to Paris just started boarding. This is not a good day for the Operations at all. Mother Nature is in charge at the moment and calling all the shots.

A boarding announcement was made at 6:45p. More when I get to Heathrow...

A friend in India

I have a friend who is traveling in Asia right now. He just got to Bangalore, India (BLR) on Jet Airways (9W) after arriving in Mumbai, India (BOM) on Delta Air Lines' (DL) Boeing 777-200LR (77L) which has just flown its 5th flight. I think this is the second aircraft they've received.

He wants me to join him as he will be away until April 14. I'll see what I can do...

I've also invited him to blog as well. I'll see if he does. Speaking of blogging, if you want to blog your trips here, please send me a note.