Montego Bay May 2008: Arriving in Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ) from Houston, TX (IAH)

11MAY08 Donald Sangster International, Montego Bay Jamaica (MBJ)

We had a smooth touchdown in this airport that is named after a previous Prime Minister, and headed for the gate area. There were a few Air Jamaica airplanes at the gate, but the onslaught of the flights from the U.S. was just starting and we were the first to arrive.

As we rounded the corner for our gate, I saw a Jetairfly's Boeing 767-300ER at the gate. Chances are it came from somewhere in the U.K.

We deplaned and took the long walk to Immigration. On my way, I was able to take this picture:

There was quite a line at the Immigration counter as two other flights had arrived just about the same time. It took about 30 minutes to clear it all, then we cleared Customs pretty quickly and made our way to Avis.

In about another 20 minutes, we got our car, some local currency and were on our way.

Montego Bay May 2008: It is time to go

I was up at the crack of dawn and just before I jumped into the shower, my phone rang. It was my friend from Atlanta saying that his flight is delayed and he does not think he will make it. He mentioned that the flying time was 1:48 and looking at the clock I realized that he would be fine. He called 10 minutes later to say they were departing.

I got ready and left making my way to the airport gingerly due to road closures as there was an apparent race in town.

It was not an issue arriving at the airport and a bus to the terminals came in no time. Clearing security was not an issue then we headed for the Presidents Club for some much needed breakfast and to await a seat on the flight.

The Plan

O.K., so I will head out tomorrow morning to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ), then come back on Sunday and head to Killeen, TX (GRK) spend the night and head back on Monday morning for work at 9:00a.

My friend from Georgia called and I told him so he may join me along with another friend of mine.

Decisions, decisions

So, it is Thursday and a decision should be made about the weekend events. It is Mothers' Day weekend so a visit to see my mom is in order.

Also, my grand aunt turns 99 (I like how that looks) on Sunday, May 11, 2008. Can you imagine being born in 1909? Amazing I think.

Plus, my aunt called me twice today and I've just had a chance to get back to her and she needs my help, so I have to go see her.

Oh, lest I forget, it is my sister's 1st. wedding anniversary on Monday, so I need to see her and get her wedding pictures to her. O.K., it is a long story, that if I ever meet you we can talk about over a beer. She is also a mom of two young boys as well.

A few local friends I've known for a long time are having a party locally to celebrate great milestones. I really should be there to cheer them on.

So what to do? How about do them all or as much of them as is humanly possible.

This will be tricky though as my family stresses me out immensely, so stay tuned.

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.