Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008: Arriving in Houston Intercontinental from London-Heathrow

06OCT08 Houston Intercontinental. Houston TX (IAH)

We touched down quietly and smoothly at 12:45a. I looked across at the Terminal D gates and there was only an AeroMexico Boeing 737-700 with winglets at the gate. Neither the Asia nor the European heavies have arrived as yet. We had a quick taxi into the gate arriving at 12:50p.
It took a few minutes to deplane, then I headed for the Immigration area, following the lines for “Global Entry.” As we were the first European international flight in and we had a light load the normal Immigration lines were almost non-existent.

There were two customers ahead of me, but by the time I made it to the kiosk, one of them was free. I placed my passport under the reader as instructed; it read it, then I placed my right index finger on the reader and nothing. I pressed a little harder and still nothing. Eventually the machine reset itself to the main screen. Well, so much for a pleasant first experience.

I moved to the next machine advising the Officer who was thereof my experience on the other kiosk. He called another Office to take a look. My second attempt worked as it should and I received my Customs form and exited.

Downstairs, I just showed it to the Office there and of course there was no line again, so I did not feel like I gained anything. I know this won’t last forever though…

I headed to the 102 bus stop in Terminal C via the underground train. I was just in time for the arrival of the bus from downtown, so the wait was only about 10 minutes in all. I did notice two passengers who had arrived on that Aeromexico flight from Mexico City at the bus stop. When they boarded, they had no change, but luckily a passenger did so they were fine. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why Metro does not have a way for customers to get a Que card or at least change at the airport…

Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008: BA's downed Boeing 777-200 at Heathrow

As we taxied out to the runway I could see the Boeing 777 that crashed at Heathrow a few months ago. It is now devoid of the airline's markings.

Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008: Departing Heathrow for Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

06OCT08 Heathrow International, London England (LHR) Terminal 4

It was exactly 7:01a as my friend set me down at Terminal 4.
They are doing a lot of construction so you cannot drive up to the front of the terminal anymore. So, I bade him goodbye and made my way towards the elevators. It was taking forever, so I took the stairs along with another lady.

In the terminal, I was able to check-in rather quickly, well, did the security checks as I'd already checked in. I had not seen that few people in Terminal 4 in a long while and it was a Monday morning.

I got through security with ease and then made it to the Holideck Lounge. I had one purpose, check out the BBC's site for new shows. I did that, got some snacks and then headed out for the gate at about 7:45a.

I needed to check with IRIS so the next time I come back I would have no issues, but I have to wait for a few more weeks to get it all taken care of.

At the gate (1c), I got a window seat, got security checked and then showed my boarding pass and started the long walk down the winding jetway. As the flight was empty, I got the seat next to me vacant.

Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008: Leaving Central London for Heathrow

06OCT08 Central London, England

It was really early when the alarm clock rang; it was 5:15a :-(. We got up got ready and we were on our way by 5:55a. My friend programmed Heathrow into his GPS and after it found a signal, it told us where to go. The signs in the parking lot were pretty funny as we departed.


It was funny though as every now and then it told us to turn on a street that we could not see. Unfortunately, London is not a grid system, so it is a little difficult to navigate. Like all big cities, it has traffic issues. Luckily there was not to much of that this morning.

Eventually, we got out of the city and made our way to the A4 and found a sign that said "Heathrow."

As we approached the airport, we were in luck! An Airbus A340 in Star Alliance colors bore down upon us as we passed the end of the active runway. The timing could not have been more perfect. My adrenalin was racing as I kept my index finger on the shutter. Below is what it looked like.






As I approached the terminal, I saw my plane at the gate.

Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008: Arriving in Heathrow from Rotterdam

05OCT08 Heathrow International , London England (LHR)

By 9:15a, we arrived at the gate. I collected my bag that I had gate checked from one of the rows in the plane as the flight attendant had stored it there.
I then made my way out of the plane walking on the ground then up to the terminal. This was actually quite cool. The weather was overcast and slight rain, but did not feel as cold as Rotterdam.

In no time, I was in the Immigration Hall. I tried using the Iris machine, but twice it failed to recognize me. I think I will have to re-do my biometrics. I then went to the regular line and waited for a about 10 minutes to be processed.

After all that was over, I made my way to Customs and then out to the arrivals hall. As I had not listed for my return flight just yet, I did so at the kiosk and collected my boarding pass for tomorrow. Now I don’t have to worry about it tomorrow. I then headed for the Underground, where I topped up my Oyster card and boarded the waiting train to the city. In an hour or so, I’ll arrive at my destination.

Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008: Arriving in Rotterdam International, Rotterdam Netherlands (RTM)

05OCT08 Rotterdam International, Rotterdam Netherlands (RTM)

It was 7:30a when I exited the #12 bus at Rotterdam airport. It was still dark out and raining. There was one guy boarding the bus heading back to the city.

I made my way into the empty terminal; I was the only passenger in the entire check-in lobby. I approached the agent, greeted her, presented my credentials and got checked in. Window or aisle she asked; I chose a window. As I finished up, three persons queued up behind me for the same flight.

I then took a few pictures before I entered the secure area. This was a painless process as I was the only one in the queue. Inside the waiting area, there were actually a few other passengers waiting for the flight.

After a while, I took out my computer and it was then that I noticed a sign saying that T-Mobile was offering complimentary WiFi. Sweet! I connected, sent some blog updates and checked e-mail.

At 8:01a, an announcement was made that we should clear Immigration and then wait the boarding of the flight. I logged off, then did as was requested. I was able to log on again just before we started boarding promptly at 8:10a.
We all boarded a bus and headed out to the waiting Fokker F50 as it continued to rain..

Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008: Arriving in Houston Intercontinental from downtown Houston

Houston intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) Terminal E

I was glad that we made it to the Terminal in one piece. The trainee driver looked really frazzled as we departed. That hitting the curb really shook him up.

Clearing security was not an issue. I then went to get a ticket for the Rotterdam to Heathrow segment of my trip. We called my other colleague who had already arrived at the Presidents Club.
She was relaxing and waiting for us. In a few minutes we joined her there.

After a round of beverages, we then headed for the gate at 6:45p. As we approached the field, I realized that everyone had already boarded. The agents seem bored as they waited for us. They re-printed our boarding passed and we boarded right away.

Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008: Leaving downtown Houston

Downtown Houston, TX

It was 5:31p when we left work and headed for the airport. There was a lot of traffic so it was really slow going for a while. Once we got to US59, we took the HOV lane as the traffic was horrendous. As we neared Greens Rd., we noticed a motorcycle accident; this was the reason for the traffic.

We exited at the airport and decided to use the Parking Spot 2 facility as we were early enough. As it turned out, they were going to Terminal E so it all worked out. As we neared Terminal e, the trainee driver hit the curve as he moved over so he could get us to Terminal E.

Rotterdam, Netherlands Oct. 2008

I have not yet logged the Rotterdam airport so it is time. I have been to Rotterdam before though.

I noticed that in Heathrow KLM has a Fokker F50 there each time I use the airport. I checked and it goes to Rotterdam, Netherlands (RTM). It is so funny to see this small 50-seater airplane next to all the other large airplanes. I want to say that it is the smallest scheduled service passenger aircraft flying into Heathrow.

So the plan is to fly into Amsterdam tonight, train it to Rotterdam, then on Sunday fly into Heathrow, spend the night in London and ten fly back home on Monday. I'd fly into Heathrow and then take the flight to Rotterdam, but on Saturdays, the flight leaves at 10:05a, which does not connect nicely with my 9:35a arrival from the U.S.

I'm dragging two of my colleagues with me to Rotterdam as well, so it will be fun! Maybe a third who is undecided at the moment.

San Francisco, CA September 2008: Electronically robbed

So I went out to lunch today and tried to use my bankcard. It was declined. Annoyed, I gave the guy another card which workd fine.

Once I got back to work, I checked my account and sure enough there were two charges which I had not made. They were made in Florida at two separate Walmarts forty-five minutes apart. The stores are located 3.2 miles from each other. Total charges were over $400!

I called up my bank and they will credit me the amount and investigate what happened. I am thinking that the only time this could have happened was when I gave my card out for a meal at a local restaurant Friday night after arriving in San Francisco, CA. I did also use the card for cash that same night, so it is possible that there was a little device in the card reader at the bank.

This is quite disturbing to say the least!

San Francisco, CA September 2008: San Francisco International, San Francisco CA (SFO) to Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

CO1444 29SEP08 San Francisco International, San Francisco CA (SFO) to Houston Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) 8:05a 1:48p 739 N??419

Flight Time: 3:20
Seat Map

The jetway was still backed up so it took a few minutes to make it onto the airplane. I greeted the flight attendant who greeted me back, then I continued through the twenty leather seats configured in a 2-2 configuration. Finally, I made my way to the Economy class cabin which is configured in a 3-3 configuration with an extra lavatory just behind First class.

The doors closed at 8:04a and three minutes later, we pushed back as the flight attendants did the manual safety demo. This aircraft is not yet equipped with any entertainment system, so there are no screens. It does have power ports at every seat in First class and two to every row of three seats in Economy class, but they are not yet powered up.

As we taxied out, the Captain advised the flight attendants to take their seats at 8:12a and three minutes later, we commenced our takeoff roll, climbing into the foggy morning skies.

After takeoff, the lead flight attendant advised that alcoholic beverages were 5 USD, other beverages were complimentary and that we would have breakfast on our way to Houston this morning. No mention was made of any entertainment or lack there of. I did check below my seat and felt the electrical plugs, but did not bother to try them as I figured they would not be working either. I did see the little sticker similar to what I'd seen on the other airplane on the bulkhead in front of me.

The position of this seat is actually crappy, as people stand there waiting for the bathroom which is actually right across from that seat. The legroom is fantastic though! Also, when the flight attendants go from the first class cabin to Economy, invariably they bump your shoulder as you go by. So do other people waiting for the lavatory.

It was 8:35a when the beverage service arrived. I had some apple juice as well as some hot water so I could have my lemon and ginger tea. In a few minutes, breakfast arrived. It consisted of a banana, a muffin, milk and cornflakes.

I had taken out my computer and started to sort out some of the pictures I had taken all weekend. I had to close it to eat as there is not much room to accommodate it and the meal. At that point the guy next to me said hello and we started a very lively conversation. He was actually quite the traveler and had been to about 35 countries. I applauded him, he was equally impressed at my 82.

A second drink service commenced at 9:24a; I declined as I'd had enough to drink at this point. I started watching one of the TV shows I'd downloaded from the BBC and actually fell asleep about 15 minutes into it. I was really tired having gotten up at 4:40a.

I did hear the Captain say that it was now 83F and sunny and that we were starting our descent and he anticipated an ontime arrival at 1:48p. I was soon awoken to get ready for landing, then I went right back to sleep.

San Francisco, CA September 2008: Departing San Francisco International, San Francisco, CA (SFO) for Houston, TX

San Francisco International, San Francisco CA (SFO)

I "detrained" [is that a word, like deplaned?] and then took the airport train to Terminal 1 where I alighted and headed to the Presidents Club.

I hate taking BART as the process is so much longer than the bus. the KX only takes about twenty minutes and I get dropped off right outside my terminal. it is also cheaper at $4.00 as opposed to $5.35 on the train.

I checked in at the club and had a breakfast of a bagel with cream cheese, a banana and some juice. I took some time to check e-mail and the status of my flight. Doesn't look too god, but will see.

At about 7:05a, I headed to the gate; the line at security was building, but it did not take too long to clear it. At the gate, I waited until about 7:45a, at which point I got a seat. I went around to the gate and boarded when it was my turn, which happened to be the last group as I was seated jus tbehind the First class cabin.

San Francisco, CA September 2008: Leaving downtown San Francisco

29SEP08 San Francisco, CA

My phone rang at 4:40a, it was my friend who was in the city for the weekend telling me that he had arrived in Newark and was on his way to Atlanta, GA. I groggyily acknowledged him and advised that I was sitll sleeping as my flight was at 8:05a; he thought it was at 6:00a. Grrrr.

I went back to sleep and awoke at 5:00a when the alarm clock on my phone went off. I got ready and was out of there by 5:35a. I made it to the platofrm at 5:45a, missing the 5:44a train to the airport. I had considered taking the KX, but they don't run too often at this hour and I did not feel like waiting in the dark at that

bus stop. Also, I had no change and when I asked the hotel guy, he had none either.

At 5:59a, a 9-car train showed up and I boarded along with other airport bound passengers. It was 6:30a, when the train pulled into the station at the airport.

San Francisco, CA September 2008: The Maltese Falcon

I just saw Tom Perkin's boat called the Maltese Falcon. It was out in the San Francisco Bay with many other boats enjoying a sail on this picture perfect day.

If you read the book Valley Boy, you will learn all about this boat.

Here is a story about why it is here.

San Francisco, CA September 2008: Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to San Francisco, CA (SFO)

CO307 26SEP08 Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH) to San Francisco International, San Francisco CA (SFO) 5:50p 8:09p 739ER N??421

Flight Time: 3:43
Seat Map

It was slow boarding as passengers tried to find space for their bags. With such a large aircraft I found it strange that it was taking so long to accomplish this task. But apparently people take a lot of crap on board.

I found my row, just after finding a place for my bag in the overhead compartment. I was at the window and had to ask the guy and the young girl next to me to let me in. Apparently, my standing there and pointing to my seat was not enough. The guy commented that I was late; I told him it happens and tomorrow will be his time, taking my seat in the process.

It was not until I sat down that I realized that this was a Boeing 737-900ER. It has five rows of 2-2 leather seating in First class with a lavatory separating the Economy cabin with its 3-3 cloth seat configuration.

I settled in after a few seat changes and ended up with a window with the middle seat empty; yes, more room for this almost 3 hours flight.

It was 5:49p, when we pushed back at which time the flights did the manual demo as this aircraft is not yet equipped with any entertainment system. we then started our taxi out to the runway.



At 6:01p, we had made it to the runway and the left engine was started. Once that was accomplished, we made our way to runway 33L/15R, took our position behind an Embrear ERJ-145 from Continental Express and took to the air at 6:05p after the Captain telling the flight attendants to take their seats two minutes earlier.

After takeoff, the lead flight attendant welcomed us onboard and advises that there would be a beverage and meal service. There was no mention of the lack of entertainment on this aircraft.

I eagerly tried the power outlet, but was disappointed as it had no power at all. My battery life said 3:34 so at least I had some juice in it. Before closing, she re-iterated that the flying time was 3:43 and that we should sit back and relax and enjoy the flight to San Francisco.

The flight attendants passed and headed to the front of the plae with the beverage cart at about 6:35p.

At 6:31p, the captain welcomed us at 34,000' advising us that although he had turned off the seatbelt signs, we should keep our seatbelts fastened when seated. He re-iterated the 3:43 flying time and advised that we would be 20 minutes early arriving at 7:50p. He also advised us to re-set our watch as it was 4:33p in San Francisco at this time. The weather in San Fran was the winds were 20 mph and the temperature is 68F with scattered clouds. He added that he would update us later of our arrival as we neared the airport; concluding with "once again, welcome on board."

The meals came through and I spotted pizza, which is not really my favorite on planes, but we will see.

At 6:47p, the Stefano steak & cheese hot pizza arrived with a salad plus pepper cream dressing and a KitKat milk wafer bar.

By now the drink cart had caught up and I ordered some ginger ale as well as some water. The couple sitting aisle across in my row, held each other's hands and prayed before the meal.

The pizza was surprisingly good and I ended up having it all. I just did not have the KitKat bar. Thrash pickup followed shortly after at 7:08p.

I had to use the lavatory and noticed that they had really nice LEDs. Once I closed the door, they are supposed to brighten but they did not. When I was done, I asked one of the flight attendants what happened and she advised me that the lights were not working as they should.

As there was no entertainment, I started to watch a film had downloaded from the BBC this past weekend. A second drink service came when I was about 1/2 way through the program called "The Real Hustle."

It was 7:58p, when the seatbelt signs came on as the Captain said that we are approaching some choppy air. I felt asleep soon after.

At 9:25p (Houston time), the Captain came on the PA and said that we were 15 minutes from touchdown; he also noted that it was 57F; wow, that's cold! The flight attendants came through the cabin and collect the trash soon after the announcement.

The final descent started at 9:35p; we then had to prepare the cabin for landing. Welcome to San Fran says the flight attendant making the address.

San Francisco, CA September 2008: Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

Houston-Intercontinental, Houston TX (IAH)

We arrived at Terminal C at 5:25p. I hurried inside, cleared security as there was literally no one around, checked the board to ensure that my gate had not changed, then headed towards gate C34. My other colleagues took another entrance and headed for Terminal B.

I made a quick stop in the Presidents Club, had a beverage, saying hello to the bartender who used to work in Terminal E's Club then had some crackers and cheese and then looked for a newspaper. There were none, so I headed out to the gate.

I got to the gate at 5:35p, collected my boarding pass for a window seat and boarded right away as there was no one else around.

San Francisco, CA September 2008: Downtown Houston, TX

There was not much traffic leaving the city, but as we got onto the HOV lane on US59, the traffic started to build on the regular road. I was glad that we had taken the HOV lane today.

We got to the parking facility and I advised the lady that I was running late, but still we had to wait about 10 minutes for a shuttle. Once it came, it took us directly to Terminal C. As I did not know from which gate I was departing, we called Continental. It was funny as since the bus was noisy, the automated system had a bit of trouble. Eventually, one of my colleagues got through just as I did and advised it was C34.

San Francisco, CA September 2008

This weekend I'm heading out to San Francisco to hang with some friends for an extended weekend. I've been meaning

to do this and finally I am. This is a simple trip, straight out there and back, nothing extra. Let's hope it all hold out.

Hurricane Ike: Comcast

So, I saw the story below talking about how Comcast is giving us credit as we had no power, hence no cable, hence no Internet. But there is always a catch! The bastards wants us to call to get credit, when in the same story they said they could tell whether or not we were using the service or not.

The injustice!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6021492.html

Comcast counts lack of power

Customers to get credit for outages due to electricity

By BRAD HEM Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Sept. 24, 2008, 10:32PM

Comcast will credit customers for the time they were unable to access their service, even if it was simply because they were without power, a spokesman said Wednesday.

"They were still without service," spokesman Ray Purser said. "We're going to credit them for that time."

It is a departure from its usual policy, which is not to credit customers if an outage is strictly caused by lack of electricity, Purser said.

The scope of problems caused by Hurricane Ike prompted the company to take a different approach.

AT&T spokesman Dan Feldstein said U-verse television customers also will be credited for time they lost service because of a power outage. Time Warner Cable, which serves areas east of Houston such as Beaumont, is giving customers a blanket credit from Sept. 12 until service is restored in those communities, spokesman Gary Underwood said.

Incorrect information

After announcing its credit offer Tuesday morning, Comcast received 50,000 calls during the day from customers, Purser said. The company has about 750,000 subscribers in the Houston area.

However, some reported they had problems getting through or were told incorrectly a credit wasn't forthcoming.

Spring resident Nancy Thornton said she was told she'd have to foot the whole bill even though she was without power for nine days.

Purser attributed any confusion to workers in the Comcast call center not knowing the policy by the time inquiries started coming in.

"It's probably just a symptom of miscommunication," he said. "We're working at a rapid pace. Maybe the call center was not ready to handle the calls."

Taking their word for it

To get the credit, customers must call 800-COMCAST and ask for it. For the most part, the company will take customers at their word for time without electricity, Purser said. However, the company can monitor when power becomes available at its nodes — vital boxes that serve whole neighborhoods — and Internet traffic by area, he said.

"More than likely, we believe the customer is going to be truthful," he said.

Credits would show up on the next 28-day billing cycle.

75 percent restored

By Wednesday afternoon, Comcast had restored service to 75 percent of its customers, though some of them may not know it because they are still without power, Purser said.

"We still have a number of nodes that are down," Purser said. "That is still an issue for us."

Comcast has posted maps of its nodes through its Web site, www.comcast.com, to let customers see where the outages are near their homes. But the maps are fairly small, and customers have complained on some online comment threads that they can't tell which node applies to them.

Spokesman Michael Bybee said Comcast wants to provide as much information to customers as possible and is considering adding detail to the maps.

brad.hem@chron.com

London August 2008: Departing London-Heathrow International for Houston Intercontinental. Houston, TX (IAH)

21SEP08 London-Heathrow International, London England (LHR)

I made it to Heathrow at 9:32a, plenty of time to check-in.

I made my way to the Check-in area and was surprised how sparse it was. The entire terminal was actually not very crowded. I think one of the reasons was that the flight loads are not too bad as well as the fact that British Airways (BA) has moved more of its flights to Terminal 5.

I got checked in, cleared the almost non-existent security lines and headed for the Holideck. I tooled around a bit, grabbed some breakfast and watched planes take off. I saw a British Airways (BA) Boeing 747-400, Jet Airways' Boeing 777-300ER as well as a few British Airways Boeing 777s.

I did notice that the BA 777 that crashed landed is now devoid of the BA logo as it still sits across from the take off runway.

My flight is delayed as it arrived late so at 10:50a, it still shows Will board at gate 2. I will head over there soon though.