You are copying a similar format used by my friend Elton Parks, to mimic PAX trip reports: Give me a break... --- David Mueller <kawika42@mac.com> wrote: > Reread the subject line. This is not a normal trip > report, as this > turned out to be not exactly a normal trip. > > It was a dark and stormy night... > > Well, no. It wasn't night nor dark, but it was > mostly cloudy with > occasional rain showers. The place is Honolulu > International Airport, > nestled just west of Pearl Harbor on the south shore > of the Hawaiian > island of O'ahu. > > Just before 9:00am local time on the 5th day of > January in the year > 2002, A champagne-colored Toyota Camry pulls up > curbside at the > interisland terminal. From it emerge two young men > (myself and my > brother), and their parents. The four make their > way to the trunk and > begin unloading bags. > > After hugs and kisses goodbye, the young men enter > the terminal building > and locate the agriculture inspection machines > through which their > checked bags must be passed through before they can > proceed to check in > for their flight. > > The young men are early, very early. Their flight > to the Southern > California city of San Diego is not scheduled to > depart until 2:45pm. > However, they have chosen to arrive early in order > to meet one of the > younger man's (my brother's) high school friends > during her layover > while traveling from the town of Hilo on the Island > of Hawaii, often > known simply as the Big Island, to the California > metropolis of Los > Angeles. > > The interisland check in line is quite long. There > are two other lines, > one for Los Angeles and one for Seattle, as both > cities have > extra-section flights on this particular morning. > The two men select > the shorter of the two lines, the one for Seattle. > The agent does not > question their early presence and simply checks in > the men and their > luggage for their San Diego flight. The two men > note that they are > given a new ticket jacket with the new company logo > and a photograph of > a 717. The previous ticket jacket featured a DC-10. > > After checking in, the two head to the security > checkpoint. The line is > not terribly long. Their IDs and tickets are > checked, bags with laptop > computers removed are placed through the x-ray > machine. Prior to > putting the laptops through, they are asked to open > the lids. The two > pass through the metal detector, and are also > checked by hand with a > wand. The older man (me) has his laptop and shoes > rubbed with small > pads which are then placed in a machine for a quick > analysis. There are > no problems, and the two men depart the security > area, 18 minutes after > getting into the security line. The presence of two > armed National > Guard officers as well as "No Photography of the > Security Area" signs > are noted. > > The two make their way to gate 59 in the interisland > terminal, where > they wait for the arriving Hawaiian Airlines Boeing > 717-22A carrying the > friend from Hilo. The aircraft arrives after a > short wait, and > passengers quickly begin to disembark. The friend > arrives, and the > three make their way up to the Wiki Wiki shuttle bus > which will take > them to the overseas terminal. The bus arrives and > is quickly filled to > capacity, then departs. > > The next stop is theirs and the three disembark > along with many other > passengers. They make their way to gate 20 in the > Central Concourse, > where the Los Angeles-bound DC-10-10 is waiting. > Boarding is delayed > because of cleaning. Once the friend boards the > flight, the two men > head over to the airport barber shop for haircuts. > > Shortly before 12:00 noon, the haircuts are finished > and the older man > uses his cell phone to call his parents, who have > returned to the > airport to drop off visiting family members who were > also traveling that > day, on a United Airlines flight to the City by the > Bay, San Francisco. > The parents are just dropping them off curbside at > United, so the two > head out of the airport. Departing the sterile area > can now only be > done by going downstairs to the baggage claim, it is > no longer possible > to stay on the upper level and go into the ticketing > lobby. Just before > the two reach the waiting car, the parents are > forced to drive off and > make a loop around the airport as they noticed the > vehicle waiting > behind them being asked to leave. > > The two are picked up and head to Ba-Le, a nearby > French-Vietnamese > restaurant in order to partake in the mid-day meal. > After a meal > certainly cheaper and most likely tastier than those > available within > the airport terminal, it is approaching 1:00 and the > two young men must > return to the airport in order to ensure sufficient > time to re-clear > security and board their flight to San Diego. > > Returning to the Hawaiian Airlines security > checkpoint in the > interisland terminal, they find the line to be much > shorter. This time > it is the younger man who is subjected to the > additional laptop and shoe > tests. Again they clear the area with no problems. > > The two walk to the Ewa Concourse of the overseas > terminal, to gate 28 > where their Boeing 767-33A(ER), N580HA, named Kolea, > awaits. An > announcement is made that boarding will be delayed > as the cleaning crew > has not finished with the aircraft. Boarding > proceeds in typical > fashion, staring with preboarding first class > passengers, HawaiianMiles > Pualani members, and those passengers needing extra > time or assistance > to board. General boarding begins with rows 32 > through 44, the aft > economy class section of the aircraft. Several > minutes later all > remaining passengers are invited to board; it is at > this time that the > two men do so and take their seats at 31H and 31J. > > When the aircraft appears ready to depart, the > captain makes the > announcement that there will be an additional delay > before departure, as > the ground crew had neglected to load sufficient > potable water for the > flight. > > During the wait, the Air Canada flight from > Vancouver, British Columbia > arrives, being operated by Airbus A340-313X C-FYLD, > painted with the > titles and logos of the first six Star Alliance > members. > > At 3:30pm, 45 minutes behind the scheduled departure > time, the aircraft > begins its pushback from the gate. Once clear of > the gate and holding > position on the tarmac, the engines are started. > But the aircraft does > not begin its taxi, instead holding in position for > several further > minutes. > > At 3:42pm, the captain makes an announcement, > telling the passengers > that a warning light came on in the cockpit when the > engines were > started, indicating that one of the aircraft's > navigation systems was > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/