Bahdir: Sorry about your disapointing trip. I wonder what baggage system is being used in PHL; visual or something automated like Denver? I feel real lucky when I get a window seat and can see my bag being loaded. I can only imagine that someone on the B level was completely asleep in that you showed up close to time and they probably had all the bags loaded for the SEA flight and were "thinking" on PIT and didn't expect any late arriving bags. That's a tough one. Best luck! Mike Burris Cambridge, Mass --- Bahadir Acuner <bahadiracuner@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > I usually write my trip reports once the round trip > is completed , but this > one calls a special one, so here it goes : > > US 115 June 6th 2003, PHL-SEA, A321 N172US, Seat 9A > > > > I booked this ticket about 2 weeks before the flight > and it was whopping > $430 r/t. I guess this being the summer season, SEA > is a hot destination. > This flight also had a special meaning for me , it > was going to be my first > A321 flight in Norht America. Before I travelled in > Lufti A321s between > FRA/MUC and IST. > > One of the things I do I try to track the flight > down as early as possible > and thanks to the gate information, etc you can see > the routing this > airplane goes through before it gets to you. For > instance this specific > aircraft was making CLT-PHL-MHT-PHL-SEA-PIT that day > starting at 10:00 am in > CLT and going back to PIT as a redeye from SEA. > > At any rate, I leave work at 3:30 pm for the 6:00 pm > flight. My usual an > hour long drive gets to be much longer due to > traffic and accidents. By the > time I go to the long term parking, wait for the > bus, etc. I got to the > SkyCap at 5:15 pm. I tell SkyCap that I have a > reservation for a SEA flight > that leaves at 6:00 pm, he goes and checks for it > and comes back saying that > nothing is under my name. Then he tells me to stay > put, and shows up 10 mins > later with a boarding pass jacket with a luggage > sticker on it. I think , > fine, then I can use the kiosks, but he tells me to > go to the gate right > away. This was odd. > > I go through the security, with the similar routine > like, take shoes off > (they have metal they go off) , take the laptop out, > etc. and rush to gate > C27. When I was leaving work the flight showed > leaving from B6, so I get > nervous about equipment change. > > I got to the gate around 5:45 pm, thinking that they > may get some stand-by > pax instead, but no one is boarding yet. Of course > the F class is full , but > I do have one of the best econ seats in the house, > so I will save some $$ > > The first boarding is for F class people. The second > announcement comes for > Dividend Miles Elite people, but no Milage Plus high > status. So I get to > board with the Dividend Miles Elite people, and the > gate agent gives me hard > time because I don't have anything that I belong to > the crowd on the > boarding pass. I show her my Premier Exec card, and > she shuts up. > > While we are boarding I take a look at the cockpit > as we are boarding from > L1 door, our registration is N172US. Such an easy > number to remember, to > write it down on my little flight log later on. It > turns out that the > aircraft was going to board B6 but due to some > technical problems they moved > the aircraft to C27 and that was the reason for the > delay/gate change. > > We pushed back at 6:12pm , 22:13Z Crossed 27R at K3 > . There were regular > 6:00 pm push aircraft waiting for take off, a > DL737-800 (N3748Y), a UAL > 737-300 (6:00 pm ORD flight), AWE319 (I think this > is PHX flight) and a NWA > DC9 (DTW) . We gave way to two US A330s and F/O came > on PA and said that > they had to give way to "big guys" due to slot > control issues at their > destinations. > > We took off on runway 27L at 6:34 pm / 2234 Z. It > was a long run of 6000 > feet immediately followed by "chainsaw" sound of > engines. > > I checked online before the flight about the movie, > it was "About Schimit" > (sp?) and I wanted to see it as I heard it was a > good one. Interestingly , > there were no announcements about the movie on the > PA system. They just > started to show the trailers right after take off, > then a F/A came by saying > "headsets, headsets" as if they were for free. As a > matter of fact the guy > next to me had to return them when he found out that > he had to pay $5. > To my luck the screen on that part of the plane is > right under the ceiling, > very small and the angle was making it really hard > to watch it. So I decided > not to pay for it. > > Major difference between UA and US on this, in UA > movie starts after the > meal service, on US it is the other way around. > Personaly I like UA's way > better. > > After movie and the "headsets" ordeal they started > to serve snacks. It was a > bag of ham&cheese sandwich, Cape Cod potato chips > and snickerdoodle cookie. > I didn't eat ham&cheese as I don't eat pork, and had > to content with the > rest. I had sparkling water with the meal, if I can > call that... > > I couldn't catch any ZZs even though I was really > tired. I went all the way > to the back of the aircraft to have a glass of water > after a quick visit on > the midcabin restroom. I ended up chatting with this > F/A and we talked about > mostly airline travel. At one point I was telling > her how America West > started to use CRJs on PHX-SEA runs and she said > "just wait. in couple of > years will be mostly CRJs and you will miss the > normal narrow bodies" . She > also said how she likes A320 family vs. B737 and > B757s both from pax > perspective and her professional one. > > After a normal "Come from northeast, fly the > downwind and do a visual to the > north" approach, we landed on 34R at 8:43 local / > 3:43 Z. > > It was a very long flight and I think except the > ones that I have already > pruchased, I will be using United from now on. > > > Everything went down hill after this point. I went > to the luggage carousel > #5 to pick up my bag, but it wasn't there. When I > went to the US Airways > baggage claim, the CSR was really surprised that I > was on the non-stop > flight with no connections. She ran the luggage > number and told me that it > was sent to PIT. She couldn't give me any > explanation and I couldn't come up > with one also. > > I finally got my luggage back today , the following > day, with some food > items missing. A food jar was open leaving liquid > all over my cloths also.. > I am guessing the blame falls under TSA on this one, > instead of US, but I am > very upset about the fact that the luggage was put > on the PIT flight that > left the same time as the SEA one. > > In a nutshell : > - US Airways' customer service is inferior to > United. > - A321 doesn't have "stiff seats" I mentioned in the > previous report on the > A319. > - A321 is quiter compared to B757, but it gets > really loud for some reason > when the thrust reversers are engaged. > - United should offer better fares , so that I won't > miss them too much > > BAHA ACUNER - CFI,CFII,MEI > > www.bahadiracuner.com > www.acuwings.com