------- Frontier flight 406 SEA - DEN 11:15am - 2:50pm 23JUN2003 N907FR---- ------------ Checked in at the ticket counter about 90 minutes before depute. There was no one in line and I walked right up to the ticket counter, the agent working recalled my name and was very personable, giving me my favorite seat. I made my way down two escalators and in the security where I spent a total of ten minutes, before getting on the train out to the south satellite. Once there I went up two different escalators, along the way noting that there seems to be a secure exit from customs that does not involve going through security and instead going right to the train. Once in to the terminal I found some friends near gate S16 and chatted for a while before going over to S5, my depute gate. As I sat down I noted two uniformed people standing up, one of them with two bars on his shoulder. They walked over to the boarding door and went on. I wondered to myself if there where going to only be two flight attendants onboard. While chatting on my cell phone I noticed that there is nothing left of the old "A" concourse (including the big TWA gate area,) and the PAN-AM building was missing, replaced with a mostly finished (well the outside at least) new "A" concourse. Shortly thereafter they started calling boarding, and being in the last row window seat I was among the first group to board. The gate agent collected tickets, reviewed them, and let us onboard. I wonder who or when the passengers are "on-ed" in the computer. As I stepped onboard my first thoughts was that this is a green Jet Blue and this being an Airbus 319. About half way back myself and one of the flight attendants seemed to recognize each other, I would not figure it out until after I went to bed that night. As I approached the 22nd row, where my seat was I noted a third flight attendant (who's name was Joy) was working in the rear galley. Before takeoff there where several announcements pointing out that the live TV is free on the ground, and a $5 charge is collected to watch it in-flight. I declined to pay and thus spent most of flight looking out the window comparing what I saw with the moving map on the TV in front of me. Thankfully the map was free, as where the ads for A&E and others that rotated through. The In-flight service was simple enough with one of the flight attendants, the one whom could not figure out why I recognized him made a special announcement that Pepsi products, not Coke are offered. They also gave me two small pretzel things. As we approached the Rockies it started to get a bit bumpy. This is when I really missed Channel 9 from United. I would have loved to listen. Above 17000 feet near Ft. Collins we encountered nearly severe turbulence. It sounded like "Ka-Thump" as the front part of the aircraft and left wing was (pushed or pulled?) down several degrees. Several gasps of shock came from the passengers as they swung there arms up into the air with great force. One scream came from the back galley... followed by several seconds of shacking or vibrating as the pilot seemed to regain control, pulling the nose up and lowering the right wing. Light to medium chop continued for about five minutes as the passenger in 22d and others considered getting up and looking in the back galley. Not one of them got up, and no sound from Flight Attendant Joy, in the back, could be herd. One of the front flight attends came started making his way back collecting cups ect from the ground and peoples hands. Around row 18 a passenger had his wedding ring fly off and another one was missing his valuable pen from his shirt pocket. As he came further back another passenger reported the scream from the back. He went back and spent a few minutes before emerging with Joy making an PA announcement of some sort. I noted that he and the other forward flight attendant seemed to walk in a very jagged manner, with there feet turned in under the aisle seat bars allong the floor, and they grasped the seat backs as they gingerly worked the cabin, picking up the stuff that flew around holding them up until they where claimed by there owners... hair spray, notebooks ect. As we approached DEN I observed that the TV gismo was showing that we where at 11000 feet, right at the top of the clouds, with us passing through build ups here and there, causing further chop. Why did ATC not clear us down to 9000 or up to 12000 as we approached? After what seemed like an eternity we landed, where I noticed a frontier pick up truck off to the side of the end of the runway. It seemed to follow us to the gate. One of the flight attendants made a PA announcement that Pena Blvd has a lower than expected speed limit and that the traffic tickets start at $120. Interesting. As I deplaned I noted an busy gate staff being frustrated with the passengers not coming off the plane, well we came off in groups as people found there personal items, collected them from where ever they landed and then exited. Flight Attendant Joy had suffered sever bruises and cuts and was bleeding on her wrist. I noted that this plane would be going on to LGA and not LAX as was announced in Seattle. ------- Alaska flight 587 DEN-SEA 6:55pm - 8:41pm 23JUN2003 -------------- --------- After about an hour I found my friend and we cheeked in at the Alaska ticket counter using the electronic checking gismo. It was simple to use. Then we went on to security, where we spent 50 minutes in line. Got through and on to the train. I could not find the sky bridge that the planes go under with the spooky music. We got off the train at the first stop and up to the Alaska gate where an agent was selling $50 first class upgrade's and that the flight was "...just under three hours..." Interesting I thought. We boarded and then sat and sat. It seems that the starter key to the APU was missing and it started to get really uncomfortable inside. After a while the pilot came on saying the delay was due to extra cargo and they would be under way shortly. We sat some more and then pushed back, took off. The 10000 foot chime when off and the flight attendants stayed seated until we where well past the Rockies. One of the aft flight attendants referred to some sort of "Big Announcement" that was to have been made today, she thought it would be the removal of First Class from there aircraft. Hum. Short and uneventful flight to Seattle. We landed to the north and taxed right up to our gate. I and the others deplaned. I noticed a King 5 news truck outside the main terminal. I walked home. Later that night I figured out that I recognized one of the flight attendants, Brandon and the others as they deplaned the last F9 flight from DEN on the 22nd of June, flight 837 (as I was working nearby.) End of report. Questions: When will the F9 incident I experienced be reported on ntsb.gov? It seems the aft galley is not as safe as the forward one. John Conner