Ok, so I have decided to do a trip report. This should be a bit of a
departure from my normal chipper commentary and opining on our shared obsession with
the airline industry and flying in general. I am actually going to follow
this one with another, as I am writing this during my second trip home in 2
weeks. If they suck, I blame Baha (just kidding).
Flight 1: 9/14/04 BTR-MEM, Pinnicle Airlines (put in flight number), CRJ-200
I am a jackass and did not get any Tail numbers on this trip (perhaps some
tail, but this is a family list), so sorry. As some of you know, I have gone
from Hollywood to London to New Orleans over this past year. I am going to law
school and getting my PhD at Tulane, so New Orleans is my home for the next
few years. That means last week, I left due to Ivan closing the city, including
the university. I actually found out in the gym and booked a $313 RT at
10:00 PM on Monday for a Tuesday 6:30 AM departure. This would be my first flight
in at least 15 years, if ever on NWA. I drove to Tulane to pick up a friend
who was flying to Chicago from BTR as well, and we left around 1 AM. Unlike
the people who had 9 hour drives from New Orleans to Baton Rouge Tuesday
afternoon, we were there, with a stop at IHOP near LSU, by 3:15. BTR is a rather
new terminal, and looks a lot like the terminals at ONT. I gave it the nickname
"The Smallest Airport in the World" because the whole terminal is probably
about half the size of any terminal at LAX. Anyway, there was no one there
except my friend, a few plane cleaners, a security guard and me. The TSA
screeners had not even gotten there yet. Anyway, we hung out, ran into a couple more
early PAX and then went to the roof of the parking structure to see an inbound
NWA flight that was supposed to arrive at 0355. Turns out that plane was
shown wrong on the screen and was a 3:55 PM arrival. Hilarious stuff, as we were
rather tired from a full day and nearly 24 hours awake. Anyway, check-in
staff got there and I got exit rows all the way to LAX. We went tu screening,
and my friend was picked as he always is for a secondary. It actually surprises
me that I am not, as I am a youngish male with a middle eastern name, but I
think flying as much as I do, they trust me. Anyway, BTR has such sensitive
machines that I set off the detector with less in my pockets than I have walked
through at LAX with. Kind of annoying because it was the first time in a long
time I did not wear steal-toes and have to take them off first. I did the
secondary and went to the lounge. Had an interesting conversation about flying
and the state of the industry with a DFW based ASA pilot who said the would
probably be moving to ATL or SLC now. I left as the plane boarded and was on by
6:10.
I noticed the very pretty F/A (no coffee, tea or me story this time) and
flirted a bit. She did the announcement on a PA (no tape on this plane) and
then did the demonsration, looking a bit awkward. We pushed on time and as we
taxied, I notices something interesting. The ASA CRJ was being fueled by a
truck from one of the FBO's. First time I had seen that. It was the one that
uses Exxon-Mobil Aviatat. We took off and I crashed as soon as I reclined my
seat (exit window). We landed in MEM ontime at RJ gate area with the strange
little jetways made for the RJs. On landing, I took a look at the Fed-Ex
superhub. That damn thing is massive. Must be 3 times the size of the PAX
terminal. Even inside the terminal, MEM advertises its cargo status. Cool thing to
see the old -9s in new colors. MEM was pretty empty, as it was 7:30 in the
morning and no bank was in.
Flight 2: 9/14/04 MEM-LAX, Northwest Airlines (insert Flight number), A319-100
I took the long walk to the mainline gates and went to the overpriced place
with frou-frou, but decently healthy sandwiches and bought a chicken-dried
cranberry, pecan and feta salad and a turkey sandwich. The flight said there
would be a meal, but the gate guy recommended I get more. We boarded right on
time and I went to my seat, talking to a Fed-Ex employee who was flying to LAX to
go to Oxnard and help integrate Kinko's into Fed-Ex. As soon as we took off,
I reclined and did not wake up till decent. We landed at LAX about 10:15, 15
minutes early.
Flight 3: 9/18/04 LAX-MEM, Northwest Airlines (insert Flight Number, A319-100
After nearly a week hanging out in the LA sunshine, driving around in a
Porsche Boxster with the top down and hanging out with friends and family in my
favorite places, it was time to go back. I kissed my dad goodbye at home, as he
works on Saturday, and my mother took me to the airport. This was my first
time leaving from T2 (I flew in there when I flew VS moving back from London)
and NW's operation needs some work. NW 1 was leaving about the same time as my
flight, as well as the LAS flight. They were both crowded with asian tourists
and NW created pandimonium in the ticket hall by overreliance on their
check-in kiosks. I did get to practice a bit of my very rusty Japanese, so that was
cool. I went in and got 2 Chicken Whoppers with no mayo at what must be the
most expensive BK ever. Once again, I got my exit row window. As I sat down,
I asked the F/A a question and he was really rude to me, and after I asked
his name, he just said "you only need the Flight Number." I am considering
calling NW about this, as I am sure they don't want anymore tort claims about
idiot F/As. We pushed on-time and made our way out. BTW, what is the deal with
the sound of Airbus narrowbody engines making a horrible noise on startup. I
never hear it on the same CFMs on 737s, but they sound like airguns in a
mechanic's shop. Anyway, we headed east and I relaxed into typing a workout routine
for my cousin while listening to The Killers new album, and then sleeping.
We greased our landing into a Memphis airport so full that we had to wait a few
minutes for a red tail to push out of our gate. I hightailed it to the
commuter gates and got there 10 minutes before boarding.
Flight 4: 09/18/04, MEM-BTR, Pinnicle Airlines (insert F/N), CRJ-200
Sat in the exit row again (not much of a difference on the little squirts),
talking a bit with a lawyer about our chosen profession. The Flight was rather
uneventful, noting only that the F/A was not nearly as cute. We touched down
in BTR and I went to the tiny baggage claim.
All in all, it was a great battery recharge, and the flight service was fine,
except for the idiot on the LAX-MEM flight. I got to talk to an NW DC-9
captain who lives in LA and commutes to MEM. He is actually in his 40's but not
senior enough to bid off of the 9. We talked a bit about planes and airline
managemenr (what else), including about how US is trying to ream their pilots
into making RJ pay for flying mainline aircraft, while WN pilots make nearly 3
times the proposed new rates. Interesing talk. This week's flights are on CO,
my first in nearly 19 years, since flying a DC-10 ONT-DEN (try that now) to
connect to MCI and visit an Aunt. They had a really good fare (264 RT with
taxes) and are giving me my first 753 and 739 rides (and some moderate-hard chop
as I type this) and a new airport (I have landed at HOU but not IAH). This
will give me every plane in both series. You will have to get the Tail Number
from my MSY-IAH flight from Gordon Bethune, as I missed it and no one at the
gate knew it (it was a 752, CO plane number 106, perhaps someone can get it that
way). Till next time