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Boofer

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 11:34:47 am

Boofer
Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 949
Location: Carmel, IN

I almost didn't want to file a trip report for my most recent journey. I'm trying to supress the memories.

I flew IND-PHL nonstop on US 6/19 for a conference in Pennsylvania. No problem there. The IND D terminal isn't too bad. Being off by itself like it is, it has the feel of its own little airport. Check-in wasn't bad as I arrived 1.5 hours before the flight and used the kiosk. For some reason, lots of people feel like they can't use the self-service kiosks and have to wait in a big long line to speak to an agent. Fools.

I do wish the lounge were still open in terminal D. The nice wooden doors are still there, but there ain't no lounge. Makes passing the time much more pleasant. I assume NW will put a WorldClub in the new terminal, at least.

US Air uses like 56 different regional airlines to run its Express operations, it seems. This flight to PHL was on an Air Whiskey CRJ. Nothing to write home about, but no real problems, either. The PHL F terminal is relatively nice. It's just US Express, but small and self-contained, so it's fairly quick getting your checked baggage and transiting through.

The next part of my journey was problematic, however. 6/22 was flying PHL to CHS on another Air Whiskey CRJ. Supposed to leave at 8:35 pm, but the plane was coming from YYZ. There were lots of storms on a line through the midwest that evening, so planes weren't where they were supposed to be. They had already delayed the flight by an hour at 4:30 pm, a full 4 hours before scheduled departure. They delayed it three more times until the 8:35 pm flight was supposed to depart PHL at 12:30 a.m. So I took a short walk around the terminal to stretch my legs, and 5 minutes later when I came back, they had cancelled the flight and asked everyone for their boarding passes. As I was walking around, I got back to be about 40th in line for rebooking. The GA announced that the early morning flight to CHS had 2 seats, the 2 pm flight had 1 seat, and the evening flight was already oversold. What's more the morning flight to CLT was already booked, etc. So I had to phone my corporate travel agent and rebook myself on a DL flight PHL-CHS via ATL. Cost me $600 and change. What's worse, US doesn't put you up in a hotel if you're stranded - not if it's weather-related. What they have are certain amounts of rooms set aside at reduced rates. They were offering some folks a stay in the Ramada near the PHL airport for $69 or the Howard Johnson for $49. But before they got to me, there were no rooms left. I was fortunate to find the last room at the PHL airport Hilton, but it cost me $179.

So off I went to get about 5 hours sleep before my DL flight the next morning. I had my shaving kit, but US Air still had my luggage. So I had a good shower, but had to put on the same clothes again. BTW, don't EVER stay at the PHL airport Hilton. This was the second time I'd stayed there, and it was horrible both times. It doesn't deserve to be called a Hilton. The worst part was getting the airport shuttle back in the morning. There are 2 hotel buses to take you to PHL. The 6 am bus didn't show up, but at 6:20, both buses rolled around the corner of the hotel to the front. They had been sitting over on the side chatting to each other and making us all wait. Those of us who were planning to take the 6 am shuttle for 7:30-ish flights were really squeezed for time now. And when the two buses pulled up, one of the drivers copped some serious attitude with us and refused to let us on the bus. Customer service? Nonexistent at this hotel.

So I got to the airport at 6:30 for my 7:30 flight, terminal E. This is NW, DL, and WN. Good thing US still had my checked luggage, because the line to check bags was so long I wouldn't have made my flight. I checked in at a kiosk and went upstairs to security. The line for security was literally 200+ yards long, stretching back across the footbridge, aside the moving sidewalks, back to the parking garage. People were panicking that they wouldn't make their flights, and I was getting pissed at those Hilton bus drivers for cutting 20 minutes from my time. Miraculously, I got through the line in about 25 minutes and reached the gate just as they were calling for zones 1 and 2. I stopped and thanked the TSA supervisor who was runnning the security line; they did a good job getting people through quickly. Still, I'll bet there were a lot of people who missed their flights, though. So mental note - don't fly through PHL terminal E unless you have to, and leave lots of extra time for security screening.

So off I went to ATL on a DL 757. Front row of coach, so I had extra legroom. FA was very nice. Got there no problem, connected in the same terminal to an MD88 to CHS. I arrived in CHS prepared for the news that my bag was lost somewhere in space. But to my pleasant surprise, as I walked down toward bag claim, DL paged me to the baggage office. Turns out US sent the bag on their early morning flight and took the time to notice that I was on DL that morning. They gave the bag to the DL folks who set it aside for me. Wow. I didn't think anyone practiced that kind of service anymore. I thanked the DL baggage agent and stopped in to thank the US baggage agent too.

Charleston is awesome. Lots of things to do and see, great shops and restaurants, nice weather. I'd recommend it for a long weekend anytime.

The flight back home was delayed as well. All this weather is really playing havoc with airline schedules. I was on a 8:35 flight back to PHL, connecting to a 11:15 PHL-IND. When I checked in, the CHS-PHL flight was already delayed about an hour, and I was concerned about making my connection in Philly. (What's more, the ticket agent told me to step up to the kiosk, so I did. I finished my transaction and was waiting for the bag tag from the agent behind the desk. Then this other passenger lady started yelling at me for cutting in line in front of her. She was totally hysterical, and I had to call the US Air agent back over to get control of the situation. Seems some people are letting the stress of summer air travel get to them...) Anyway, both of the early morning flights to PHL were dealyed because they arrived very late the night before and the crews needed their required rest periods. So the 6:30 am flight was actually delayed to 8:30, and they I asked if I could just get on that flight. They did it with no problem, and were pleasant about it. So my hatred of US Airways was starting to temper. And bonus, this was on a Republic flight on an E170! Great aircraft - we should all be so fortunate to fly on these RJs.

Got to PHL and my flight was about an hour late leaving, becuase the aircraft didn't get there. The GA made an annoucement about boarding the flight in 1 minute, and I raised my hand and asked her where the plane was. She turned around and noticed that it wasn't there yet, got embarrassed, and said "forget what I just said about boarding." Funny. So an hour later, we took off. Arrived in IND between t-storms, and the baggage ramp was closed for lightning. So it took about 30 minutes to get my bag.

Not exactly a trip from hell - I've got much worse stories than this. But all in all, not the most pleasant travelling experience. While it wasn't all US Airways' fault, I think they're more susceptible to weather-related disruptions due to their multi-hub network and concentration in the northeast. It certainly seems like US gets slammed more often and more extensively than other airlines do. I still prefer CO and NW out of IND. Even DL is a better choice for the place I travel to.

Can I get a peanut crumb with that thimble of Coke?

Indy

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 12:46:43 pm

Indy
Site Admin

Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Posts: 2316
Location: Indianapolis, IN

That isn't the worst? Thta would easily have been my worst. But that boarding in 1 minute was funny. I've been through PHL once and swore I'd never go back. On a connection I met a friend in PHL and we went to dinner at a place across from the terminal. I think we had to use that same bridge you did to get back. And the line was huge as well. But I had time to spare.

Food4Geeks.com - Even Geeks Like To Eat.

Boofer

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 01:14:40 pm

Boofer
Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 949
Location: Carmel, IN

The worst involved a Dash-8 ROA-EWR with gate pushback in ROA and 3.5 hours sitting idle on a ground stop. It was followed by 2x normal flight time due to circling orders, and upon landing we waiting 1.5 hours for a gate. But I won't go into details... Cool

Can I get a peanut crumb with that thimble of Coke?

ATAIndy

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 01:22:47 pm

ATAIndy
Member

Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 728
Location: West Lafayette, IN

Wow, it seems that you have to put up with a lot when you travel, I wouldn't be able to take it all.

Why do my favorite airlines end up going defunct??

http://web01.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=16657
http://myaviation.net/search/search.php?uid=8779
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ataindy/

Boofer

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 01:44:31 pm

Boofer
Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 949
Location: Carmel, IN

Travelling as much as I do, here's what gets me through.

1. Bose QC2 noise-cancelling headphones. An absolute must to tune out the background noise on the plane and elsewhere. Puts me in my own little world.

2. iPod nano. Small enough to fit in the QC2 carrying case and carries the stuff I want to listen to. Because we all know the airlines aren't going to provide entertainment. At least not for free.

3. PremierPass lounge membership. Gets me into 450+ airport lounges around the world, including nearly all CO PrezClubs, NW WorldClubs, and most DL CrownRooms. Plus the international departure and arrival lounges abroad. The best things are being able to sit in comfort, do some work if I have to, and have a nice drink. Also, being able to grab a shower after a long overseas flight or a transcon redeye - key to feeling like a whole person again.

4. Knowledge. This should be #1 on the list, really. But you'd be surprised how many people don't know the ins and outs of picking your seat online, bypassing long airport lines, etc. I usually manage to get the best available seat on the plane, be it bulkhead, exit row, whatever, by checking seatguru.com and picking my seat online ahead of time. Knowing the aircraft you'll be on and how quickly you can get on or off from where you sit can make the difference between a smooth trip and one with unpleasantness.

5. Status. I lost my CO Gold status this year, and it's killing me. I'll have Silver back really soon, but it can't come soon enough. When you travel a lot, just the ability to get priority baggage handling, priority boarding, or a priority security line at a hub airport can make a huge difference. You also just get treated a hell of a lot better by airline people. It's true.

6. Smart carry-on bag. I have a Swiss Army brand carry-on bag set that I got at Costco. It has a separate laptop bag that either fits into the larger rolling bag or can be carried separately. It has a velcro strap that slips over the handle of the rolling bag to roll them both. The rolling bag has a large zippered section for a change of close and small shaving kit. When I'm travelling just overnight, I only take this set. I have everything I need for the overnight trip without having to check my bag. AND...this is key...the laptop bag is small enough to fit under any airplane seat, including CRJ/ERJ, while the big bag is small enough to fit in the overhead on an RJ. It's not one of these giant honkin' rollaboards that people pack their lives in.

7. Tolerance. Maybe this one should be #1. But I've logged over 500k actual miles of flying in my lifetime. When you travel that much, you learn to tolerate minor delays and unexpected occurrences. It happens. And when it does, the tolerant traveller is able to respond to the harried FA, GA, etc., with courtesy and understanding. It can come in handy. On more than one occasion, I've been the one helped first or given the better treatment because I know when to keep quiet and when to speak up, when to smile and crack a joke, and when to stay away from the podium. If you've ever seen "Airline" when the people are yelling and stomping their feet and making a big scene, there's always somebody off to the side quietly, courteously, patiently waiting for help from the agent. That's the person getting the better treatment from the airline.

Can I get a peanut crumb with that thimble of Coke?

ATAIndy

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 05:40:12 pm

ATAIndy
Member

Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 728
Location: West Lafayette, IN

Well, it is a good thing you have that "battle plan" to combat airports, you are one of the few. Most passengers just try to wing it, which these days is not a good thing when it comes to air travel.

Why do my favorite airlines end up going defunct??

http://web01.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=16657
http://myaviation.net/search/search.php?uid=8779
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ataindy/

Boofer

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 09:44:54 pm

Boofer
Site Admin

Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Posts: 949
Location: Carmel, IN

I spend a lot of time quietly laughing to myself at some of the insane behavior I see in airports, particularly from infrequent travellers. For one thing, getting mad/angry/upset with TSA screeners is NEVER a good idea.

Can I get a peanut crumb with that thimble of Coke?

ATAIndy

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 05:29:20 pm

ATAIndy
Member

Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 728
Location: West Lafayette, IN

Getting mad at anybody in an airport is bad, its a one way ticket to leave the building.

Why do my favorite airlines end up going defunct??

http://web01.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=16657
http://myaviation.net/search/search.php?uid=8779
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ataindy/

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