Happy New Year!

Here's the map for 2013 from www.flightmemory.com.

I flew 131,232 miles in 2013.

That's  13000 miles fewer than 2013.  Good for the home life, bad for business.  If you measure economic recovery in terms of the number of days I spend with customers, a recovery is nowhere in sight.

OK, A New Year's Resolution

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I stopped posting in early August 2013 but now all is well again.

In general I would say that the last four months have been pretty good to me in terms of flight hassles and hotel problems.

I did not go out much after early November and the travel tapered to practically nothing as the end of 2013 approached.  But January 2014 gets rolling with a trip to MSP and Chicago.  The first three months of any year are my busiest.

I just finished reading a great book, written by the author of www.askthepilot.com.  The book, "Cockpit Confidential" is certainly up to date in terms of the issues it addresses.  It's probably not the kind of book that would entertain an infrequent traveler.

But since I stopped posting, I'll simply list the destinations that I flew to since the last post:

Aruba (AirTran, lousy experience)
Hermosillo, MX (learned the hard way about the ways of getting between Terminal 1 and 2 in MEX)
St. Louis
Dallas
Houston
Baltimore
Lexington KY
Knoxville TN
Elmira NY
Philadelphia
Detroit
Wilmington NC
Baltimore
Dallas
Atlanta
Boston
Baltimore
Kansas City
Nashville
Seattle
Las Vegas
Knoxville TN

One final note.  I'll heavily paraphrase what a Delta attorney said in a recent court case concerning the fact that the old Northwest cancelled a frequent flyer account because the account holder "complained" too much.  The lawyer stated that Delta was under no obligation to provide service or customer satisfaction.

LOL.

Or something to that effect.

Sixth Trip in and out of Hartford in 7 Months

Which isn't so tough because Southwest flies to BDL nonstop out of TPA every night, departing at 6:30 pm.  It's easy, and almost always on time, as it was this time.

Coming home is Delta.  SWA does not do a nightly trip to TPA from Hartford.

I had bought first on DL, so did not have to go through the first class upgrade lottery, but I have to laugh.  Both segments were MD88s, holding 148 pax.  Both flights had nearly 50 people waitlisted for first.  That means 30 percent of the pax are elite!

DELTA, PLEASE YOU MAKE IT TOO EASY TO OBTAIN ELITE STATUS, PANDERING TO LOW MILEAGE FLYERS WITH THE BAIT AND SWITCH APPROACH.  THESE GUYS WILL NEVER GET UP FRONT BUT THEY KEEP TRYING!

But we were ontime with both segments.

Aruba (vacation) is next.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA711/history/20130728/2230Z/KTPA/KBDL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1724/history/20130801/2218Z/KBDL/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2304/history/20130802/0155Z/KATL/KTPA

Atlanta-Phildelphia-Atlanta-Tampa

Trying to catch up here:

The ATL/PHL segment ran like a charm.  Nice B752 and the upgrade cleared.  But I was a bit distressed to hear the flight attendant tell the pax over the PA to "hurry to your seat because we are under some pressures to back out of the gate on time".  Don't blame it on the pax, ok when the FAs showed up 20 minutes before the departure time.

I've always known that eventually the carriers would blame flight delays on their own customers.

But there's a lot of padding on this one, as we arrived at the gate in PHL right on time.

The return was vintage Delta/Atlanta hub/tstorm stuff.  Sat in PHL while ATL went into a ground stop.  Rotated out of PHL 90 minutes late.  Landed in ATL 10 minutes before my connection to TPA. Pulled up into the gate at ATL and took another 10 minute delay as the cockpit explained that "we're trying to get a ramp crew together" (See earlier post about lack of ramp employees in ORD).

Jumped on the DL phone app and noticed that my flight to TPA had just received a 20 minute delay.  I'm going to make it now!

Got on the 752 for TPA and sat for another 45 minutes.  LOL!

But I got home.

Holyoke MA (Hartford) is next



http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1661/history/20130724/1910Z/KATL/KPHL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1661/history/20130726/2215Z/KPHL/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2304/history/20130727/0155Z/KATL/KTPA

Vegas to Atlanta

Sometimes I forget that the high stress part of travel may have nothing to do with the flying.  I'm scheduled to leave LAS at 6 AM for a weekend in ATL, and all's well until 8 pm the evening before when a terrific thunderstorm pounds Vegas. 

The electricity goes off in the Embassy Suites I'm staying in and - - - well, simply doesn't come back on.  Which means I spend the night in a hotel room where according to the thermostat, the temp is a balmy 97 degrees.

At 3 am, I give up, get up, try to take a shower with practically no water pressure, and head out to the airport.

The 757 was exactly on time, but my Saturday was a mess trying to catch up on sleep.  PHL is next.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1602/history/20130720/1300Z/KLAS/KATL

Out to Vegas

Out to LAS, another place I work in frequently.  The outbound out of TPA took a flow control delay into ATL due to weather in ATL.  When we arrived, you could tell it had been raining.

The next segment out to LAS was delayed by 2 hours because the inbound aircraft was hit by big weather between Jacksonville and ATL.

Just the typical Delta/Atlanta/Hub/Spoke summertime stuff.

I read in USA today where the number one demand of today's modern traveler is internet access, and this includes inside the aircraft.

I was on DL's Gogo system all the way from ATL ant LAS, and even at $20.00 for a one day pass, the service worked very well!

Back to ATL for a visit and the end of the week, and then on to PHL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2091/history/20130715/1730Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2143/history/20130715/2030Z/KATL/KLAS

Chicago (O'Hare)

Four days in ORD, working right at the airport.

I've probably made more trips to Chicago than anyplace I've ever worked.  And when I lived there for those two years, I got more than my share of delays out of ORD and some out of MDW.

But this trip went well.

On the return I invoked the cardinal rule of "If you can get out of town earlier, do it!"

This meant going standby, thus sacrificing my two first class seats.  But I cleared both waitlists and got to TPA early.

Vegas next week, and the upgrades have cleared!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1677/history/20130711/2030Z/KORD/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1797/history/20130712/0045Z/KATL/KTPA

The Asiana Crash in SFO

No way I'm gonna comment on this.  I was sitting at home in St. Pete when this news broke on Saturday.  It took a while for the pics to come in but eventually we saw the debris on the runway at SFO and I yelled to my blessed significant other that "this looks like a damn tail strike".  Well, the rest you get due to the nonstop news coverage.

What you may not get if you don't travel is the mess that passengers experience as a result of this and how the legacy carriers, in this case United, let you know how screwed you are.  When I saw the letter that I'm posting, I was speechless.

Bottom line, if a legacy screws  you, you are on your own.

Look at this:

http://postimg.org/image/ipkd9x099/

TPA to ORD, Just When I Started to Believe Again in Delta

Just when I was about to believe:

1) Loaded the MD 90 in TPA and then just sat for 20 minutes with no word from the cockpit.  Finally a gate agent comes in twice and offloads people.  Nobody else is loaded.  No verbal explanation from anybody. 

2)  Door is closed and again we sit.  Cockpit comes on and says due to weather in ATL, we have a wheels up time in another 30 minutes.  Actually it's more like 20, but now we will be at least 45 minutes late into ATL.

3) Naturally my connection to ORD is on time and I knew I was in for a battleground upgrade on the DC 9.  No time to stop and even look at the monitor, I stuck the BP under the reader and no upgrade came out.  So I sat in Economy Comfort.

4) ATL gate agent comes in frantically looking for one pax and I overheard him say that he had one open seat in first.  They page the pax over the PA and no response.  So instead of running back up to the computer and checking who deserved this upgrade, the GA closed the door and we flew out with one empty seat in first.  That hasn't happened to me in over 20 years.

5)  Arrived at ORD and taxied right past our gate and out into the mess of arriving taxiways.  And I thought what on earth could this be.  At least the captain had the stones to tell the truth, "Due to lack of ramp employees, we can not pull into our gate as no one is available to guide us in".

So, even though we landed 20 minutes early, we pulled into the gate 10 minutes late.  This stuff is too good to make up.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1556/history/20130707/1845Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1306/history/20130707/2127Z/KATL/KORD

Columbus, OH

Another quick one day job, this one in CMH.  Delta was the better fit than Southwest on this and I need the miles all the time anyway.

Take a look at the first segment.  The weather between TPA and ATL was tough and look at the vectoring and holding that was involved.  The ATC guys, my old friends, are just fabulous.  But what should have been an hour and 10 minutes in the air took 2 and a half hours due to the wx.

I got finished early in CMH and did stand by for the return segments.  Thanks to the agent in CMH who came back to coach and gave me a first class boarding pass on the segment into ATL.  Man, you look cool with the ink and the studs in the ear.  Thank god DL has apparently relaxed a bit on the "wholesome" image for employees.

Off the entire week of July 4!  (Incredibly I had to work on July 4 last year!)  Hope you have a great summer holiday.  Chicago is next.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2091/history/20130628/1730Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1314/history/20130628/2000Z/KATL/KCMH

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL755/history/20130629/1821Z/KCMH/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2376/history/20130629/2125Z/KATL/KTPA

Boise

Made a quick, short trip to BOI.  Delta through MSP coming and going.  The fare was outrageous, over $1000.00 and still I had to get a battleground upgrade on the final segment back to TPA.  I've been reading about how DL pax do NOT like an A320 in first and I found out why.

If they guy in front of you leans back, then you can NOT drop your tray completely flat.  Nor can you put it up as well.  I watched a FA ask a guy to return the seat upright so the guy behind him could eat.

It makes you wonder who designs this stuff.

All flights were on time despite pretty nasty weather into MSP.

Columbus, OH is next.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1997/history/20130623/1215Z/KTPA/KMSP

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL869/history/20130623/1635Z/KMSP/KBOI

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL976/history/20130625/1300Z/KBOI/KMSP

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1712/history/20130625/1905Z/KMSP/KTPA

Tampa - Hartford - Atlanta - Tampa

Well, an easy trip, my fourth to CT this year, and my 3rd to Danbury, CT.  I got done early at work and decided to try to locate Sandy Hook Elementary School, which was only 3 miles away.  I had heard it was being torn down and it is.  The road it's on is closed, and blocked.  You can't get in.  It was just so sad to see this, because Newtown, CT seems to be such a peaceful place.

The flights coming and going were fine, but in ATL, we flew an MD88 to TPA which holds 149 pax.  16 people sat in front with an astounding 37 others waitlisted.  A quick check of my phone calculator means that over 35 percent of the pax on this flight are considered "elite" by DL, which is complete foolishness.  There is nothing "elite" unless you are Diamond in my opinion.  How would you like to be the guy at number 37?  Meaning, you bust your tail to give DL business so you can get the status and then there is NO WAY you'll ever upgrade.  I hope that these newbie elites (and there are MANY of them) will eventually get this picture.....it's not special and just makes you one of the herd.

In the meantime, they haven't learned yet.


http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA711/history/20130616/2230Z/KTPA/KBDL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1724/history/20130620/2235Z/KBDL/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2304/history/20130621/0155Z/KATL/KTPA

Tampa to Lousiville (OK, Evansville) Easy - I Deserved It

First of all, I learned years ago that you DON'T fly into these small markets like EVV, if you can get into a nearby airport that has more lift.  In this case, Louisville.

I say I deserved an easy trip because I'm still trying to shake off that trip to Del Rio, TX, on to Mexico earlier in the week.

In any event, it was a piece of cake.

Got back to SDF about 3 hours before the departure, so I enjoyed hanging out with some nice folks at the Woodford Reserve Bar, watching the US Open.

Hartford is next.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL462/history/20130613/2000Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1205/history/20130612/2321Z/KATL/KSDF

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2064/history/20130614/2215Z/KSDF/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1797/history/20130615/0045Z/KATL/KTPA

My Flirtation with American May be Over - Already

I've been doing a lot of AA lately, in an attempt to learn what their service is like for high mileage people.  I had been impressed, nice clubs, not so many elites, less chaos regarding first class, etc.

But it may be over this week.  They seem to have the same problem Delta has with small markets which are outsourced to regional carriers - their cancellation rates are high.

In this case, the final destination was Del Rio, TX.  It's not easy to get to.  The logical choice is to fly to San Antonio and drive about 3 hours.  But all their flights to SAT were full, coming and going.  So I had to settle on San Angelo, a much smaller market served by the infamous American Eagle.  The drive from SJT to Del Rio would have been longer also.

So the flight from Tampa to Dallas goes well, with 3 hours to kill, which I did in the very nice Admirals Club in Terminal D.

After 2 hours, my phone rings and it shows an 800 number and I know damn well it's AA.  And yes it is, CANCELLING my segment to SJT.  It just makes your heart stop as the agent proudly proclaims that I've been "accomodated" on a flight that arrives in SJT on MONDAY.  Only problem is, I gotta be in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico at 7 am on Monday.  This is not going to work.

So I have to rent a car from Avis and drive 375 miles through the backroads to get to Del Rio.  And it's a helluva difficult drive.

I get to Del Rio, call AA and tell them that I need to re write my ticket home, cancelling all SJT travel and turning it into a simple TPA/DFW roundtrip.  Which they do without charging me a change fee of $200.00.  That surprised me.

So I do the job in Mexico, cross the border, pick up the car and begin the arduous drive back to DFW.

I get home to TPA on time.  Louisville is next, but SDF is typically easy on DL.

I've got some thinking to do about AA.  I should probably try to stay away from EGF flights into small markets.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL1309/history/20130609/1540Z/KTPA/KDFW

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL2044/history/20130611/1240Z/KDFW/KTPA

Back from TT

Thanks to my wonderful friends at Point Lisas, Trinidad for another great week of work.  You guys are simply hilarious, and thanks for introducing me to 1919.

We departed POS for Miami and I'm always mesmerized when I overfly the Caribbean.  The water is so blue and I am so envious of the ships I see crossing!  Going to Aruba in August to play golf so I'm getting quit addicted to this island thing, even though I live on one!

The worst part of this thing was getting from MIA back to TPA due to tropical storm Andrea.  We took an hour delay in the penalty box at MIA as the departure route to the northwest was shut down.  When we finally got up, we went through a lot of vectoring and really violent chop.  We landed at TPA in 40 not winds and heavy rain.

My compliments to the very professional AA cockpit crew for this.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL2088/history/20130606/1750Z/KMIA/KTPA


http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL2282/history/20130606/1035Z/TTPP/KMIA

Tampa to Trinidad and Tobago

That has a lilt to it!

I've worked in Trinidad before.  The people are so gracious.  But I learned on my last trip that the island of Trinidad is industrial, revolving around the oil and natural gas industries.  There is little for the tourist.  But Tobago is where you want to go for beach and Caribbean fix.

So after my last trip, I decided to include Tobago in my plans.  I bought first on AA and it was all set up.  Except that this is a huge holiday weekend in "TT" and no flights or ferry passage is available to Tobago.  So here I sit in the Hyatt in Port of Spain killing two days.  While eating breakfast this morning I did see the ferry that I was unable to board to Tobago, due to lack of room.  See the pic!

The lesser of the messes was to fly the original segments and just sit here.  Trying to rebook was impossible because AA out of MIA to POS is full.

I did do AA in first.  DL doesn't do Trinidad.

Again, it just confirmed that the least amount of stress is to not worry about FF programs, loyalty, and elite status.  Just buy first.

But this is probably what the airlines want anyway.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL2202/history/20130601/1035Z/KTPA/KMIA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL1647/history/20130531/1350Z/KMIA/TTPP

67,014 miles year to date. 

Madison, WI, via O'Hare

I've been going to MSN for years.  In fact I was just there about a month ago.  In the beginning, I flew DL into MSN via various 3rd parties, mostly Comair.

It was always stressful.

A couple of years ago I just started doing ORD and then driving up there.  Not fun, but probably the safer thing to do.

Which is what I did this trip.

MSN is a great town, but I'll take my beach in St. Pete over it, particularly in the winter.

 Both trips on DL ontine.  They are very much ontime now.  I will give them credit.  They seem to hustle much more and make things happen.

I'm flirting a lot with AA lately, but it's just to get some change of pace.  In the previous post I offered my opinion that elite status really means nothing, at least on DL anymore.  I'm learning that I don't care as much about status, I sure don't care about free tickets, and if you want to fly in first, you  simply buy it.  That takes a lot of stress off.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2091/history/20130521/1730Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1977/history/20130521/2005Z/KATL/KORD

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1306/history/20130524/0015Z/KORD/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2233/history/20130524/0255Z/KATL/KTPA

Batlimore - Atlanta (ok, Macon) - Chicago - Tampa - Atlanta

Not doing a good job keeping up.  Just a couple of observations.

It is so clear to me now that "frequent flyer" programs have very little meaning now.  It's not about miles, and it's not about free tickets.  It's practically impossible to get a free ticket.

It's about status levels.  I've been flirting with American, a lot lately.  And I've paid for first class.  Here's what I've noticed:

1) AA doesn't have nearly as many elites as DL, even out of their big hub in DFW.  With DL about 30 percent of the load is waitlisted for first class.  I notice short lists on AA.

2) Many DL "elites" simply aren't elite anything, but have managed to qualify for the low end silver/gold level and it has inflated the battleground waitlists.  At least 30 percent of the entire capacity of the a/c is now listed for first.  Even though those guys never get the upgrades, how long will they naively think they can?

I've had to reach the following conclusion: If you want to fly first, you have to BUY it, at least on DL.  And AA sells first much cheaper than DL.  I just bought Tampa-Port of Spain, Trinidad in first on AA for just over $800.00.

And I don't really care if I ever have status on AA.  I'll keep happily buying first as long as it's not outrageously priced.

The times are truly changing.


http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA1740/history/20130512/2155Z/KTPA/KBWI

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1824/history/20130515/2145Z/KBWI/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/EGF3716/history/20130516/1940Z/KATL/KORD

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1977/history/20130517/2300Z/KORD/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2304/history/20130518/0155Z/KATL/KTPA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1386/history/20130519/1130Z/KTPA/KATL

Can't Keep Up!

It's all I can do to publish the links, lol.  Very busy!

Until . . . my work goes to practically zero in June.  That's NOT good.  Not sure what could end up happening.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1612/history/20130504/2030Z/KORD/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/FLG4083/history/20130504/2312Z/KATL/KTYS

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ASQ2507/history/20130507/2150Z/KTYS/KDFW

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL1507/history/20130508/0110Z/KDFW/KABQ

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL638/history/20130510/2020Z/KABQ/KDFW

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL890/history/20130510/2350Z/KDFW/KTPA

Tampa - Chicago Midway - Keeping More Current

I did Southwest nonstop from TPA to MDW.  While tempted to do Delta, I'm glad I did the nonstop, as ATL went into a ground stop due to weather.

The basics never change!  Fly nonstop!

Even though this post is not about Delta, I am learning that they have so many different fare levels, and yes, it's true, they are not all available on Delta.com.  It takes patience now if you are going to buy a ticket with enough flexibility in it to upgrade. 

My other big complaint is that I read that Delta has 40,000 Diamond elites.  That's still too many.  I wish they would get serious about elite.  They have so many now, that the "new" elite members are overwhelming the system.  More on that later.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA1284/history/20130428/2345Z/KTPA/KMDW

Charlotte/Palm Springs/La Guardia/New Orleans/San Diego/Sequester/Porsche

My fault for not keeping up with the posts.

It's mostly because I've started traveling with an iPad instead of a laptop.

In three weeks I've flown 17 segments, lived through the effect of the Boston bombings, the delays caused by sequester, and being picked up at the gate in ATL yesterday in a $66,000 Porsche Panamera by Delta, and taken to the next gate.

No real flight issues, but the Porsche experience was just great!

The San Diego segments are shown here.  I promise to do better and keep up.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1472/history/20130422/1500Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1467/history/20130421/1859Z/KATL/KSAN

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1592/history/20130427/1345Z/KSAN/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2172/history/20130427/1858Z/KATL/KTPA

Tampa/Orange County/Los Angeles/Tampa

My big training customer is too sensitive to airfares and at times unrealistic.  Meaning, if a fare goes past $800.00, they squawk.

So, sometimes just to keep the peace, I have to accept a weird routing, as in:

TPA to SNA via MSP.  I know.  Look at a map, it look ridiculous.  But even though I live in a big market, I'm still shocked at how expensive fares can be from Tampa to the west coast.

So, thankfully the upgrades cleared out to Orange County, and Pre worked fine in TPA.  I'll still maintain that any Airbus product has a more comfortable cabin than any Boeing product, so the A320 out to SNA was very comfy in first.

I flew back out of LAX, on the nonstop red eye to TPA.  I swore off these kinds of flights years ago, but because it was nonstop and cheap (read first paragraph), I signed on.

And promptly did not clear first because the damn fare level was too damn low.  Economy Comfort is ok on Delta, but combining that with a 0615 AM arrival in TPA, well, it's tough.

I'm still trying to get my head straight.

Off to Charlotte now, and again the segment out of TPA is not going to clear because of these damn cheap fares I have to buy.  Gotta find a way around this stuff.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1329/history/20130401/1800Z/KTPA/KMSP

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2097/history/20130401/2230Z/KMSP/KSNA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL933/history/20130406/0555Z/KLAX/KTPA

Atlanta-Tampa-Atlanta-Austin-Memphis-Tampa

Still with me?  It's all rolling now with multiple cities per week.

The TPA/ATL flight was severely delayed due to weather in Florida.  The connection to AUS came out of Jacksonville and was delayed also, but that's fine by me.

Everything else was fine, except for the usual dumbass behaviors in coach and the arrogant, selfish BS that goes on in first.

I did clear PRE in AUS on the outbound to Memphis.  MEM is a ghost town now.  Sad, CVG is also a former Delta memory.

Weekend in Orlando, back to TPA, then on to SNA/LAX.  Whew!

Through March 31, 36,668 miles!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2273/history/20130323/0035Z/KATL/KTPA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2372/history/20130324/2000Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1309/history/20130324/2322Z/KATL/KAUS

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ASQ4995/history/20130327/2210Z/KAUS/KMEM

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1965/history/20130328/0045Z/KMEM/KTPA

Memphis to Atlanta - Auburn, AL - War Eagle!

OK, I went to Tennessee, so yelling War Eagle might be blasphemy, but I'm an SEC guy all the way, so this is my first ever visit to the fairest village on the plains.

Even though Montgomery is the closest airport, I just did the DL MD88 from MEM to ATL and drove it.

As we were descending into ATL, we hit some of the most violent wake turbulence I've ever encountered in almost 40 years of air travel.

Not trying to scare anybody, but this is bad stuff.  It's caused when we are flying maybe a bit too close behind another arrival.  You'll know it when you hit it, it's very violent for a few seconds.

MEM is a sad story now that DL is de hubbing the place. I've never thought much of the building, but it's so sad to see all those empty gates and jetways.  It's as bad as CVG.  Gosh when a carrier leaves town like this, I wonder who pays for all that empty gate space.

So, upon arrival in ATL, it's time to jump on the "air train" and ride to baggage claim so I can catch another train to the car rental facility.

The train was super crowded, and we stop at T concourse and this really spastic looking, dweeby guy gets on, wearing a NY Jets shirt, workout pants and some kind of awful sneakers.  I notice he's pretty tall, grey and just dressed awfully.

I'll be damned, it's Rex Ryan, head coach of the Jets.  I could read his bag tag and his name was there along with his home address and phone number, lol.

But coach, come on!  Dress a bit nicer please!  A nice sport coat and khakis will work.

I once saw Jeff Fisher strolling through BNA when he coached the Titans.  A really cool dude.  Jeans.  Cowboy boots.  RayBans.

I think the Jets and Ryan are a circus, and after this encounter, I believe it more!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2389/history/20130320/2220Z/KMEM/KATL

Where Have All the Upgrades Gone?

Trying to catch up.

Raleigh/ATL/TPA
then TPA/ATL/MEMphis
and manged to sit at number 7 on each upgrade list.  So when I got to MEM last night, I was wondering what was going on.

But I just got the email from DL confirming that next weekend's trip (TPA to Austin via ATL) has cleared in first.

Not sure if my MEM/TPA segments have cleared for later this week.

Frankly, I'm so buried with work, I don't have time to check.

Watching the Heat play the Celtics.....

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1564/history/20130315/1845Z/KRDU/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL15/history/20130315/2125Z/KATL/KTPA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1922/history/20130317/2230Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1658/history/20130318/0200Z/KATL/KMEM

Tampa-Raleigh-Durham - The DL Sky Club Guys are just Great!

So it's off to RDU, looks easy through ATL.

Just as I pull into the Robert Goddard garage at TPA I get the much dreaded phone call from DL telling me my outbound to ATL is delayed by an hour.

So it's into the terminal, right through PRE (these TSA guys are hilarious there!) and up to the Sky Club, prepared to just take the delay and hope for the best.

So I check in and the guy there (and he's there a lot) tells me he's gonna route me through Cincy with a first class seat out of TPA on the MD 88.

Then a CRJ200 out of CVG to RDU, scheduled to get me in 30 minutes before I would have had the ATL connection held up.

To make a long story short, this guy did not have to do this, and I'm sure being a Diamond was the reason he did.  I applaud him, and while I'm on the subject, I've found the Delta staff at TPA to just be fabulous! (at least inside security, I've never been to their counter!)

Thank you sir!  I know I gripe a lot but I'd still be in ATL and possibly not into RDU until tomorrow morning had he not intervened.

The CR2 was nasty of course, but it got me here.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2041/history/20130311/2110Z/KTPA/KCVG

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/FLG4031/history/20130311/2355Z/KCVG/KRDU

Scranton to Tampa - Not Easy, and Please Stop Yelling (You Know Who You Are)

It's not always easy to get out of small markets, particularly late in the day.  When I tried to get a ticket from AVP to TPA, no carrier sold a connection after 2 pm on Sunday.

But I needed a Florida fix so badly, that I purchased two one way tickets on Delta, one to Detroit, and then from DTW home to TPA.

That gets pricey, plus you have no protection if you blow the trip into DTW (the airlines don't know you are coming, so they won't protect you.)  And if you are late for the second segment, you just appear as a no show who's already checked in.

It was close, too close for comfort actually, but I made it.

Regrettably, the bean counter in our corporate office didn't quite "understand" what I was doing (my guess is she flies once a year) and questioned the fares and the routing.

And I blew up.  I busted my butt to work for these people this weekend, even getting into AVP at 3 am on Friday night, and worked through Sunday.

I decided I would actually resign if I got hassled anymore about my choices.  I did receive one email in reply to mine.  To hell with it, I didn't open it.

Off to Raleigh-Durham next.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/FLG3823/history/20130310/2115Z/KAVP/KDTW  (note the looping holding pattern at DTW)

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1721/history/20130310/2350Z/KDTW/KTPA

Manchester NH to Scranton PA - Late at Night

I can't complain about this. I brought it on myself when I stupidly agreed to work in Lebanon, NH and then go straight to Scranton to work for the entire weekend.  I need a Florida fix terribly now.

This trip can only be made on US Air, and considering the terrible weather that was blasting the east coast most of this week, I was lucky we were only 30 minutes late into AVP.  The connection was through PHL, of course.

The worst part was the 2 hour drive after midnight to get to Williamsport, PA.  Yes, there's an airport at IPT, but I would have not made the connection out of PHL.

Why in the hell did I agree to this trip?

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/RPA3131/history/20130308/2310Z/KMHT/KPHL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/PDT4408/history/20130309/0349Z/KPHL/KAVP

Tampa - Manchester, NH - Southwest Delivers

I say delivers because after the last trip to Newark, I needed something to be on time, and as is almost always the case, SWA does it.

The nonstop from TPA to MHT was five minutes early.  My only problem is the late hour of the arrival, at 1130 PM.  Then I had to drive in light freezing rain to Lebanon, NH.

Here for two days, then on to Scranton (actually Williamsport, PA), a place I've never been

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA216/history/20130307/0130Z/KTPA/KMHT

Tampa-Newark and Back - Jet Blue Gets it Right, Well Maybe

Yea, sort of.

It starts with the nonstop night A320 to EWR from TPA. 

I get to the gate, the Airbus is there, the flight deck crew is there, but no flight attendants.  They are arriving 45 minutes late on a delayed inbound from BOS.

I never knew they operated this way, it's almost Delta-esque.

So the arrival into EWR is an hour late.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JBU534/history/20130304/0112Z/KTPA/KEWR


Next, the return.  What I'm about to type will bore everybody on earth EXCEPT high mileage serious business travelers who know how the system works.

To fly back to TPA, you obviously need an airplane and I check and see that the inbound from West Palm Beach is set to arrive 20 minutes early!  And the weather is great, it should all be great!

Well, at the adjacent gate sits a delayed A320 to Orlando, with an obvious maintenance issue.  No big deal to me, right?

Until they off load the Airbus (which is completely full) and announce to the pax that they are going to have a "new a/c at the next gate in just 10 minutes".  Problem is, it's the a/c that is SUPPOSED TO MAKE UP MY FLIGHT TO TPA.

Now I have to outguess them and figure out what a/c will be used for my flight to EWR and where in the hell it is.

And sure enough, it's inbound from Ft. Myers and will arrive just 20 minutes before the scheduled departure to TPA.  Meaning, we are gonna be late.  It's just a matter of how long.

I guess 30 mins.

Wrong.  We load and suddenly take a maintenance delay on this ship as well as one of the PA phones is inop.  I have no idea of a PA phone is on the MEL list or not (the minimum equipment list which you gotta have to legally fly).

So we sit and watch JBU MTC put in a new phone on the forward galley.

Now the delay is one hour.

And that's how our modern air transportation system works, for our new folks.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JBU537/history/20130305/2016Z/KEWR/KTPA

Delta SkyMiles Gets Trashed in USA Today

I'm beyond adding my two cents worth on this.

Again, please remember that EVERY product an airline has is designed to:

1)  Enhance their bottom line

2) Is never driven by customer satisfaction as evidenced by on time ops or customer service.

I'm sure the Virginia Ave. spin masters are all over this one already.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/03/04/delta-frequent-fliers-complain-about-redeeming-miles/1963057/

Tampa to Roanoke and Back

I was born and raised near Roanoke, VA, so I do enjoy getting to go back for work occasionally.  In fact, when the job ended early, I jumped in the Avis and drove over to the old home town and looked at the house, and the old hangouts.

It's sad in a way to see a house that holds so many fond memories in such a state of disrepair.  It made me miss my parents greatly as well.

ROA is not always an easy place to get in and out of because nobody flies there except the regional carriers.  But it all went well!

The worst thing was my stupidly leaving my laptop in the gate at ROA on the return.  The second I boarded the flight I remembered it and had to fight my way upstream to get it.

Well, maybe the worst thing was the CRJ2 we flew out of ROA on.  That's pure hell.

25,844 miles so far in two months.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2172/history/20130224/2215Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ASQ5174/history/20130225/0130Z/KATL/KROA


http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ASQ5540/history/20130227/2320Z/KROA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1535/history/20130228/0250Z/KATL/KTPA

Six Straight Nights of Air Travel - Where to Start

I guess I'll start with leaving Hartford and going to PIT via BWI on Southwest.  As usual, all is well, no problems.  It was snowing in PIT and having moved to Florida, ugggh.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3561/history/20130220/2220Z/KBDL/KBWI

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA365/history/20130221/0055Z/KBWI/KPIT

One day in PIT then home for one night to TPA.  And I had booked Delta through DTW.  I guess I got too greedy, things had been going to well with DL lately.

Once work ends, I go out to the rental car and turn on the cell, and instantly get the much dreaded voice mail from Delta telling me that the flight out of PIT is delayed by 50 minutes.  And my connection was one hour.

So I go to the DL counter in PIT and of course, there's nothing that will get me home tonight, so I just say that I'll take care of it on my own.

Which I did by jumping into a line at the next counter which is Southwest.  As luck would have it, by the time I call SWA and book the next flights, I'm right at the kiosk and out rolls C group boarding passes for a connection in BWI.

I take the boarding passes, and go back to DL and they issue a refund to my credit card, right at the counter.  That surprised me honestly!

So I go through security, (no PRE available) and am strolling leisurely around and notice that Air Tran has a nonstop to TPA leaving in just 30 minutes.  I walk up and ask if I can buy a ticket.  Oddly enough, the merger with SWA must not be going well at least for customers because:

1. The agent at SWA who I spoke to on the phone never offered me the Air Tran nonstop.  They must be under pressure to fill Southwest metal.
2. The Southwest agent at the Air Tran gate (confused now?) could NOT sell me the ticket witout literally  jumping on the Air Tran website and buying it online!  Pretty wild.

Now the worst part.  Once I got the ticket for a B737, we are all waiting for the inbound to arrive.  But BEFORE our inbound pulls in, another inbound B717 pulls in and parks at our gate.  The gate agents quickly announced that since the pilot pulled into the wrong gate, they would have to work the 717 (bound for MCO) FIRST, then get our flight worked!

This created a 45 minute delay into Tampa!

What a damn mess this was!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/TRS1613/history/20130221/2241Z/KPIT/KTPA

After one night in my bed, it was time to go back to Hartford for the fourth time in four weeks and the second time in 4 days.

Delta B752 out of TPA to connect with the MD88 to BDL.  All I know is we were ontime, and since I had flown 4 nights in a row, at this point, I can't remember much!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2010/history/20130222/2100Z/KTPA/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL752/history/20130222/2310Z/KATL/KBDL

Worked Saturday afternoon in Newtown, CT (yes, so sad) and back to TPA on Delta.  Oddly, a CRJ700 flies the afternoon departure to ATL.

Got to ATL, saw a delayed flight to TPA and jumped on it and got home 2 hours before I was scheduled to.  The thing was packed, it's that time of year in Tampa Bay, but I gladly took the coach window seat.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL5465/history/20130223/2140Z/KBDL/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1491/history/20130224/0059Z/KATL/KTPA

And finally, the sixth straight night of flying had me going from TPA to Roanoke, VA.  I always like these trips, I was born and raised very near ROA.

Delta through ATL again, and a CRJ700 out of ATL to ROA and we were 5 minutes early!  I will take that any day on the famous "Delta Connection" carriers.

Let's hope I get out of ROA on time on Wednesday so I can have a few days off in sunny, warm, Florida.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2172/history/20130224/2215Z/KTPA/KATL
Bad chop on this trip!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ASQ5174/history/20130225/0130Z/KATL/KROA

25,079 miles year to date already!

Hilton Hhonors Lowers the Boom

First of all, I did fly from Hartford to Pittsburgh via Baltimore via Southwest today.

Smooth flights, all slightly early, flying in the middle of the week is a breeze.  An no gripy Karen lecturing me about non-provisioned destinations (see previous post)

Hilton announced that they are severely "devaluing" their Hhonors program today.  The cuts are just another slap in the face to all of us who spend upwards of 300 nights a year in Hilton properties.  If I screwed my customers the way the travel industry screws us with these "enhancements" I would have no customers left.

Particularly galling is their language stating that "to ensure that we continue to be a world class guest loyalty program, changes need to be made from time to time.

HUH? (again, two posts in a row)

It is amazing how corporate America can not understand that the vast majority of elite fliers and elite hotel programs are business people who would not be filling up their hotels if we fell for such BS in our everyday work.

It is truly amazing how much BS corporate America can generate.

At least Maker's Mark bourbon recanted on their plan to reduce the amount of alcohol in their bourbon due to customer feedback (known as complaining)

The conventional wisdom has a lot of us Hilton folks going back to Marriott or somebody else.  I'll have to seriously consider it.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3561/history/20130220/2220Z/KBDL/KBWI

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA365/history/20130221/0055Z/KBWI/KPIT

Tampa to Hartford - Twice this Week - The Whole Can of Coke on Southwest

Out of TPA on Monday night on the evening nonstop to BDL via Southwest.  2 hours and 18 minutes in the air.  It still beats a connection any day.

We closed the door in TPA 2 minutes early and arrived at BDL 2 minutes early as well.

I'll be right back here in 72 hours, but that's another story.

So, I'm sitting in the darkened cabin when it's time to order the Coke in this case.  So I asked for the whole can.

In what had to be the fastest English I've ever heard, Karen informs me that she's not sure she can do this since "our destination is a non-provisioned station and the stuff is locked up in the back".

HUH?

I've never heard this kind of response in almost 40 years of flying!

Karen did eventually bring the whole can.

Over time, I've gotten to be a pretty good judge of body languages, faces, etc.  It's just because I constantly work with strangers and after 30 years, you can tell.

Karen was not happy, and I do feel that being an FA is a very tough job.  But don't give me some dumb answer when you simply don't want to mess with the can.

She never smiled the whole trip. 

Pittsburgh next.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3481/history/20130219/0140Z/KTPA/KBDL

Las Vegas to Tampa - Delta is Getting it Done

Usually my weekly work in LAS ends at 4 pm Vegas time.  One can get back to the east coast by doing the famous red eye flights.  I quit those years ago, and let the customer pay for a Friday night in LAS with an early flight out.

Early this time means 6 am, which is probably the first departure out of LAS.  It's hell on earth to have to get up at 3 am, take a cab, and deal with Vegas security.  PRE in LAS does not open until who knows when, but they have NEVER been open when I fly the 6 am departure.

So numbly, you wait at the gate and thank god the upgrade has cleared.  You sit in that big seat and instantly go to sleep and usually wake up around MEM.  Upon looking at the link below, I'm not sure why we arrived into ATL via the approach from the SW.

The connection to TPA was fine, arriving 3 minutes early.  So I got somewhat of a Saturday night on my island, and don't have to leave for Hartford until 8 pm Monday night.

The beat just never ends.  Three trips in the next week.  19705 miles through Feb 16 ytd.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1602/history/20130216/1400Z/KLAS/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2372/history/20130216/1840Z/KATL/KTPA

Commercial Air Safety - We are Quite Safe!

I came across this article in the New York Times while drinking morning coffee today in Vegas.  Statistically, the article speaks for itself.  We are quite safe up there!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/business/2012-was-the-safest-year-for-airlines-globally-since-1945.html?hp&_r=0

Tampa - Las Vegas - Dodging Fronts

Another, short weekend.  And off to Vegas.  I could tell from the radar that even though the weather in TPA was great, once we got up into Georgia we would be flying into a front.  And we surely did!  Notice the deviation we took on the flight.  Typically, a TPA/ATL arrival will come into ATL from the west via Columbus, GA.  Not this night.  And it was very bumpy.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2172/history/20130210/2215Z/KTPA/KATL

Upon our arrival in ATL, I saw the CNN feed and noticed that a tornado had hit Hattiesburg, MS.  Anytime this happens, ATL goes into a ground stop.  I can't say for sure, be we might have been the last arrival that ATL accepted for a while.

All this means is the connection to LAS is late, but only 45 minutes.  But notice the northerly route we took.  And the first 2 hours of this segment were very bumpy.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1703/history/20130211/0059Z/KATL/KLAS

We overflew the entire state of Kansas!  That's how far north we were.  This added a lot of time to the flight actually. 

In any event, in LAS all week. 

Columbus to TPA - Airport Mess

If anyone from CMH reads this, please don't be insulted.  But your concourse A is a disaster right now.  I say right now because, yes, you are working hard at remodeling it.

But when you combine delayed flights, and the fact that Southwest is the only tenant there, well. it's just wall to wall people.

Today was the beginning of the big east coast blizzard, so some of the SWA flights were behind, including mine by 30 minutes, through BNA.

This plane was just packed, every seat occupied by a somewhat large person, and that includes me.  But I'm on my island and the weather here in St. Pete is just fabulous.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3054/history/20130208/2215Z/KCMH/KBNA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3054/history/20130209/0010Z/KBNA/KTPA

Fly Early in the Day ! (AGAIN!)

I recall an earlier post on this blog with the same title (minus the word AGAIN).

Today I was scheduled to leave Newark for Columbus, OH, via Detroit on Delta.

It was a clear but cold day in EWR.  What can happen, right?

Doesn't matter now as I got done with work much earlier and called Delta.  Their "same day confirmed" service is terrific and I was booked through ATL, departing Newark at 215 pm 4 hours earlier than planned.  When you change a flight like this, there is practically no chance of getting the upgrade this late.

So I was SHOCKED when I got to the gate at EWR and saw myself as number one on the waitlist, having hopped over 34 others!

And it cleared!

Same thing in ATL.  Hopped to number one over 19 others and the upgrade cleared again.

And we arrived here in CMH right on time at 730 pm, a good 3 hours before I was supposed to get here.

So, I check the status of my original flight out of EWR throught DTW.

The EWR/DTW segment left 90 minutes late, meaning I would NOT have made the connection and would have blown the trip.  Since I always have to get where I work, I would have had to rent a car, one way out of DTW to get here.  I estimate the drive to be 3 hours.

Another very lucky day.  When departing NYC airport, you have to leave as early as you can!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL935/history/20130206/1915Z/KEWR/KATL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2361/history/20130206/2259Z/KATL/KCMH

Tampa - Newark AGAIN

I really don't have a lot against New Jersey, but 3 trips in 3 weeks is putting me over the edge.  This is mainly due to cold weather.  I got up and it had snowed 2 inches overnight.  And the Super Bowl will be played here next year.  Think I'll sit in front of the HD on my little island for this game.

Well, the NYC area had wind and ceiling issues, so the inbound flight from LGA was a good 30 minutes late into TPA.

We loaded up with what was every NJ accent imaginable, including the loudest Sicilian version of their language I ever heard.  This guy YELLED into his phone as long as we were on the ground.  I'm not a racist, after all, he probably thought I was some moonshiner named Bubba.

But the Jet Blue folks in TPA turned it as quickly as they could and the A320 arrived in EWR only 10 minutes late.

I'm wracking up the miles now on the flag carrier of the Republic of New Jersey.

On to Columbus, OH from here later this week

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JBU534/history/20130205/0049Z/KTPA/KEWR

Tampa/Hartford/Tampa

The work is suddenly crazy, with Saturdays involved.  So I got to spend Thursday night at home, but flew to BDL on Friday, on Southwest non-stop.  We arrived at BDL 10 minutes early, and as usual, no problems with SWA.  Their coach is so much more comfortable than the legacy guys.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA285/history/20130201/1905Z/KTPA/KBDL

So after a quick half day working in CT, its back to TPA, on Delta, with the connection via DTW.  I know.  Sounds absurd, but on Saturdays I've noticed that SWA flies a greatly reduced schedule.

The CR7 out of BDL to DTW was right on time.  But the MD90 to TPA departed 45 minutes late, due to late arrive flight attendants.  I won't scream too much over this, as it was snowing heavily in DTW that night.

The MD was only booked with 40 pax, and first class, which holds 18, only had 9 people, so everybody practically had their own row to themselves.  Plus nobody burned their overhead lights so the cabin was dark and quite cozy.

The take off was fun with the light load.  When the brakes were released, the acceleration was pretty violent, as was the climb out.  This never gets old to me!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/ASQ5129/history/20130202/2125Z/KBDL/KDTW

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1721/history/20130203/0045Z/KDTW/KTPA

JFK to TPA - 44 Empty Seats!

The weather in the NYC area was horrible yesterday, prior to this trip with terrible winds.  We were lucky to be just a couple of hours late, and I'll take that any day coming out of a New York airport.

I suppose many people cancelled, rebooked, etc due to flight irregularities which is why there were so many empty seats in the back.

Of course first was full, and in this case, I flew on a paid first fare since it was so cheap.

I get exactly 12 hours at home, then it's off to Hartford for another Saturday workday.

9608 miles flown in January.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2391/history/20130131/2355Z/KJFK/KTPA

TPA to EWR, No Time to Rest

I got to stay in TPA exactly 24 hours, as I had a JetBlue departure to EWR tonight.

But I made the best of the 24 hours.  I sat on the beach for a couple of them and the weather was just perfect.  Of course here in EWR, it's currently 25.

I flew JetBlue and the A320 was full.  But so many folks from this area visit the TPA area on vacation, so I wasn't surprised.

But we were about 20 minutes early!  Thanks JetBlue!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/JBU534/history/20130128/0049Z/KTPA/KEWR

LGA to TPA - All the Luck Possible!

I finished the week by working in CT Saturday with a departure out of LGA to Tampa at 4 pm.

This kind of thing is always nerve wracking because you have to finish the work and then hope like hell that you can get down I-95 and into/thru LGA with time to spare.

It went very well, and once the Avis bus put me out at the Delta terminal, I was lucky enough to get through TSA pre with no issues.

I went to the Sky Club, and got a beverage when I looked at the departure board and saw a nonstop leaving for TPA in just 15 minutes.  (I had a connection through ATL).

The agent at the Sky Club switched me over and put me on the standby list for first.  By the time I got to the gate, the upgrade had cleared, and in the space of no more than 5 minutes, I was sitting in 1A with a beverage.

I landed at TPA at 7 pm, and ended up getting a Saturday night that I did not think I was going to get.  Most of the folks up front were going to Gasparilla - I stopped doing that a couple of years ago. 

But I just could not believe this good luck!

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1695/history/20130126/2100Z/KLGA/KTPA

Amarillo/Dallas/Tampa/Atlanta/JFK

Where to start:

AMA to DFW was fine, the Eagle RJ, ontime in fact.  Again, always sit on the "A" side lest you have a seatmate.

The Super 80 out of DFW to TPA on a Friday night was absolutely packed, and since I have no status with AA, well, I sat way back, at least on an aisle.

Took my AMEX Platinum card and was admitted to the Admirals Club in DFW.  I gotta tell you DELTA, AA's club there is top rank, at least this one in C concourse was.  They even have sushi.  And even though DL is pouring money into their clubs now, the AA club was more dignified and elegant.

I got to sleep in my bed for one night.

Then did DL out of TPA to ATL to visit friends.  Left on a Saturday afternoon, and right on time but you outta be on a Saturday.

Did ATL to JFK tonight.  Due to a last minute ticket purchase I did not get the upgrade and finished, AGAIN, at number one on the upgrade list.  Happens every time I don't clear, one seat off.

Landed on time at JFK in the light snow and DL here has the same sickness they got in DTW; can't get the jetway on.  It took 10 minutes. 

Sooo, hanging out working at JFK most of the week, but have to do a job in CT later which will force me to fly to TPA out of LGA later this week.

All to get one night in my bed.

Then off to EWR next week. 

DL has added more strings to their elite status, now tying it to money spent on fares.  I have a spreadsheet from last year and the $12,500.00 threshold for Diamond won't be a challenge.  They could take it all higher for all I care.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/EGF3418/history/20130118/2250Z/KAMA/KDFW

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL1072/history/20130119/0250Z/KDFW/KTPA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL2372/history/20130119/1840Z/KATL/KTPA

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL268/history/20130121/2235Z/KATL/KJFK

My Yearly January Trip to Amarillo

It's 24 degrees here, and I should be used to that having lived in Chicago.  But since I've lived in Florida for two years, and we've been having record high temps in St. Pete lately, I'm about to die from cold here!

Amarillo is always a tough place to get here, and I've been coming out here for 15 years.  During that time, Delta has come and gone.  3 separate times.  The only people who fly it now are UA out of DEN and IAH I believe, and AA out of DFW and Southwest out of DAL.

And I've done them all, and they all have their issues here.

But today I did SWA out of Nashville, through STL with a connection in DAL.

Only 30 mins late actually.  That's about the norm here.  It seems like airlines aren't committed to the smaller markets.  AMA and Knoxville (TYS) where I used to live have a lot in common in that area.

Here til Friday, then back to TPA for a couple of days.  JFK is next.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA451/history/20130113/1930Z/KBNA/KSTL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA451/history/20130113/2105Z/KSTL/KDAL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA1527/history/20130113/2345Z/KDAL/KAMA

Tampa to Nashville - Southwest

The first trip of 2013 went off without a hitch.  The SWA flight landed in BNA 15 minutes early.  Let's hope that sets the trend for 2013.  Later this week, off to Amarillo, a place that is never easy to get to.

I see where the Boeing Dreamliner (788) seems to be having a lot of issues.  It's probably par for the course for new metal.  I've yet to see one of these anywhere yet.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA56/history/20130109/2105Z/KTPA/KBNA

St. Lucia - Vacation

For the last few years, I've tried to ring in the new year on some Caribbean island.  And when you live on an island in Florida, and on the beach, well, it takes a lot to get my attention. But St. Lucia is beautiful and so are it's people.  Special thanks to Peter, the bartender at the swim up bar at Sandals Grand St. Lucian for introducing me to so many ways of mixing dark rum!

Since this blog is particularly about flying, I'll not bore you with details about the resorts and all, but I'm posting a couple of pics in addition to the flight stuff.

I did a free ticket out of TPA to ATL then down to UVF, the international airport in St. Lucia.

The flights were all on time, and I'm going to give DL credit.  They seem to have turned it around in ATL in terms of hustle and service.

As we prepared to push out of the gate at UVF, the pilot gave us the route of flight and told us that he was going to rock the wings right after rotation in order to say goodbye to all the folks on the beach we would overfly.

And I forgot about this until, sure enough, about 3 seconds after rotation he rocked the wings!  And it was pretty vigorous rocking.  That's the first time I've ever had that experience in 30 years of air travel!  Very cool!

This ended my 2012 flight year.  The total mileage was down slightly from 2011.  I ended the year at 144,123 miles.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL421/history/20121229/1500Z/KATL/TLPL

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL426/history/20130102/2016Z/TLPL/KATL