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