O'Hare/Atlanta/Orlando - Delta

Another trip to Orlando, the second in three weeks. The miles and segments are starting to pile up now.

Through the first 6 months of this year, I've flown 55068 miles, according to the computer at Flight Memory.

This trip was uneventful. I've been trying to stay out of ATL. And because of that, I wasn't prepared for the sheer volume of humanity that can be present in all of those concourses. Seriously, even when things are on time, (and they almost were, my flight departed for MCO 20 minutes late, bearable) the place can overwhelm you.

I'd really feel sorry for anyone who has never flown before, yet ended up connecting in that place. It's just a zoo. That's not all that bad, but you are on your own there; hustle or you will get run over by other pax, carts, crewmembers, anybody.

Back to ATL and then on to Knoxville for a few days to visit the kids, on Thursday.

Idaho Falls/Salt Lake/O'Hare - Skywest

Two more on time segments today by Skywest, definitely the best of the Delta connection carriers. I just love the CR9 with the first class.

One minor observation; we boarded 5 minutes lake out of SLC because the "aircraft search team" was late arriving. Let me guess, they work for Delta, not TSA.

And yes, another 5 agonizing minutes at ORD waiting for the jetway to be put on. I guess this is just a pervasive thing through Delta stations.

And Orlando is next! I'm already telling myself not to get upset with the huge load of tourists who will be there Sunday night, making it impossible to get the rental car, etc.

Delta Red Coats Return - An Open Letter to Virginia Avenue

The famous Red Coat customer service agents are back. I've attached a pic that appeared today in USA Today.

The Delta of today in no way resembles the Delta that was around when the Red Coats established themselves as the greatest customer service team I've ever worked with in travel.

So why am I calling this an open letter?

The old Delta was a famously friendly, customer service oriented airline. I remember many occasions when I personally tracked down a Red Coat. In those days, these people had power and could do things for passengers without having their hands tied. I remember a lady agent in SLC who took me into her office and personally overrode the computer and upgraded my daughter to first class with me on an upcoming trip to Madrid.

But today, Delta is managed, operated, and simply run by people who were not around in those days. Most Delta elite customers have held on for dear life as we have seen this airline contort, compress, and god-knows-what-else. We have seen our elite privileges "enhanced" (sarcasm intended), and our options virtually evaporate.

Whereas this is the norm in the airline business, us "oldtimers" have put in more time on Delta metal than these new managers have been in their offices in ATL.

So to these new people:

Please, allow the Red Coats to solve problems as they did in the old days. Please, do not handicap them, and attach strings to them. Please give them the latitude to make decisions without having to "check with a supervisor".

Please.

Life has changed so much. Older folks like myself remember simpler, better, calmer, less complicated times. It would be nice to see this kind of spirit return to Delta.

I've flown over 4,000,000 miles with these guys. They have been a big part of my adult life.

Please

CLEAR Shuts Down

All high mileage travelers hate the ordeal known as TSA Airport Security. We have had to endure things that simply do not contribute to security, but do seem to result in "theater". And I'm not gonna let myself get agitated tonight, here in beautiful eastern Idaho.

But CLEAR, the program which allowed "registered travelers" to get through security "faster" is dead.

And there are a lot of reasons for it. TSA never wanted this to take wings. I didn't either, because to me, CLEAR lanes existed in so few airports that it simply was not worth the cost.

I have read today where CLEAR originated in Orlando, the airport I detest so much.

I was there less than two weeks ago, and and I do recall seeing a CLEAR lane, with a few folks going through. What I also recall is some jerk who got into the "regular" line with the non-CLEAR people because he thought he could bully his way past us and get in front of the CLEAR people!

Yeah, it makes no sense. I would not let this guy go past without making it difficult.

Well tonight, you jerk, I hope you are sitting at home in MCO mourning the loss of the $$$ you gave CLEAR. So get your sorry self back in line with everybody else. I'm glad to see them go.

And hopefully MCO has torn down the CLEAR lane just like the pic above (taken today at BOS)

Chicago to Idaho Falls

Even when flights are on time (ORD to SLC, then on to IDA) there will still be some suffering. And in this case, the suffering was courtesy of our friends at Bombardier, inventor of the famous Canadair Regional Jet. The ORD/SLC segment was on Delta metal, an MD90. But the SLC/IDA trip was on the infamous CRJ200 operated by SkyWest.

The CRJ burst on the scene when I was living in Knoxville. And I thought it was great. Well, compared to the propeller driven Embraer which flew TYS/CVG, well, they were great.

Only one problem. Embraer jumped into the RJ game and their ER145/170 series put CRJs to shame.

The CR900 is nice because it has a first class. CR700 is nicer than a 200, but the 100-200 series is utter hell.

You are jammed in 2x2 fashion, 50 people in the hull. And it is the tightest configuration you can sit in. I try to avoid these things, but I'll ride another one Friday morning back to SLC.

I gotta have something to complain about!

DFW to Chicago (ORD) - American - The Right Way to Handle a Melt Down

I'd like to think that I'm enough of a guy to know when I am wrong about things. I know I have been constantly critical of legacy carriers and their approach to delays. And I have spent a fair amount of time venting on American. But last night, at DFW, I want to particularly compliment the all female crew of American 2370.

Yesterday in Chicago was horrible to say the least. Bad storms, hail and the like most of the day. In fact when I did get here I could not believe how much high water lay on the streets with all kinds of tree limbs blown there.

Obviously, when this happens, ORD will melt down. I had been checking flights into ORD all day long and AA had canceled many of their trips.

But my flight showed "on time" most of the day, and of course, you can't believe that. The FAA delay site showed average delays into ORD running anywhere from 2 hours to 3 and a half hours. The radar showed big cells over the city, and sweeping in from the west which of course is right on the arrival from DFW.

Finally AA posted a departure time of 8 pm (the flight was scheduled for 6:50 pm).

So we boarded and right away I could tell this crew was different. The captain constantly came on the PA and spoke to us in very human tones about the weather and what could end up happening to us; long tarmac delay, possible deviation. She was very frank and a refreshing difference.

Then a few minutes later, she came on and told us that the FAA had issued a 9:40 PM wheels up time for us and of course it was just 8:10 pm. We all groaned knowing that we were going to have to sit there for 90 minutes before even taking off. She continued to come on the PA and apologize.

Then something happened that I had not experienced in almost 30 years of air travel; our wheels up time was moved to 8:40 pm and the cockpit was told this at 8:35!

She came on again and shared the good news but said, to be honest, no matter how fast we pushed back, no matter how fast she tried to taxi, we would not be in position for take off in just 5 minutes.

But she worked like heck to pull it off. It did take longer than 5 minutes, but we taxied right out to the departure end of 18L and we were off.

We arrived in the gate at ORD only 1 hour and 30 minutes late which was truly a good ending to a potentially horrible situation.

And when we deplaned at ORD; I walked past literally hundreds of passengers trying to sleep out in the open on city-of-Chicago-owned cots.

For anyone who never flies, this is the one situation that I have tried to avoid for almost thirty years, and I have managed to do it.

I wanted to take a pic of this but out of respect for the dignity of the people who actually paid an airline in order to sleep on a cot out in the open, I simply did not.

But again, I was completely impressed with the professionalism of that cockpit and how they felt it was imporant to keep the customers informed.

I recall all those nights sitting in DFW on Delta metal undergoing the same kind of delays and the cockpit was completely silent.

Great job ladies!

Knoxville to DFW - American Eagle

I've railed on American Eagle a lot on this blog, but since I moved to Chicago, I never fly on them. But today I did as they have nonstop service from TYS to DFW and even if they are late (and they were, one hour late!) at least you don't have to deal with the anxiety of a connection.

And almost everybody else on the ERJ had a connection and these people were becoming unglued. EGF has the same problem DL has; they can't find a jet bridge driver once you are in the gate. We waited at least 5 minutes to the point where my poor fellow East Tennesseans got abnormally upset.

Driving out of the rental area at DFW, one encounters more concrete and roads than I've seen at any US airport.

And there is a north-south tollway which splits the airport in two. So I dutifully prepared to hand over the $2 toll for the 5 mile drive. But some wonderful news for the traveler; if you are in a rental car the toll is waived! And it was! Completely unlike Chicago where the city fathers want to squeeze every dime out of anyone who goes into or out of ORD from the surrounding Illinois Tollways. Very refreshing.

I'll fly real AA metal on Friday back to ORD. I expect a delay