Southwest Airlines PVD-MCI 7 July 2009 by VPP

Southwest Airlines Trip Details

Sunday, July 5, 2009:

WN 825 B737-700 departing PVD at 3:05 p.m. arriving BNA at 4:35 p.m. Open Seating, Got 11C

WN 393 B737-700 departing BNA at 5:25 p.m. arriving MCI at 7:00 p.m. Miss connect

Total Trip Cost: $389.70, Completely Refundable
Actual Airfare: $344.19
Actual Miles Flown: 1,398
Yield: $0.246 per mile (Business Select)
Taxes & Fees: $45.41, 11.6% of ticket price

Actually Flown

Sunday, July 5, 2009:

WN 825 B737-700 departing PVD at 3:05 p.m. diverted to SDF at 6:15 p.m. Open Seating, Got 11C

WN 214 B737-700 departing SDF at 7:00 p.m. arriving MDW at 7:15 p.m. Open Seating, Got 12D

WN 936 B737-700 departing MDW at 9:30 p.m. arriving MCI at 10:50 p.m. Open Seating, Got 11C

Actual Miles Flown: 1,473
Actual Yield: $0.233 per mile

Ordinarily, flying on Southwest is so darned simple,  it borders on boring….if it weren’t for the fact the crews are, for the most part, really fun-spirited.

But this is a great airline and a really great story, if you are curious how an airline performs when things go wrong, like the weather. Fortunately, they performed so well, I didn’t get a chance to see what happens when there’s a total meltdown.

Our travel manager secured the this ticket spur of the moment. I became aware of an emergency, last-second trip I had to make and WN came to mind first. I asked for Business Select as I like the product. Our travel manager checked me in and I got an A1 boarding position…SWEET!

At Providence, I checked luggage as I had a long trip…ultimately headed to Napa for the better part of 6 to 8 weeks.

I grabbed a bite to eat and then went to board. I was not quite the first person on as the “blue card” (minors, people that needed extra time, etc.) were allowed to board first, but I did get the best seat in the house, 11C on a B737-700.  With the best seat in the house and drink coupons in hand, I was ready for the trip!

The flight was perfect and normal…until I noticed we were nowhere close to landing and the pilot said, “Folks, if you look off to the left side of the aircraft, you will notice a huge storm…and unfortunately its right over Nashville and the airport is closed, so we’re going to hold…they are telling us 25 minutes.” 25 minutes came and went and the pilot came on and said he had enough fuel to circle another 20 minutes…but then we’d be looking for an alternative place to land if we could not reach Nashville.

Twenty minutes came and went and off to Louisville, KY we went…and the magic and genius of Southwest starts here.

On the way, the flight crew made it “fun and OK” and reassured everyone we’ll be fine. We arrived at Louisville and the crew asked everyone to remain on the aircraft and if possible, seated, as we could be released FAST.

So we were there about five minutes…and then the Lousiville ground crew came on and said, “Anyone going to Kansas City, we need you off the airplane, we’re going to re-route you.”

So I deplaned…and with skill and precision, the agent said, “Don’t worry, your luggage will be in Kansas City when you get there, sorry for the problems, here are more drink coupons.” The agents also had trouble generating new Business Select boarding passes with A1 – A15 numbers…they instead had B46…and the agent took the time to write on the boarding passes, stamp them, and instructed me to talk to the ground people when I got to Chicago-Midway.

I took my seat, we left….EASY flight…with the time zone changes, we “landed before we left.”

Once at Chicago-Midway, the ground crew was great…and made sure I had boarding position A5…where I grabbed the best seat in the house again, 11C. I had one drink coupon left…and I used that…and we landed at MCI ahead of schedule and…lo and behold, there were my bags!

How about that?

Folks, great airline…GREAT airline! I feel wonderful about being able to fly them. The detractors just don’t get it, no matter how they try to convince me they do.

And while it’s purely anecdotal, I run into more people like a gentleman I did during this trip, who is a national sales manager for an automotive company, and who just enjoys flying Southwest so much more over anyone else.

And to see they manage well through “crud” when it happens…very impressive.

Every trip I take, I become more and more impressed with Southwest Airlines. I’ll be flying them again and again.

US 4165 LGA-ROA 5 July 2009

US 4165 LGA-ROA 8:19 am-10:39 am Dash 8-100 Seat 4C Exit

What a way to end my US Airways flying!  We boarded only 15 minutes before departure–and quickly–as there were only 17 passengers (of 37 seats).  Luckily I had no seatmate again.  During boarding, a passenger called the flight attendant to her row  to remove a dirty diaper from her seat area!  The flight attendant had to retrieve a plastic bag to pick it up and remove it!  Yuck!

We pushed back at 8:20 am and were airborne by 8:34 am.  The flight attendant made an announcement that adult beverages and Power Nap Sacks were available for $7.  I decided to have a Bloody and a Nap Sack, a souvenir of my last flight.  Well, catering did not provide any Nap Sacks–the flight attendant said she always asks for them and never gets them–then she gave me a full cup of tomato juice w/ice and vodka mini, after inquiring, “What liquor goes in a Bloody Mary?”  I thought perhaps she was out of Bloody Mary mix, until she came back later and apologized for giving me the wrong mixer.

On top of that, the flight attendant, nor the pilots or other passengers, had any change for my $20.  She also did not have a handheld device for credit cards, since Piedmont has not yet been provided with them, nor snacks to sell.  So she offered to sell me two more Bloodies TO GO, so I’d owe her $21, which I had.  At this point, I felt so badly for her that I gave her the $21 and packed up my two minis and can of Mr and Mrs T.

But I can’t complain, right, because we arrived at ROA early at 10:26 am.

Flight = A
Flight Attendant = C
Cleaning and Catering = F

US 4158 ROA-LGA 2 July 2009

Scheduled
US 4158 ROA-LGA 4:48 pm – 6:51 pm Dash 8-100 Exit Row Aisle 4C

Actual
US 4158 ROA-LGA 7:25 pm – 9:06 pm Dash 8-100 Exit Row Aisle 4C, delay due to earlier weather and subsequent ATC delays

We pushed at 7:18 pm and departed at 7:25 pm.  I had no seatmate, which was nice.  We had a full in-flight beverage service.  I purchased two Bloodies for $14, which consisted of two minis, one plastic cup with ice, one can of Bloody Mary Mix, no lime, no stirring straw/stick, which meant I had to swish/swirl the cup to mix up the beverage.  I had purchased snacks and water at ROA, so I would have something to eat.  I had to ask for a napkin. The flight was otherwise uneventful.

I do not recommend this flight.  According to flightstats.com

Route: Roanoke to New York
Date Range: April 15, 2009 to June 15, 2009
Flight: (US) US Airways 4158

0 of 5 Very Poor
On-time: 43%>
Avg. Delay: 65 min

This flight has an on-time performance of 43%.

This flight has an average delay of 65.0 minutes with a standard deviation of 54.03 minutes.

On-time Arrival Performance for this Flight
On-time 23 43%
Late 5 9%
Very Late 7 13%
Excessive 15 28%
Cancelled 3 5%
Diverted 0 0%

Bell Wine Cellars in Yountville, CA

Bell Wine Cellars
http://www.bellwine.com/
6200 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599
Phone (707) 944-1673

Bell’s Wine Cellars is located in Yountville, CA, a 15-minute drive from Napa. The owner, Anthony Bell, a native South African, produces a varied selection of wines, such as the award-winning 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Clone 6, Rutherford), Sonnette, Claret, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and my favorite, a delightful 2006 South African Sauvignon Blanc. Tastings range from $15-$250 per person and the tasting room is open by appointment seven days a week from 10:30 am until 4:00 pm.

DL/NW 3499 MCI-DTW-PVD 24 June 2009 by VPP

Delta Airlines Trip Details….on Northwest Metal
————————————————————
Wednesday, June 24, 2009:
DL 3499 CRJ900 departing MCI at 10:45 a.m. arriving PVD at 5:09 p.m. 3D to MSP, 3C to PVD

With a stop in MSP
————————————————————
Total Trip Cost: $183.20, Non Refundable
Actual Airfare: $157.21
Actual Miles Flown: 1,510
Yield: $0.104 per mile (Upgraded to First Class)
Taxes & Fees: $25.99, 14.2% of ticket price

So, I relayed a great story about Delta Customer Service…and now, a truly remarkable story about how VASTLY improved the product is!

I had to take a quick spin to Kansas City and needed to get home as efficiently as possible. And actually, DL made the most sense…with a good schedule and price. So our travel manager booked me on Delta….and then she told me, “CRJ900!” I, by my own admission, winced, “Satan’s Chariot?!? A CRJ900?” I thought….and yes, a CRJ900….in Coach.

So, the trip was booked in Coach as the numbers reference. Have to admit, and I don’t believe in “flying for status,” but the way I wrote this one off in my mind was, “well, I’d like to maintain some sort of status on a Sky Team carrier, so this will work.”

I was notified I was upgraded, about 12 hours prior to departure, certainly not within the window. And as a side note, I’m fine with that. I paid Coach and was prepared to ride in Coach. But I was upgraded.

Got to the airport where NW and DL operations are combined…and still a little confusing…but I checked my bag and got on with my day.

Once on the airplane, I settled into my seat, amazed at the pen marks all over the seats, and relaxed. “Comfortable” I thought. We took off shortly and in the air, the service was excellent…the Flight Attendant, Judy, made herself known and was extremely professional and accommodating. She came by a number of times with the Delta Snack Basket as well as drinks and more drinks.

For the record, the ONE thing US Airways did have on many airlines was “the best snack basket” in F….no longer, Delta now owns that position, by a long shot.

Delta (NW Metal) CRJ900s are nice in F…there is adequate, dare I say “plenty” of seat pitch and size…and the seats are comfortable.

We arrived in MSP early and I hopped off the airplane to go get an e-mail download at the NW Club.

Went back to get on…new crew…and this time, I was in seat 3C with no seat mate. We took off and out came the cart…drinks and the snack basket. I had my usual, Club Soda with a lime and got to work. 5 minutes later, the F/A came back, “sir, for lunch today, I have either a smoked turkey sandwich with chipotle mayonnaise or a chef’s salad, which would you prefer?”

OK, STOP THE TAPE!!! Let me get this straight….I’m on a freakin’ Regional Jet?!! A Canadair?!? I’m in row 3 of 4 rows….AND I GET A CHOICE?!?!?

NO FREAKIN’ WAY!!! I HAVE to be dreaming!!!

So, I pinch myself, nope, not dreaming….and ask for the turkey sandwich. Is served with chips, fruit and a chocolate brownie. I look at it and notice it’s (a.) not insignificant in terms of size and (b.) it actually looks tasty. And so it was, tasty, bordering on really good, significant, filling, very satisfying.

I again, in my mind, think, Let me get this straight….I’m on a freakin’ Regional Jet?!! A Canadair?!?

I finish lunch, quite satisfying…and shocking…and before I can barely put my napkin down, the F/A is picking my tray up and I get to work. The gentleman in front of me reclines…and I still have room to manage my laptop and to get out if I need to. Nice!

In any case, I was impressed. And I have taken a ride on a NW CRJ900 in Y and thought it was a decent ride…certainly not like a CRJ100 or 200. My only beef would be this for the CRJ900 in First Class. I’m 6’3” and 260…and I don’t fit in the bathroom….I have to REALLY be a sort of contortionist in order to get into that bathroom.

What a great flight though! I got plenty of work done, was comfortable with space and had a tasty, satisfying lunch. Not only that, but in the future, if my routing to the west coast takes me on one of these to MSP or somewhere again, I would pay the F fare to ride in the seat.

Nice experience…one I will do again!

The New Delta Airlines, They Love To Fly And It Shows by VPP

The New Delta Airlines, They Love To Fly And It Shows!

Okay…when I relay this story and this trip report, it’s going to sound like we’re talking about Nordstrom’s….I’m not. I’m talking about a story that was Delta Air Lines. And I’m still in a bit of shock and disbelief myself over it. It’s such a good story…and it’s an airline…so I thought I should take a moment and share it with you, the readers.

For a few weeks, I had been working to get meetings set up for my team in Charleston, SC and Roanoke, VA to introduce our new East Coast Manager to them. Our East Coast Manager is flying Delta, mostly because of her schedule and the fact it fits her timing well. So, we booked her on Delta, LGA-CHS on one PNR, CHS-ROA, both of us, on another PNR and then ROA-LGA on yet another PNR.

The date came, June 16, and we were to fly to CHS. Now, we all know, late spring, early summer, the weather in the south and Midwest is one, big, potential thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening. So, getting where you are going in the a.m. is critical. We did just that, scheduled our manager our of LGA (which I affectionately refer to as “LaGarbage”) first thing, non-stop on DL 6553. As my flight was leaving EWR on CO, our manager texted me and said, “delayed.” I took off, landed in CHS….and she was further “delayed.”

To make a long story short, she never made it to CHS…and it took 5 hours before DL fessed up and said, “The flight is cancelled, mechanical.” The story doesn’t end there….

Our manager FINALLY found someone to help her and re-booked her the next morning…by passing CHS and heading straight to ROA. The idea being, “okay, we missed that meeting, let’s not miss again.” So, back to LGA went our manager…and she boarded a flight to ATL, in first class, and arrived exactly nine minutes late…at the T gates. The connecting gate, where I was, was D32….and if you know ATL, even with a very efficient train system, that’s a haul. But make that trek she did…only to get to gate D32, both doors open, the gate and the airplane, and was denied boarding, “Sorry, it’s 10 minutes before departure, we won’t put you on, FAA regulation.”

Now that is just OBSCENE! And wrong…and a lie. It’s NOT an FAA regulation!

Be that as it may, we took off, without my sidekick, and went on….we never made it to ROA…but that too is another story, which ended well, by the way, courtesy of some GREAT UA Express customer service.

Meanwhile, our manager had to get back to LGA and for the week, never made it anywhere.

In any case, I was livid…and I made sure our professional travel manager knew about it. She promptly wrote DL and relayed the story…and was given….$400 in vouchers and an apology. When our travel manager asked for my thoughts, I said, “UNACCEPTABLE! The product did not perform, no one got where they were going, we lost money on hotels, cab rides and not to mention, lost time, doing nothing, getting NOWHERE!!”

I was truly outraged.

So, our travel manager (who owns this blog for the record) wrote back….and lo and behold! Delta agreed! And refunded our money!

Now, forgetting for a moment we had to write back, this is just outstanding and, in my world, unprecedented. Truly, unprecedented!

Long story short….I’ll book Delta with confidence…for myself and our traveling team. They clearly love to fly, and it shows!

My first experience flying non-revenue

16JUN US 2570 TRI-CLT 544A 630A CRJ-200 Seat 8F Exit
16JUN US 3921 CLT-CHS 735A 827A CRJ-200 Seat 7D

17JUN US 1818 CHS-CLT 715A 819A ERJ-190 Row 26 all to myself
17JUN US 4141 CLT-TRI 924A 1021A Dash 8-300 Row 12 all to myself

When I first decided to try my hand at non-revenue flying, I thought it might turn out to be an adventure of sorts, flying space available only, perhaps being denied along the way due to full flights.  I had also heard that treatment of non-revenue passengers could be negative.

However, I am happy to report that this little adventure of mine turned out to be truly a non-adventure.  All of my flights departed early or on time and all arrived early.  Each time I approached the gate agent to let him/her politely know I was a non-revenue standby, I was greeted with a smile and immediately given a seat assignment.  On my first flight, I was given the exit row, on the second, my preference of aisle or window.  On my third flight I had the last row all to myself, and on the fourth flight, I was given a window seat beside someone, but there were empty rows in the back of the plane, so I just moved back and enjoyed the space of an empty row.

The service on all of my flights, which were all US Airways Express except for US 1818, was by request only due to the short duration.  If I had been a paying customer, I might have taken advantage of the request, but as a non-revenue passenger, I was just happy and relieved to have any seat.

What I learned from this experience was that as an elite frequent flier who often receives special treatment and perks, I usually set the bar very high for product and service.  In other words, I can be very picky.  However, this humbling experience reminded me to be truly grateful for the transportation itself, and that what is most important is the destination, not the ride.

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena, California

Cindy’s Backsteet Kitchen
http://www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com/
Menu: http://www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com/eats.php
1327 Railroad Ave
St. Helena, CA
Phone (707) 963-1200
Fax (707) 963-1207

Hours:
November 1st – April 30th
Sunday – Thursday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Friday & Saturday 11:30 am – 9:30 pm

May 1st – October 31st
Open 7 days a week; 11:30 am – 9:30 pm

During a recent trip to Napa, my fiancé and I had lunch at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen after a nearby wine tasting.  The restaurant offers a wide range of menu items, including “small plates,” salads, “large plates,” “from our wood burning oven,” and sandwiches.  Both reservations and walk-ins are welcome.

My fiancé and I both ordered the Backstreet Fry (with calamari, red onions, fennel, okra, and lemon aioli) and the Chinatown Duck Burger with shiitake mushroom ketchup and French fries.  It was one of the most unique and incredibly delicious meals we’ve ever had.

According to the website, “Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen combines a classy supper club with the flair of a speakeasy to create the perfect upscale eatery and neighborhood hang-out.”  What a perfect description of this casual and friendly restaurant opened by Cindy Pawlcyn, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and chef/owner of Napa’s Mustards Grill.

LGA-ATL-TRI on Delta 1 June 2009

DL 1777 ATL-LGA 9:55 am – 12:40 pm 757-200 Seat 2C Aisle
DL 5086 ATL-TRI 4:15 pm – 5:19 pm CRJ-200 Seat 8B Exit Aisle, changed to Seat 4B Aisle

My fiancé had to be at work at 7:30 am, so he dropped me off early at LaGuardia.  I passed rather quickly through the Clear security line, but it was not as efficient as previous experiences.  It was the “morning rush” and Clear apparently only had two employees working, one to verify identity and one to lead passengers to the shortest line.  Because of this, the service was slightly less personalized and I found I had to wait a little longer than before.  However, it was still quicker than the elite or regular lines.

I spent the next hour and a half in the LGA Sky Club.  There were not many snacks, but I was not hungry.  I just wanted a quiet place to work that had complimentary Internet, so the club worked.  A quiet place to work that has complimentary Internet is primary reason I have the membership.

My flight from LGA boarded on time and we pushed back about three minutes early, at 9:52 am.  However, we had to wait to take off (surprise, not!) and finally departed at 10:32 am, 37 minutes past scheduled departure.

The pre-flight and in-flight service was as expected.  Our seats were prepared for our arrival with ear buds, a blanket, and a bottle of mini-Dasani.  We received a full, pre-departure beverage service.  In-flight service consisted of Delta On Air short programming and a lunch and beverage service.  This time lunch was either a turkey sandwich or a Greek-like salad with cold grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, yellow and red pepper, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese.  Sides included the usual fresh fruit plate, breadsticks, and molasses cookie.  We also received the snack basket service as well, with the choices being Twix®, Biscoffs®, Pretzel Crisps®, apples, or peanuts.

We made up time in the air and landed at ATL early at 12:14 pm.  I made my way to the ATL C36 Sky Club, the location closest to my connecting gate.  There I enjoyed the quiet, the work, and an Atlanta Sweetwater Pale Ale.

I was scheduled to meet a friend who was flying through ATL.  He landed on time, but his aircraft took a delay waiting on a gate and during the deplaning process.  So when he arrived the Sky Club, he literally stopped in, had a brief look around, then departed!  The visit was maybe one minute long!

After he ran in and out, I packed up and went to my gate, one gate away from the club.  When I arrived, the agent was seeking one volunteer to take the next flight to TRI, so I volunteered.  However, there were a couple of misconnects, so she ended up not needing me.  However, in the process, I lost my exit row aisle seat and ended up in 4B.

We departed the gate at 4:14 pm, but had to wait to depart.  ATL’s afternoon rush hour must have reared its ugly head.  We sat in line with no air conditioning, which was really uncomfortable.  We finally departed at 4:47 pm, 32 minutes past scheduled departure.  The flight attendant, sensing how warm we must have all been, offered all of us a cup of ice water en route, atlhough no in-flight service was scheduled.  We arrived TRI at 5:23 pm, only four minutes past scheduled arrival.

TRI-ATL-LGA on Delta 28 May 2009

DL 5644 TRI-ATL 12:41 pm – 1:43 pm CRJ-200 Seat 8B Exit Aisle
DL 1788 ATL-LGA 4:40 pm – 7:09 pm 757-200 Seat 5A Window

I arrived at TRI about an hour before my flight.  As I was printing my boarding passes at the kiosk, I noticed my first flight said, “delayed.” So after completing check-in, I went to an agent to inquire about the delay.  He looked at the computer screen, chuckled, and said, “Two minutes.” Too funny!

I proceeded quickly through security and spent about 20 minutes in the TRI Business Center handling some work for a travel client.  The inbound flight arrived and we boarded on time.  We pushed back early, at 12:35 pm.  However, we took about a 15-minute ATC hold in TRI and finally took off at 12:52 pm, 12 minutes past scheduled departure.  The plane was maybe half full and I had no seatmate, so I was able to spread out and enjoy the short flight.  We landed at 1:36 pm, seven minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival.

We deplaned and I grabbed a quick lunch and ate it on my way to the Delta Sky Club near B10.  I spent the next two and a half hours in the club enjoying a couple of Bloody Marys and the complimentary Wi-Fi.   During my wait, I discovered that I had a chance at an upgrade at the gate, and that my flight was delayed by 30 minutes.  However, the time passed very quickly.   I made my way to the gate, which had changed from B2 to B21, so I had quite a walk.  When I arrived at the gate, I looked up at the monitor and saw my elite complimentary upgrade had cleared, seat 5A window.  I am not a window person, because I usually have to get up during the flight, but my seatmate was a young lady who understood my possible need!  And I actually enjoyed looking out the window.

When I arrived my seat, there were the requisite pillow, blanket, mini bottle of Dasani, and ear buds.  We were also served a full pre-departure beverage service and I had white wine.  We pushed back at 5:03 pm, but took an ATC hold in ATL and did not take off until 5:34 pm, 56 minutes past scheduled departure.  In-flight services included Delta TV short programming, complimentary beverages, and a cold dinner plate consisting of a Greek pasta/chicken kabob salad made with feta cheese crumbles, tomatoes, olive bits, and romaine lettuce;  a fresh fruit plate with two slices of orange, a slice of pineapple, and a strawberry; pre-packaged breadsticks; and a pre-packaged molasses sugar cookie.  The only minor complaints I had were the cookie was extremely sweet, so much so that I only ate half, and there was something strange on the chicken kabob part of my salad.  I bit it and it was sweet and had seeds.  Later I suspected it was perhaps a fig, but I was not sure.  At any rate, it was not to my liking.

We made great time in the air, narrowly avoiding another ATC hold, and landed at LGA at 7:21 pm, only 12 minutes past scheduled arrival.

Delta has proved itself to me time and time again this year that they are making an effort towards greater consistency and better on-board service.