RIC-ATL-TRI November 23

DL 983 RIC-ATL 8:20 AM-10:09 AM MD88 seat 4B aisle (First Class)
DL 4991 ATL-TRI 11:29 AM-12:33 PM CRJ seat 9B aisle

Pre-trip report:

Note to everyone! Every time you print your BPs at home, you receive different entry codes for the promo! You can only enter once per day, so save your entry codes and enter once per day until they are gone! I had printed to .pdf yesterday and really printed them today in the hotel business center and now I have four codes for four flights!

And remember, you must print the destination highlights to get your entry codes! The ad company is the sponsor of the promo!

I had to scan/reprint my BP at RIC to generate my checked bag tag. The kiosks here have the new format, but I did not not see much more efficiency than before, FWIW.

There was NO line at security, I breezed right through. Sunday morning in RIC is very quiet. I probably should be in church instead of the airport!

DL 983 RIC-ATL 8:20 AM-10:09 AM MD88 seat 4B aisle

We boarded on time. There was a mini Dasani, blanket, and pillow at each seat in F. We received a full pre-departure bev service and I had OJ. They shut the door 10 minutes before departure, we pushed back six minutes before departure, and we were airborne at 8:25 am. The flying time was scheduled for one hour 16 minutes at a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. I noticed during the welcome announcement that the FA said the flight was being operated in conjunction with “our subsidiary airline, Northwest Airlines, and our other SkyTeam partners.” En route we had a bev and snack basket service. We landed early at 9:41 am, 28 minutes early.

DL 4991 ATL-TRI 11:29 AM-12:33 PM CRJ seat 9B NO SEATMATE

We boarded on time, shut the door 10 minutes early, pushed back a couple minutes later, and were airborne by 11:39 am. We had a full bev and Biscoff service. We landed at 12:15 pm, 18 minutes early.

Entire Trip Grade = A
Consistent and reliable

A Letter to US Airways

November 20, 2008

Dear US Airways,

I am a 20-year member of Dividend Miles and had been part of US Airways’ history from Piedmont, to US Air, to US Airways, and to this merger between US Airways and America West. Since 1998 I have held elite status – Preferred Plus, Gold Preferred, Chairman’s Preferred, and Platinum Preferred. I weathered two bankruptcies prior to this merger. And despite any issues that I may have encountered previously, the former versions of this company still knew not to bite the hand that fed them, their loyal frequent fliers, the customers they could count on to return time and time again through both prosperous and challenging economic times.

The last three years have seen the withering away of the US Airways I used to love, from the reduction of first class cabins and services, the removal of class-of-service bonuses, the addition of more fees than any other American carrier, a lack of respect for both employees and customers, and the removal of the Preferred Qualification mileage minimums and Preferred bonuses.

The first purpose of this letter is to thank you for rescinding the decision to take away the 500-mile minimum and the elite bonus miles for those few who elect to continue doing business with you.

However, it is truly unfortunate that it took the company seven and four months respectively to realize that these decisions were slaps in the face to your most loyal and high-revenue customers. Believe it or not, it is not just about the chance of upgrades, it is about flying a carrier that offers the total package of value, quality service, and loyalty benefits.

Therefore, it is with great sadness that I must tell you that this reversal came too late for me. I already moved on to Delta and Northwest this year, where I felt valued as a customer, where services and benefits have remained at a level with which I am comfortable, and where if flying coach, I do not have to pay for a basic, non-alcoholic beverage.

Perhaps this is the beginning of a movement towards a better US Airways, but I will not be a part of the journey. You lost me early on when you failed to recognize and appreciate the value of customer loyalty such as mine.

Regretfully,
C’est Beth

TRI-ATL-RIC November 20

20 NOV 2008
DL 5612 TRI-ATL 7:14AM- 8:29 AM CRJ seat 8B exit aisle no seatmate

We boarded on time and the door was shut 10 minutes before departure. We backed away from the gate about five minutes early and were airborne by 7:16 am. There was no in-flight service “due to the short duration.” We landed 33 minutes early at 7:56 am.

I spent my extra time in the B25 CRC, which is much nicer than the B10 location! I had mini muffins, yogurt, and good coffee!

20 NOV 2008
DL 1726 ATL-RIC 9:51AM-11:32 AM MD88 seat 25D exit aisle

We boarded a few minutes late, but coach was over half-empty, so we boarded quickly. The 14 F seats were full; four were upgraded at the gate and I was 6th on the list. When my Gold status rolls over this weekend, I’ll do better! However, I did have the exit row aisle on the two-seat side, so it was fine! Flight time was scheduled for one hour seven minutes at 29,000 feet.

Not sure why, but we sat at the gate for quite a while and did not push back until around 10:09 am, 18 minutes late, and took off 46 minutes late at 10:37 am. Weather here looked fine and RIC was OK, too. The pilots never said the reason for the gate delay. Our taxi was quite long. I thought we might be driving to RIC instead of flying!

We had a standard bev service. We were served snacks first, a choice of TWO bags of peanuts, TWO packages of large DL-branded Biscoffs, or one of each. I had peanuts. I broke down and “self-medicated” with a Bloody for $7.00. It was going to be a long afternoon meeting starting at 2:00 pm and I was not driving! I paid with my DL Amex as they have handhelds and they also provided me with a receipt, too. I did not need one, I just wanted to see it! The FA gave me a Coca-Cola/DL-branded plastic cup with ice and a slice of lime on the rim, a full can of mix, and one mini to mix myself. The charge on the receipt was for the Finlandia mini.

We had a number of military personnel on leave on board and the FAs asked us to allow them to deplane first out of respect and so they could greet their families quicker.

We made up a little time in the air and landed at 11:46 am, only 14 minutes late. Nothing like padding!

Flight grade = A-; would have been A+ if not for the unknown departure delay.

LGA-DTW-ROA November 16

16 NOV 2008
NW 343 LGA-DTW 6:00 AM-8:06 AM 3B First Class
NW 2348 DTW-ROA 10:25 AM-11:55 AM 8B Exit

Pre-trip report

I love the rock star treatment I get from Clear! I have to remember to renew that! I was whisked again through security in about 2-3 minutes! ^

I went to the CRC today to kill 20 minutes of time since they open at 4:30 am. Just a scan of my CRC card and I am in! They did not even need to see my ID today.

NW 343 LGA-DTW 6:00 AM-8:06 AM 3B First Class A320

When I arrived the gate, the flight was already boarding. There was a full pre-dep drink service and I had OJ in a cocktail-sized, NWA-branded plastic cup. I am going alcohol-free as my stomach is a little messed up today. The FA hung my coat. My blue cloth seat cushion was so thick and cushiony, I could barely touch the floor with my feet! In fact, I had the sense of sitting up high. There were 13 passengers in F plus one lap child of 16 seats. We backed away from the gate at 5:55 am and were airborne by 6:09 am. In-flight service consisted of a full bev service and a choice of bananas or cinnamon sugar pita chips. My OJ was served in the standard, NWA-branded slender glass. Two things I noticed: when the FA made the welcome announcement over the PA, he welcomed everyone to NW, now a part of DL. And on the way back from the lav, I noticed a sash (with velcro, I assume) separating F from Y, not a see-through curtain. Otherwise, the flight was very quiet as most people were sleeping. We landed 32 minutes early at DTW at 7:24 am.

NW 2348 DTW – ROA 10:25 am-11:55 am CRJ Seat 8B No Seatmate

Pushback: 10:22 am
Takeoff: 10:52 am due to DEICING! It was snow flurrying!

This was an uneventful flight. We had a standard bev service and snacks for sale. I worked on my computer the whole time and drank FREE bottled water!

Arr: 11:50 Rwy (6 minutes early)

ROA-ATL-LGA on DL November 15

15 NOV 2008
NW 2349 ROA-DTW 6:08 AM-7:42 AM
NW 542 DTW-LGA 10:03 AM-11:55 AM

16 NOV 2008
NW 343 LGA-DTW 6:00 AM-8:06 AM
NW 2348 DTW-ROA 10:25 AM-11:55 AM

Pre-trip report
I woke up at 3:15 am and discovered by way of my nwa.com and flightstats.com flight alerts that my first flight, NW 2349, was delayed by FOUR hours six minutes, until 10:14 am, as there was no inbound aircraft from last night. I checked my itinerary at nwa.com and they had not re-accommodated me, so I called. I wondered what kind of customer service one would get at 3:24 am!

The phone was answered within 1-2 minutes by a representative that addressed me by name and was shocked when I told her my flight was delayed by four hours!

The agent put me on hold for approximately 9 minutes, then came back and said she was trying to get my seats and put me on hold another 4 minutes and was able to re-accommodate me as follows:

DL 5543 ROA-ATL 8:30 am-10:00 am seat 12C full Y fare
DL 908 ATL-LGA 10:40 am-1:04 pm no seat assignment full Y fare

The flights showed up in my itinerary along with my DL PNR, so I was able to look up the flight itinerary, etc. on delta.com and add a frequent flyer number, but I was not able to select a seat or check in online online at either delta.com or nwa.com (it redirects you to delta.com for DL flights.) The reason I could not select a seat for the second flight is because there only remained “coach choice seats,” available only at check in, which I was unable to do! Neither my NW or DL frequent flyer number could get me a seat assignment.

So I went back to bed for an hour and a half and got back up at 5:45 am.

When I got back up, I was able to select seats and check in and I was standby listed for F! I was able to sleep another hour and a half, eat a full breakfast at the Residence Inn, print my BPs in the business center, and arrive ROA to a very short line through security. I overheard people who had been rerouted 2-3 times already for the delayed NW flight. I am so relieved that I had set flight alerts so I knew when I got up at 3:15 am that there was a problem!

DL 5543 ROA-ATL 8:30 am-10:00 am seat 8B exit full Y fare
DL 908 ATL-LGA 10:40 am-1:04 pm seat 27C exit full Y fare

DL 5543 ROA-ATL 8:30 am-10:00 am CRJ seat 8B
We backed away from the gate at 8:27 am and were airborne at 8:36 am. We had a full in-flight beverage service and a snack choice of two packs of peanuts, Biscoffs, or one of each. I read and dozed until about 30 minutes out and the ASA pilot sitting beside me started talking to me. He also had “misconnected” as his inbound aircraft did not reach ROA last night, either. He was not called and just happened to check his schedule online! So he was booked on my flight, guaranteed space, ended up only having to fly three legs today, and he gets a paid day off since scheduling forgot to call him with his schedule change! He told me he was amazed at all the fees that airlines were charging. He also told me about his wife having to fly US and how shocked she was when she had to pay $25 for an aisle choice seat and drinks (she is DL Gold.) He and I agreed that the “feeing” had gone too far and that airlines should just raise fares. He was especially disappointed that DL elected to go to NW’s fee structure for 1st and 2nd checked bags, because of the delays that can result from all of the gate-checked bags.

We landed ATL early at 9:51 am, but did not get off the plane until around 10:05 am. I had to hurry from C52 to B12 where my flight was boarding zone 8! As the GA scanned my BP, out popped my new seat assignment, 3C aisle in F!

DL 908 ATL-LGA 10:40 am-1:04 pm 757 seat 3C (24 F seats)
When I boarded, there was a pillow, blanket, headphones, and a mini Dasani at my seat. The FA hung my coat in a closet. There was a full pre-departure bev service and I had a Bloody with lime in a plastic cup. We pushed back around 10:45 am and were airborne by 11:00 am. In-flight service was a choice of snacks from the snack basket. I chose peanuts and Biscoffs instead of Sun Chips and granola bars. I also had a Bloody Mary, in a glass and with lemon this time. When I got up to use the lav, I noticed that the FA had left out the snack basket on a drop-down shelf on the front left wall for passengers to grab snack their own on the way back to their seats. That worked for me and I took a 2nd bag of Biscoffs! In-flight IFE was the normal DL TV shorts. The weather in NY was not good, announced the pilot, misty and overcast with a half-mile visibility and a ceiling of 400 feet. Our ETA was one hour 32 minutes take off to touch down. Around noon, the FA collected trash and brought me another Bloody. At this point, the flight got very bumpy and all passengers and FA were asked to be seated. Shortly thereafter we started our descent and the flight became smoother for a time. The FA came around and gave us a mini Dasani to go. That means I was served two waters and three Bloodies. We landed at 12:39 pm, 25 minutes early.

Remaining 2008 Travel (and January 1, 2009)

15 NOV 2008
NW 2349 ROA-DTW 6:08 AM-7:42 AM
NW 542 DTW-LGA 10:03 AM-11:55 AM

16 NOV 2008
NW 343 LGA-DTW 6:00 AM-8:06 AM
NW 2348 DTW-ROA 10:25 AM-11:55 AM

20 NOV 2008
DL 5612 TRI-ATL 7:14AM- 8:29 AM
DL 1726 ATL-RIC 9:51AM-11:32 AM

23 NOV 2008
DL 983 RIC-ATL 8:20 AM-10:09 AM
DL 4991 ATL-TRI 11:29 AM-12:33 PM

22 DEC 2008
DL 6136 AVL-CVG 5:10 PM-6:30 PM
DL 1218 CVG-LGA 7:30 PM-9:31 PM

26 DEC 2008
DL 1349 LGA-DCA 10:29 AM-11:49 AM

28 DEC 2008
DL 1356 DCA-LGA 2:30 PM-3:40 PM

01 JAN 2009
DL 913 LGA-ATL 11:00 AM-1:54 PM
DL 5022 ATL-AVL 3:10 PM-4:07 PM

November 2: EWR-IAD-ROA on UA

UA 7244 EWR-IAD 10:05 AM-11:31 AM
Arrived EWR and reprinted my BP, a gold one with zone 1 for 3P. Passed throught security quickly with the TSA agent commenting on my cute haircut (as opposed to the one on my passport photo

My first flight was uneventful, 40 minutes en route (10:08-1048 am, no bev service), except for:

1. I was the only zone 1 pax. There were also no 1K, Global Services, etc. either.

2. We landed 43 minutes early.

3. The plane was full of French students and I got to hear lots of French spoken during boarding! French language, culture is totally addictive! I must have been French in my past life!

Oh yeah, and there is NO good seat on the CRJ. Legroom in row 1 is limited due to the bulkhead (but it was the only aisle seat when I snagged it yesterday from my original seat of 1A) and in front of my seat 1D, there was an air vent sticking out!

UA 7272 IAD-ROA 12:44 PM-1:40 PM
We boarded on time, backed away at 12:40 pm, and were airborne by 12:56 pm. This was an odd CRJ, no lav in the back and an FA seat in the front and back, but I believe the lav was in the front on the DF side (?) There were only 17 passengers, so we were encouraged by the FA to “spread out and be comfortable.” This flight was also uneventful and extremely quiet; bev service was by request only. We landed at 1:31 pm, 9 minutes early.

October 31: ROA-IAD-EWR on UA

UA 7876 ROA-IAD 7:24 PM-8:30 PM
UA 7974 IAD-EWR 10:05 PM-11:22 PM

UA 7876 ROA-IAD EMB 145 seat 14B aisle no seatmate
We boarded up quickly and backed away from the gate on time, but took off 11 minutes late at 7:35 pm.  The flight was more than half empty, so we were able to spread out, which was nice.  The plane was also amazingly clean for an end-of-the day flight.  I also noticed pillows and blankets in a few of the overheads, too.  There was no in-flight “due to the short duration.”  We landed at IAD early at 8:10 pm, 20 minutes early.

UA 7974 IAD-EWR EMB 145 seat 14A
We boarded 15 minutes late; there were five flights going out of A3, doors 1 and 2, and it was a madhouse of confusion (Atlanta, Allentown, Detroit, Syracuse, and Newark.)  A creepy guy in the boarding area tried to talk to me and he ended up being on my flight.  Ewww…well, I guess it’s Halloween!  The FA also announced that the lav was broken and to “get off and go now!”  No announcement was made before we boarded, but that is always the absolute last thing I do before I board.  So glad I had pizza and NOT beer! The flight was scheduled for 34 minutes take off to touchdown.  This flight was also less than half full.  We backed away from the gate at 10:11 pm and took off at 10:29 pm, 24 minutes late.  There was a full bev service in flight.  UA still has the cocktail-sized cups, but they are cheaper, flimsier, and no longer have a logo.  We landed at 11:14 pm, 8 minutes early.