Kinglobjaw's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘ORD’

Is Delta:

a) D+?  b) Disgusting? c) Delayed? d) Dumpy? e) ALL OF THE ABOVE?

How about F- All of the above and more?

This past weekend I was practically forced to fly Delta Airlines. It’s a city that only offers Delta service. I won’t complain, I was able to book the ticket just 8 hours prior to the actual flight. Throughout my travel “career”, I have never bought a ticket this close to departure, so the experience was interesting, a little chaotic, but I was very enthusiastic. At the end of the day, flying is flying and techinally, I should tell myself that I am excited regardless of the airline, right? Wrong! I will keep reminding you readers, the airline is key to flying experince. Flying is more with a certain airline!

Friday morning started out with the usual. Go to the airport, print boarding passes at the kiosk and clear security. The Grand Forks airport is tiny, so it’s foolish to arrive more then 15 minutes prior to boarding if you are flying without bags. Interestingly enough, Delta offers Breezeway boarding, which is the equivalent of a United red boarding carpet for elite members. Not that many elites on the 5:10AM Pinnacle CRJ-200. A few minutes later, mechanical! Off the plane, rebook myself on Delta.com website since the Delta reservation number is temporarily disconnected. Next attempt at flying: a DC-9 to Minneapolis. Flight full, very full. Sold out full. Last row on the DC-9. I’ve never been on a DC-9, but I know Northwest has 3 versions- this was the 2 flight attedant version of the DC-9. Missed my connection to O’Hare. Minneapolis airport? Nice, very nice. Except- not a single  Delta Red Coat all the way from C to G. For those who ask what is Delta Red Coat? It’s one of Delta’s iniatives at better customer service. It’s a portable gate agent. He or she can rebook you, print boarding passes and vouchers. Still, as nice as it sounds, it’s absolutely irritating to walk throughout the aiport and not be able to find a single one.

 The only thing in red was a Delta Amex credit card hawker who told me Delta does not offer special services counters. I think to myself- “and people actually complain about US Airways in Philly”?! What I do like about Delta is their computer rebook system. You scan your boarding pass at this kiosk type device and it lists the flights you have been rebooked on. Of course, I managed to learn about one of these machines, because the gate agent would not assist me until he saw me play around with the machine for a “decent’ amount of time. Made it to Chicago about 5 hours late.

Return was interesting. Chicago to Minny was an A319. I got exit row and ”flew into” FlyerTalker td_in_training. He was one of the nicest FlyerTalkers I’ve met so far. Delta actually did good on this flight. Aside from it being over an hour late, coach cabin was provided a full beverage service and even tiny bags of peanuts. I do miss peanuts on US Airways flights. I had enought time to make the connection back to Grand Forks, ND, although G to C is a bit of a schlepp, but the people movers are a nice touch. The Grand Forks flight didn’t even beging boarding, so I was thrilled about the prospect of not missing class the next morning. Had myself an exit row on this CRJ-200. Only about 60% full. Quick taxi to de-icing pad and then something unexpected,  yet something probably expected from Delta. While rolling down the runway, at about 40-50 knots, the plane comes halting to a complete stop and exists the runway utilizing the closest taxiway. Apparently, a warning light lit up in the cockpit indicated a problem with the apu/engine generator. Taxi back to gate, but not let off the plane, the mechanics end up fixing the problem. A few more minutes of paperwork and we’re on our way. The flight attendant, Athena was excellent. While in the air, she provided a full service on this rather short flight and even comped alcoholic beverages. I just had water. No ice, no lime.

Overall, I found Delta very poor, and I’m excited to say I’m only stuck with them for a few more months. I’m in the process of matching my US status to Delta, which should make me Delta Gold Medallion, so we’ll see if my experiences improve for the few remaining months. Flight attendants are much, much better at US Airways. I cannot wait to fly with US Airways again next month. Only have to deal with Delta on Grand Forks to Denver via Minneapolis!

Three positives about the trip: 1) FlyerTalker 2) F/A Athena on Minny to Grand Forks 3) Delta’s rebooking machines are pretty cool

Proudly flying with US,

-Kinglobjaw

I think flying on Halloween is exciting. Why? US Airways lets all of their employees dress up for Halloween- and it’s nice to see the employees get creative, relax a bit and have some fun all the while having to deal with the crazy world of the airport and airplane.

I’ve seen a lot of employees on Halloween, and my two favorite costumes have got to be Miss US Airways (Phoenix Club), and Gypsy (Las Vegas gate agent), both shown below:

Miss US Airways- she told me her platform was on-time departures!

Gypsy- look! She even has her crystal ball. Oh' tell me crystal ball, will I clear my upgrade?

So while Halloween is mostly treats, my treat turned out to be a bittersweet one. Upon talking with “Gypsy” (since I never asked her name), I found out she and many other agents were being let go in February, due do another round of US Airways cutback in Vegas. Chicago-Vegas being dropped was now the least important reason I was upset! I really feel for these people, and while I know that is happening system-wide, reading about it, IS different than witnessing it (or listening about it) in person. So there I was flying my last leg of the mileage run, and I was quiet, just unhappy about what was going on. I’m going to be flying through Las Vegas one final time in December. I’m going to do my best to take this photo, attach an Above & Beyond certificate and try to locate the agent and give her a final souvenir. I doubt anyone took her photo that day- yet here she is, smiling,  sporting a killer costume helping out US, and us very needy passengers. Thanks for all your help! All the best to you!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Double connections are getting harder to work with in terms of price, when it comes to US Airways domestic! This is not a complaint, nor a legit one, even if I tried, but it seems that when I force a double connect, US really bumps up the price. I mean really! I can’t do Chicago to San Diego via Vegas and Phoenix. I can’t do Seattle to Miami via Phoenix and Philadelphia. I can’t even do Boston to Ft. Myers via DC and Charlotte! It does change when I put in San Juan or international destinations- I can suddenly do up to 4 per direction keeping the same price!

Another exception is a flying from a “West” city to an “East” city. For example, a flight from Portland, Oregon (an America West only city) to Miami, FL (a US Airways only city). I have to route via both Phoenix and an eastern hub.

With the decent fares from Chicago to Ft. Myers, I’m looking at doing a leg from Ft. Myers out west-  maybe Denver or Salt Lake City? Definitely a ski destination so I can get 2,500 bonus miles and 5% off the fare to further maximise.

I’m planning to visit another friend in San Diego in November or December. I wonder how I can work a simple Chicago to San Diego trip to my advantage, or should I say to my DM account’s advantage. Hehe…

One final tidbit. I just realized the 757 I’m flying from Philly to Phoenix later this month actually an Envoy configuration! Must clear the upgrade on this one!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

As I mentioned this morning, I was able to visit United’s Red Carpet Club which opened in June of 2008 at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. I had to leave the airport earlier than expected, so I wasn’t able to enjoy a full, planned, 3 hour stay, but I managed to snap a few pictures from both the outside and inside of the lounge.

While the lounge is nice, the views are very poor:

Before I left, a quick look at the busy Lufthansa gates:

Overall, I thought the United B18 club at O’Hare was much nicer than the one at the F concourse, but the staff was very rude. Still, they didn’t card me and gave me two drink “chits”. For those who are new to this concept, it’s basically a drink voucher or ticket which entitles you to one free alcoholic drink at the bar. However, for Lufthansa international Business & First class passengers, the amenities could be considered dismal! Lufthansa needs to open their own branded lounge at this airport. Until that happens, I don’t plan to route any of my international Lufthansa departures from Chicago O’Hare.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

I’m heading to the airport today, but I’m not flying anywhere or buying any tickets. I’m also not picking anyone up or dropping anyone off! Technically, that is! I’m escorting someone through security, getting them to a lounge and finally to a gate.

I haven’t done this before, but for the first time in my life, I purchased a fully refundable Y class ticket for a Lufthansa flight going to Dusseldorf, Germany with a full intention of canceling said ticket, once I’ve done my good (or some may say naughty) deed of the day.

The plan- a simple one:

1. Get my friend checked in with Lufthansa
2. Escort us both through security
3. Go to United’s one-year-old B18 Red Carpet Club and relax for a while
4. Head to gate B16 and send her off to Dusseldorf
5. Call Lufthansa and cancel ticket for a full refund

I’ll also try to get some pictures of United’s B18 lounge and hopefully post them on the blog while in the lounge. Apparently, United only offers free wifi for members and business/first class passengers, but I’m good with my Sprint Treo 800w tethering internet to my Dell Mini 9.

I don’t know why, but I’m really nervous when it comes to purchasing fully refundable tickets. I’m afraid they will find some reason to deny a full refund, but it looks good from where I stand today. Hopefully, the cancellation process goes smoothly and quickly since I will be canceling after already checking-in. I also want my $1516 refunded to my credit card in a fair amount of time- before my statement comes to a close.

Another fun day at the aiport.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

I was able to hold my US Airways flights for my trip to Phoenix & Los Angeles. Those are the “positioning” flights for my African journey in July! I’ve decided to stop in Phoenix for a few days to enjoy the 120+ F temps in Scottsdale. I have to say, the outbound is a little bland in terms of creativity.

I’m on the 5:15AM nonstop from Chicago to Phoenix. It’s a very convenient flight and gives you the whole day in Phoenix, but it’s just unbearable. I have to get to Prescott, AZ by 10AM as I have an appointment there, but I detest that morning flight! The good thing- upgrades, they’re so easy on that flight!

A few days in Phoenix, then on to L.A. Again, another boring nonstop flight. Still I shouldn’t complain- there’s always Southwest to complain about. I’m taking the nonstop flight, because it’s the responsible thing to do. I really can’t afford to miss my Frankfurt connection on Lufthansa.

Saving the best for last… Return is interesting. I was able to find a ‘U’ fare through a very odd connecting city on my way from L.A. back to Chicago- Raleigh-Durham! Can you believe it? I’m flying Los Angeles-Phoenix-Raleigh/Durham-Charlotte-Chicago! Triple connect! The first two return legs are West flights, followed by two mainline East flights. I haven’t been to the Raleigh airport yet, but fortunately I hear there is a nice club there. Better check it out now before US Airways switches terminals and and finds itself Clubless. My other option is to fly L.A-Phoenix-Washington-Philly to Chicago, but mixing DC and Philly in one day is too much to handle- especially on a Republic E-170 with summer weather delays.

I have to ticket this over the phone as I’m using an old US Airways Air Check Plus (E-TUV) voucher, but a recent US Airways memo now waives fees for all voucher related ticketing both over the phone and the ticket office locations. By ticket office I mean airport counters and the Company Store ticketing location at the US Airways Headquarters in Tempe, AZ.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

Beginning this week, US Airways and Qatar Airways will begin codesharing on certain flights. The respective “Airways’ will only codeshare on international services between Europe and their local gateways.

For details, please visit http://airlineroute.blogspot.com/2009/05/us-airwaysqatar-codeshare-begins-this.html.

It’s a shame they are not codesharing beyond Philly and Doha. I would like to see a US code on a Doha-Maldives flight and a QR code on a Chicago-Philly flight!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

If you remember posts from my blog from over a year ago regarding Hawaiian airlines, you’ll know that I was generally happy with them. Friendly service with smile? Check! Miles earned with US Airways Dividend Miles program? Check! No hassle baggage policies + interlining (passing of bags between carriers)? Check!

I don’t know if it is because Aloha Airlines no longer flies, or there is growing hostility toward Go! airline, but Hawaiian Airlines has taken a turn for the worse. And it has nothing to do with closed counters to which customers are still directed to, poor signage that to forces you to change lines three times or agents that won’t check you in, becuase you’re not flying First Class all the way.

When we were checking in with Hawaiian for the Honolulu to Chicago via Lihue, Phoenix and Philadelphia (HNL-LIH-PHX-PHL-ORD) portion of the trip, we were fully aware of baggage fees. It was explained to us from the beginning- since we were flying interisland on Hawaiian, we were only responsible for the 2nd bag fees.  Immediately after arriving, the “kind” lady barked at me saying I have to pay for each and every bag I am checking. “Doesn’t matter what reservations or US Airways told you, you have to pay for all the bags you check. I simply don’t care that it’s on US Airways stock or their rules. You’re on Hawaiian Airlines and we decided what we do with you!” Here’s the juicy part. A supervisor and a second agent sided with me. They told me I would only have to pay the bag fee for the second bag since I’m flying US Airways back to the mainland. A few minutes later as the supervisor’s shift ended (or maybe he just took a break), the original agent told me I would still have to pay up since she couldn’t get in touch with the supervisor and that the supervisor didn’t go into the record. She also told me the second agent that sided with me was not a supervisor and she couldn’t listen to him. Funny she said so. Isn’t she just a regular agent? So why can she make rules, but the, the second agent can’t? I keep telling her I want to talk to the supervisor in front of her. She says he’s gone, puts her hand in the air covering the area face and direct vision at her and storms of for five minutes.

After about five minutes, she returns in a slightly better mood and says she has a special deal for me. I thought, what, a bribe? She says she’ll only charge for the second bag as the rules state, but she will only tag it to Lihue where I have to leave security during my connection, pick up all bags and re-check with US Airways. Ha! This is after I told her that my Mom lost her only photo ID and that she would need about 30-40 minutes of additional screening time. In the end we had to pay the $55 dollars since there’s no arguing with a lady which probably finished drinking some acid. She was pure spite! Of course, while gathering information about the supervisor, second agent and her, all I got was first name. No last name or initial or badge number. Agent should have been fired on the spot.

Erase the friendly service with a smile and the no hassle baggage policies on the spot. Also erase the automatic miles postings. I had to contact a USAirways.com live chat agent in order to get the miles posted. I am going to write a complaint letter to Hawaiian Airlines, but I’m also going to try and question the charges with the credit card since techinically “I was charged for a service I did not use/request”. We’ll see where that takes me.

There is good news however which is what the second half of this post is dedicated to. While “arguing” with the agent, I noticed a new airline  nearby with a small counter- Mokulele Airlines. I did some research after I returned from my trip and I’m thinking if they do well, they could be the next Aloha Airlines. Mokulele Airlines has their own website. I also emailed them with a few questions and here’s what I can tell you so far without flying with them.

• First Class- 2 bags free of charge on each flight, Coach Class- first bag free on all fares, second bag $17
• Fleet of 3 Embraer 170′s and Cessna Grand Caravans 208 B’s
• Complimentary juice/water in coach, alcohol/soft drinks/juice/water in First Class
• Working on a in-flight snack program for sale
• Operate two lounges (one in Honolulu, the other in Kona)- annual membership costs $79.95 + tax
• Each flight will earn you 500 Alaska Airlines miles
• No additional charges for passing bags two two interline carriers, Alaska Airlines and Continental Airlines (more to be added in the future)

What’s neat is that with only three EMB-170′s they still offer a generous amount of flights between the different islands. The Cessna’s add to the experience by offering service to smaller destination, and for aviation enthusiasts, a nice “ride”.

I am seriously considering switching to Mokulele Airlines for all my future inter-island travel. I’ll likely miss out on my 500 miles, but I’ll be able to see which “pineapple” tastes better! Cause we’re not comparing apples to oranges here.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

A recent discussion on Airliners.net about US Airways’ presence at Chicago- O’Hare got me thinking; how will the airlines and airport authority handle Delta’s move to Terminal 2 to join merger partner Northwest.

I know that Continental will be moving to Terminal 1 to join United, so the the lounge operated together by Northwest and Continental will become a Delta SkyClub. I assume, Delta will prefer to pick up additional ‘E’ gates instead of moving to the F councourse . This makes sense due to the proximity of the lounge.

Since US Airways uses two (at times three) ‘E’ gates, this will surely cause trouble and limitations for Delta. The combined US Airways and America West need more gate space than what pre-merger US Airways had. I’m also sure US Airways would welcome an opportunity to consolidate gates into one specific concourse as walking from ‘E’ to ‘F’ or vice versa is a bit of a schleep!

I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks and I think it would be best for Air Canada to move to the E concourse, so United Express can operate out of Air Canada’s gates. That would free up F6 and F12 so US could use it permanently instead of sharing it with United Express.

Also, what would happen with Delta’s ‘L’ gates? From what I’ve heard, American Airlines would try to pick up most of them, but couldn’t JetBlue relocate from ‘E’ to the ‘L’ area to make room for Delta?

With the O’Hare’s largest carriers cutting back on flights, it does make sense to consolidate gate space and allow for those who are still operating at maximum capacity to ‘move about freely’. No pun intended.

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark

This is just in. I might be going to HAJ for 3 nights towards the end of March 2009 to see some friends. I’m brining along a friend, so the routing should be fairly simple. Hopefully after this trip, she’ll be more keen to fly crazy Kinglobjaw style routings.

This is what I’m looking at. ORD-PHL-FRA-HAJ and back on US to FRA and LH to HAJ. Of course, I was able to price other routings for the same base fare price, such as ORD-CLT-PHL-FRA-HAJ-LHR-PHL-BWI-ORD on US/LH/BD/UA. There’s also the option of flying via a triple connection on LH/US only: HAJ-FRA-PHL-CLT-ORD. I haven’t ticketed yet, so we’ll see what happens. Maybe I can convince her to earn more miles. She’s a statusless frequent flyer with United so at least she will earn miles. Maybe that will convince her to satisfy my need for jet lag, more flights and more miles! =]

I didn’t share the fare price yet. It’s not mileage run material, but nonetheless a decent deal- $489.60 roundtrip including all taxes & fees. US Airways was by far the lowest fare, followed by SAS which was roughly $200 dollars more roundtrip.

Interesting thing about the flights is that thie FRA-HAJ-FAR short hop is operated with a Lufthansa A320. Just 175 miles. Neat! I wonder if they offer a service on the flight. Probably do, they’re Lufty!

Have a nice clicK life,

-Mark