Airlines: August 2008 Archives

(x-posted to YatCuisine)

I've flown enough ion Delta Air Lines n the last two years that I get upgraded to first class fairly regularly, and this morning is no exception. This was my second trip in a month to New York City; HDS juggled teaching assignments last week, so I didn't go to Santa Clara as planned.

Delta has resumed non-stop service from New Orleans (MSY) to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York. the MSY-LGA leg deaprts at 5:30pm. The LGA-MSY flight is at 7:30am, so I usually stay over after class is finished rather than have to put up with the hassle of both LaGuardia and ATL in the same evening. I get up around 5:30am, leave the hotel (in midtown Manhattan) around 6am, and am at LGA just about 6:30am.

When I'm fortunate to be upgraded for this leg, that means breakfast on a MD88. This plane, along with the B757 is the backbone of Delta's fleet. There are three and a half rows of front-cabin seats on a MD88, for a total of 14. The galley space isn't very extensive, but they're still able to put on a decent cold breakast.

Breakfast consisted of a bowl of sliced fresh fruit, canteloupe, grapefruit, and pineapple on this flight. Last time there were fresh strawberries. Then there's either a bagel or scone, warmed, but not toasted. When it's a bagel, there's plain Kraft cream cheese and jelly, when a scone, butter and jelly. One flight offered strawberry-flavored yogurt, and the other applesauce. There's also an individual box of cereal, usually Kellogg's Corn Flakes, along with half a pint of white milk and sugar.

Not a bad start to the morning!

I noticed Sunday that operations at CVG were way scaled down from the last time I was in that airport, and blogged it at the time. The Ticket newsletter confirms Delta's scale-down today.

At the outset, hat tip to the ticket agent I spoke with yesterday on Delta's "Special Member Services" desk. As I wrote yesterday, the weather around the south resulting from Tropical Storm Fay had me worried about getting out of New Orleans and up to NYC. The gentleman from Delta-land suggested that, since I was a Platinum frequent flier, I should just go to Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) as early as I could and get away from the storm. I'm no stranger to the 6am MSY-ATL flight; I firmly believe that the sooner you're on a plane, the better. The airlines agree as well, particularly the ticket agent working the "First Class/Medallion" line at MSY. I handed her my ID and explained I was on the nonstop to LGA this evening. She needed no further explanation, keying in my name and re-booking me. Since leaving early in the morning is "same-day travel" as my evening flight, there was no charge for the changes.

I was re-booked on the 0640 flight from MSY to Cincinatti-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). CVG is one of Delta's main hubs, along with Salt Lake City and the mothership at ATL. (CVG's air traffic has changed dramatically, and I have more about that on my YatPundit blog.) The itinerary had me connecting there to the CVG-LGA flight that I'm on as I type this.

We took a pretty roundabout route to get up to CVG from home, flying east along the Gulf Coast to around Ft. Walton Beach, FL, then turning north into Georgia, passing between Macon and Atlanta, finally turning back a bit west to come into CVG. This added about 15 minutes to our flying time. A delay of any kind can be perilous when making a connection at a hub airport, but this one worked out fine. We came into CVG at gate A18, and the next flight departed from gate A25. Since this flight is on a "regional jet" (ComAir/Delta Connection), the boarding process is less complicated. It's much easier to get 50-60 people aboard than 140 people on a MD88, or even more on one of the larger jets. That meant I had time for a bathroom stop. I had time to migrate to the center of Concourse A and the food court. I passed on that idea, however; having eaten Popeyes Chicken for dinner last night, the prospect of a Quarter Pounder now wasn't that appealing.

So, today was a "regional jet" day. The MSY-CVG flight was on a Chataqua Airlines' Embraer 145 regional jet. This is a 52-seat plane that has three seats per row. when you enter, seat A is on the right, with C and D on the left. I was in seat 3A, not bloody bad for walking up at 5:15am for a 6:40am departure. Seats on a regional jet tend to be even more cramped than their larger cousins, so it was nice that the agent at MSY took pity on my fat butt and put me on the side where the window seat is also the aisle seat. The flight was just fine, in spite of the circuitous route, since we had a pilot with a sense of humor ("Welcome from the front office. I'd like to introduce your flight attendant, Carol, who is a goddess in blue polyester.") Carol was also old enough to be his mother, not an uncommon situation with these very-young (and very low-paid) pilots on the regional carriers. She didn't even have to ask if I needed more Cran-Apple juice, as I nodded off after reading up on three chapters of the computer class I'm teaching tomorrow.

I woke up just as we were on final approach to CVG. De-planing is just as easy on the 145 as boarding. What was weird today was a regional jet parking at the airport's A concourse, but I'll save that for political commentary. Within half an hour, the gate agent at A25 was boarding the connecting flight a Bombardier CRJ-900. This jet has the same seat layout as the Embraer, but with the addition of three rows of First Class seats. Hat tip to the lady who re-booked me (gotta get her name next time, she's helped me numerous times and deserves an e-mail to Delta), for putting me in 1A, right up front. We were slow pushing back from the gate--the pilot said the ground crew was short-staffed--so departure was 20 minutes late. That didn't quite bother me for two reasons: First, getting into LGA is a matter of getting into the air. Barring weather issues, the FAA lets you land once you take off. Their strategy is to keep you on the ground until they can fit you into the metro NYC patterns. Since we weren't on a "ground hold," life was good. Life was better for the second reason, a flight attendant willing to freshen up my pre-takeoff glass of wine.

I would have had one of those lovely Delta "snacks" had I kept to the original itinerary on the MD88. The regional carriers just do the basket of junk food, so my chardonnay was accompanied by a pack of peanut butter crackers. Still, the wine is cold, and I'm taking a taxi to my hotel, which is a block from Times Square.

The Road Warrior has a tough call to make every Sunday. Do you sacrifice your day, taking the early flights out, or do you spend the day at home, heading to the airport at 4pm-5pm, hoping that the travel world hasn't gone to hell in a handbasket while you barbecued for family? Since Delta resumed nonstop service to LGA, I'm usually OK with the latter, even if it means not getting to Midtown Manhattan until 1am. Weather is the kicker, though, and the widespread remnants of a tropical system is about as bad as it can get. Best to take the long way to LGA.

Many companies now require their people to use travel sites like Expedia or Orbitz to book travel. One of the companies I work with frequently, Hitachi Data Systems, still has their own travel department. Since I'm self-employed, I normally insist on making my own arrangements.

As much as people talk about how airlines dump on their customers, there are still some perks to be had by the fliers who stay monogamous. This morning was a good example of that. My original schedule for the coming week was to teach a four day class (HDS Enterprise Storage Foundations) in Santa Clara, CA. I usually fly into SFO when going to Silly Valley, even though you see the planes taking off overhead from SJC when you walk out the door of the HDS office. SJC doesn't do redeyes, so I drive the 30 or so miles back up 101 to the bigger airport.

The airfare for this particular trip was obscene--over $1300--because I booked it so late. The SFO-ATL redeye on Thursday nights is always a zoo to book. It's very popular, overbooks, and upgrades are impossible. In spite of all this, it gets me home at 8am on Friday, so it works, even when the plane is packed like a train in Mumbai.

All that went out the window at 2pm yesterday (Friday), when I got a call that an instructor is ill and can't teach a class in NYC. They could cover my class with a less-experienced instructor, so I'm now off to teach Enterprise Replication Fundamentals (a very fun class similar to one I taught a lot for EMC), in NYC. Changing the flights was a snap, I just called the "Delta Special Member Services" line and they put me on the 5:30pm nonstop, MSY-LGA, returning Friday morning on the nonstop.

When I woke up this morning and looked at Da Paper, I didn't like the track of TS Fay. It's not that I'm worried for the house or the city, but the combination of possible weather delays with the natural delays of flying into the New York City area give me great concerns. The 5:30pm flight looked really risky, so I called Delta back. There are a number of options for earlier flights that go through ATL, but all would cost more.

That's when the ticket agent on the other end made a fantastic suggestion. He suggested I just go to the airport early in the morning and do the "same day confirmed" strategy. In other words, go up to the ticket counter at, say 5am for the 6am flight and fly standby. Because it's same-day changes and I'm a "Platinum Elite," there will be no charge. Even if I didn't have that super-studly status with the airline, the change fee would still only be $25.

The moral of the story--loyalty to an airline still helps when plans change.

My friend Kate from This Mommy Gig is taking a bit of a trip later this year by air, with her two small children. Traveling with littles has never been an easy proposition, even before all the various and sundry TSA regulations we air travelers labor under these days. Still, it can and must be done, so here are some suggestions to make the experience less painful for all concerned.



One note before we get started: I'm a "Platinum Elite" frequent flier on Delta Air Lines. I speak Delta, sort of. Other airlines have different languages. I've cross-checked Delta's policies with Southwest's, since I also fly SWA a bit as well.

I've broken these suggestions down into a bit of a chronology.

Booking Travel: The first thing you must decide is how your children will be traveling. You don't have to book a separate seat for your child under 2 if you intend to carry/hold the child throughout the flight. If kiddo is over 2, or if you want to strap 'em into a car seat, you need to purchase a separate ticket. For a mom traveling with two littles, booking two or three seats is a tough call. You can save some money doing the "infant in arms" thing, but then you have less maneuvering room for second kiddo if you're holding the smaller one. Perhaps a baby sling would make sense for the flight, even if you don't use it regularly. If I were Kate, I would probably book three seats, put baby in a car seat on one side, older kiddo on the aisle, and sit in the middle between them.

Most airline websites can be cryptic when it comes to notifying them about "infant in arms." If there's no box to tick on the site, be sure to tell the ticket agent at the airport about your kid when you check in.

If you'll be doing regular travel with kids and you'll be purchasing their own tickets, do set them up in your airline's frequent flier program. If you're traveling across the US, that's 2500+ miles each way. If you do that twice a year, that's 15K miles for three people. You can get award travel with 25K miles, so it adds up fast.

Departure Day

Get to the airport early. Sounds like a cliche, but it's more important with kids in tow. If you're parking a car in the airport's long-term lot/garage, be prepared for a bit of a hike to the terminal. If you're pushing a small child in a stroller and expecting the toddler to walk, be prepared for a cranky kid by the time you get to the check-in desk. If you're checking baggage, you'll need to check-in for your flight at least 30 minutes prior to departure, so factor this into your walk from the car.

Checking In. The check-in process at the ticket counter is more than a bit annoying these days for most airlines. Delta, along with most other major carriers, make extensive use of computer-based "kiosks" for check-in. The flier swipes their frequent flier membership card or the credit card used to purchase the e-ticket, and the reservation information pops up. You confirm it, print out your boarding pass(es), verify your ID with the ticket agent, and check any luggage you have. If you've purchased seprate tickets for your children, you'll need to repeat the process for them as well.

While the logistics of this process aren't that bad for an individual adult, they can be a challenge for a mom with a kid in tow. Factor this, along with the crowd of people that invariably forms around these kiosks into your time calculations.

Once you've secured your boarding passes and dropped off your luggage, it's on to the next big hurdle, the security check.

Dealing with the Transportation Security Administration

Be polite. Ever see Chris Rock's bit on "How not to get your ass kicked by the po-lice" on his old HBO show? If so, you get the idea. TSA officers are by and large professional--they've done a good job of weeding out most of the jerks. You need to remember that, no matter how stressed out you are at this point, no matter how cranky your kids are, no matter what idiotic thing your spouse just did, the TSA officers at the screening station can shut your trip down cold if they choose to do so. Getting you and your kids past TSA is going to take some work. Don't be the "sippy cup mom" -- even if the TSA officers aren't ball-busters, you don't want to make a scene. Be polite. Smile. And above all, follow instructions.

Liquids. Babies drink way more than they eat. There are exceptions to the standard TSA regulation that you can't bring liquids through the checkpoint in more than 3oz containers, but you're not going to be able to bring through enough milk or juice to withstand a major flight delay. If you're starting your travel day in a major hub airport (LAX, O'Hare in Chicago, Atlanta, JFK), odds are you'll be able to purchase milk and/or juice once you clear security. Don't count on this in smaller airports, however.

The best solution to the liquids dilemma is to put together a couple of bottles with formula, milk or juice. These will get past security. If you don't want kiddo to be drinking soda or fruit punch for potentially a couple of hours during a flight delay, bring powdered drink mixes (or baby formula). You can purchase bottled water on the concourse, or, in a pinch, make your drinks with water from a drinking fountain.

in any case, be sure to pack all your liquids in 1-quart Ziploc-style clear bags. When you get up to the x-ray machine's belt, remove the clear bags from your carry-on and place them directly on the belt.

Shoes off. This means you and your kiddos. No exceptions.

Navigating strollers. Your stroller has to be able to collapse and go through the x-ray machine, just like your purse, diaper bag, and carry-on luggage. The best type of stroller for traveling with an infant is one of those where you attach a car seat to a collapsible stroller. Disconnect the seat, put seat and kiddo on ground. Collapse stroller and put it on conveyer belt. Remove kiddo from seat and put seat on belt.

Metal Detector. The best way to go through a metal detector is naked, but since that's not socially acceptable, opt for minimal clothing. The best rule of thumb is, if you don't wear any metal, you don't have to take it off. Send toddler(s) through before you. Odds are the TSA officer on the other side is a parent, they'll help, and they'll keep kid in one place for you. Wait until kiddo is all the way through and TSA officer signals you can come through, otherwise you'll set the thing off and will have to go back. If you're carrying a baby, keep kid close to you and don't bump the sides of the detector.

You made it! Now, put your shoes on, get the kids' back on, re-build the stroller, and you can head to the gate.

At The Gate

How comfortable you and the kids will be at this point depends a lot on your airport. The basic rule of thumb here is, the bigger the airport, the more creature comforts you'll find. Sometimes this is a factor of the airline, as well--for example, Southwest Airlines often has kid play stuff at many of their gates at airports like Houston's Hobby or Dallas' Love. Access to food and drink will vary as well. Before you get to this point, check your airline's website for airport information and maps. Use Teh Google and see if your airport has its own website for information. Knowledge is power.

In any airport, there are some basic steps to take once you get past TSA.

Make yourself comfortable. At a minimum, you're now looking at 30-45 minutes before boarding, if you followed the recommendations of your airline. Use this time to settle in a bit at the gate. Find a couple of chairs and plop your stuff. If there's some open carpet area, pull out a blanket, sit on the floor, and let baby crawl. Screw the dirty looks you may get from road warriors or the child-free-and-proud crowd. And the horse they rode in on. Depending on your destination, your kids will be cooped up for at least an hour, maybe a lot more than that. Let them burn off some energy.

As tempting as that carpeted area two gates down might look, resist the temptation to move down that way. Most airports are LOUD places, with generic airport announcements, TVs blaring CNN, and lots of conversations are guaranteed to drown out anything the gate agent working your flight might say. Keep within close range of the desk for your gate.

Eat, Drink, Poop. Get the kids fed, hydrated, and changed. This should keep you busy right up until they call your flight.

Take advantage of pre-boarding. Southwest always calls for families with small children before starting general boarding; Delta often doesn't. If you're on an airline other than SWA, check with the gate agent and let them know you've got small kids and a stroller. They'll take care of you, helping you tag the stroller for gate-check, and waving you on board, usually prior to their call for first class passengers.

Your stroller can't go into the main cabin of the aircraft; it must be "gate-checked." You'll leave it at the end of the boarding ramp, and one of the baggage handlers will load it into the baggage compartment. Upon landing, they'll pass the strollers up to the boarding ramp at your destination, where you can reclaim it and head into the airport.

Get settled on the plane. If you've purchased two seats, the airline will usually give you the window and middle seats, so the poor soul passenger in the same row as you is on the aisle, and doesn't have to try to get out over you and kiddo to use the lavatory. Put the car seat in the middle, unless you anticipate that your child is going to be a screamer, then you take the middle, so you're a bit of a sound wall. Put your diaper bag under the seat in front of you, where you can grab it in-flight, then get yourself and car seat buckled up.

Be prepared for hostility. Kids often get fussy on planes. People often get annoyed. Be prepared for it--it's going to happen. Smile, nod, and ignore them. Putting on your best "fuck you" look isn't going to accomplish anything, so just smile, nod, and ignore. If you get lucky, kids will sit still, and maybe even nap. And pigs will fly out of my butt.

At The Hub

Most airlines use a "spoke-and-hub" system these days. For example, if I want to travel from New Orleans to just about anywhere on Delta, I have to fly to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta first. If I was on Continental, it would be Houston-IAH, United, Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), well, you get the idea. This means your trip may well involve two flights, one to the hub, and another to your final destination. If you find yourself having to make two hops, be sure to leave 1+ hours between your flights. If the airline's website won't let you book the trip with ample time between flights, get off-line, call them up, and explain that you're in mommy-mode. You're going to need that time to move you and the kids from gate to gate.

De-planing. When the plane lands, there will be a huge rush of people into the tiny aisles of the cabin, and lots of activity as they all pull their luggage from the overhead bins. Your best play at this point is to keep both you and the kids in your seats until the pushy people move past. Besides, you need to wait for your stroller to be brought up from the baggage compartent anyway.

Moving to your next gate. Many hub airports have trains to connect the concourses or terminals together. Keep firm hold on toddler while you push stroller and you'll be fine. If the airport doesn't have some sort of mass transit, ask a gate agent to get someone driving an electric cart to come fetch you.

Get comfortable again/Eat, Drink, Poop. Repeat these steps from above while you wait for your flight. Be prepared for delays in the event that weather or Air Traffic Control won't let you get away from the airport on time.

Do it again. Get on the plane, get settled, entertain the kids as best you can.

At The Destination

You'll go through the same de-planing ritual at your destination. This time, however, you'll move towards baggage claim. This may involve mass transit, depending on the size of your airport. Don't kill yourself here--again, you've got to get the stroller, and they have to send your luggage (along with everyone else's) to the front of the airport.

Once you've claimed your checked luggage, you're out of the system. If someone is meeting you at the airport, have them do so at baggage claim. If you're renting a car, you'll have to navigate that process, but then you're back on your own.

Congratulations, you survived. Now you can do it all in reverse to go home!