Airports: May 2008 Archives

I taught a class for Hitachi Data Systems last week in Santa Clara. The HDS office there is right next to Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), but, like usual, I opted to fly into San Francisco International (SFO).

The main reason I choose SFO over SJC is that there is a wider range of flights from ATL to SFO. The only morning flight combination that put me into SJC a week ago Sunday was MSY-SLC, SLC-SJC. The problem with that itinerary was that the MSY-SLC flight was on a CRJ-100 regional jet, operated by SkyWest. It's over 2.5 hours from MSY to SLC, with the Salt Lake to San Jose leg being a short hop. Regional jet seats are not comfortable for that long a period.

So, in spite of the fact that going east before going west adds an additional two hours of flying time, and I'm flying into an airport 35 miles north of my destination instead of one right next to it, off I went to SFO, so I could sit in a comfy seat.

Since I regularly fly Delta Airlines, the planes used for flights from ATL to the west coast are usually B767-300s or B757-200s. Both have 24 seats in First Class. In spite of my Platinum status with Delta, it's tough getting a First Class upgrade on the ATL-SFO flights. Flying is becoming such a hassle for so many folks that many business travelers that regularly take long-haul flights are able to get their companies to pay for business or first class travel on their flights (or at least on every other flight). Can't get an upgrade when the cabin's full of paying customers!

Because of this trend, it's even more important to narrow down the big jets when possible. The B767 has a two-aisle deck plan. The seats are arranged 2-aisle-3-aisle-2 in economy. The window seats are also wider and more comfortable than those on the B757, which is arranged in the classic 3-aisle-3 configuration. If I book a flight far enough in advance (3+ weeks), I'll pick the B767 and go for a window ("A" or "G") seat as close to the front as I can get.

I prefer window seats to aisles on the long flights because I'm blessed with the ability to sleep on planes. If I choose an aisle seat, I invariably get awakened by one of the other two persons in the row (middle or window) who need to go to the lavatory.

I had seat 11A in a B767-300 on the ATL-SFO flight last Sunday. I arrived at ATL on the 0600 flight (on a MD88) from MSY, which was uneventful. I didn't get upgraded on that flight, which was unusual. Ms. Linda in the Crown Room said my upgrade looked good, but I'm starting to think that the New Orleans gate agents don't follow the list produced by the computer system 100%. I'll check in with them directly next flight about my upgrade. We arrived at ATL on-time, at the main terminal (the "T Gates"). I shifted over to "B," had a coffee in the club, and did some work. There's a Dunkin Donuts now on "B," so I migrated there to get some breakfast, then off to the gate.

Delta B767s have the individual in-flight entertainment systems. These now include not only movies, but a number of basic cable channels, such as ESPN, HGTV, FoodTV, and others. They also have a good selection of music in all sorts of varieties. The tunes and basic TV stations are free in both cabins, but economy passengers have to pay for movies. There's a credit card slot at the bottom of the console. Cabin service was good on the flight, but I didn't take advantage of the first service, as I had fallen asleep. Tailwinds put us into SFO about 25 minutes ahead of our 1305PDT arrival (4:35 scheduled flying time).

SFO baggage claim is usually OK and didn't let me down this day. Soon I was on the airport's train system and off to the centralized rental car facility. Avis had me ready to go with no grief. I was on Hwy 101 heading into San Francisco by 1:35pm.

I chose the 2220PDT "redeye" flight home on Wednesday evening. As much as I wanted to see friends in the East Bay area, I felt it important that I get home while I still had two full days remaining in the week. We wrapped up class early in the afternoon, so I drove down to Capitola on the coast for a few hours. On the return, I went up I280 to head straight for the airport. After stopping for an iced tea and to gas up, I steered the rental back into the centralized facility, cleared Avis, and took the train to Terminal 1.

Delta's Crown Room Club at SFO is lovely, but it's got a catch--it's outside the security gate. Built at a time when this wasn't a significant obstacle, it's not that big a deal now, other than you have to make sure you factor clearing TSA into your timing. Because there are so few late-evening flights, the club's ticket agent usually announces a boarding warning that factors in the crowd at the checkpoint.

Redeye flights are usually laid-back. People in the club are having drinks, watching primetime TV, and generally settling themselves down in anticipation of sleeping a bit on the plane. I haven't been upgraded on a redeye in two years; not expecting to be upgraded here, I had a couple of glasses of wine, checked in with family on the phone and friends on the computer. The announcement came for the SFO-JFK flight, then for the SFO-ATL flight about twenty minutes later.

SFO has a priority lane for first class/medallion customers, but that didn't matter this evening; the line was empty. My flight was deaprting out of gate 48. There was a huge brouhaha going on at gate 42, however. A DL flight from Hawaii had just landed. Several SFPD officers were restraining a woman who was screaming at the top of her lungs, resisting them, swearing and cursing the entire time. The waiter at the pub next to the gate said the gate agent told him she started in like that at two hours into the flight. Airports always have some sort of unexpected entertainment.

I had a window seat in the second exit row of a B757. The seat isn't as comfortable as some, because of it's position next to the bulkhead, but the window seat ensures I won't be disturbed. The exit rows are good because they provide better leg room (have to have more space between seats so people can climb out onto the wing). The seat backs of the row ahead of you are locked, they're also good if you want to use a computer in-flight. The wine in the club had its desired effect. I was alseep while we were taxiing and didn't wake up until we were in-ange at ATL.

We arrived at ATL just before 0600EDT. It was, from all descriptions, a smooth flight. I made my way from "A" concourse to "B" where my 0820 flight to MSY was parked. After a quick cup of coffee and e-mail check in the Crown Room, I headed back down to the concourse. There's a Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken on "B" at ATL, and they do great breakfast biscuits. The line was a zoo, so I didn't have time for a biscuit. I opted for a DD coffee instead.

Delta upgraded me for this leg of the trip before I had even left. That often happens when the plane is a B757 heading to New Orleans. They'll fill the plane, but not many people are willing to pay for first class for a one-hour flight. I was able to get a bit more sleep before arriving at MSY to the "humidity wall" that's the first sure sign I'm home.

One of the reasons it's important for a road warrior to consistently fly one airline is to make sure you're noticed and appreciated by that airline. Well, as much as an airline can appreciate someone, that is. I nurture my relationship with Delta Air Lines by spending a lot of money with them, over $30,000 last year, and well on the way to a similar total with them next year.

There are a number of privileges and perks that one acquires as one moves up through the levels of an airline's preferred flier program, such as access to club rooms, free upgrades to first class, preferred seating selections in coach, etc., and one that's very important for getting home at the end of the week: standby priority.

Every computer company for whom I've taught for the last ten years always cautions students not to book too early a flight on the last day of class. Sure, they'll say, a lot of instructors will make an effort to get you out early, but some classes, particularly 2- and 3-day offerings, it just doesn't work that way. They'll tell folks to book flights after 6pm to make sure they don't get hung up. Having been a high school teacher, I'm well aware of the limits of the human attention span. It's not just adolescents, but adults that have trouble paying attention after 3-5 days of lectures. My students come to learn and take away knowledge that improves their skills as computer professionals, and when they hit saturation point, it's time to stop and send them home.

Does that sound like the rationalization of an experienced computer trainer who games the system to get home early? Maybe, but if you've taken one of my classes, you know it's true. I'll never book a return flight earlier than 5:30pm, but when we do wrap up early, I'm out. Unless the office is next to the airport, it's always better to get away from an office before rush hour. Airports are fairly self-contained, with food, drink, internet access, and other amenities. Better to be there than miles away.

Better still to get on a plane.

Changing same-day travel plans isn't all that hard. Airlines know that the best they can hope for on any given day is for good on-time arrival and departure percentages. They know that things can go horribly wrong in that department, so the more people they can move through the skies as early as possible in the day improves those percentages. If you're on a 6pm flight and you get to the airport at 2pm, your airline will be more than happy to send you out early if a seat is available. The sooner you're gone, the sooner you're no longer their responsibility.

Time was any flier could simply walk up to a ticket agent and request a change in a reservation, and they'd be accomodated as best as possible. As airlines struggle to cut costs, they discovered that one of the things they could change extra for was schedule changes. It's worth it to a lot of road warriors to pay $25-$50 to improve their chances of getting home that night. Of course, the higher level frequent fliers are usually exampt from those fees. Additional, the higher-ranking folks get standby priority.

Standby priority is one of the road warrior's best friends. It determines who is going to get those last three seats on the 3pm flight. There are a number of variables that factor into standby priority, with same-day travel disruptions being the most significant. Folks bumped from a delayed or cancelled flight will always get top priority. If it's a smooth-flying day, however, the road warrior pecking order kicks in. For Delta, that's Platinum, Gold, Silver. Platinum fliers go to the top of the "standby list," that display on the monitor near and dear the hearts of everyone trying to earn the privilege of going down the jetway on that particular flight. The folks on the top of that list are the ones who will move to the "cleared list," and gain the coveted boarding pass.

Since airports are indeed their own little worlds, road warriors would do well to give the standby process a shot. Unless you want to have a few cocktails before your flight and you're paying for them out of your own pocket, there's not much you're going to accomplish away from the airport, and even the Silver Medallion flier might get a seat on the early flight.

There's another benefit to trying for an earlier flight on travel day for the flier who checks one or more pieces of luggage. While the rules say that you're supposed to travel with your bag, most of the airlines don't bother with this detail. if you put yourself on the standby list for an earlier flight, your bag often travels on that flight, whether or not you get a seat. So, even if you can't get home before your scheduled flight time, your time at the departure airport is rewarded by finding your bag(s) waiting for you upon arrival.

You'd think that the minor detail of being in another country would complicate the process of traveling from YYZ back down to ATL, but the US and Canada have worked out a pretty good arrangement. As soon as you check in for a flight whose destination is the US, you walk behind the ticket agent and enter a line manned by US INS officers. Fliers "enter" the US while still in Canada. The process is the same as if you've just arrived at the international terminal of any major US airport, except you're not tired, stiff, and in need of a restroom.

The only problem I can find with this system is that the food selection once past all the legal stuff is pretty dismal. That wasn't a huge issue this trip, though, since I was trying to get out early. I arrived at YYZ just before 2pm, after dropping off the rental car. I was informed that I had a pretty good chance of getting a seat on the 3:20pm flight. That flight would arrive at ATL in time for me to get the 8:35pm ATL-MSY flight. I hopped the shuttle bus out to the satellite terminal where the Delta Connection/ASA CRJs park just as the flight began boarding. I checked in with the very-efficient (and very-cute) gate agent, Anne, and she was able to confirm me on the flight as well as the connecting ATL-MSY leg. She handled the re-routing of my checked bag, and I was walking outside to board the CRJ in no time flat.

The 2-hour flight down to Hartsfield-Jackson was peaceful, even though I was in seat 14A, the left-side window seat in the last row of the CRJ-200. I sat next to a petite lady so we didn't encroach on each other's space all that much. i dozed off right after takeoff, waking up just as we went on final approach.

The CRJ arrived on Concourse "C," just like a domestic ASA flight. In spite of being the absolute last passenger to deplane, I was one of the first through the jetway, because so many people had to wait for their gate-checked bags. The flight home was departing from "A," and the Crown Room agent on that concourse double-checked my first class upgrade status. When the ride is a B757, the odds of getting to sit up front are excellent. I flew home in seat 6A, glass of wine in hand, ready to be home, if only for a day.

Last week's class was at Hitachi Data Systems' office in Toronto. Traveling to Toronto isn't that much worse for me coming from New Orleans than any US city. The routine for a Delta frequent flier is essentially the same, fly to ATL, connect there to the destination. Pearson International Airport (YYZ) isn't a big destination for Delta, so the connecting flight was a 50-seat CRJ-200 regional jet.

This was a four-day class, running from Tuesday to Friday, so I went out on Monday. Usually Monday morning travel has its advantages, the biggest of which is it's not Sunday, but this was the Monday after the second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. JazzFest is one of those events where people actually pay for first class tickets if that's what they have to do to get to New Orleans. That meant the odds of me getting upgraded to first class for the outbound flight were slim. One of the perks of being a Medallion-level customer with Delta is that they allow me to choose seats from the "preferred" sections. This includes the exit rows. Many of the jets in the Delta fleet have two over-the-wing exit doors on each side. To make sure that those doors are unobstructed, the seat backs of the rows directly in front of the doors are locked upright. If you choose a seat in the second exit row, you get extended leg room (wider to allow passage through the exit door), and the passenger in front of you can't plop his back into your lap. Given that I don't drink cocktails or wine on an early morning flight, the exit row isn't all that bad.

The MSY-ATL flight was uneventful, other than the usual bumpy air over Alabama. We arrived on-time in nice weather. I was able to amuse myself with Twitter while we taxied to the gate T-2. The "T" gates are part of the main terminal building. A glance at the connecting flights monitor upon deplaning boosted my spirits-the outbound flight was not leaving from concourse "E" as my boarding pass listed, but rather from "C." I decided to stop in the Crown Room Club on "T" and relax there before going out to "C," from which most of the regional jets operated by Delta Connection partner airlines operate.

The front desk agent in the "T" Crown Room reminded me that there was now a club on "C," so I turned around and headed there anyway. The Crown Room on "C" is relatively new, and it's absolutely gorgeous, with a waterfall in the entrance, lots of high ceilings, and great views of operations at the gates. It's also got a big "business section," a series of carrels set up for computer users. The wi-fi was the solid T-Mobile signal I've come to expect in Delta's club rooms. Soon enough it was time to head to the gate.

Atlantic South Airlines (ASA) is a "Delta Connection" airline. They operate "Bombardier" regional jets as Delta "codeshare" flights. The employess of ASA are separate from Delta, meaning pilots and flight attendants negotiate salaries independent of th main airline. Pilots on Delta Connection jets are usually the younger guys and gals who are just getting started in civilian aviation. The CRJ-200 is small, so they only need a single flight attendant. Most carry-on luggage that can easily be stowed overhead in a larger jet won't fit on the CRJs, so they "gate-check" these bags. You drop off your bag on the jetway and pick it up planeside upon arrival. My backpack will fit in the CRJ's overhead with the computer out, or it will slide under the seat, so I don't have to sweat gate-checking. All settled in with my Bernard Cornwell novel, I was ready for the 1:45 flight. We were slow getting out of ATL; like most larger airports, there are more flights scheduled for departure in a given hour than there are takeoff slots. We finally got in the air and headed north. This flight was also uneventful, other than my fat butt doesn't quite fit well in the CRJ's smaller seats.

Arriving at YYZ is not all that different from any other large airport. Delta operations at Pearson are limited these days to regional jets, so passengers deplane using the built-in stairs of the CRJ and walk outside to the terminal building. Once everyone is off the plane, a shuttle bus arrives to transport you to the main arrival terminal. Clearing Canadian immigration and customs is fairly simple. When they ask me what I'm doing for four days in Canada, I tell them "photographing streetcars." Toronto has an extensive trolley system, so it usually deflects any other questions. A few years back, a lovely border agent popped me for CA$150 for a work permit of some such when I actually said I was coming up to teach in Ottawa. Never again, I'm a tourist coming to take pictures.

Once through immigration, I retrieved my checked bag to pass through customs. Nothing to declare, and off I go to fetch the rental car. At most airports, the rental car lot is a separate facility, but they're all in the parking garage next to the terminal at YYZ, so there's no shuttle bus ride. HDS has a corporate arrangement with Avis, and yes, they try harder to impress me. My ride for this trip was a Chrysler Sebring...convertible! I walked up to the Avis "preferred" counter right when another guy was standing there, demanding to see the manager, because he objected to the type of car they gave him. Not the size (mid-size, full, etc.), but the make/model. I walk up with a smile, show my license, and am handed the keys to a convertible. I never know if these things are arranged beforehand or if it's karma, but I like when that happens.

With my bag securely stored, I was ready to be away from the airport.