Off to beautiful (warm, muggy) Orlando, Florida, for a big departmental all-hands. I flew Frontier, rather than United, and it was a refreshing experience.
Since Frontier flies from Concourse A at DIA, I took the bridge from the main terminal. Therefore I missed (according to another person flying from my office) the latest musical chairs in the main security line, i.e., if you have just your briefcase and notebook computer (no added carry-on), you can go through the Express Lane now at security. Huh.
My flight was on an Airbus (I believe ) A319. Sort of the Airbus equivalent to the 737, but a bit wider (which was nice). Frontier does not have a 1st Class cabin, which was also nice.
A new experiment this trip was my Palm Keyboard. With it I was able to do some worthwhile work both at the gate and on the plane. Cool. Worked on my quotations, mostly, but it could have been for something work-related. Indeed, the experiment was successful enough that it may be actually worthwhile for me to get (next FY) a wireless Palm. Assuming our new internal standards review of PDAs still okays the Palm.
One thing I liked about how Frontier worked (vs. the Bigger Corporation Which Is United) was demonstrated when a mother and two kids came on close to the end of the boarding period. It was a pretty full flight. The woman’s father was already on, but in 1B, with no vacant seats. And the tickets she had were scattered all over, and there were no places with two seats together, let alone three.
The flight attendants quickly mobilized and got folks to vounteer to shuffle around, so that one kid could sit next to Gramps, the other with Mom. That meant the folks shuffling generally had to move to “B” seats, i.e., center seats, flanked on either side by people. Definitely less desireable.
Here’s the cool part. (1) Folks were willing to do this. (2) The flight attendants rewarded them with unlimited free drinks.
Now, I don’t know about (1), but I know that on United, the most those folks would have gotten as a reward was a single free drink … and most likely they would have simply gotten the thanks of the flight attendants. Not that that’s wrong, but it’s a sign that Frontier is definitely interested in making their customers happy that they empower their flight crew to do these sorts of things.
Finished off an entire book on the trip. That it was a Robert Parker book makes that somewhat less surprising.
New security rule: only one person can be standing up by the front lav (the one by the cockpit door) at a time. Makes sense, but haven’t run across that one lately. Of course, most of the carriers I’ve flown on have an 1st Class cabin that would apply there, which I don’t fly.
Sometime over the last decade or so, luggage has changed. I remember how suitcases were suitcases, dagnabbit, hardsided and beautiful. Now everyone (okay, 80% of everyone) uses some sort of black, wheeled pullman bag. It makes spotting my own black, wheeled pullman at the baggage claim to be that more difficult.
We ate, this evening, at the 4th ranked Best Steakhouse in the US for four or five years running, Charley’s. And I can believe it. Fabulous, flavorful steak. I would have eaten more, but it was 11 p.m. at night. Great stuff, though, and I speak as someone who likes his steak.
The place is also given excellent marks by the Wine Spectator, which I can also believe. A marvelous wine selection. I’ve never seen Silver Oak sold by the glass ($20). Plus, they carry a number of magnum wine bottles of varying prices — but all of which are a better deal than normal 750ml bottles.
For the twelve of us, it came to $1100, minus tip. Whoo! Great meal, though. I fear things can only go downhill from here.
Downhill defined as, “It’s Midnight, and we have a 7 a.m. phonecon we have to be at.”
I solve the identity problem by festooning my luggage will all sorts of identifying markers… like a Canadian flag luggage tag, the OnePass Elite Priority Baggage tag (which is great, unless I’ve got more than one bag and the other one doesn’t have such a tag), and various colourful flags that, when identified as a unique combination, makes it pretty easy to find my bag.
Or maybe I’ve thought too much about this sort of thing. Personal preference is not to check luggage at all, though it’d require buying a razor at my destination if I don’t.
Actually, razors (safety razors, at least) are now allowed, so long as you point them out at inspection. At least that’s what signs at both O’Hare and DIA seemed to indicate.
I do have some colored yarn wrapped around the handle of the luggage, and somewhere we have some brightly-colored Troop luggage tags that Margie’s folks gave us. It’s still, though, a matter of trying to pick out the identifying mark.
Ah, well.
On our flight to Vegas, no one could be standing by the front lav. You were asked to go sit down if you got up there and it was occupied, or to use the one at the back. No first class on America Trans Air, either.
And my sister-in-law put brightly colored tape on her black bag, to identify it. One bit stripe on the front and back sides. I think it was green or blue, but it definitely made it easy for them to spot.
Lou and I usually don’t check bags, or we try not to (may have to for GenCon this year), so we don’t have to deal with this situation. Only had luggage lost once, and it was on the way home, and it was brought to our apartment later that night, which was cool. But if it had been on the way out…
I haven’t been on any trips short enough the last few times out to go with carry-on luggage — not and carry the vast array of entertainment (books, CDs, games, gaming notes) to keep me bright and perky in the hotel room.
Except that, this trip, I’ve been running behind from the get-go, so I’m going to be sacking out early tonight (unlike last night).