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This is my first flight review, so I'll try to do my best.
Airlines: Islena (TACA), Continental.
Background
I was traveling with 25 other folks to a small island off the coast of Honduras called Helene to help in a small mission (school, clinic, construction) which is run by Alternative Missions. Overall, we were traveling with 42 pieces of luggage, including 19 plastic crates which were carrying school supplies, food, medical supplies, and much more. I finally calculated that we were carrying about 1.5 tons of gear if you figure about 60 lbs per item. I have to say it was quite an adventure and worth it all the way. It was a little stressful at times, but other than that it was smooth sailing--err flying.
SEA-IAH
Continental Airlines flight 1569, which was a Boeing 737-800 was scheduled to leave at 12:25AM. We arrived at the airport; check-in was a breeze, not to mention security. The flight was uneventful, most everyone slept during the flight. I like flying the red eye specials in coach because the F/As aren't always asking you if you are alright like in NWA's First Class. Comfort? Well, then you have to go with first. 2 Fast 2 Furious was the movie that was playing. I wasn't interested in it so I decided to take a nap. Flying in to Houston was great because of the morning sunrise. I have never been to Houston and it was a very nice, modern airport. Plenty of shops, restaurants etc. Very busy however. Had trouble finding a restroom where there wasn't a line up.
I passed the 3 hr layover shooting pictures out the window--didn't bother to upload them however.
IAH-SAP
This was my second flight out the country, my first being on Delta to Mazatlan, several years ago. It was quite interesting that the announcements were in English and Spanish--wish I understood it a little better than just Hola, and Como Estas. Lunch was quite good, I would have to say overall. It was small--but good. I did decide to watch the movie which was about The Rock going to Belize or some place to catch a son for a dad--gosh, I can't seem to remember it. Anyhow, it was a good movie. The pilots have to make a tight turn into SAP to avoid some of the high hills. One of the tightest turns in an airliner I have experienced. SAP is a fairly modern airport with three gates. American, Sol Air, Islena, TACA, LACSA, and a few other Central American airlines fly into SAP. Well after debarking from the aircraft into the cool air conditioned corridor, our group seemed to relax a little
But this is where things get sticky...
Naturally, we had to pass through customs--so what, we just show our passports, grab our luggage, run it through the x-rays they have, if they need to they check it out, and then we run it up to TACA's desk. Imagine this-- 500 people crammed into a very small space, with about 300 bags, luggage carts, and airline desks. To add to that, no air conditioning, 90 degree weather with 89% humidity, and finally, having only 1 hr to make a connection, check 36 pieces of luggage and you are at the very back of the line. Not fun. We lost about 12 bags and several crates. Luckily, our contact in Helene had a TACA representative friend who helped us through that ordeal, and we were able to get through customs quickly, then it was off to TACA's desk. Check in went fast. Then we had to get to the gate because the flight was leaving in 20 minutes. Well security wouldn't let us through because we didn't have boarding passes. We had little slips of paper with the flight number etc, and we had been told those were our boarding passes. So then it was back down to the TACA desk, then back up with a TACA rep, and we finally got through making a mad dash for the airplane.
SAP-RTB
The Shorts 360 operated by Islena (TACA Regional), is, I imagine, about 30 years old. The seats seemed to be the only new thing in the aircraft. It took a while for the pilot to get going but we finally rolled out onto the runway. Since the S360 isn't pressurized, we flew at about 8,000 feet. It was nice for taking pictures out the window. Roatan is about 40 miles of the coast of mainland Honduras, which makes it about a 30-40 minute flight. It wasn't bumpy, which was nice. Landing in RTB, we found that we had lost another 4 or 5 bags back in SAP, because the poor bird couldn't take out 36 bags. Nevertheless we were all thankful for arriving safely.
We did end up receiving all the lost luggage, but it did take about 4 days since it had to be brought in by boat after arriving on the next Islena flight.
RTB-SAP
We arrived at the airport about 3 hours before our flight back to SAP. There were hundreds of Italians that were leaving on a Eurofly flight to Milan. Many Italians fly down for Holy Week, which is the busiest week of the year in Roatan. People end up sleeping on beaches because all the hotels are booked. There was a Eurofly A330 sitting on the tarmac, essentially taking up the entire tarmac because of its size. RTB has two gates, with all flights leaving from those two gates, so it is a small airport. When we checked in with TACA for our flight back we ran into our first speed bump of the return trip. Remember those little slips of paper that we thought were boarding passes? Well, those were our tickets--and we had haphazardly thrown them out thinking we didn't need them. Oops. Well the TACA gal pulled some strings and finally got us through. Now we were about 2 hrs from boarding. We sat at gate 2 for and waited for boarding. RTB has the worst boarding system ever. Two gates, all flights leaving from those two gates. Not to mention, everything is in Spanish (some agents did speak English), and you couldn't even hear the announcements over the intercom because the volume of them was so low. Made for a frustrating wait. I ended up staying near the gate, listening for the Islena TACA flight to be called. At last it seemed like we were boarding. So everyone gets up. Wait! Another 5 minutes please. Everyone sits down. Five minutes later. Everyone gets up. Wait! Another 5 minutes please. Then we finally were called. The walk to the tarmac was extremely hot from engine exhaust and the 90 degree heat and high humidity. We were flying on one of Islena's recent ATR-42s. Oh good, air conditioning I thought. Not so. Seems like someone forgot to turn on some air in the back cabin. Ugh, almost baked alive inside after our 20 minute way again on the tarmac. I also happened to see about 5 of our bags once again not make it. The ATR has a very smooth takeoff and flight. We were able to get above the weather this time, so it was not bumpy at all. Everyone ended up fanning themselves with the safety seat cards. Then at cruising altitude the pilot must have said "Oh yes, the passengers! They need to be cooled off!" The touchdown in SAP was very smooth.
SAP-IAH
The baggage claim was nearly empty, not very hot either. I hate to be rude but I enjoyed seeing the faces of people when they saw our porter's carts stacked 6 feet high with crates and bags--and then finally when the conveyor belt stopped and they had none.
Continental check in was very fast. We had to scurry up to the gate because the flight left in 20 minutes. The flight to Houston was like many others uneventful. The F/As were polite in recognizing a couple for their 50th wedding anniversary. Lunch was quite good. Touching down in IAH, we had to then proceed through customs which was very slick. Several porters helped us through with the baggage. Then it was another mad dash to the gate, except we had about 40 minutes until the flight leaved. The security folks were very friendly there. I ventured down to the gate to see when they were beginning general boarding and what do you know? They were boarding and most of our group wasn't through security. Made for a stressful time trying to round everyone up.
IAH-SEA
The COA 757 was all Y class. I had the unlucky fortune of getting the very last row and the middle seat. It seemed like an empty flight but when I asked a F/A about it, she said it would be a full flight. It later happened that two more large groups were boarding also. So yes it was a full flight. Sitting in the back row during take off is like an earthquake, but it was enjoyed by me right down to the last shake rattle and roll. Climbing our of Houston brought some of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. Very bumpy, but also fun. I wouldn't mind trying it again. I think IAH departures are always somewhat bumpy. In fact it was bumpy all the way to Seattle. It was hilarious because the captain would turn off the seat belt sign and it would begin to bump. He would turn it on immediately, and it would stop. Turn off. Bumpy. Turn on. Not bumpy. The food was excellent. Arriving in Seattle at about 8:20 we went to baggage claim to get the group's luggage.
In all, I found that TACA's folks are some of the hardest working people I have ever seen, and Continental's service in the air is fabulous (not to mention their teriyaki chicken
)
I think next time I'll see about booking straight through to RTB from IAH to avoid SAP altogether.
Thanks for reading.
Airlines: Islena (TACA), Continental.
Background
I was traveling with 25 other folks to a small island off the coast of Honduras called Helene to help in a small mission (school, clinic, construction) which is run by Alternative Missions. Overall, we were traveling with 42 pieces of luggage, including 19 plastic crates which were carrying school supplies, food, medical supplies, and much more. I finally calculated that we were carrying about 1.5 tons of gear if you figure about 60 lbs per item. I have to say it was quite an adventure and worth it all the way. It was a little stressful at times, but other than that it was smooth sailing--err flying.
SEA-IAH
Continental Airlines flight 1569, which was a Boeing 737-800 was scheduled to leave at 12:25AM. We arrived at the airport; check-in was a breeze, not to mention security. The flight was uneventful, most everyone slept during the flight. I like flying the red eye specials in coach because the F/As aren't always asking you if you are alright like in NWA's First Class. Comfort? Well, then you have to go with first. 2 Fast 2 Furious was the movie that was playing. I wasn't interested in it so I decided to take a nap. Flying in to Houston was great because of the morning sunrise. I have never been to Houston and it was a very nice, modern airport. Plenty of shops, restaurants etc. Very busy however. Had trouble finding a restroom where there wasn't a line up.
I passed the 3 hr layover shooting pictures out the window--didn't bother to upload them however. IAH-SAP
This was my second flight out the country, my first being on Delta to Mazatlan, several years ago. It was quite interesting that the announcements were in English and Spanish--wish I understood it a little better than just Hola, and Como Estas. Lunch was quite good, I would have to say overall. It was small--but good. I did decide to watch the movie which was about The Rock going to Belize or some place to catch a son for a dad--gosh, I can't seem to remember it. Anyhow, it was a good movie. The pilots have to make a tight turn into SAP to avoid some of the high hills. One of the tightest turns in an airliner I have experienced. SAP is a fairly modern airport with three gates. American, Sol Air, Islena, TACA, LACSA, and a few other Central American airlines fly into SAP. Well after debarking from the aircraft into the cool air conditioned corridor, our group seemed to relax a little
But this is where things get sticky...
Naturally, we had to pass through customs--so what, we just show our passports, grab our luggage, run it through the x-rays they have, if they need to they check it out, and then we run it up to TACA's desk. Imagine this-- 500 people crammed into a very small space, with about 300 bags, luggage carts, and airline desks. To add to that, no air conditioning, 90 degree weather with 89% humidity, and finally, having only 1 hr to make a connection, check 36 pieces of luggage and you are at the very back of the line. Not fun. We lost about 12 bags and several crates. Luckily, our contact in Helene had a TACA representative friend who helped us through that ordeal, and we were able to get through customs quickly, then it was off to TACA's desk. Check in went fast. Then we had to get to the gate because the flight was leaving in 20 minutes. Well security wouldn't let us through because we didn't have boarding passes. We had little slips of paper with the flight number etc, and we had been told those were our boarding passes. So then it was back down to the TACA desk, then back up with a TACA rep, and we finally got through making a mad dash for the airplane.
SAP-RTB
The Shorts 360 operated by Islena (TACA Regional), is, I imagine, about 30 years old. The seats seemed to be the only new thing in the aircraft. It took a while for the pilot to get going but we finally rolled out onto the runway. Since the S360 isn't pressurized, we flew at about 8,000 feet. It was nice for taking pictures out the window. Roatan is about 40 miles of the coast of mainland Honduras, which makes it about a 30-40 minute flight. It wasn't bumpy, which was nice. Landing in RTB, we found that we had lost another 4 or 5 bags back in SAP, because the poor bird couldn't take out 36 bags. Nevertheless we were all thankful for arriving safely.
We did end up receiving all the lost luggage, but it did take about 4 days since it had to be brought in by boat after arriving on the next Islena flight.
RTB-SAP
We arrived at the airport about 3 hours before our flight back to SAP. There were hundreds of Italians that were leaving on a Eurofly flight to Milan. Many Italians fly down for Holy Week, which is the busiest week of the year in Roatan. People end up sleeping on beaches because all the hotels are booked. There was a Eurofly A330 sitting on the tarmac, essentially taking up the entire tarmac because of its size. RTB has two gates, with all flights leaving from those two gates, so it is a small airport. When we checked in with TACA for our flight back we ran into our first speed bump of the return trip. Remember those little slips of paper that we thought were boarding passes? Well, those were our tickets--and we had haphazardly thrown them out thinking we didn't need them. Oops. Well the TACA gal pulled some strings and finally got us through. Now we were about 2 hrs from boarding. We sat at gate 2 for and waited for boarding. RTB has the worst boarding system ever. Two gates, all flights leaving from those two gates. Not to mention, everything is in Spanish (some agents did speak English), and you couldn't even hear the announcements over the intercom because the volume of them was so low. Made for a frustrating wait. I ended up staying near the gate, listening for the Islena TACA flight to be called. At last it seemed like we were boarding. So everyone gets up. Wait! Another 5 minutes please. Everyone sits down. Five minutes later. Everyone gets up. Wait! Another 5 minutes please. Then we finally were called. The walk to the tarmac was extremely hot from engine exhaust and the 90 degree heat and high humidity. We were flying on one of Islena's recent ATR-42s. Oh good, air conditioning I thought. Not so. Seems like someone forgot to turn on some air in the back cabin. Ugh, almost baked alive inside after our 20 minute way again on the tarmac. I also happened to see about 5 of our bags once again not make it. The ATR has a very smooth takeoff and flight. We were able to get above the weather this time, so it was not bumpy at all. Everyone ended up fanning themselves with the safety seat cards. Then at cruising altitude the pilot must have said "Oh yes, the passengers! They need to be cooled off!" The touchdown in SAP was very smooth.
SAP-IAH
The baggage claim was nearly empty, not very hot either. I hate to be rude but I enjoyed seeing the faces of people when they saw our porter's carts stacked 6 feet high with crates and bags--and then finally when the conveyor belt stopped and they had none.
Continental check in was very fast. We had to scurry up to the gate because the flight left in 20 minutes. The flight to Houston was like many others uneventful. The F/As were polite in recognizing a couple for their 50th wedding anniversary. Lunch was quite good. Touching down in IAH, we had to then proceed through customs which was very slick. Several porters helped us through with the baggage. Then it was another mad dash to the gate, except we had about 40 minutes until the flight leaved. The security folks were very friendly there. I ventured down to the gate to see when they were beginning general boarding and what do you know? They were boarding and most of our group wasn't through security. Made for a stressful time trying to round everyone up. IAH-SEA
The COA 757 was all Y class. I had the unlucky fortune of getting the very last row and the middle seat. It seemed like an empty flight but when I asked a F/A about it, she said it would be a full flight. It later happened that two more large groups were boarding also. So yes it was a full flight. Sitting in the back row during take off is like an earthquake, but it was enjoyed by me right down to the last shake rattle and roll. Climbing our of Houston brought some of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. Very bumpy, but also fun. I wouldn't mind trying it again. I think IAH departures are always somewhat bumpy. In fact it was bumpy all the way to Seattle. It was hilarious because the captain would turn off the seat belt sign and it would begin to bump. He would turn it on immediately, and it would stop. Turn off. Bumpy. Turn on. Not bumpy. The food was excellent. Arriving in Seattle at about 8:20 we went to baggage claim to get the group's luggage.
In all, I found that TACA's folks are some of the hardest working people I have ever seen, and Continental's service in the air is fabulous (not to mention their teriyaki chicken
)I think next time I'll see about booking straight through to RTB from IAH to avoid SAP altogether.
Thanks for reading.
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