Tweet
US Airways 1235 CMH-CLT
Airbus A319 N765US
November 24, 2004
[photoid=21185]
We got to the airport around 7am for our first leg of the day, another A319 to CLT. Boarding seemed to go very quickly...US Airways now has the dreaded & retarded Zone Boarding process, which I still hate. We taxied to runway 10R, where a US 737-300 headed to PHL (which had departed earlier & must have been sitting there for at least half an hour) & an ERJ were holding on the pad at the end of the runway. As they stayed there, we were able to depart before them. Takeoff was quick & we climbed to FL310. It was cloudy for most of the flight...a few bumps here & there. Not a lot happened on this flight, which is why the description's so short. After 1 hour 10 minutes, we landed & taxied to gate D3. My mom & I are fans of Nathan's Hot Dogs & wanted to get a couple from there before we headed to the SXM flight, but the stand was closed, so we continued to gate B11 for:
US Airways 877 CLT-SXM
Boeing 757-200 N601AU
(I uploaded a takeoff video & a landing video from this leg to Flightlevel350.com...if they're accepted, I'll post a link to both of them.)
We boarded & while my mom & brother went to Row 10, because I wasn't able to get 3 seats together, the closest thing to them was 4F, which I took. This would prove to be interesting for us at the end of the flight, as you'll see later on in the review. At this point I was starved & took out the ham sandwich I'd bought in the terminal. We were delayed a few minutes because of connecting passengers who had arrived late from their flights.
We pushed back about 20 minutes late. The safety video ran & we taxied to Runway 18L. Along the way there, I was able to see 3 of the Star Alliance planes in one area of the airport (A319, 757 & the CRJ-700). We were about 4th in line behind a 737-400, 2 757s & an ERJ.
Finally, it was our turn- we lined up & then the engines came to life with the 757's trademark buzzsaw whine, something that brought about a small smile from me. After a 40-second takeoff roll, we were airborne & getting bounced around from the very start. It was a bit bumpy until we got to the higher altitudes, at which point it was smooth all the way to SXM.
Shortly after takeoff, the trailer for our movie, "The Manchurian Candidate", was shown. The movie then started, but there was no picture. They tried a second time, to no avail. The third time was the charm...the movie finally showed up on the screens with the audio soundtrack. The F/As came through with the snack, which consisted of a ham & cheese sandwich, a bag of chips & a sugar cookie. After downing that, I took a nap for about an hour- the movie wasn't doing much for me. I woke up before the end of the movie & saw how it finished...kinda surprising.
Before our descent, customs forms were passed out through the cabin & instructions were given over the PA as to how to fill them out. The last thing they said pertaining to them was "This is US Airways flight 877." About 1 minute after that announcement, the woman in the row behind me asked:
"What airline are we on?"
We then started the final descent to the island, at which point I pulled out my digital camera (I use it to take flight videos because it's less obvious than a regular video camera) in the hopes of taping the landing. I was successful in doing so & after we rolled down the entire length of the runway, spun around for the 180 backtrack to the ramp.
As we taxied back, the F/A came to me and said "Your mom wanted me to tell you that your brother's having a nosebleed.", to which I replied that I'd be back there once we stopped. The plane parked next to an AA 757 & as soon as the Fasten Seat Belt sign was turned off, I jumped out of my seat & walked back to the boarding door area, where my brother was in the middle of a huge nosebleed. The lead F/A was notified of the situation & asked for a doctor over the PA. One then made his way up to us & while they rushed down the boarding ramp, I pointed out our carry-ons & people helped me get them out of the overheads & I joined my family at the bus to the terminal.
A security guard then helped us, got us through immigration & sought medical attention for my brother. I stayed with our baggage & after a half hour wait, my mom & brother came back. The nosebleed was stopped, so we were able to pick up our rental car as planned & headed to the Caravanserai Beach Resort for a week of fun in St. Maarten.
Return trip's report will be posted shortly.
DeltaRules
Airbus A319 N765US
November 24, 2004
[photoid=21185]
We got to the airport around 7am for our first leg of the day, another A319 to CLT. Boarding seemed to go very quickly...US Airways now has the dreaded & retarded Zone Boarding process, which I still hate. We taxied to runway 10R, where a US 737-300 headed to PHL (which had departed earlier & must have been sitting there for at least half an hour) & an ERJ were holding on the pad at the end of the runway. As they stayed there, we were able to depart before them. Takeoff was quick & we climbed to FL310. It was cloudy for most of the flight...a few bumps here & there. Not a lot happened on this flight, which is why the description's so short. After 1 hour 10 minutes, we landed & taxied to gate D3. My mom & I are fans of Nathan's Hot Dogs & wanted to get a couple from there before we headed to the SXM flight, but the stand was closed, so we continued to gate B11 for:
US Airways 877 CLT-SXM
Boeing 757-200 N601AU
(I uploaded a takeoff video & a landing video from this leg to Flightlevel350.com...if they're accepted, I'll post a link to both of them.)
We boarded & while my mom & brother went to Row 10, because I wasn't able to get 3 seats together, the closest thing to them was 4F, which I took. This would prove to be interesting for us at the end of the flight, as you'll see later on in the review. At this point I was starved & took out the ham sandwich I'd bought in the terminal. We were delayed a few minutes because of connecting passengers who had arrived late from their flights.
We pushed back about 20 minutes late. The safety video ran & we taxied to Runway 18L. Along the way there, I was able to see 3 of the Star Alliance planes in one area of the airport (A319, 757 & the CRJ-700). We were about 4th in line behind a 737-400, 2 757s & an ERJ.
Finally, it was our turn- we lined up & then the engines came to life with the 757's trademark buzzsaw whine, something that brought about a small smile from me. After a 40-second takeoff roll, we were airborne & getting bounced around from the very start. It was a bit bumpy until we got to the higher altitudes, at which point it was smooth all the way to SXM.
Shortly after takeoff, the trailer for our movie, "The Manchurian Candidate", was shown. The movie then started, but there was no picture. They tried a second time, to no avail. The third time was the charm...the movie finally showed up on the screens with the audio soundtrack. The F/As came through with the snack, which consisted of a ham & cheese sandwich, a bag of chips & a sugar cookie. After downing that, I took a nap for about an hour- the movie wasn't doing much for me. I woke up before the end of the movie & saw how it finished...kinda surprising.
Before our descent, customs forms were passed out through the cabin & instructions were given over the PA as to how to fill them out. The last thing they said pertaining to them was "This is US Airways flight 877." About 1 minute after that announcement, the woman in the row behind me asked:
"What airline are we on?"
We then started the final descent to the island, at which point I pulled out my digital camera (I use it to take flight videos because it's less obvious than a regular video camera) in the hopes of taping the landing. I was successful in doing so & after we rolled down the entire length of the runway, spun around for the 180 backtrack to the ramp.
As we taxied back, the F/A came to me and said "Your mom wanted me to tell you that your brother's having a nosebleed.", to which I replied that I'd be back there once we stopped. The plane parked next to an AA 757 & as soon as the Fasten Seat Belt sign was turned off, I jumped out of my seat & walked back to the boarding door area, where my brother was in the middle of a huge nosebleed. The lead F/A was notified of the situation & asked for a doctor over the PA. One then made his way up to us & while they rushed down the boarding ramp, I pointed out our carry-ons & people helped me get them out of the overheads & I joined my family at the bus to the terminal.
A security guard then helped us, got us through immigration & sought medical attention for my brother. I stayed with our baggage & after a half hour wait, my mom & brother came back. The nosebleed was stopped, so we were able to pick up our rental car as planned & headed to the Caravanserai Beach Resort for a week of fun in St. Maarten.
Return trip's report will be posted shortly.
DeltaRules
She reminds me of some french "knowledgeable" globe trotters 
Comment