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October trip to Maui KATL-KDFW-PHNL-PHOG American
Pardon for this to take so long to post, but I just got clearance to post here. I'm going by memory without notes so bear with me.
First Leg: Oct 5 American 2027 KATL to KDFW MD-88. Wife and I departed on long-awaited trip to Maui! Left the house at 4:45am for 40 mile drive from northeast Atlanta suburb of Sugar Hill to Hartsfield. Arrived and parked off the airport at "The Parking Spot" where we were picked up at the car and dropped off at the American curbside check-in at the North Terminal. Check-in was a breeze and getting through TSA security was also a breeze.
Only part is that we had over a two hour wait before boarding for our 8:30 flight to Dallas-Ft Worth flight. So...we spent the time wandering the "T" Concourse planespotting. Saw lots of....well Delta birds since this is the home of Delta.
Finally boarded at 8:10 and took our seats. The flight pushed back on time and we ended up in a long line to depart runway 8R. Think how long it would have taken to take off if they were running west operations instead of east operations??!! Yikes!! Finally gear-up at 9:00 and we made the turn to the north and on around to the west. Got a good look at the Atlanta area, including Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium, home of the Yellow Jackets.
Flight was a typical domestic flight with the usual snack and choice of drinks. Since we were flying coach all the way and back, choices were limited. I spent the time looking out the window but could not see too much since it was overcast all the way.
We landed at Dallas-Ft Worth at 9:45 CDT and taxied up to gate C5. As we were pulling up, I saw gate A25 where our B767 for PHNL was parked and being prepped. As we got off the MD-88, it was like stepping into a whole other world! I was shocked at how BIG KDFW is! Too bad I did not have a way to take pictures, but my cameras were in my carryon, which weighed about 30 pounds loaded with a CD player, candy, chips, books, DVD player and DVDs. Sheesh!!!
We made our way over to Terminal A. The signage at KDFW is very good and it was easy to get over there. We had about a 90 minute layover and we went to the TGI Friday's in Terminal A and had a delicious appetizer while waiting for our boarding time.
Second Leg: KDFW-PHNL Flight 123 B767. Departure time: 11:45. This was the big one. The long leg. Seven hours and thirty minutes! Eww!!! Wife and I were fortunate to be sitting by the window and not in the middle. I hate sitting in the middle on the wide-body aircraft! Yuck. We pushed back on time and there was not a single empty seat in the entire aircraft. It was 100% full. Even first class. Flight took off at 12:10pm and we made our way west. Lunch was a soggy pizza and the usual soft drink such as coke, sprite, and ginger ale. After eating, I spent the time looking out the window at the rugged terrain below. Again, I wished I had pictures to share, but we flew over some of the most fascinating landscape I've ever seen. Living in Georgia all my life, I can only imagine what it is like 35,000 below! Once we crossed over the west coast just south of San Francisco, I started watching "Stargate SG-1" DVDs. Went through two DVDs before we began our descent into PHNL.
The descent into PHNL was spectular! We were able to see the islands to the east such as Molokai, Maui, and in the very distance, the Big Island! As we continued our descent, I was able to spot Diamond Head and the Waikiki beach. We made a hard turn to land runway 8L and as we made our final, we were able to spot Pearl Harbor and in the distance, the USS Arizona Memorial. Touchdown was right at 3:05 local time. Taxied right up next to a Delta B767 that was being prepped for a nonstop return to Atlanta!
Honolulu International is like stepping into a time warp! It is just like it was when the old Jack Lord TV show, "Hawaii Five-O." Very 70ish! But clean. We made the long trek to the Interisland terminal for our short Hawaiian Air flight to PHOG. When we got to the Interisland Terminal, there was a long line to check-in. We got in line and 25 minutes later, got to the counter. Handed our paperwork and the lovely Hawaiian girl asked if we wanted to go on the next flight that was boarding in ten minutes. We said, "Well YEAH!!!' I did ask if our luggage would be intercepted in time for this flight and she said that it would.
Third Leg: Hawaiian Air Flight 546. B717. This was a quickie flight. To echo what a poster wrote about these Hawaiian B717s, they are encrusted with salt. The windows are difficult to see out of. The interior is very clean, considering these aircraft are making anywhere from six to ten takeoffs and landings a day. In fact, the cute little flight attendant who was in the back told us that she has six flights a day five days a week. Flight was scheduled to depart at 4:10pm and we pushed back at 4:10pm. The captain literally hauled butt to runway 8L and did a running takeoff. Almost immediately, made a hard turn to the right and passed over the reef runway and headed east. The flight was short and sweet. Especially that neat juice they gave us. By the time the cute flight attendant made her way up and down giving out that juice and collecting it, we were starting down.
Arrival at PHOG was spectular as well. We flew over the southern coast with the West Maui Mountains out the port side. Looking across the aisle, I could see the winding road I would have to drive over to Kaanapali Beach Hotel. We touched down 30 minutes after pushback from PHNL. We exited the B717 and I said goodbye to the cute flight attendant, much to the annoyance of my tired wife.
As we were exiting, the flight deck door was wide open and I was able to take a peek and speak to the first officer who was kind enough to answer a few questions. When I told him that I'm a MS Flight Simulator nutcase, he was impressed. Especially with my use of terminology regarding flying the CAMPS2 arrival.
After a two hour delay getting our luggage TWO FLIGHTS later, we got in another 1 hour line at the Alamo car rent office before picking up our Chevy Tracker which was a free upgrade from the subcompact that I reserved. Three hours after landing at PHOG, we made the drive to the hotel where we checked-in and showered and dropped into bed 24 hours after we got up for our trip from Atlanta!
Third leg: American Flight 6 B767 KPHOG-KDFW. Departure time: 4:53 After seven wonderful days on the island of Maui which included driving the Road To Hana, eating at Mama's Fish House, Old Lahaina Luau, snorkling, scuba diving, it was time to come home. The day of departure, we checked out of the hotel and drove to the top of Mount Haleakala to kill time for our 5pm departure from PHOG back to KDFW. We checked in around 2:30pm and it was a breeze. The Hawaiian agriculture inspection was somewhat a hassle as well as the TSA. But once we got through all that, we went to the gate. We were the only ones there. But the crowd started growing pretty soon. The inbound flight from KDFW arrived and it appeared to be a full flight as well. Lots of excited people wide-eyed at being in Hawaii. I'm sure we were the same way a week before.
This is where it got a bit interesting. The gate agent seemed to be from another planet. He was going back and forth the counter and into the jetway. The flight crew arrived while he was on the aircraft and they all waited about ten minutes at the jetway before he came back into the building to let them in. The captain was at the counter doing his pre-flight paperwork and when he was finished, he had to stand there at the jetway while the gate agent went tooting off again. The captain was a middle-age guy who was starting to get visibibly upset at being held up. Finally when the gate agent came back inside to let the captain in, he got "the stare" from the captain. It was a riot to see!
We boarded at 4:30, about ten minutes late due to the antics of the gate agent and the cabin crew was like, rush rush rush getting everybody seated. It was a huge suprised we pushed back right on time at 4:53. It was a rare southern takeoff from PHOG. This was spectular as well! We climbed up and turned to the east and flew along the west flank of Mt Haleakala before heading out to sea and toward the US Mainland.
I can't remember what we had for dinner, but by the time we were served, it was pitch black outside. Being an overnight flight, there is not much to see and the movie was nothing to write home about. So I broke out the DVD player and watched some movies.....get this...."The Sound of Music" was one of them. Great way to pass three hours, huh? Then watched "Bedazzled" with the lovely Elizabeth Hurley. We landed on time at KDFW at 5am CDT.
Blearyed-eyed, we made our way the short distance to our gate for our return to Atlanta. Since it was super-early at KDFW, none of the shops were open, so we sat at our gate.
Fourth Leg: KDFW-KATL American Flight 536 Departure time 7am CDT. Not much to report about this flight. This was a mirror flight of the first leg from Atlanta to Dallas-Ft Worth. We departed just before the sun came up and it was a beautiful fall morning in Texas. Our flight was smooth and after a drink of orange juice, I dozed until we started our descent into Atlanta. We landed on time, collected our luggage, walked to the Ground Transportation Center and boarded "The Parking Spot" van that took our tired behinds to our car. We paid and got on I-85 for home!
All in all it was a great vacation and American Airlines was great. I'd gladly fly them again. I wish they had more flights from Atlanta to places besides Miami, Dallas-Ft Worth and Chicago.
Again, if I forgot something important, I apologize and hope ya'll all got some good info.
ihorizon
Sugar Hill, Ga
First Leg: Oct 5 American 2027 KATL to KDFW MD-88. Wife and I departed on long-awaited trip to Maui! Left the house at 4:45am for 40 mile drive from northeast Atlanta suburb of Sugar Hill to Hartsfield. Arrived and parked off the airport at "The Parking Spot" where we were picked up at the car and dropped off at the American curbside check-in at the North Terminal. Check-in was a breeze and getting through TSA security was also a breeze.
Only part is that we had over a two hour wait before boarding for our 8:30 flight to Dallas-Ft Worth flight. So...we spent the time wandering the "T" Concourse planespotting. Saw lots of....well Delta birds since this is the home of Delta.
Finally boarded at 8:10 and took our seats. The flight pushed back on time and we ended up in a long line to depart runway 8R. Think how long it would have taken to take off if they were running west operations instead of east operations??!! Yikes!! Finally gear-up at 9:00 and we made the turn to the north and on around to the west. Got a good look at the Atlanta area, including Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium, home of the Yellow Jackets.
Flight was a typical domestic flight with the usual snack and choice of drinks. Since we were flying coach all the way and back, choices were limited. I spent the time looking out the window but could not see too much since it was overcast all the way.
We landed at Dallas-Ft Worth at 9:45 CDT and taxied up to gate C5. As we were pulling up, I saw gate A25 where our B767 for PHNL was parked and being prepped. As we got off the MD-88, it was like stepping into a whole other world! I was shocked at how BIG KDFW is! Too bad I did not have a way to take pictures, but my cameras were in my carryon, which weighed about 30 pounds loaded with a CD player, candy, chips, books, DVD player and DVDs. Sheesh!!!
We made our way over to Terminal A. The signage at KDFW is very good and it was easy to get over there. We had about a 90 minute layover and we went to the TGI Friday's in Terminal A and had a delicious appetizer while waiting for our boarding time.
Second Leg: KDFW-PHNL Flight 123 B767. Departure time: 11:45. This was the big one. The long leg. Seven hours and thirty minutes! Eww!!! Wife and I were fortunate to be sitting by the window and not in the middle. I hate sitting in the middle on the wide-body aircraft! Yuck. We pushed back on time and there was not a single empty seat in the entire aircraft. It was 100% full. Even first class. Flight took off at 12:10pm and we made our way west. Lunch was a soggy pizza and the usual soft drink such as coke, sprite, and ginger ale. After eating, I spent the time looking out the window at the rugged terrain below. Again, I wished I had pictures to share, but we flew over some of the most fascinating landscape I've ever seen. Living in Georgia all my life, I can only imagine what it is like 35,000 below! Once we crossed over the west coast just south of San Francisco, I started watching "Stargate SG-1" DVDs. Went through two DVDs before we began our descent into PHNL.
The descent into PHNL was spectular! We were able to see the islands to the east such as Molokai, Maui, and in the very distance, the Big Island! As we continued our descent, I was able to spot Diamond Head and the Waikiki beach. We made a hard turn to land runway 8L and as we made our final, we were able to spot Pearl Harbor and in the distance, the USS Arizona Memorial. Touchdown was right at 3:05 local time. Taxied right up next to a Delta B767 that was being prepped for a nonstop return to Atlanta!
Honolulu International is like stepping into a time warp! It is just like it was when the old Jack Lord TV show, "Hawaii Five-O." Very 70ish! But clean. We made the long trek to the Interisland terminal for our short Hawaiian Air flight to PHOG. When we got to the Interisland Terminal, there was a long line to check-in. We got in line and 25 minutes later, got to the counter. Handed our paperwork and the lovely Hawaiian girl asked if we wanted to go on the next flight that was boarding in ten minutes. We said, "Well YEAH!!!' I did ask if our luggage would be intercepted in time for this flight and she said that it would.
Third Leg: Hawaiian Air Flight 546. B717. This was a quickie flight. To echo what a poster wrote about these Hawaiian B717s, they are encrusted with salt. The windows are difficult to see out of. The interior is very clean, considering these aircraft are making anywhere from six to ten takeoffs and landings a day. In fact, the cute little flight attendant who was in the back told us that she has six flights a day five days a week. Flight was scheduled to depart at 4:10pm and we pushed back at 4:10pm. The captain literally hauled butt to runway 8L and did a running takeoff. Almost immediately, made a hard turn to the right and passed over the reef runway and headed east. The flight was short and sweet. Especially that neat juice they gave us. By the time the cute flight attendant made her way up and down giving out that juice and collecting it, we were starting down.
Arrival at PHOG was spectular as well. We flew over the southern coast with the West Maui Mountains out the port side. Looking across the aisle, I could see the winding road I would have to drive over to Kaanapali Beach Hotel. We touched down 30 minutes after pushback from PHNL. We exited the B717 and I said goodbye to the cute flight attendant, much to the annoyance of my tired wife.
As we were exiting, the flight deck door was wide open and I was able to take a peek and speak to the first officer who was kind enough to answer a few questions. When I told him that I'm a MS Flight Simulator nutcase, he was impressed. Especially with my use of terminology regarding flying the CAMPS2 arrival.After a two hour delay getting our luggage TWO FLIGHTS later, we got in another 1 hour line at the Alamo car rent office before picking up our Chevy Tracker which was a free upgrade from the subcompact that I reserved. Three hours after landing at PHOG, we made the drive to the hotel where we checked-in and showered and dropped into bed 24 hours after we got up for our trip from Atlanta!
Third leg: American Flight 6 B767 KPHOG-KDFW. Departure time: 4:53 After seven wonderful days on the island of Maui which included driving the Road To Hana, eating at Mama's Fish House, Old Lahaina Luau, snorkling, scuba diving, it was time to come home. The day of departure, we checked out of the hotel and drove to the top of Mount Haleakala to kill time for our 5pm departure from PHOG back to KDFW. We checked in around 2:30pm and it was a breeze. The Hawaiian agriculture inspection was somewhat a hassle as well as the TSA. But once we got through all that, we went to the gate. We were the only ones there. But the crowd started growing pretty soon. The inbound flight from KDFW arrived and it appeared to be a full flight as well. Lots of excited people wide-eyed at being in Hawaii. I'm sure we were the same way a week before.
This is where it got a bit interesting. The gate agent seemed to be from another planet. He was going back and forth the counter and into the jetway. The flight crew arrived while he was on the aircraft and they all waited about ten minutes at the jetway before he came back into the building to let them in. The captain was at the counter doing his pre-flight paperwork and when he was finished, he had to stand there at the jetway while the gate agent went tooting off again. The captain was a middle-age guy who was starting to get visibibly upset at being held up. Finally when the gate agent came back inside to let the captain in, he got "the stare" from the captain. It was a riot to see!
We boarded at 4:30, about ten minutes late due to the antics of the gate agent and the cabin crew was like, rush rush rush getting everybody seated. It was a huge suprised we pushed back right on time at 4:53. It was a rare southern takeoff from PHOG. This was spectular as well! We climbed up and turned to the east and flew along the west flank of Mt Haleakala before heading out to sea and toward the US Mainland.
I can't remember what we had for dinner, but by the time we were served, it was pitch black outside. Being an overnight flight, there is not much to see and the movie was nothing to write home about. So I broke out the DVD player and watched some movies.....get this...."The Sound of Music" was one of them. Great way to pass three hours, huh? Then watched "Bedazzled" with the lovely Elizabeth Hurley. We landed on time at KDFW at 5am CDT.
Blearyed-eyed, we made our way the short distance to our gate for our return to Atlanta. Since it was super-early at KDFW, none of the shops were open, so we sat at our gate.
Fourth Leg: KDFW-KATL American Flight 536 Departure time 7am CDT. Not much to report about this flight. This was a mirror flight of the first leg from Atlanta to Dallas-Ft Worth. We departed just before the sun came up and it was a beautiful fall morning in Texas. Our flight was smooth and after a drink of orange juice, I dozed until we started our descent into Atlanta. We landed on time, collected our luggage, walked to the Ground Transportation Center and boarded "The Parking Spot" van that took our tired behinds to our car. We paid and got on I-85 for home!
All in all it was a great vacation and American Airlines was great. I'd gladly fly them again. I wish they had more flights from Atlanta to places besides Miami, Dallas-Ft Worth and Chicago.
Again, if I forgot something important, I apologize and hope ya'll all got some good info.
ihorizon
Sugar Hill, Ga
Stop Searching. Start Traveling. southwest.com 
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