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Friday, August 11, 2006
Alaska Airlines Flight 587
Denver – Seattle
Scheduled 1634 MDT – 1818 PDT; 2:44
Actual 1646 MDT – 1828 PDT; 2:42
Wheels off 1656 MDT; Wheels on 1820 PDT; 2:24
737-800 N552AS
Capacity flight 16F 141Y (plus 1 jumpseater)
Exit Row Seat 15A
Fully boarded at 1622, and surprisingly enough, no last minute boardings. No announcements until 1634 when flightdeck announced a minor maintenance delay. One of the engines required additional oil. CAS Maintenance Tech arrived with 4 quart cans of oil. Paperwork wrapped up shortly afterwards and we pushed from the gate at 1646. As taxiing began, pilot announced we were #3 for departure to the East--runway 8. Without further announcement we taxied and waited for departure from 17R instead. We were #1 and departed after brief hold for Horizon CRJ-700 N606QX landing from the North. Thunderstorms surrounded the airport, but were heaviest South and East. Following a 5500 ft takeoff roll, the 737 lifted into unstable air and quickly banked 90 degrees to head West. Five minutes later a slight WNW adjustment took us just East of I-25, over Northglenn, where we turned North paralleling the interstate. Flightdeck PA introduced crew (Captain Charlie, First Officer Tony, and jumpseater Ben (Skywest pilot)) and our intended route taking us over Laramie, Pocatello, Boise, Pendleton, and Yakima. It was mostly cloudy, so ground references quickly faded. At 1709 I removed the Alaska Airlines Inflight Magazine from the seat pocket. 1714 flightdeck PA announced our temporary cruise altitude of 36,000. No further PA to confirm if that changed. Inflight magazine was returned to seat pocket at 1727. Beverage service began in the main cabin at 1730. It took a mere 12 minutes for the cart to arrive at row 15 after serving 48 passengers seated before me. At 1743, Jennifer handed me a small plastic cup of Diet Coke, napkin, and a 0.42 oz bag of Fisher Honey Roasted Peanuts. The flight attendants managing the beverage cart were Jennifer and Michelle. My best guess for Jennifer is upper-30s, married, with 2 kids. Michelle appeared to be 40-ish, dark tan, little makeup, and likely an owner of a 90s Subaru Outback wagon. The girl in 15C was mid-20s and started the flight with a book. She later replaced the book with a Gateway laptop to watch an episode of The Office. The guy next to me in 15B was 30-ish with a 3-day old 5 o’clock shadow, glasses, and an obvious lack of sleep. He fell asleep before departure, woke for a beverage, and continued to sleep until we hit the deck at Sea-Tac. At 1754 I opened the only book I’ve attempted to read in several years. I’ve been picking at it for just about a year. 1757 FO announces we are 530 nautical miles Southeast of Seattle. My math says that’s between Jackson, WY and Pocatello, ID. After about 20-25 pages, the book was returned to my carryon under the seat before me. 1820 brought about the second beverage service. Another Diet Coke and peanuts for me, please! Stared out the window, lost in thought, for the next 30 minutes.
Now in the PDT time zone, our initial descent started at 1754. The only visible geography was the tops of Mt Adams, Mt St Helens, and Mt Rainier. The position of N552AS, the sun, and the location of Rainier made for poor photography. The shadowed North side of the mountain was still beautiful even at a good distance. At 1811, the wingletted 737-800 was on its downwind leg heading North. Base leg didn’t begin until we were East of U-Dub (University of Washington).
Gear down at 1817.
Touch down on 16R at 1820.
Prior to taxing across 16L, we waited for the following to depart that same runway: Horizon Dash 8, Alaska 737, Southwest 737, and Northwest 757.
Gate arrival 1828.
Welcome to Seattle!
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