Hey everybody! this is my first trip report!
Before I start this, I want to say something
3 or 4 years ago, I never thought I would be saying this, I am going to get it over with and just say it right now.
Southwest Airlines is a cool airline, that I will now consider to be high frills and Oakland International Airport is the nicest airport I have ever been to, and I think it's cooler than SFO I think it's cooler in terms of the way it's laid out, and how it looks on the inside, I think/know SFO is cooler for spotting. (I didn't visit the older sections of OAK, i stayed in the area that had like gate 20 something-32, and also the baggage claim)
For the crew of this flight/ Employees that I talked to
also, if anyone who was a part of the crew for this flight and if you were one of the people I talked to in Oakland, please send me a message! click on my username, and you should be able to send me a message there!
Info about the flight
WN:1487 MCI-OAK (BWI-MCI-OAK)
Registration: N653SW
Departure: 4:34 pm Arrival: 5:53pm Flight time of about 3 hours
Route: CHIEF3 CATTS HLC J80 ILC TATOO DUGLE
MADN4
Altitude: 36,000 feet
Arriving at the airport
Check In
I checked in online the day before, but I don't have a printer so I had to go to the desk, and I had to drop bags. I put a YX tag on my bag, I did that b/c it is easier to Identify it when I pick it up, b/c mine will be the only bag with a blue YX tag and a WN tag...not the case, the check in dude saw me trying to put a WN tag on my bag, he was like "Woah! are you doing, these things are expensive!" i talked with him for a bit, and he let me put the wn tag on my side handle, but I ruined it by writing on it! Hopefully I can get a blank WN tag for my collection when I come back...
Terminal Spotting
Terminal B, Gates 37-39 offer NOTHING for spotters! My plane left gate 37, and all I got were these really bad pictures... and the gate agent at the neighboring gate was giving me a wierd look...
A UA CR7 departing MCI...yay how exciting...
Boarding
This was my first flight on Southwest, and I didn't really know that much about the "new" boarding procedures. I checked in the day before the flight and got card number "A 37". Boarding was a little bit hectic, because I saw some people not go with their appropriate group, and get this...boarding started before the plane was even at the gate!!!!!!!!
The boarding totem poles at MCI.
The plane finally pulls up, a 737-300...no winglets...
Another arriving WN aircraft
Arriving FL Aircraft
Departing NW Aircraft
Departing WN aircraft with my 737, along with 2 provisioning trucks
Pre-Flight, Taxi and Takeoff
The flight was average. but I still enjoyed it!
Taxi: I got some photos during taxi, they aren't the best, but here they are. The flight attendant came and asked me to turn my camera off, and i did...i wanted to record the takeoff
Here are the pictures from taxiing, it was really fast! WN pilots go really quickly! it usually takes about 4 or 5 mins on UA (and their gates are closer to 19R) and this took about 3 minutes.
i had my little half section of the row to myself , then after takeoff 2 people filled those seats , i really didn't mind b/c they slept most of the flight, but then they left before we landed...
Provisioning truck! yay!
As you can tell MCI is a very exciting airport
Anyone know any details on this? i've never heard of them before...
Taken really quickly shortly after takeoff...
In flight
There were a ton of clouds around, it looked cool! but it was boring. If any of you have flown over western Kansas, you will know what I am talking about. I was looking forward to getting good pictures of the Rockies, but it there were clouds around until we got to the desert area ...
The snack service was great! waaaaaayyyy better than the other US airlines! Oreos! except they did it very different than the other airlines, they wrote down peoples drink orders and brought it to them on a tray thingy, instead of a cart...
anyways, here are some pictures from in-flight...
Western Kansas, yay
Clouds
Somewhere over UT or NV
Exiting NV, entering CA
me trying to be artsy with a macro shot showing all of the dirt on the window... i know i'm not artsy, and it turned out bad...
Approach/Landing
We came in from the South East on approach to Runway 29 into Oakland International Airport. This was my first time flying into Oakland.
Sry, i luv these types of shot that include the window...
A plane about to takeoff from Hayward
Video of landing! Sry! i accidentaly hit the shutter button after landing thinking i was going to take a pic (which i later did), and i started recording again in time to record the post-landing announcements! (for all of you that enjoy listening to those, i do...i'm not weird) I will post it later
this landing seemed a lot more powerful than a lot of the other landings i have been on! This was the 1st time I've been on a plane where this much reverse thrust was used.
Can any one id the Airbus at around 24?
here is a link to the vid just in case it isn't showing up...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pgzUSNAR_I
Post Flight
This was a very fun flight! I talked with a really nice f/a after the flight, and she asked me if i wanted to go talk to the pilot and take a pic of inside the flight deck, as a plane geek i said sure!
The first time I have seen a B6 aircraft!
Triple Crown One
Flight Deck
Cabin shot!
I was the last passenger off of the plane, and as I was getting of a CSR/gate agent was getting off the plane to! she was extremely kind, and fun to talk to! I told her that I am a commercial aviation enthusiast, and then we talked about Colleen Barrett! She was really nice!
Oakland's airport was extremely nice, i was in a rush and i didn't get a pic of the newer area, but here is the thingy connecting the new with the older terminal...
3 WN jets! of course this is oak! what else would you expect...oh wait, you could also expect 2 wn jets and a fedex...lol
The window was dirty, my camera was focusing on the dirt
After I collected my bags, I went to the baggage claim office and said something they would never have expected. "I just came off of the best flight ever, and it was awesome, thank you!" they were really surprised, and we talked about planes and Ms. Barrett!
I got a request to end it like this,
yo mamma!
Before I start this, I want to say something
3 or 4 years ago, I never thought I would be saying this, I am going to get it over with and just say it right now.
Southwest Airlines is a cool airline, that I will now consider to be high frills and Oakland International Airport is the nicest airport I have ever been to, and I think it's cooler than SFO I think it's cooler in terms of the way it's laid out, and how it looks on the inside, I think/know SFO is cooler for spotting. (I didn't visit the older sections of OAK, i stayed in the area that had like gate 20 something-32, and also the baggage claim)
For the crew of this flight/ Employees that I talked to
also, if anyone who was a part of the crew for this flight and if you were one of the people I talked to in Oakland, please send me a message! click on my username, and you should be able to send me a message there!
Info about the flight
WN:1487 MCI-OAK (BWI-MCI-OAK)
Registration: N653SW
Departure: 4:34 pm Arrival: 5:53pm Flight time of about 3 hours
Route: CHIEF3 CATTS HLC J80 ILC TATOO DUGLE
MADN4
Altitude: 36,000 feet
Arriving at the airport
Check In
I checked in online the day before, but I don't have a printer so I had to go to the desk, and I had to drop bags. I put a YX tag on my bag, I did that b/c it is easier to Identify it when I pick it up, b/c mine will be the only bag with a blue YX tag and a WN tag...not the case, the check in dude saw me trying to put a WN tag on my bag, he was like "Woah! are you doing, these things are expensive!" i talked with him for a bit, and he let me put the wn tag on my side handle, but I ruined it by writing on it! Hopefully I can get a blank WN tag for my collection when I come back...
Terminal Spotting
Terminal B, Gates 37-39 offer NOTHING for spotters! My plane left gate 37, and all I got were these really bad pictures... and the gate agent at the neighboring gate was giving me a wierd look...
A UA CR7 departing MCI...yay how exciting...
Boarding
This was my first flight on Southwest, and I didn't really know that much about the "new" boarding procedures. I checked in the day before the flight and got card number "A 37". Boarding was a little bit hectic, because I saw some people not go with their appropriate group, and get this...boarding started before the plane was even at the gate!!!!!!!!
The boarding totem poles at MCI.
The plane finally pulls up, a 737-300...no winglets...
Another arriving WN aircraft
Arriving FL Aircraft
Departing NW Aircraft
Departing WN aircraft with my 737, along with 2 provisioning trucks
Pre-Flight, Taxi and Takeoff
The flight was average. but I still enjoyed it!
Taxi: I got some photos during taxi, they aren't the best, but here they are. The flight attendant came and asked me to turn my camera off, and i did...i wanted to record the takeoff
Here are the pictures from taxiing, it was really fast! WN pilots go really quickly! it usually takes about 4 or 5 mins on UA (and their gates are closer to 19R) and this took about 3 minutes.
i had my little half section of the row to myself , then after takeoff 2 people filled those seats , i really didn't mind b/c they slept most of the flight, but then they left before we landed...
Provisioning truck! yay!
As you can tell MCI is a very exciting airport
Anyone know any details on this? i've never heard of them before...
Taken really quickly shortly after takeoff...
In flight
There were a ton of clouds around, it looked cool! but it was boring. If any of you have flown over western Kansas, you will know what I am talking about. I was looking forward to getting good pictures of the Rockies, but it there were clouds around until we got to the desert area ...
The snack service was great! waaaaaayyyy better than the other US airlines! Oreos! except they did it very different than the other airlines, they wrote down peoples drink orders and brought it to them on a tray thingy, instead of a cart...
anyways, here are some pictures from in-flight...
Western Kansas, yay
Clouds
Somewhere over UT or NV
Exiting NV, entering CA
me trying to be artsy with a macro shot showing all of the dirt on the window... i know i'm not artsy, and it turned out bad...
Approach/Landing
We came in from the South East on approach to Runway 29 into Oakland International Airport. This was my first time flying into Oakland.
Sry, i luv these types of shot that include the window...
A plane about to takeoff from Hayward
Video of landing! Sry! i accidentaly hit the shutter button after landing thinking i was going to take a pic (which i later did), and i started recording again in time to record the post-landing announcements! (for all of you that enjoy listening to those, i do...i'm not weird) I will post it later
this landing seemed a lot more powerful than a lot of the other landings i have been on! This was the 1st time I've been on a plane where this much reverse thrust was used.
Can any one id the Airbus at around 24?
here is a link to the vid just in case it isn't showing up...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pgzUSNAR_I
Post Flight
This was a very fun flight! I talked with a really nice f/a after the flight, and she asked me if i wanted to go talk to the pilot and take a pic of inside the flight deck, as a plane geek i said sure!
The first time I have seen a B6 aircraft!
Triple Crown One
Flight Deck
Cabin shot!
I was the last passenger off of the plane, and as I was getting of a CSR/gate agent was getting off the plane to! she was extremely kind, and fun to talk to! I told her that I am a commercial aviation enthusiast, and then we talked about Colleen Barrett! She was really nice!
Oakland's airport was extremely nice, i was in a rush and i didn't get a pic of the newer area, but here is the thingy connecting the new with the older terminal...
3 WN jets! of course this is oak! what else would you expect...oh wait, you could also expect 2 wn jets and a fedex...lol
The window was dirty, my camera was focusing on the dirt
After I collected my bags, I went to the baggage claim office and said something they would never have expected. "I just came off of the best flight ever, and it was awesome, thank you!" they were really surprised, and we talked about planes and Ms. Barrett!
I got a request to end it like this,
yo mamma!
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