Southwest 2921, HOU-OKC

[Foxtrot]

Re:

Another nice trip report with excellent pictures! Really enjoyed the sunset pictures on your approach to OKC. Glad to hear that you like Southwest Airlines. Was there any food/beverage provided on your short hop?

Regards,

Rohan

Thanks Rohan. The offerings between HOU and OKC are the usual Southwest offerings, peanuts/pretzels and a drink. Pretty much what I've had on all of the other short hops around the southern region when flying WN.

[Curtis Malone]

Is it me or are the more pics on the net of a WN 737 right winglet than of Britney's vajayjay?

[rohank4284]

Another nice trip report with excellent pictures! Really enjoyed the sunset pictures on your approach to OKC. Glad to hear that you like Southwest Airlines. Was there any food/beverage provided on your short hop?

Regards,

Rohan

[Foxtrot]

^Thanks Alex!

Haha yeah, I did make a mess of the registration and weather details. Thanks for pointing that, it is corrected now

[ATrude777]

Very Nice!

HOU is one of my favorite airports.

I did notice your pictures show you flew on a 737-700, yet your aircraft and registration show it as a 737-300 with winglets?

Which is it? :P

Alex

[Foxtrot]

All aircraft/flight data is from Airfleets and Flightstats unless otherwise noted.

Date: 10/10/10
Flight: Southwest Airlines WN 2921
SDT: 5:25p.m.
ADT: 5:38p.m.
SAT: 6:45p.m.
AAT: 7:16p.m.
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700W
Registration: N258WN, del. Oct. 2nd, 2006
Dep. Weather: Partly cloudy, temp. ~87F. Winds easterly at 5-10mph.
Arr. Weather: Mostly cloudy. Temp. in the low 80s, light southerly winds.

After a great but quick weekend in Houston (my first time, too), it was of course, time to head back. After doing some quick spotting at Hobby from the two official spotting areas, my friend dropped me off at departures. After some chatting, I went into the terminal and headed straight for the WN counters. HOU’s new main terminal (not the concourse) is definitely an exception to the phrase “everything is bigger in Texas.” For something that handles 8 million+ passengers a year, this terminal has only four baggage claim belts, and the departures level is not that big either. Sure, it has only a handful of airlines, but the terminal is pretty small, from the departures curb to the check-in lobby. I wonder how it is there during the holiday travel season. At any rate, there was a decent line for the WN counters but the agents were doing a good job of keeping it moving. After getting my boarding pass at the kiosk and getting my bag on the belt, I headed for security, which was pretty quick, and then into the concourse area via the terminal-concourse connector, which has some moving walkways. HOU definitely has much better options as far as food/beverages go compared to DAL. I decided to relax with a nice, hot cup of Capuccino at Peet’s Coffee and Tea.


The main terminal at Hobby


FL jet headed to ATL. The gate agent for this flight had to make several announcements for about 7 passengers to come to the gate for boarding




My plane to OKC, downtown in the background



2921 was on an LAX-HOU-OKC-LAS run. As always I had an A pass and thus got in quickly. The rest of the flight was pretty routine, you know the drill by now. Departure took us from RWY 12R with the standard circle back to the NNW. It was a smooth flight except for some rough air due to developing showers/storms in OK airspace. Landing was on RWY 17L at OKC.


Personally, WN's planes are some of the most comfortable out there






An A-47 on the GA ramp at HOU




One of Houston's multiple stack interchanges


The Houston Ship Channel


I got this nice overview of IAH, pretty much everything visible except RWY 15R-33L. For spotting photos I got here, you can take a look at my album on Flickr. NOTE: Keep clicking "Newer" to view from the first photo, Flickr annoyingly re-arranges the order from last to first.


Hey, some photos are just about the great feeling of flight


McKinney, TX. The airport is also visible


Passing by some wispy cirrus


North Texas Regional Airport


Remnants of a contrail


KADM; Ardmore Municipal Airport


Flying towards some weather








I-40/I-35 interchange


Oklahoma City's Bricktown Ballpark and surrounding area


Part of downtown. Note the new building under construction, the Devon Tower. It will be a 50-storey skyscraper once completed


Turning for final to RWY 17L






Seconds from touchdown; note the all-white DC 9s, which I believe are used by JPATS



Again, this was definitely one of the shortest flights I have taken between origin and destination, just one quick hop and I was back. (The shortest ones being between BOM and IXU in India). Not much to say about Southwest, except that I just really like the airline.