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After a quick drive through empty streets at about 5 in the morning, I got to the Mid-Continent airport and was greeted with a fairly long line at the Delta Connection check-in counter. The wait in line was about 15 minutes or so which I guess isn’t too bad. The security line was the longest I’ve ever seen at ICT. The wait in that line was about another 10 minutes. Then I headed to Delta’s Gate 11 which was at the end of the bleak concourse. I snapped a hurried shot of the concourse. Sorry it's so fuzzy.
I got there right in time to hear the first boarding calls and I was on board shortly.
Delta Connection 5167 operated by Comair
ICT-CVG
6:15-9:09 (On Time)
CRJ
The full CRJ taxied down to the cargo ramp and then departed with the usual powerless takeoff. We broke through some clouds and had a smooth flight the rest of the way to Cincinnati. I watched the nice sunrise halfway into the flight.
Service consisted of the usual pretzels, biscoff crackers, and drinks. I chose water. A fairly uneventful flight as we made our way into CVG. We had a very smooth landing after we passed over the Ohio River and made a turn towards Kentucky.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
With the on-time arrival, I had about two and a half hours to kill in Cincinnati. I watched the planes come and go in Concourse B and then walked around the B Concourse the rest of the time. As always, Cincinnati was a very nice airport to connect in. As the departure of the next flight came nearer, I went over the Concourse A via the train. Concourse A isn’t as great as the rest of the Terminal 3 concourses but they’ve been doing some work on it which has helped it. I noticed a handful of new concessions and that they were redoing the worn out floors.
Delta Connection 6151 operated by Atlantic Coast Airlines
CVG-DAY
11:45-12:29 (Departure delayed by about 20 minutes)
Fairchild-Dornier 328JET
Our Fairchild-Dornier 328JET was waiting at A22. However, as our time of departure came near, we were told that the aircraft had some weight and balance issues and they needed a couple of volunteers. I boarded it at about our time of departure and we were on the ground for a while as they were looking for some people to get off of the plane. After a 20 minute delay, we were off. The 328JET’s takeoff was a kick as usual and we reached our cruising altitude of 10,000 feet for the short hop over to Dayton. We got small bottles of Dasani and a bag of Delta’s awesome snack mix. I noticed that the interior was in pretty bad condition as I’ve noticed with most of ACA’s FRJs. There was gum and dirt on the aisle and worn out looking seats which was surprising since these are fairly new planes.
Dayton International
We deplaned at the 1st level Comair gate at Dayton and I went to the terminal via the corridors with extremely low ceilings that you can find at DAY. Other than that, it was a pretty nice airport.
Dayton International
After a week in wonderful Ohio, I found myself back in Dayton International. The line for check-in was short which was a surprise since it was a little more than an hour before departure. I checked in online the day before so I could basically select my own seats so I just needed to check my bags in with AirTran. I went over to Concourse C to AirTran’s gate at the end to hear that due to the heavy fog that morning in DAY, the plane’s been circling around. I grabbed a WSJ from the CNBC newsstand outside of security and read it until boarding. I noticed that there were a lot of computers around the airport offering free internet access. At the gate, I noticed that there wasn’t many people disembarking so the load must not have been very good.
AirTran Airways 707
DAY-ATL
10:17-11:52 (Departure delayed by 30 minutes, 10 minute late arrival)
Boeing 717
As I got on the 717, I noticed that the loads on this one was mediocre, the emptiest plane I’ve been on in the US as far as I could remember. It wasn’t too bad since it was like 70% full but I’ve been used to flying on nearly full aircraft. As I stepped aboard, I noticed the really nice looking 717 interior and it was fairly clean. The overhead bins seemed cavernous, but maybe they seem that way since I’ve been used to RJs. Also, I noticed the blue lights and the rails on the bins which I thought was a very nice touch. However, I hit my head on the rails as I got in. Ouch. I took a seat in 19A and noticed that the seat felt awkward, but as you sit in it longer, you get used to it and it’s not so bad. One thing that I did find to be a pain was that the seats don’t allow a lot of space under them on the window seats, which cuts down on legroom and space for carryons. The plane goes dead silent as we begin pushback and then the two engines spool up making a neat effect. We taxi to this place out in the middle of nowhere, then we turn around and go back towards the runway which didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. We make an awfully long taxi out to the runway before we finally reach the end and turn onto the runway. The engines roar as they rocketed us down the runway and we rotate and make a steep takeoff, a very powerful takeoff. As we reach cruise, things are a lot quieter compared to the takeoff which is one thing I really like about the plane. It seems quiet and pleasant in cruise but you really get the power on takeoff. Beverage and snack service followed soon after with even more Biscoff crackers and my usual water. I’m getting pretty tired of Biscoff crackers but they’re still better than peanuts. The rest of the 1hr, 10 min flight goes by uneventfully with the 30 minute delay on departure aside. Descent was really smooth as we broke through the high cloud ceiling, giving us a great view of Atlanta. A Delta Connection CRJ is shadowing us on approach to a parallel runway. We briefly fly over the Ford plant before we have a rough landing in ATL. We make a quick taxi to Concourse C. As he has been doing throughout the flight, he once again apologizes for the delay (which wasn’t their fault of course). I noticed the old-school looking jetway at C-18…was this a former Eastern jetway or something?
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International
I had 3 hours to kill in ATL so I pretty much looked into each concourse. First I went over to Concourse B via the underground passage from C North. It was empty and kinda creepy. I walked down T, D, and E., the terminals I wasn’t so familiar with. I got a pricey but very delicious meal from Paschal’s in Concourse A. E is still my favorite ATL concourse since it’s the most modern feeling out of all of them plus the international traffic makes it very interesting. I heard many different languages being spoken in the terminal by the passengers. I grabbed a cup of coffee to keep me going before heading back towards C via D. D has a lot of non-Delta traffic but half of it is still ASA ATR flights. Also, there’s some AirTran flights there. One thing I noticed was that there was this neat light above D Centerpoint. I headed back to the Concourse C, still my least favorite, and came in time for boarding which began fairly shortly. I was amazed that we actually boarded through the same gate, C-10, as said the day before when I printed out my boarding pass. When I flew out of Concourse C with ASA, they always constantly changed the gates.
AirTran Airways 809
ATL-ICT
15:15-16:30 (On Time)
Boeing 717
I took my seat at row 23, giving me a good view of the wing. I was expecting an empty flight after hearing about how poorly ICT flights have done for AirTran. However, the flight was almost full with a few empty seats I noticed. One of which, was the one next to me. This was an extremely comfortable flight for me since I had a couple of seats to myself. Once again, the 717 had a powerful takeoff and a quiet cruise. We got some pretzels which I got water with. I noticed many passengers on this flight brought their own food from the airport. The crew on this flight was excellent with an occasional joke (but not to the point which they get annoying), and friendliness throughout the flight as was the crew on the previous flight. In cruise and descent, the 717 was amazingly smooth.
We began our descent over Oklahoma and the area became more familiar to me as we flew over Beech Field and turned over Wichita towards Mid-Continent Airport. We had a fairly smooth landing. Our taxi towards Gate 12 didn’t take too long and I was surprised by the Continental Express EMB-145XR taxiing by.
After deplaning, I headed back to the main terminal area via the crowded and narrow concourse. As usual, there was no baggage claim information for our flight whatsoever until after the bags started to show up, which was about 20 minutes after our arrival. The airport isn’t very modern at all and desperately needs some changes. Some of the old stuff in there is nifty such as the classic Delta logo at the gate and some cool space-age seats at the United gate, however. It feels like the entire airport’s made of brick and the restroom had a lot of old fixtures. As you can tell, I’m not really impressed with the airport. However, most of its problems are aesthetic and its usually a pretty smooth and easy airport to use with the slow baggage claims aside. It took a while for my luggage to show up on the belt after it started but it got back to me in one piece. I went out to catch a cab back home.
Overall I was very pleased with both Delta Connection and AirTran. AirTran came as a pleasant surprise with the nice 717s and nice crew. As usual, Comair and ACA are consistent with nice service for a regional. For the flights themselves, I probably would prefer AirTran but the nicer connection at CVG gives Comair an edge. I wouldn’t have any problem with taking AirTran again and I would recommend them
Thanks for reading my trip report. If you have any questions or comments feel free to say or ask them. I’d love to hear them.
I got there right in time to hear the first boarding calls and I was on board shortly.
Delta Connection 5167 operated by Comair
ICT-CVG
6:15-9:09 (On Time)
CRJ
The full CRJ taxied down to the cargo ramp and then departed with the usual powerless takeoff. We broke through some clouds and had a smooth flight the rest of the way to Cincinnati. I watched the nice sunrise halfway into the flight.
Service consisted of the usual pretzels, biscoff crackers, and drinks. I chose water. A fairly uneventful flight as we made our way into CVG. We had a very smooth landing after we passed over the Ohio River and made a turn towards Kentucky.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
With the on-time arrival, I had about two and a half hours to kill in Cincinnati. I watched the planes come and go in Concourse B and then walked around the B Concourse the rest of the time. As always, Cincinnati was a very nice airport to connect in. As the departure of the next flight came nearer, I went over the Concourse A via the train. Concourse A isn’t as great as the rest of the Terminal 3 concourses but they’ve been doing some work on it which has helped it. I noticed a handful of new concessions and that they were redoing the worn out floors.
Delta Connection 6151 operated by Atlantic Coast Airlines
CVG-DAY
11:45-12:29 (Departure delayed by about 20 minutes)
Fairchild-Dornier 328JET
Our Fairchild-Dornier 328JET was waiting at A22. However, as our time of departure came near, we were told that the aircraft had some weight and balance issues and they needed a couple of volunteers. I boarded it at about our time of departure and we were on the ground for a while as they were looking for some people to get off of the plane. After a 20 minute delay, we were off. The 328JET’s takeoff was a kick as usual and we reached our cruising altitude of 10,000 feet for the short hop over to Dayton. We got small bottles of Dasani and a bag of Delta’s awesome snack mix. I noticed that the interior was in pretty bad condition as I’ve noticed with most of ACA’s FRJs. There was gum and dirt on the aisle and worn out looking seats which was surprising since these are fairly new planes.
Dayton International
We deplaned at the 1st level Comair gate at Dayton and I went to the terminal via the corridors with extremely low ceilings that you can find at DAY. Other than that, it was a pretty nice airport.
Dayton International
After a week in wonderful Ohio, I found myself back in Dayton International. The line for check-in was short which was a surprise since it was a little more than an hour before departure. I checked in online the day before so I could basically select my own seats so I just needed to check my bags in with AirTran. I went over to Concourse C to AirTran’s gate at the end to hear that due to the heavy fog that morning in DAY, the plane’s been circling around. I grabbed a WSJ from the CNBC newsstand outside of security and read it until boarding. I noticed that there were a lot of computers around the airport offering free internet access. At the gate, I noticed that there wasn’t many people disembarking so the load must not have been very good.
AirTran Airways 707
DAY-ATL
10:17-11:52 (Departure delayed by 30 minutes, 10 minute late arrival)
Boeing 717
As I got on the 717, I noticed that the loads on this one was mediocre, the emptiest plane I’ve been on in the US as far as I could remember. It wasn’t too bad since it was like 70% full but I’ve been used to flying on nearly full aircraft. As I stepped aboard, I noticed the really nice looking 717 interior and it was fairly clean. The overhead bins seemed cavernous, but maybe they seem that way since I’ve been used to RJs. Also, I noticed the blue lights and the rails on the bins which I thought was a very nice touch. However, I hit my head on the rails as I got in. Ouch. I took a seat in 19A and noticed that the seat felt awkward, but as you sit in it longer, you get used to it and it’s not so bad. One thing that I did find to be a pain was that the seats don’t allow a lot of space under them on the window seats, which cuts down on legroom and space for carryons. The plane goes dead silent as we begin pushback and then the two engines spool up making a neat effect. We taxi to this place out in the middle of nowhere, then we turn around and go back towards the runway which didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. We make an awfully long taxi out to the runway before we finally reach the end and turn onto the runway. The engines roar as they rocketed us down the runway and we rotate and make a steep takeoff, a very powerful takeoff. As we reach cruise, things are a lot quieter compared to the takeoff which is one thing I really like about the plane. It seems quiet and pleasant in cruise but you really get the power on takeoff. Beverage and snack service followed soon after with even more Biscoff crackers and my usual water. I’m getting pretty tired of Biscoff crackers but they’re still better than peanuts. The rest of the 1hr, 10 min flight goes by uneventfully with the 30 minute delay on departure aside. Descent was really smooth as we broke through the high cloud ceiling, giving us a great view of Atlanta. A Delta Connection CRJ is shadowing us on approach to a parallel runway. We briefly fly over the Ford plant before we have a rough landing in ATL. We make a quick taxi to Concourse C. As he has been doing throughout the flight, he once again apologizes for the delay (which wasn’t their fault of course). I noticed the old-school looking jetway at C-18…was this a former Eastern jetway or something?
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International
I had 3 hours to kill in ATL so I pretty much looked into each concourse. First I went over to Concourse B via the underground passage from C North. It was empty and kinda creepy. I walked down T, D, and E., the terminals I wasn’t so familiar with. I got a pricey but very delicious meal from Paschal’s in Concourse A. E is still my favorite ATL concourse since it’s the most modern feeling out of all of them plus the international traffic makes it very interesting. I heard many different languages being spoken in the terminal by the passengers. I grabbed a cup of coffee to keep me going before heading back towards C via D. D has a lot of non-Delta traffic but half of it is still ASA ATR flights. Also, there’s some AirTran flights there. One thing I noticed was that there was this neat light above D Centerpoint. I headed back to the Concourse C, still my least favorite, and came in time for boarding which began fairly shortly. I was amazed that we actually boarded through the same gate, C-10, as said the day before when I printed out my boarding pass. When I flew out of Concourse C with ASA, they always constantly changed the gates.
AirTran Airways 809
ATL-ICT
15:15-16:30 (On Time)
Boeing 717
I took my seat at row 23, giving me a good view of the wing. I was expecting an empty flight after hearing about how poorly ICT flights have done for AirTran. However, the flight was almost full with a few empty seats I noticed. One of which, was the one next to me. This was an extremely comfortable flight for me since I had a couple of seats to myself. Once again, the 717 had a powerful takeoff and a quiet cruise. We got some pretzels which I got water with. I noticed many passengers on this flight brought their own food from the airport. The crew on this flight was excellent with an occasional joke (but not to the point which they get annoying), and friendliness throughout the flight as was the crew on the previous flight. In cruise and descent, the 717 was amazingly smooth.
We began our descent over Oklahoma and the area became more familiar to me as we flew over Beech Field and turned over Wichita towards Mid-Continent Airport. We had a fairly smooth landing. Our taxi towards Gate 12 didn’t take too long and I was surprised by the Continental Express EMB-145XR taxiing by.
After deplaning, I headed back to the main terminal area via the crowded and narrow concourse. As usual, there was no baggage claim information for our flight whatsoever until after the bags started to show up, which was about 20 minutes after our arrival. The airport isn’t very modern at all and desperately needs some changes. Some of the old stuff in there is nifty such as the classic Delta logo at the gate and some cool space-age seats at the United gate, however. It feels like the entire airport’s made of brick and the restroom had a lot of old fixtures. As you can tell, I’m not really impressed with the airport. However, most of its problems are aesthetic and its usually a pretty smooth and easy airport to use with the slow baggage claims aside. It took a while for my luggage to show up on the belt after it started but it got back to me in one piece. I went out to catch a cab back home.
Overall I was very pleased with both Delta Connection and AirTran. AirTran came as a pleasant surprise with the nice 717s and nice crew. As usual, Comair and ACA are consistent with nice service for a regional. For the flights themselves, I probably would prefer AirTran but the nicer connection at CVG gives Comair an edge. I wouldn’t have any problem with taking AirTran again and I would recommend them
Thanks for reading my trip report. If you have any questions or comments feel free to say or ask them. I’d love to hear them.
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