window or aisle? :: a travelogue

6:05am CST
We’ve parked the car at the EZ Air Park facility and have been graciously shuttled to the main Lindbergh terminal at MSP along with a troupe of other weary-eyed travelers. It seems like we’re all the smart ones: we avoided traveling yesterday on what is universally agreed upon as the busiest travel day of the year. Yes, at just a few minutes past 6am, we are the smart ones. *yawn*

6:22am CST
Slipped through the TSA rigmarole and are headed down the E concourse. My Dad and I part ways: he bound for gate E8 and his United flight to ORD, me bound for gate E11 and my American flight to ORD. It seems like, in the grand scheme of things, we should have been on the same aircraft to begin our respective journeys. Same departure city, same arrival city, same time of day, same flight, no? However, he was utilizing my brother’s work benefits on United, and I was redeeming an award ticket on American. This is the nature of air travel in the United States: massive over saturation of some markets, while other markets have little, if any, commercial air service. Instead, we will fly in tandem at 29,000 feet, for approximately 47 minutes, each landing within minutes of each other at one of the busiest airports in the world. Our captain states that, due to 140 MPH winds aloft, we were throttling back our engines to idle and were still slated to arrive ahead of schedule. You have to love those tailwinds.

8:11am CST
I’ve landed, taxied, and deplaned at gate H11 in terminal 3 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. I must now trek through the busiest airport in the world and find terminal 2, concourse F where the Northwest WorldClub is located. This is the agreed upon meeting spot for my Dad and I, as I am planning to grant him access for the morning so that he may wait for his departure in comfort and with the ability to be productive (the ORD WorldClub has complimentary wireless Internet access). It is also at this point that the major obstacle of my sojourn confronts me. I need to check-in for my 6-leg outbound itinerary to London. I am aware of the potential problems and the lack of success with the type of ticket I have purchased, and I am not looking forward to this encounter. I choose to try to check-in at the WorldClub; the agents there are usually friendlier than the “landside” agents are and have less pressure from other customers. Long story short, I was allowed to check-in, but only after some quizzical looks and a few questions. The agent hadn’t seen such an itinerary before, but she handled it with the appropriate amount of professionalism considering that she knew this ticket was costing her employer revenue. After a quick muffin in the WorldClub, I hustle down to the gate and begin my real journey.

11:08am CST
Arriving into Detroit, I’m starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation. This is not a foreign feeling to me, but it’s disconcerting nonetheless. [I went to a concert the previous night and did not get home until shortly before 2am, at which point I had to finish packing some things I couldn’t find earlier that evening. This left me with about 2 hours of sleep that night.] There isn’t much time between my flights, but I do manage to squeeze in a quick stop at the central WorldClub in Detroit. I’ve only previously seen the North/South WorldClubs, so I wanted to check out this central one, see if it’s worth the hype. I didn’t find it too special, but it is worth noting that the club sports two shower rooms, something to keep in mind after a long transoceanic flight … like the one I have coming up in about 34 hours. ;) After a quick run through of this WorldClub, it’s time to head down to the gate for my 12:17 departure to SFO.

2:21pm PST
Touchdown in the Golden State. I’ve forgotten how much I liked Northern California, even with the ever-present fog and lingering clouds at times. Sailing across the San Francisco Bay on final approach for landing, I get a glimpse of all the interesting sights that the Bay Area has to offer. I make a mental note reminding myself that I need to revisit the area soon. After a smooth touchdown and about four minutes of taxiing, our bird pulls up to the jetway and we deplane. I wander the terminal for a few minutes. I didn’t have much time before my next flight and didn’t feel like checking out the Continental President’s Club (a travel lounge which WorldClub members have reciprocal access). Finally, the plane is ready for boarding. I notice that I have been moved from my pre-selected exit row seat to row 21 D. It is still an aisle seat, but it’s not the seat I had chosen before check-in. It isn’t really worth complaining about, though. The extra legroom is nice, but not critical. Besides, it would be one more set of eyes peering at my itinerary, and one more chance for someone to get “authoritative” and modify my routings. I notice that this has also happened on my return flight later that evening.

7:25pm HST
We came into Oahu hot. The pilot used the thrust reversers liberally on landing and I was woken by this mechanical chaos in paradise. I got off the plane and was greeted with an unexpectedly warm blast of island air. My leather jacket had to come off, and now. I initiate a hurried search for the Continental President’s Club. My search took me to an outdoor Japanese garden. I planned to locate this on my return trip, but I’m glad I found it now. It looks like a very nice place to relax under the afternoon sun, and I plan to do just that in about 3 days. But the club was not down here. The airport signage was incorrect, so I consult my pocket guide, locate the club, and flop down in an oversized, overstuffed lounge chair. This President’s Club is very nice. Posh, even. They had fresh pineapple juice on tap, hand-cut pineapple chunks, and assorted fresh fruit trays to sample. The club was also equipped with free wireless. I changed out my contact lenses for my glasses, because at this point they needed to either be cleaned or taken out. I opted for the latter, mainly for the comfort factor of my upcoming flight(s). I relaxed in here for about an hour or so, and then headed next door to the WorldClub (which opens at 9pm). The WorldClub is noticeably more barren and a little more worn than the President’s Club is, but the women at the front desk are refreshingly helpful and much more courteous than the woman next door who previously checked me in at the President’s Club. I asked them about dining options at this late hour and they gave me some good suggestions and assisted me with anything I might need while I passed the time. I went to Stingray Bob’s in the terminal and ordered a glass of pineapple juice and a pork sandwich. The sandwich was adequate, but at this point, I just needed something to eat so that I could keep on a somewhat regular eating schedule. This is probably the most important thing when doing an extended itinerary. Often times you just forget about nourishment because of sleepiness or apathy. This can catch up with you, especially in the winter months and when you’re breathing re-circulated air for multiple hours and the threat of airborne pathogens is very high. After my quick dinner, I went back to the WorldClub and dozed off-and-on for about an hour before I stumbled out to board my flight back to the mainland.

11:55pm HST
It’s time to leave Honolulu, unfortunately. I take comfort in knowing that just last week I booked a mistake airfare to Honolulu, so I’ll be back for an extended stay in the end of May. I board, stow my backpack above, slip the pillow behind my head, and fall asleep. I wake off and on for a few moments during the flight, but I suspect I slept 95% of the time, which is a very good thing. I struggle getting “good” sleep on aircraft, but this time was good sleep, and I think it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Friday, November 25, 2005
6:56am PST
I’m wide-awake, it’s morning. Well, not completely, but enough to realize that we’ve landed at Portland. I again stumble off the plane, which seems to be an increasingly common theme over the last few flights. I’m really looking forward to getting back to Detroit this afternoon in order to take a shower and relax for about 6 hours, then get on a plane and, hopefully, sleep for about 7. I do make it to the Portland WorldClub at this point, though. I am impressed with this WorldClub as I enter from the elevator. It is a new décor from many of the other WorldClubs in the system, utilizing nice wood paneling, ambient lighting, and soft-colors. Nothing like the relatively drab blue and grey interiors of most of the older generation clubs that I have visited. This club also features a nice floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the “D” concourse area, which is a great vantage point for people watching. I’m able to wash up a bit here and get some juice and a bagel. I give my brother a call to let him know that I’ve successfully embarked on this mileage running madness and just to chat for a few minutes. It’s then time to head back downstairs and board my flight to Detroit.

8:35am PST
The captain of this flight to Detroit is a quirky one. After I am situated in first class, he comes on over the PA with a train whistle, blown twice, and calls “All aboard!” for our flight. Everyone in the first class cabin shares a chuckle, and it’s a nice way to start this leg of my journey. You know, after a while, the flights all start to merge in memory. It’s nice if there are pleasant memories to differentiate them from each other. As I’m updating these last few legs of the trip, I will comment that row 2 on the 757-200 is perhaps the best row in all of Northwest’s fleet. Legroom for miles with a cutout for floor storage, or feet extension, or both – whatever you prefer. With no one in front of you, you get all the personal space you need, and the bulkhead to press your feet against, if you like. It’s really a nice benefit. Being as stingy as I can be at times, I probably would never pay for it. However, if this is something Northwest wants to reward me with for my loyalty, I’ll take it every time. Heck, I can upgrade a companion every time I fly, provided there’s space available. So, come fly with me! I guess this is the point in the narrative where there’s an intermission, or a chapter ending, or something. Since I’m writing this live for a change, I don’t have an ending. So … I’ll assume that nothing interesting will happen in-flight from here-on-out, and that we will land safely in Detroit. See you in Michigan.

Thought: Coming back on the last leg from Honolulu to Minneapolis, I discovered what I thought to be the Mileage Runner's Dilemma. Simply put, "Enough time to land but not enough time to stay." Not so profound, but it does encapsulate the feeling succinctly. On this particular flight, the overpowering smell of suntan lotion and aloe vera entices the senses, questioning the very fabric of a Mileage Runner's soul.

Thought: You can easily tell when you're coming from a leisure destination. People generally have less of a "clue" how things on an airplane work, and this makes sense as these are the people who probably only travel once a year, if even that much. Example: The flight attendant explains that the reading light button is located in the armrest of your seat. Immediately a chorus of flight attendant "call buttons" echoes throughout the main cabin. It's good comic relief after a disappointing attempt at a bump.

Thought: People are strange. Some folks will pay $350 on-the-spot at the gate for an upgrade to first class from Honolulu to Minneapolis. I wonder why they do this? It's an overnight flight, so it's not like they'll experience much of the "luxury" that is Northwest first class. And this also begs the question (warning: mileage run speak) about whether they get the 50% EQM bonus for their upgrade, and what fare bucket does this "upsell" fall into? Does Northwest simply make pure profit and not change the fare class that the passenger has paid for? And also, what's the deal with meals on this flight? I understand Northwest's policy on main cabin meal service on domestic flights, but this particular domestic flight is as long as the flight from Minneapolis to London, and definitely longer than the flight from Boston to Amsterdam. Those flights have both a meal (usually lunch or dinner) and a warm snack before arrival served in the main cabin. Oh, OK, so you only want to serve meals on international flights in the main cabin? Fine. But if Honolulu to Minneapolis is strictly domestic, then why are there no complimentary first class upgrades for elites on this route? Because Honolulu is "different", I guess.

Thought: The Honolulu WorldClub ladies are the nicest. They will go out of their way to do anything they can to help you out. Is it just their personalities, or are they consciously compensating for Northwest’s lacking lounge product, at least when compared with Continential’s right next door?

Final Thought: It’s satisfying to find a hobby/goal that’s truly fulfilling, but saddening to deal with the cost (money & time) to realize these goals and endeavors.