The Boeing 787 Dreamliner Comes to DFW Airport
May 18th
Many models of commercial airliners have flown in the last 85 years, but few can be called game changers, aircraft that changed the way an industry operated or set a new standard in design, construction, performance, and comfort for passengers. The DC-3, Boeing 707, Boeing 747, and the Concorde all come to mind. Now they have been joined by the incredible Boeing 787 Dreamliner. After accepting an invitation from American Airlines, I was at DFW airport last Friday when the Dreamliner made its first visit to North Texas, it was quite an event!
I drove to DFW, arriving at American Airlines Maintenance Hangar 5. The 787 was a “guest” of American Airlines and would arrive there rather than at one of the terminals. It flew in as part of the Dreamliner Dream Tour, having spent the previous two days at Reagan National Airport in Washington.
This massive hangar served as the location for the 787's DFW arrival.
While the center area of the hangar had been cleared out for our ceremony, maintenance continued at the far end of the building on a Boeing 737.
What makes the Dreamliner special? It’s the first and only commercial airliner to be constructed primarily of carbon-fiber rather than aluminum and steel. Its engines are quieter, more fuel efficient, and produce less pollution than any other engine in use today. It has incredible range: it can fly from DFW to any other airport in the world, non-stop. That is just a very small part of the story of the 787, the Boeing website can give you a more complete description.
The Dreamliner was scheduled to arrive at 3 p.m., I was one of the first people to arrive at the hangar, getting there shortly before two. I was allowed into the building and saw signs all over the place saying that everyone should be wearing a badge or ID. I didn’t have either of those, but no one seemed to care. After I had been there for a half hour, hundreds of American Airlines employees arrived to be part of the festivities.
American Airlines executives gave away free ice cream.
A free Dream bar to mark the visit of the Dreamliner!
The plane was supposed to arrive at 3 p.m, but weather problems in Washington caused it to be more than one hour late. (I could make a joke about things being late because of Washington, but I won’t.) As we waited, the only thing we could do was stand around and talk.
I saw Tom Horton, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AMR Corporation and American Airlines walking through the crowd and wondered how he would be received. I had seen one very angry website hosted by a former AA employee that made me think Horton was one of the most hated men in America. On this day, nothing could have been further from the truth.
In a hangar full of AA employees, Horton was the unquestioned rock star. As he walked through the crowd employees came up to him, enthusiastically shaking his hand, talking to him, having their pictures taken with him. And these were not senior executive types in suits, many of these people were ground crew personnel yellow safety vests, the people that load your luggage onto the aircraft or help refuel it. They all seemed to be thrilled to see Mr. Horton. I’ve worked for companies where the employees really did hate senior management and I know what that looks like. That is not what I saw Friday. Other than the soon-to-arrive Dreamliner, Tom Horton was definitely the star of the day.
Mr. Horton even stopped to talk to me. When I told him I was a blogger and had been at the event earlier in the week to announce the fleet modernization, he took time to tell me how excited he was about AA's future. If you don't get excited about American Airlines after talking to this guy, you need a visit from the medical examiner. 
After an hour, the 787 Dreamliner finally arrived. It was worth the wait.
Photos simply cannot convey what a beautiful aircraft the 787 is. From the upswept wings to the angle of the tail to the slope of the nose, it is a stunning airplane.
So many people were taking pictures of the 787 with their cellphone cameras and trying to tweet or email them that we crashed both the AT&T and Sprint networks. None of us could get a signal.
Even from the front, she's a beauty. The 787 was slowly towed into our hangar.
Once the plane was brought into the hangar, we could appreciate how large and majestic it is.
If you've seen photos of the 787 in the air, you know that the wings sweep up in flight. I did not realize they also did that on the ground. Or at least I think they do. The upward sweep is clearly visible in this photo, but if you look at the photo above with the front view of the plane, you'll see the wings appear to be horizontal. Flat from the front, curved from the back; it's an odd illusion.
Once the plane had come to a stop, it was officially welcomed by several speakers. The first person to address the crowd was a senior executive of DFW Airport, who pointed out that the airport offered service to 43 foreign cities, and American Airlines flew to 42 of them.
Then the a Boeing executive spoke, describing the long relationship between Boeing and American Airlines. As he spoke, a shiny new 737 was towed into the hangar and parked behind the 787. AA had recently received this brand new 737, it would start service three days later.
American Airlines' future and present: the 787 and the 737.
Then it was time for AMR CEO Tom Horton to speak. He received a loud ovation, cheers and applause, as he made his way to the podium. The crowd was already excited by the 787′s arrival, Horton took them even higher while speaking of AA’s current situation and its future.
“Today, we’re getting another glimpse of our future—the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Boeing is a world-class partner, and this plane is a spectacular achievement.”
“We’re starting to show the world what they can expect from the new American…what we’re capable of.”
“Our greatest strength has been, and will always be, our people, who’ve risen to the challenge over the last five months and stepped up for our customers in a big way.”
“And make no mistake, our competitors are taking notice too. No one in the industry wants to compete with a renewed American. That’s the truth.”
The crowd loved it!
Tom Horton spoke to the crowd as officials from DFW and Boeing stood by. The design of the Dreamliner is so brilliant, its lines so symmetrical that it doesn't seem particularly large when you see it on the ramp. Once you get near it, it's a different story. Horton was dwarfed by the plane's engine.
When the speakers were done, they got a quick look at the 787′s interior, then some VIPs were allowed on. By this time I was satisfied by my day, I had seen the Dreamliner, and if I didn’t get any more than I had already gotten, I’d go home very happy.
The next group allowed to board was the media. My AA contact who had invited me said, “You’re part of the media, go get on the plane.” Get on the 787? Me? Hah! He didn’t have to ask twice!
I got to the stairway and slowly walked up, past the massive port engine.
The side of the plane features the logos of all the airlines that have placed orders for the 787.
As soon as you board the aircraft, it's obvious you are some place special. The spaciousness, the soft tones of the LED lighting, combine to create a fantastic environment.I can't compare it to any other aircraft I've been on.
I walked into the premium cabin and checked out the overhead bins.
I opened one of the huge overhead luggage bins and was surprised to see bags there. I apologized to the Boeing representative, but she said,. "That's okay. We put those in there to show that four large rollerboards will easily fit in one bin." I don't know of any other aircraft that offers that much space in the overhead bins.
As I moved forward I saw a stairway just behind the cockpit and wondered where it went. So I checked it out.
At the top of the stairway I found the crew rest quarters. This is an area where the pilot/co-pilot can rest while the relief crew flies the plane.
I saw another Boeing representative and he asked, “Would you like to see the cockpit?” Silly question. “Yes, I’d love to!”
The cockpit featured an array of stunning digital displays. The second monitor from the left displayed a map of DFW airport with the Dreamliner's position highlighted.
DFW was the 33rd stop for the Dreamliner on its world tour that began in Beijing. The plane carries an amazing group of Boeing employees who, among other things, assist with showing off their plane. As one walks through the cabin, it’s hard to not see another smiling Boeing employee, ready to answer your questions and help in any way possible.
I had a great example of that when I was allowed to enter the cockpit. The pilot was standing off to the side and greeted me with a big smile, pointed at the pilot’s seat and told me to “Sit down and see how that feels.”
I gingerly sat in the pilot’s seat, amazed that I had even been allowed in the cockpit. I looked at the yoke and asked if I could touch it. “Sure, go ahead!”
And then came the crowning moment. The pilot, who had already had dozens of people come through the cockpit, who had already made who knows how many stops on the world tour, looked at me and said, “You’ve got a camera, give it to me so I can take your picture!” That, my friends, is a great combination of marketing, customer service, and public relations all wrapped up in one.
I was thrilled just to see the Dreamliner, I never thought I would end up in the cockpit!
I asked the pilot if any other new Boeing aircraft, such as the 777-300ER had a control panel like the 787. He said no, and then stepped forward, tapped the touchscreen on the monitor in front of the throttles, and, with real enthusiasm, gave me an explanation of all the data he could quickly pull up with little trouble. As he was doing this, I thought to myself, “He’s as excited by this as I am. Boys and their toys!” It was a great moment for me.
He added that one of his favorite features was the heads-up-display (HUD) that provided him with information without him needing to look down at his instrument panel.
If you look closely, you can see the horizontal green line going across the HUD that represents the horizon.
After too short a time in the cockpit, I got up, thanked the pilot and walked towards the rear of the aircraft.
The seats in coach were surprisingly comfortable and offered more legroom than a coach seat on another airplane. Note the windows, they are substantially larger than those on other aircraft and offer outstanding views.
The lavatory in the coach section provides more room than I have seen on other aircraft.
I have to admit I was puzzled by this sign I saw on a bulkhead. The Boeing representative explained that the 787s that are already in service with All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) meet all safety requirements. The aircraft we were on would not be sold for commercial use and had thus not been certified as such.
It was getting late and it was time for me to go. I thanked all the Boeing people and went down the stairs to the hangar floor. There was still a long line of AA employees waiting to come on board. American will receive its first 787 in 2014.
Before I left, I had the chance to meet one of the great people from the American Airlines Twitter team (@americanair). He introduced me to Suzanne Rubin, the President of American’s AAdvantage program, telling her that I was “American’s newest Executive Platinum.” I spoke with Ms. Rubin for several minutes; like everyone else I met that day, she could not have been nicer. She asked me several questions about my flying habits and did not seem to mind that I am a mileage runner — I was impressed that she even knew what a mileage run is!
By now it was almost 6 p.m. and I had a long drive back to Austin, so I said my good-byes, got in the car, and headed south.
It had been an amazing day for me, far more than I had dreamed of. It’s not often that I can say I have seen the future, but on this day I did. Many thanks to some great people at American Airlines and Boeing for making this such a memorable day for me!
Disclaimer: I own stock in AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines. The total value of my holdings is less than $90. I also own stock in Boeing, the total value of my holdings is less than $6,000.
American Airlines to Upgrade Premium International Service — Will Create a “World-Class Airline”
May 15th
Last week I had the opportunity to attend an American Airlines press announcement at DFW Airport. Those of us who were invited knew that the event would involve modernization of the fleet, the invitation said “American Airlines is taking steps to improve travel for customers and would like to invite you to see all its premium enhancements firsthand.” I accepted their invitation. Note: At this point the lawyers say I have to tell you some things about my relationship with American Airlines, so please be sure to read the disclaimer at the end of the article.
My invitation to the DFW presentation said “At the event, the airline also plans to announce the latest investment in the company’s aircraft modernization plans while onboard an American wide-body jet.
EXECUTIVES:
- Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer
- Maya Leibman, American’s Chief Information Officer
- Rob Friedman, American’s Vice President – Marketing”
I arrived at DFW and after a short wait went to gate D23 to board the 777 where the event would take place. The gate agent asked for my boarding pass. Boarding pass? I showed him my boarding passes to and from Austin, neither of which helped for this event; he said he’d be right back. He went onto the plane and returned shortly with my new boarding pass for special flight 2499 from DFW to DFW, seat 9J. And with that I was allowed to board. Pretty clever, the boarding passes limited access only to those who were invited, and allowed the airline to later see who had attended and who had not.
The flight attendant who greeted me as I entered the aircraft immediately told me to move to the forward area to see all of the new innovations that AA will have. Photos of these improvements are below; before we get to those, let’s talk about what American intends to do
“Luxury” and “American Airlines” are not words that one would normally use in the same sentence. While other carriers have been upgrading their international service, AA left theirs as it had been for the past several years. The marketplace told them that was a mistake. That is all about to change.
Starting in 2014 American will spend “hundreds of millions of dollars a year” to upgrade its fleet and, as Virasb Vahidi said, “build an experience worthy of being this nation’s flag carrier.”
The changes are numerous:
- All 777-200ERs will be retrofitted with fully lie-flat Business Class seats with aisle access for every seat, international Wi-Fi, in-seat entertainment throughout all cabins, and Main Cabin Extra seating offering more legroom. Business Class passengers will have more than twice the room they currently have on the 777-200.
- Half of the 767-300 fleet will feature fully lie-flat Business Class seats with aisle access for every seat, and Main Cabin Extra seating. The other half of the fleet will be retired as the new Boeing 787 Dreamliners are put into service.
- The airline will receive the first of ten 777-300ERs later this year, the first American-flag carrier to fly that model. In 2013 they will receive the first of 130 Airbus A-319s and A 320s as part of its program to have the youngest fleet of any American carrier.
- 737-800s will be put into service with the new Boeing Sky Interior.
- Food and wine in Business Class will be upgraded.
- Entertainment options will increase. Business Class passengers currently have access to a Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet with TV shows, movies and music. The new aircraft will replace that with up to 120 movies, 180 TV programs, 350 audio selections and 30 games available on a 15.4-inch HD-capable touchscreen monitor positioned in each Business Class suite. Main Cabin (coach) seats will have access to the same entertainment, but on a smaller screen.
- The airline will make greater use of technology to include: mobile applications for the customers (iPhone, iPad, Android, etc.); pilots will carry iPads which will contain all of their manuals, rather than carrying the manuals themselves; mechanics will have tablets with maintenance information that they can easily access instead of needing to go inside to look through a manual.
“American will be among the first in the industry to offer the combination of fully lie-flat seats with all-aisle access, international Wi-Fi, and top-of-the-line in-seat entertainment,” Vahidi said.
Why are they doing this? Money is the biggest reason: they have found that 25% of their customers produce 70% of their revenue — those are the people sitting in the front of the plane, paying anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 for a round trip ticket to London, while the coach passenger can get the same flights for $1,400. While the airline has higher costs for the premium passenger in front, the higher cost of the ticket more than makes up for it, leaving them with increased profits. .
One of the speakers said that this move would send a message to American’s customers, employees, and competition that American intended to once again become a “world class airline.” I think that is an important message. With the airline going through reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, many have wondered what its future course will be. With this announcement, AA let the world know it is not going away, but is coming back better than it is now with a better product, newer aircraft, and a stronger network. I think that is a message they had to send.
I also thought management was sending a simple two word message to US Air, which has made no secret of its desire to merge with AA: “Go away.” But there are so many moving parts to the reorganization process that my thought was out-of-date only two days later when American and the Unsecured Creditors Committee (UCC) agreed to explore all options, including a merger with US Air. (See Fort Worth Star-Telegram article for more information.) However, the newspaper adds “American is adamant that the agreement with the unsecured creditors committee, announced Friday, does not mean that American will necessarily pursue a merger.” In the meantime,American’s three largest unions have endorsed a merger; Boeing, its largest supplier, has endorsed the corporation’s go-it-alone plan. There are so many moving parts in a Chapter 11 reorganization that it’s difficult to say where this will go.
During the session, a reporter asked why American waited until now to upgrade their fleet as opposed to doing it before, and the answer was “We did not have the financial resources to do it before, but we do now.” I thought that was interesting: before they filed for bankruptcy protection they did not have the necessary funds, now that they are in bankruptcy they do.
When the session ended, I was not very impressed, but the more I though about it, the more excited I was about this very bold move by American Airlines. They basically said that they realized their product was sub-par, and they were not only going to improve it, they were going to become an industry leader. That is a daring plan that shows faith in the corporation and a dynamic strategy for the future, They have set the bar very high —I hope they succeed.
As one who sits in the back of the plane and may never have the chance to fly international business or first class, why should I care about this? Simple: I want American Airlines to survive. I want to be able to fly AA in 5, 10, 15 years and beyond. I want to reach 2 million miles lifetime status with them — I don’t want to start all over with a different airline. I think the American aviation industry is better with a strong American Airlines that is in fact a world class airline.
So I hope this plan works. If it does, everyone will be able to use the words “luxury” and “American Airlines” in the same sentence.
And now for the photos of some of the things I saw while on the plane that day.
I saw the new international business class lie-down-flat seat.
The new international Business Class lie-flat seat. Every seat will have direct across to the aisle - no one will need to crawl over a sleeping passenger to go to the restroom. (photo compliments of American Airlines)
Another view of the premium lie-flat seating featuring the pillow, duvet, slippers, turn-down service, and the red amenity kit.
Wine selection will change. AA has realized that while things may taste one way to us while we are on the ground, they taste different to us when we are in a cabin at 35,000 feet with reduced air pressure. AA's premium class passengers will see a new, more flavorful wine selection, to compensate for this. Ken Chase, American's wine expert, has created a new wine selection featuring Keenan Chardonnay, Nobilo Icon Sauvignon Blanc, Salentein Reserva Malbec, Beringer Alluvium, 2004 Champagne Moutard, and Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Carneros Brut.
Reporters from the Dallas/Fort Worth TV/radio stations and newspapers were present for the event.
American already has an iPhone and Android app. They are now beta-testing an app for the iPad which will not simply be a larger version of the iPhone app, it will be a completely new product. I saw the beta version of it and have to say that it is a beautiful app with features people will want to use. AA has found that fine line where designers and programmers come together to produce a productive application with stunning graphics. You can expect it later this year.
The Main Cabin (a.k.a. Coach) on the 777-300 will feature video screens in each seat with hundreds of hours of programming. (photo compliments American Airlines)
The new 737-800s will feature Boeing's beautiful Sky Inerior with LED lighting and much larger overhead bins. I'm lucky, I've flown on one of these aircraft. They really are nice and represent a substantial improvement over the standard 737. I particularly like the larger overhead bins that not only hold more bags, they hold larger ones too. They make make a huge difference, eliminating the need for passengers to fight to get their bags to fit.
“Hey Happyflier, you sound like a shill for American Airlines, did they buy you off?”
No. In the past I have written two different kinds of articles about American Airlines. One type has nothing but nice things to say about the airline, its products and its people. In the other articles I have expressed my extreme displeasure with something AA has done or not done. If I like what they have done, I say so. If I don’t like what they have done, I say so.
In this case, I really like American Airline’s new initiative. They see where they have fallen short in the past. They understand what they need to do to fix it, and they have taken a bold, properly funded action, to not only correct the situation, but to become an industry leader. I hope they succeed, and hope one day to be able to sample its new premium service.
Disclaimer: (1) American Airlines provided me with a plane ticket to Dallas, I flew to this event at no cost to myself. (2) Free items I received included a pair of AA pajamas, an amenity kit (some of the items in contained include sleep mask, ear plugs, hand lotion, toothbrush with toothpaste). I also received a lunch bag with two sandwiches, a bag of nuts, and a cookie (3) I own stock in AMR Corporation, American Airlines’ parent corporation; total value of my holdings as of this date is less than $90..
My Executive Platinum Mileage Run
May 13th
My goal for a large part of this year has been to earn Executive Platinum Status with American Airlines. To do that I would need to earn at least 100,000 Elite Qualifying Miles, (EQMs), something I would normally not be able to do. But this year is different, I’ve earned me double or triple EQMs on virtually every flight I have taken, allowing me to accumulate miles much faster than I normally would.
I started the weekend with almost 94K EQMs. I’ve had several years in which I have flown 50-60 thousand miles and earned that many EQMs; so I have never before had an EQM total as high as this.
I had booked one more trip to San Francisco (SFO) to take advantage of the double EQMs between Dallas and SFO. This trip will give me 11 SFO trips so fat this year. I like San Francisco, but not that much!
MY last two mileage runs (SFO and Portland) had enough of a layover that I was able to leave the airport and go into town. This would not be one of those, my longest layover was 1 hour 10 minutes, at SFO. This was a get-out-there and then get-back type of trip.
I boarded the 6:30 a.m. American Airlines flight from AUS to DFW. As I was checking my email I got a message from another FlyerTalk user, Mike, who told me he was on my all of my flights today and we could meet at DFW. Sounded like a good idea! We described what we were wearing so we’d recognize each other. We had a smooth flight to DFW, arriving a few minutes early, something all of my flights would do this day!
I met Mike when I deplaned and he offered to take me to the United Airlines Club in Terminal E. That sounded like a great idea, I had never been in a United Club, so I looked forward to it. We would not be able to stay long though, our layover was little more than an hour.
I wondered how the club would compare with American Airlines’ Admirals Club and the answer is a definitive “better and worse.” Each club offers a place to rest and get away from the normal terminal noise and congestion, so that is a draw. The AC however has a much more luxurious feel to it (this might be different if I was visiting a different United Club, such as the one at O’Hare, for example.). The chairs and sofas at the Admirals Club look much nicer, more modern, more comfortable. The chairs I saw at the United Club did not look like chairs I would want to sit in for several hours.
The one place where the United Club excelled was in the food selection. Their self-serve area offered cereal, muffins, bread, bagels (with a toaster!) and a coffee machine that not only offered regular and decaf, it also offered espressos and cappuccinos. Can I get these items at the Admirals Club? Maybe, but if they offer them they are not out in the self-serve area where I can just grab them and go. So, this advantage goes to the United Club.
After a short visit we made our way to the gate for our flight to SFO. The plane was one of my favorites, a 767, and I had a window seat in the exit row. Bad move on my part.
While the flight could not have gone better, I have to say I have never been as cold on a plane as I was on this flight. I have sat in window seats in the exit row dozens of times and not had any issues with it, but there was something different about this one. I just could not get warm. Maybe it was because it was a 767? Maybe we were at a higher altitude? I don’t know, but I was so glad when we landed at SFO and I could get away from that uncomfortably cold seat.
I took Mike to the beautiful SFP Admirals Club, and have to admit I actually stood for a short while in front of their fireplace, trying to warm up. Hot tea helped a lot!
While we were in the AC, we met another FlyerTalk member from Austin who was also on our flights. He was excited, with the flight that day he would earn Platinum status.
The AC was very relaxing. so much so that we lost track of time. The other Austin flyer came up to us saying we had to run if we wanted to catch our flight back to DFW. We told him that couldn’t be, we still had another hour. “Really? Well enjoy yourselves, my flight is getting ready to leave!” I looked at my watch, which was still on Austin time, and realized he was right.
The three of us ran to the gate where they were already boarding Group 3. Fortunately, my First Class upgrade came through and I had a much more comfortable flight back to DFW than I had had earlier in the day.
We had a smooth flight to DFW. landing 10 minutes early. I had an easy connection to my Austin flight which also landed early, and I was home by 8 p.m., much better than some of my earlier trips this year when I did not get home until almost midnight.
This was a totally uneventful mileage run, I didn’t even take any pictures. Great service by American Airlines, which went four for four. I had four flights and every one of them arrived early.
The following day my miles for the flight posted, giving me 97,078 EQMs for the year. Now I just had to wait for my bonus miles for the SFO-DFW flights.
Two days later I had to let my dogs out at three o’clock in the morning: while they were busy outside I picked up my iPhone, visited the AA application, and saw the following.
My EQMs year to date: 100,006. I had earned Executive Platinum status!
I had 100,006 EQMs and had earned Executive Platinum status!
I called the Executive Platinum desk that morning, they had already submitted my wife and I for upgrades to First Class for our Chicago trip later this month. Later this year we will fly to Asia on Cathay Pacific business class. Normally that would allow us to use Cathay’s business class lounge in Hong Kong — with EXP status we will be able to use the First Class lounge, and American’s Flagship Lounge in Los Angeles. So, we will get some benefits from my new status. For a detailed description of Executive Platinum status. you can read AA’s brochure with all the details.
I’ve made a lot of trips this year, it’s time for me to spend some time at home. I’ll do some more mileage runs, I just don’t know when.
Disclaimer: I own stock in AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines. The total value of my holdings is less than $90.
Booking A Vacation Online — Can You Get a Better Deal?
May 4th
My wife and I are going to take a trip to Chicago for 5 days later this month. I don’t know if a live travel agent with an office downtown could have gotten me a better deal or not, but I decided to book the trip myself. I used the major travel sites: Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, HotWire, Priceline, Hotels.com, Kayak, Hipmunk, and American Airlines Vacations.
I wanted two non-stop tickets on American Airlines from Austin to Chicago, leaving in the morning, and returning in the late afternoon. And I wanted a downtown hotel, I did not want to stay at O’Hare.
Checking prices on a daily basis I learned that none of those agencies charged the same price two days in a row. They also had different prices from each other: one might have a special sale on a given property that the others could not match. Regardless of which service I used, I always got a better price buying a package deal than booking air and hotel separately.
In the end, I booked the trip at a site I had previously not heard of, bookit.com. I found that their price for the days of our trip were better than all the others. Was this a fluke, or will it give me a better price on another trip? Let’s find out.
I’m going to check the price on a 5-day trip from Austin to Seattle, depart June 13 and return June 17, fly American Airlines, and stay at a nice downtown hotel. Let’s see what kind of prices I get with this highly unscientific survey.
Expedia:
American Airlines, Leave Austin 8:35 a.m., Arrive Seattle 12:35 p.m. with a stop in Dallas. On return we’ll leave Seattle at 3:05 and arrive Austin at 10:40 p.m. We’ll use these flights for all the itineraries. We’ll stay at the Sheraton Seattle, total cost $1,957.
Travelocity:
Traveloicity did not have availability for the same flights as Expedia. So I did the best I could. leaving Austin at 8:25 a.m. arriving Seattle at 2:55 p.m. That’s not bad, but I did not like my return options, all of which left at sunrise. I selected a flight that left at 7:30 a.m. and got into Austin at 2:55 p.m. I booked the Sheraton Seattle: total cost: $1,830.91 Compared with Expedia I saved $160, but also had to be at the airport on my departure day by 6 a.m., thus losing half a day in Seattle.
American Airlines Vacations:
American Airlines could not book me on the same flights as Expedia, so I tried to match the Travelocity itinerary. I could not match that either, so I booked a flight that would leave Austin at 10:05 a.m. and arrive Seattle at 3 p.m. For the return I would leave Seattle at 3:05 p.m. and arrive Austin just after midnight at 12:10 a.m. American did not offer the Sheraton Seattle so I chose the Westin Seattle instead. Total cost: $1,863.69. Not a bad deal, we’d arrive home late, but I preferred that to an early morning flight from SEA.
Orbitz
I booked the same flights as I did with American Airlines Vacations. I was however able to book the Sheraton Seattle. Total cost: $1,628.24.
Bookit.com
I was able to book American Airlines, leaving at 10:05 and arrive 3:00 p.m, returning Sunday at 3:05 arriving 12:10 a.m. I was able to book the Sheraton Seattle: Total Cost: $1,587.27.
Hotwire
Same flights and hotel as bookit.com, total cost: $1,676.99
Kayak.com
This site booked hotel and air separately. I found the AA flights I wanted and it sent me to aa.com to purchase them. Then it opened another window for the hotel. On aa.com I booked a 9:25 departure, arriving Seattle at 2:15 Return flight left at 3:05 p.m. and arrived at 12:10 a.m. Cost for tickets is $882.40. Sheraton Seattle was $281 per night plus tax, for $1,014.52. Total cost: $1896.92
Priceline.com
I used the standard Priceline, not the name-you-own-price version where you really do not know what property you will get. I booked American Airlines departing 12:20 p.m. arriving 5:55 p.m. Return is the 3:05 to 12:10 a.m. that so many others have offered. I was able to book the Sheraton Seattle. Total cost: a stunning $1,393.70, by far the best deal I have found.
What does this prove?
Not much. It shows that this specific trip booked at this time of day resulted in Priceline giving me the best price. If I check again tomorrow evening, or change the itinerary by 1 or 2 days, it’s very likely that all of the prices listed above will change. Will Priceline still come out ahead? Bookit.com had the lowest price for my Chicago trip, and by booking it in the morning I save over $300 compared to booking it the prior evening.
Does each service offer the same features? Some offer a price guarantee while others do not, that could be part of the price difference.
I did find that the best days for booking a vacation are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Prices go up on Friday and do not drop much until the following Tuesday.
If you are planning on taking a trip and you have the time, checking all of the services on a daily basis will help you to save money in my opinion.
A Pleasant Trip to Portland
May 1st
After all my trips to San Francisco (SFO), it was time to travel to another location. I made a reservation to go to Portland, this would be my first trip after the conclusion of the American Airlines SFO double Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) promotion on March 31. However, soon after I made the reservation AA extended the SFO promotion to the end of June. Had I known at the time that they would do this I would have made another SFO run.
I had originally looked at a trip to Seattle, but the cost was almost $300; not a good deal. I found the trip to Portland (PDX) for only $240, what made it odd was the fact that I had to go though Seattle to get there. So I added a Seattle-Portland round trip and it lowered my cost by more than $50. Weird. No double EQMs on this flight, but I would still earn more than 5,000 EQMs, more then 10,000 redeemable miles, and only pay, after my Platinum Bonus, 2.27 cents per mile, not a bad price at all! My itinerary would have six flights: AUS-DFW-SEA-PDX-SEA-DFW-AUS. I’d leave Saturday morning, return Sunday morning.
I arrived at Austin-Begstrom International Airport early Saturday morning. I used the kiosk to check in and get my boarding passes. After all the boarding pass problems I had had with the AA iPhone app in the past, I decided to not use it again; paper is more reliable.
My day started early. AA’s first AUS-DFW flight had, for a very long time, been at 6 a.m. But now they have added a 5:45 a.m. flight and that was my first flight of the day. It was a smooth flight to DFW, I arrived at 6:40 and departed for SEA at 8 a.m.
This was also a smooth flight, a 737 to SEA that arrived on time at 10:10 a.m. This was not unusual for this trip, all of my flights departed and arrived on schedule.
Once I got to Seattle I had my first long layover of the day, two hours and fifty minutes, my PDX flight would not leave until 1 p.m. With that much time to spare, I went to the food court to do some plane-watching. The view of the runways at SEA is spectacular, I have not been to an airport that offers better views of arriving/departing aircraft.
An Alaska Airlines D-400, featuring the school colors of the University of Idaho, takes off from SEA.
Another D-400, this one landing.
With the Pacific Cascades barely visible in the background, a Southwest Airlines 737 taxis from the terminal. I have to admit, SWA's livery certainly is colorful!
After quite a while of plane-watching, it was time to go to the club. American Airlines no longer has an Admirals Club in Seattle, it closed many years ago. But they have made an agreement with Alaska Airlines that allows Admirals Club members, flying on AA, to use the Alaska Airlines Boardroom club.
I went to the club, showed them my Admirals Club card, then had to show an AA boarding pass for that day. Once that was done they wrote my information on a sheet and welcomed me.
It’s a two-story club at SEA, but I stayed on the ground floor. It offers many of the same amenities as the Admirals Club: comfortable chairs and sofas, many places to plug in your electrical device to charge. work areas where your laptop can connect to the internet, and also offers food and beverages.
It was in that last category that the Boardroom pulled ahead of the Admirals Club. The Boardroom offers a larger selection of non-alcoholic beverages (I didn’t sample the alcohol, so I can’t compare the two clubs in this area.) The Admirals Club offers two types of coffee; regular and decaf. (Or, as we call it at home, leaded and unleaded.) The Boardroom matched that but had a machine that also made lattes and cappuccinos—I sampled them both more than once. I’d love to see the AC get a machine like that! (Can you put it on your post-reorganization shopping list?)
The Boardroom also offered a larger choice of complimentary food in the morning: bagels, English Muffins, and full-size rather than mini muffins.
The Alaska Airlines Boardroom at Sea-Tac also offered a great view of the airline's operations with planes coming and going. It could not however, equal the runway view that the food court offers.
I enjoyed my time at the Boardroom, but it was time for my flight to Portland. I’d be on an Alaska Airlines D-400, a turboprop that they are using for all of their short-haul flights.
This is the plane I took from SEA to PDX. Alaska Airlines is changing the livery on the Horizon planes to match all other Alaska Airlines aircraft. This one has not yet changed.
I’d flow this route several times in the past and did not mind the fact that it was not a jet. We’d be in the air less than 35 minutes. The plane was not crowded, I had a row to myself and was able to get a window seat. It was not until we took off that I realized how very lucky I was.
I’ve been to the Pacific Northwest when it has been cloudy, raining, and windy, matching the stereotypical opinion people have of the cold and wet Northwest. This day however could not have been a more beautiful day, affording me spectacular views on the flight.
Shortly after we took off I got a nice view of one of the local waterways with Mt. Rainier in the distance.
We has a spectacular view of Mount Rainier.
Mount St. Helen's in the foreground, Mount Adams in the background.
It's been more than 30 years since Mount St. Helen's erupted on May 30, 1980. Before the eruption it was 9,677 feet tall, but only 8,363 feet tall afterwards, having lost the top 1,300 feet of mountain.
Mount St. Helen’s is quiet now, the top crater appeared to be full of snow. It’s almost impossible to describe the devastation that occurred when it blew: these photos from Boston.com will give you a good idea of what happened that day.
One of the other passengers on my flight said geologists are now keeping a close eye on Mount Rainier, thinking it will be the next mountain to blow. When will that happen? No one knows, it could be soon, it could be hundreds of years from now, but they are watching.
We landed at Portland on time and I went to the light rail station to take the train downtown. The train stops right next to the terminal, it’s not necessary to to take a long walk to it as it is in some airports. Round trip was $5, a lot better than the $16.20 I paid in San Francisco a few weeks ago.
My Portland layover was almost five hours, so I hoped to be able to eat dinner downtown. However, it took longer than I expected to get downtown: that should not have come as a surprise to me, Pioneer Square was 17 stops away.
Portland light rail is not a subway, the trains do not run below ground in a tunnel, they are always at the surface. As a result the cars are almost always in the Sun and will get warmer than they would have otherwise. I did not think of this until a lady got on with her dog and it decided to stretch out and lay on that warm floor.
The floor of the light rail car was warm and this dog decided to take full advantage ot it.
When I got to the Pioneer Square station I got off and walked around for a while. It was a simply gorgeous day, not a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the low 80s (28 degrees C).
Pioneer Courthouse at Pioneer Square, Portland.
How far is it from Portland to the Great Wall of China? This sign in Pioneer Square had the answer to that question and others.
I went into the Pioneer Square tourist office and asked what time I needed to be on light rail to get back to the airport in time for my flight. They looked it up on the computer, and the answer was 4:35 p.m. Glad to know it, but that meant I had less than 2 hours until I had to be on the train back to the airport, less time than I had expected. So, I decided to walk around and look for a place to eat.
I'm not sure why, but they put this statue of a man apparently calling a cab in Pioneer Square. And yes, someone did put a sombrero on top of the umbrella.
As I said, it was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed walking around the area. I found several restaurants but realized I wasn’t very hungry, I had snacked too much at the Boardroom in Seattle. So I looked to see if there were any tourist type places to visit nearby, but did not see any.
Then I came around a corner and saw the Simon and Helen Director Park. People were sitting and enjoying the beautiful weather.
Portlanders took advantage of the beautiful weather;, sitting in a downtown par, and relaxing.
I saw a Starbucks across the street, got one of their frozen drinks, found a place to sit in the park, pulled out my Kindle and had a wonderful hour, just sitting, reading, and enjoying the glorious day. My only regret was that I did not have more time to spend in Portland!
Too soon, it was time for me to head back to the airport. I found the light rail stop next to Pioneer Square and had a 10-minute wait for the next train.
Light rail train arriving at Pioneer Square on its way to the airport.
I boarded the train, looked at my watch and thought that I would make it on time,I just hoped the security lines would not be too long at the airport. I was flying with an Alaska Airlines boarding pass which did not give me Priority AAcess the way an American boarding pass did.
The ride back to the airport went smoothly, at least the first half of it did. We had a problem after that. The train pulled into a station and as passengers were getting on and off we heard a man scream on the platform then saw several people go running towards the front of our train. What happened?
We sat for several minutes, then the engineer came on the PA system to announce that a man had been injured on the platform after falling down the stairs, and the engineer would need to stay with him until the ambulance arrived. So, until that ambulance came, we were stuck. I wasn’t happy with the delay, but was glad I had gotten the train at 4:15 instead of 4:35, perhaps that would give me enough time to make up for the delay.
We sat at the station waiting for the ambulance. And then we sat some more. And then some more. We sat for at least 15 minutes, and by this time I was getting concerned. The TSA security lines were extremely long when I landed a few hours earlier; if they were as long this evening i might miss my flight to Seattle.
The ambulance finally arrived and we continued on our way back to the airport. I started to remove all the items from my pockets and put them in my carry-on, I did not want any delay when I had to clear security. My Alaska Airlines boarding pass did not have anything on it to indicate priority access, but it did say I had Platinum status with American: would that be enough for me them to allow me to go to the front of the line?
We got to the airport, I had little more than an hour until my flight departed, but long lines could cause issues. How soon would Alaska Airlines start the boarding process?
I sprinted through the terminal and up the escalator, hoping to make up for lost time. And then I came around the corner and saw the security check in line. There were three people on line. The line was so short that they were allowing everyone to use the priority access line rather than go through the maze of the normal check in line.
I cleared security and went to the boarding gate. I was so early that the plane had not even arrived yet. So much for missing my flight.
My plane arrived shortly after that and I had a smooth flight back to Seattle. This layover would be more than 4 hours.
As I walked across the terminal, I paused to watch the ground crew service this AA 737.
I went back to the Alaska Airlines Boardroom club and relaxed. I read, snacked, caught up on my email, and enjoyed not being in the noise and crowds of the main terminal.
My flight to DFW was scheduled to depart at 11:40 p.m., or 1:40 in the morning according to my body clock. My upgrade to first had come through and I hoped to sleep well on the flight back to Dallas, and made sure to take my sleeping pills 30 minutes before we departed. They must have worked—I remember the plane taking off and nothing else until we landed at DFW!
I was hungry and there aren’t many options at DFW at 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning other than Mc Donalds. I looked, but none of the other establishments had yet opened. So, I went for an Egg McMuffin with a hot cup of coffee. At that hour of the morning it really isn’t bad. From there I went to the Admirals Club that had just opened.
I checked in and asked if a shower was available. One was, and they gave me the key. I had been traveling for almost 26 hours and was tired, but a nice warm shower really made the difference and made me feel so much better. I was also lucky to have the shower at the Admirals Club in Terminal A, home to the famous car-wash showers, where water not only comes down on you from above but also from the sides. Fancy!
My 8 a.m. flight to Austin was less than half full, we landed in Austin at 9 and I was home by 9:30.
It had been a long weekend with my first red-eye of the year, but a fun one. I enjoyed my short time in Portland, saw some incredible scenery, had no problems with any of my flights, and got home safely. I earned more than 5,000 EQMs and 10,000 RDMs. My miles posted and show that I now have 93,150 EQMs on the year. This weekend I will do a quick trip to SFO and back. If my math is correct, that trip should give me Executive Platinum status with a YTD total of 1000,006 EQMs. I’ll keep the status until February of 2014, and should get a lot of First Class travel during that time. My wife and I are going to Chicago in a few weeks, with reservations in coach. I’ve been told I need to call the Executive Platinum desk about that and they will bump us to first. I am excited by this, and look forward to the extra benefits I will earn from my new Executive Platinum status!
Disclaimer: I own stock in AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines. The total value of my holdings, as of 5/4/12, is less than $85.00
Once Again — Back to San Francisco
Apr 20th
How many flights have I made to San Francisco this year?
To be honest, I have lost track, and while it would be simple enough to look up the answer, I’d rather not—it might be too depressing. I have never traveled so many times to one destination in such a short time period.
But the lure of triple Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) in January, and double EQMs since then has been a siren song I cannot resist. So, once again I went back to the City by the Bay. But this trip would be different, I scheduled it so that I would have enough time to actually leave the airport and go into town, something I had not yet done this year. But there were some challenges I had to meet first.
Four days before my trip, on April 3, a series of tornadoes struck North Texas. While there was extensive damage, there were no fatalities and no deaths. But can anyone forget the video of the twister tossing truck trailers hundreds of feet up in the air? I can’t.
Almost 100 American Airlines aircraft were damaged at DFW in the hailstorm that followed the twisters: each of those aircraft had to be hand-inspected for hail damage. More than 400 flights, almost all from DFW, were cancelled the next day. Each day more and more aircraft returned to service, but I was still concerned that one of my four Saturday flights would be cancelled. I follow American Airlines on Twitter (@AmericanAir) and wrote to them about this, they wrote back that it all looked good for me and I had nothing to worry about.
American put more aircraft back into service each day and as @AmericanAir predicted, I had nothing to worry about, none of my Saturday flights were affected.
The day started well, with a smooth flight at sunrise from Austin to DFW.
The sun was coming over the horizon as we began our descent into DFW.
We landed on time and I changed terminals for my flight to SFO. I was glad to see it was on one of my favorite aircraft, the 767-300, and the plane was not crowded at all, I had an entire row to myself.
I know American Airlines would have preferred that this flight be completely booked, but frankly I enjoyed all the empty seats.
American is the Official Airline of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, an association that goes back over 25 years. I appreciate their efforts in the fight against breast cancer. This aircraft, with the iconic Komen pink ribbon logo, promotes that relationship.
I had never noticed before how much the 767's wing bends in flight. The wing tip was, I'd estimate, at least 10 feet higher than the cabin during flight..
I never tire of the dramatic changing colors you can see in the western part of the United States.
It may have been a mild winter, but there was still a lot of snow visible on the mountain-tops.
The flight to San Francisco went very smoothly. In fact, it was as close to a perfect flight as there could possibly be: we took off on time, the pilot never needed to turn on the seat belt sign due to turbulence, and we landed early.
I immediately left the terminal and went to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station to take the train downtown — as I mentioned I was excited to finally be able to leave the terminal.
I have to admit I was surprised when I bought my BART ticket: round-trip from the airport to downtown was more than $16! Compare that to Seattle where light rail from the airport to downtown is less than $6.00, or Chicago where round trip downtown from O’Hare costs less than $5.00. I know the Bay Area is supposed to be expensive, but $16 is ridiculous.
I bought the ticket and took the train to the Embarcadero station; this left me a short walk from the Bay.
It was a beautiful day, albeit a bit cool by my Texas standards; vendors had set up booths and were selling a wide variety of hand-crafted items in the area. The San Francisco Ferry Building is visible in the background
The Vaillancourt Fountain, by Armand Vaillancourt., built in 1971. This wonderful sculpture sits between the Ferry Building and the end of Market Street in San Francisco at the Embracadero. You can walk around it or through it.
The fountain is a short distance from the Ferry Building.
- It may get hot where I live in Central Texas, but at least we don’t have to post signs about a Tsunami Evacuation route.
While it was a beautiful day and I was enjoying myself, time was short. My total layover in San Francisco was 5 hours, 4 when you realize I had to be back at least an hour before departure. I was nowhere near the airport and needed to find a place to quickly eat so that I could get back to the airport on time.
Just to the right of the ferry building I saw Sinbad's seafood restaurant. It was close, it was open, and I was hungry. It seemed the perfect place.
I went it and was escorted to a table with one of the most breathtaking views I had seen in a very long while.
I had an incredible view of the San Francisco Bay Bridge from my table at Sinbad's.
Lunch: crabcakes with wild rice, mixed vegetables, and sourdough bread.
I ordered crabcakes with rice and mixed vegetable, with a beer to wash it all down. I enjoyed the meal, and the view made it all the more enjoyable—it was so good to finally have the chance to leave the airport!
But time was short. I finished the meal and went back to the BART station.
Coit Tower, atop Telegraph Hill, overlooks San Francisco Harbor and the adjoining waterfront.
One of San Francisco's famous trolleys passed me as it came to the end of its route on Market Street.
One of the many hills of San Francisco.
I arrived back at the airport 90 minutes before my flight, giving me time to stop at the Admirals Club for a few moments. While I was there I got word that my upgrade to First Class had come through for the flight to DFW.
That flight left SFO on time and arrived at DFW at approximately 9:15 p.m. This was the same time I arrived a week earlier when I was stranded at the airport. But no problem this time, I had a reservation on AA’s 10 p.m. flight to Austin—if that flight had been scheduled the previous week I would have gotten home on Saturday night rather than Sunday morning.
The flight landed in Austin shortly before 11 p.m. and I was home by midnight.
It had been a fun day, I really enjoyed being able to go into San Francisco, truly one of the most beautiful cities in America, if not the world. With AA’s double EQM promotion, the trip put me at almost 88,000 EQMs for the year, rarefied territory for me. Two more trips and I’ll earn Executive Platinum status through February 2014. But more importantly, these extra miles gave me enough to book a Business Class trip to Asia later this year for my wife and myself, a trip I would otherwise not be able to afford. We both look forward to it!
Disclaimer: I own stock in AMR Corporation, American Airlines’ parent company. The total value of my holdings is less than $75.00.
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