Yesterday's Commercial Flight

timwinters

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LTD
Offered forth as “just the facts” without additional commentary since I doubt that any is necessary.
smile.gif
(well, almost no commentary)

I flew one way from CLE to CGI yesterday via STL. I chose Continental since they have the only non-stop from CLE to STL. The first leg from CLE to STL was an Ebraer operated by Chautauqua (airplanes DO look like backwards bananas afterall) departing at 4:45EST, arriving at 5:32CST and the second leg to CGI was a Cessna 402 operated by Cape Air departing 8:10CST and arriving 9:01CST. The 2.5 hour layover is quite long but it would allow me to grab some dinner and get caught up on paperwork. Or so was the plan.

I made it to CLE with plenty of time, security lines were light. I made it through with no problem (except that a 1/2 size can of shaving cream was confiscated. I guess the TSA agent was out) and I was at my gate a full hour before departure. The announcement came shortly thereafter “we’re oversold and looking for volunteers…”. IIRRC they were oversold by 6; on an Embraer. But I guess they solved that problem because I only heard the plea twice.

We boarded on time and, yes, the plane was full. Approximately 1/3 were soldiers going to Ft. Leonard Wood to finish their training. We sat there for a bit and the captain announced that someone smelled “burning plastic or rubber” and they needed to check it out before departing. So we sat there for about 20 to 30 minutes and the captain made a second announcement, “we found the source of the smell and have replaced the part but now TSA wants to rescreen all the luggage and passengers”. Hooray!

So, we sit there another 30 minutes while they rescreen the luggage and then we disembark and everyone goes through a make-shift screening area in the hallway leading to the gate. They don't have a metal detector so everyone is “wanded” and patted down (there was one good looking TSA agent there and I requested her to do my pat-down but my requests were ignored). This process took another 45 minutes or so and was handled in quite a disorganized and haphazard fashion. For example, my carry-on bag & briefcase held a shaving kit (less any shaving cream) (12”x7”x3”), a camera case (6”x4”x3”), a DayRunner (10”x6”x2”) and my bags had numerous zippered pockets, none of which were opened or re-inspected.

WTF?

So, we finally push back at 7:00EST. 2:15 late. All of a sudden my 2:30 layover has become nothing.

The pilots did a good job of making up some time and we landed in STL at 7:10CST and I was off the plane by 7:25. "I might actually make my connection!"

We parked at concourse “A” and there wasn’t a gate agent or a departure/arrival screen between our gate and the exit.

So, I asked the TSA agent at the exit where Cape Air domiciled. She told me concourse “D”. Can I get there from here without exiting and having to come back through security? “No.”

I used to fly almost every week but, fortunately, since 9/11, haven't flown much. I’m sure I've done it, but I don’t ever recall having to go out of and back through security when making a connection. At STL you can’t go from “A” to anywhere. “B”, “C” and “D” are all connected but “A” isn’t. Oh, for joy, I get to play with TSA again. As if I haven’t slow danced with them enough on this trip.

So, I beat feet across the airport and make it to the other security check point. I breathe a sigh of relief because fortunately there’s almost no one in line. I hand the TSA agent at the podium my ID and boarding pass; this is where the fun really starts.

Him, “Continental doesn’t fly out of concourse “D”.

Me, “Yeah, but Cape Air does and that’s who flies to CGI”.

Him, “But your boarding pass says Continental”

Me, “That’s because I booked my flight through Continental”.

Him, “But, Continental doesn’t fly out of concourse “D”.

Me (now getting a tad impatient), “My last flight wasn’t Continental either, it was Chautauqua. Have you ever heard of the term “partnership” or “affiliation”? Look I only have 10 minutes to make my flight”.

Him, “But, Continental doesn’t fly out of concourse “D”.

Me, “So tell me, who flies to CGI besides Cape Air? Nobody! So, do you think I maybe I'm flying on Cape Air to get to Cape and that MAYBE they have a partnership with Continental?” (I wanted to finish that statement with "moron" but decided better.)

He calls over a supervisor, they scratch each other's (insert favorite body part here) and discuss it.

Me, “I have an idea, Why don’t you call the Cape Air gate (they only have one) and see if they have me listed as a passenger?”

Supe, “okay!”

They do, Cape Air does, and I finally get to pass go.

WTF?

So, at least Cape Air now knows I’m coming so they wait for me(I’m the only passenger tonight on the mighty Cessna 402).

The rest of the trip was uneventful (one hour out of 6 ain’t bad). Rode right seat in the 402. It was a nice, smooth, almost full moon flight.

This is why I hate flying commercial airlines.
 
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You rode right seat on Cape Air's 402? Well, how cool! That should almost make all the other WTFs seem like nothing. Almost. I feel your pain. Good story.

I wonder if Cape Air will fly to Milwaukee??
 
So of the (maximum 10) scale of displeasure, how much of your angst is directed toward the airlines vs the TSA?

Offered forth as “just the facts” without additional commentary since I doubt that any is necessary.
smile.gif
(well, almost no commentary)

I flew one way from CLE to CGI yesterday via STL. I chose Continental since they have the only non-stop from CLE to STL. The first leg from CLE to STL was an Ebraer operated by Chautauqua (airplanes DO look like backwards bananas afterall) departing at 4:45EST, arriving at 5:32CST and the second leg to CGI was a Cessna 402 operated by Cape Air departing 8:10CST and arriving 9:01CST. The 2.5 hour layover is quite long but it would allow me to grab some dinner and get caught up on paperwork. Or so was the plan.

I made it to CLE with plenty of time, security lines were light. I made it through with no problem (except that a 1/2 size can of shaving cream was confiscated. I guess the TSA agent was out) and I was at my gate a full hour before departure. The announcement came shortly thereafter “we’re oversold and looking for volunteers…”. IIRRC they were oversold by 6; on an Embraer. But I guess they solved that problem because I only heard the plea twice.

We boarded on time and, yes, the plane was full. Approximately 1/3 were soldiers going to Ft. Leonard Wood to finish their training. We sat there for a bit and the captain announced that someone smelled “burning plastic or rubber” and they needed to check it out before departing. So we sat there for about 20 to 30 minutes and the captain made a second announcement, “we found the source of the smell and have replaced the part but now TSA wants to rescreen all the luggage and passengers”. Hooray!

So, we sit there another 30 minutes while they rescreen the luggage and then we disembark and everyone goes through a make-shift screening area in the hallway leading to the gate. They don't have a metal detector so everyone is “wanded” and patted down (there was one good looking TSA agent there and I requested her to do my pat-down but my requests were ignored). This process took another 45 minutes or so and was handled in quite a disorganized and haphazard fashion. For example, my carry-on bag & briefcase held a shaving kit (less any shaving cream) (12”x7”x3”), a camera case (6”x4”x3”), a DayRunner (10”x6”x2”) and my bags had numerous zippered pockets that were not opened or re-inspected.

WTF?

So, we finally push back at 7:00EST. 2:15 late. All of a sudden my 2:30 layover has become nothing.

The pilots did a good job of making up some time and we landed in STL at 7:10CST and I was off the plane by 7:25. "I might actually make my connection!"

We parked at concourse “A” and there wasn’t a gate agent or a departure/arrival screen between our gate and the exit.

So, I asked the TSA agent at the exit where Cape Air domiciled. She told me concourse “D”. Can I get there from here without exiting and having to come back through security? “No.”

I used to fly almost every week but, fortunately, since 9/11, haven't flown much. I’m sure I've done it, but I don’t ever recall having to go out of and back through security when making a connection. At STL you can’t go from “A” to anywhere. “B”, “C” and “D” are all connected but “A” isn’t. Oh, for joy, I get to play with TSA again. As if I haven’t slow danced with them enough on this trip.

So, I beat feet across the airport and make it to the other security check point. I breathe a sigh of relief because fortunately there’s almost no one in line. I hand the TSA agent at the podium my ID and boarding pass; this is where the fun really starts.

Him, “Continental doesn’t fly out of concourse “D”.

Me, “Yeah, but Cape Air does and that’s who flies to CGI”.

Him, “But your boarding pass says Continental”

Me, “That’s because I booked my flight through Continental”.

Him, “But, Continental doesn’t fly out of concourse “D”.

Me (now getting a tad impatient), “My last flight wasn’t Continental either, it was Chautauqua. Have you ever heard of the term “partnership” or “affiliation”? Look I only have 10 minutes to make my flight”.

Him, “But, Continental doesn’t fly out of concourse “D”.

Me, “So tell me, who flies to CGI besides Cape Air? Nobody! So, do you think I maybe I'm flying on Cape Air to get to Cape and that MAYBE they have a partnership with Continental?” (I wanted to finish that statement with "moron" but decided better.)

He calls over a supervisor, they scratch each other's (insert favorite body part here) and discuss it.

Me, “I have an idea, Why don’t you call the Cape Air gate (they only have one) and see if they have me listed as a passenger?”

Supe, “okay!”

They do, Cape Air does, and I finally get to pass go.

WTF?

So, at least Cape Air now knows I’m coming so they wait for me(I’m the only passenger tonight on the mighty Cessna 402).

The rest of the trip was uneventful (one hour out of 6 ain’t bad). Rode right seat in the 402. It was a nice, smooth, almost full moon flight.

This is why I hate flying commercial airlines.
 
Pretty typical.

Before ATA went T.U. they code shared with Southwest. ATA didn't serve SAT, but Southwest did. There was a guy booked on an ATA code, operated by Southwest who was trying to pass through security at SAT. The BP had the ATA flight number on it.

A very similar conversation ensued, which held up the entire line of 200 people (I was right behind this guy) for at least 10 minutes. They finally took him aside with a supervisor and started processing the rest of us. It was not resolved by the time I cleared the checkpoint.

You were lucky......
 
One bright and sunny day my brother in law was visiting and we both were flyingout on the same day. He on a UAL flight me on a AA flight, both from O'Hare. Our flights were an hour apart so I thought it would be nice if we went to the airport together and hung out having a drink. Since his UAL flight was first we went to terminal 1 at KORD. He showed his UAL boarding pass and had no issues. I showed my AA pass and got the 'AA flies out of terminal 3' speech. I explained the situation and added that since the terminals were all connected inside of security it made no difference where I entered.

But of course you know that logic and sense have no ability to sway a TSA agent and he refused entry. So off I went to terminal 3 were I entered the secure area and then walked to terminal 1. IDIOTS! Every darn one of them.
 
Tim:
How did you get to fly right seat on a commercial flight, but were not part of the flight crew?
Just curious...
 
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Tim:
How did you get to fly right seat on a commercial flight, but were not part of the flight crew?
Just curious...

The 402 is a 10 seat Twin Cessna. They are certified single pilot, depending on the rules the airline operate under. That means the right front seat is technically a passenger seat.

I used to fly the 402 in a commuter passenger operation. We were single pilot VFR and two pilot IFR. When it was VFR we would fill all the seats, including the right front seat.
 
A friend of mine was taking a short commuter hop on the Islands (Jamacia, Turks). I think it was told as a Twin Otter? After introducing himself as a pilot the fellow offers him the right seat and lets him fly as soon as they are airborne. The other passengers are a bit anxious and his wife says "oh, he's just not used to flying something this small" which was a bit of a white lie.

He said that he was convinced the fellow was going to let him land it if he hadn't begged off.

He also said the plane made an unscheduled stop along the way so the pilot could pick up some some stuff from a buddy.

Todd
 
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A friend of mine was taking a short commuter hop on the Islands (Jamacia, Turks). I think it was told as a Twin Otter? After introducing himself as a pilot the fellow offers him the right seat and lets him fly as soon as they are airborne. The other passengers are a bit anxious and his wife says "oh, he's just not used to flying something this small" which was a bit of a white lie.

He said that he was convinced the fellow was going to let him land it if he hadn't begged off.

He also said the plane made an unscheduled stop along the way so the pilot could pick up some some stuff from a buddy.

Todd
That's interesting (and neat)! But I thought it was a violation of most part 135 certs (and presumably part 121) to allow a pilot not on the operating certificate to manipulate the controls. Were they not US based?
 
That's interesting (and neat)! But I thought it was a violation of most part 135 certs (and presumably part 121) to allow a pilot not on the operating certificate to manipulate the controls. Were they not US based?


It was an island carrier. Not flying a US flag.
 
When I flew King Air charters single pilot there were occasionally passengers who asked to sit in front and other times when all the seat were filled and someone had to sit in front. There was one regular passenger who was not a pilot but she always brought a headset so she could sit up front and listen. Grant is right though. There is no touching the controls Part 135.
 
Pretty typical.

Before ATA went T.U. they code shared with Southwest. ATA didn't serve SAT, but Southwest did. There was a guy booked on an ATA code, operated by Southwest who was trying to pass through security at SAT. The BP had the ATA flight number on it.

A very similar conversation ensued, which held up the entire line of 200 people (I was right behind this guy) for at least 10 minutes. They finally took him aside with a supervisor and started processing the rest of us. It was not resolved by the time I cleared the checkpoint.

You were lucky......

I've had that happen a few times... I've also gotten harassed when going through on a gate pass because I was trying to jumpseat. (DFW TSA's goobs wouldn't accept my DEN SIDA badge like nearly every other airport in the country so I'd get a gate pass from an agent first). Then they ask 'but what flight are you on?' me - whichever one going to DEN has an empty seat. 'if you don't have an assigned seat you can't go through'. and so forth. usually involved a supe to get through.

After about a year of this, through trial and error I discovered that if I wore my Frontier Airlines lanyard with a Frontier crewtag (not a Frontier employee) and utilized the TSA checkpoint in the terminal that Frontier used, I got through with no questions asked. I actually had a TSA guy question my badge, then look at my lanyard and say 'oh you're Frontier, go ahead'. :rolleyes:
 
At LaGuardia

Going from Delta to USAir

Out the Delta terminal

Through the taxi cab lot

Into the USAir Terminal

Thru TSA (lovingly referred to as the Terrorist Support Activity) again.



I used to fly almost every week but, fortunately, since 9/11, haven't flown much. I’m sure I've done it, but I don’t ever recall having to go out of and back through security when making a connection.
 
At LaGuardia

Going from Delta to USAir

Out the Delta terminal

Through the taxi cab lot

Into the USAir Terminal

Thru TSA (lovingly referred to as the Terrorist Support Activity) again.

Almost any connection at LAX or JFK that involves multiple carriers. Or making a connection from int'l to domestic at any US airport. Or even leaving the international Customs area if you're terminating at ATL, CVG, and a few others.
 
After about a year of this, through trial and error I discovered that if I wore my Frontier Airlines lanyard with a Frontier crewtag (not a Frontier employee) and utilized the TSA checkpoint in the terminal that Frontier used, I got through with no questions asked. I actually had a TSA guy question my badge, then look at my lanyard and say 'oh you're Frontier, go ahead'. :rolleyes:

So the lanyard confirms that the badge is not needed or need not be correct? :yikes:

TSA is soooo... tupid.. :mad2:
 
Wow, now I'm really dreading the flight from XNA to LAS in a couple weeks. We're going out to our annual trade show and have to be there on a certain day, otherwise, I'd fly the 182. I just don't want to get trapped with 'get-there-itis' if the weather is marginal. Now I'm not sure which will be worse, the potential weather or the potential storm from my husband having to deal with TSA (he's not a very patient or understanding person when it comes to g'ment)...
 
Fly your plane

Sooner. Safer. Saner.

BTW, I'm going to trademark that slogan.
 
Before we had our B-200, the kids needed to make a quick trip to San Antonio for an adoption hearing and wanted me to ride up front with the charter pilot. They made it very clear to the company that having me in the right seat was a condition precedent to booking the charter.

The pilot was obviously aware of the unusual situation, and when I climbed in he took pains to tell me all the yada yada about part 135 flight crew rules, the full speech. I assume he thought I was a fed. I told him he didn't need to worry about me, that I was just a passenger and that things would be fine as long as he didn't **** up.

Before I moved to the front I had already watched him go through the before start, and it was clear he wasn't all that familiar with King Air's but they are easy to fly and I figured he had probably been to a training center and didn't have the flows down pat.

Long story short (or at least shorter), he was trying to find the expanded normal checklist in the SFI handbook, which is in a different place than you might expect (behind the abbreviated training flight yellow-tabbed pages, and the only place I could put it when I talked Simufllite into revising the manual while I was teaching there part-time).

I told him where to look for them, and before it was over I had helped him find where the performance numbers for the TOLD card were located, how to determine our approximate weight and how to work the C/G template.

Turns out they had their own (sorry, typical part 135) in-house training program, and he was a laid-off regional pilot who had quite a bit of Citation time but very little King Air experience and didn't know squat. I told him I was a part 135 IP and check airman in the 200, and would be happy to help him fill in the blanks for anything he needed, and not to worry about the kids, we could shut the door and they would never know, and wouldn't care even if they did.

So we spent the trip down and back in training mode, spent most of the day at the FBO and restaurant doing ground school, and obeyed all of the 135 requirements in that I didn't touch a single thing (except for the one time when I pushed the volt-load buttion on the overhead to show him what he was looking for when he checked the current limiters. I made a friend who later referred some acquisition clients, and got a free lunch out of the deal. Modesty aside, he was at least twice as good a King Air pilot when the day was over.

I haven't thought about that day for a long time, and am sitting here grinning about it while typing this post. The wonderful part of the trip is that our grandson for whom the hearing was necessary is a great little kid who will be 7 years old later this month.

When I flew King Air charters single pilot there were occasionally passengers who asked to sit in front and other times when all the seat were filled and someone had to sit in front. There was one regular passenger who was not a pilot but she always brought a headset so she could sit up front and listen. Grant is right though. There is no touching the controls Part 135.
 
Fly your plane

Sooner. Safer. Saner.

BTW, I'm going to trademark that slogan.

And for the most part I wholeheartedly agree, but I just get really nervous this time of year with ice and such. I'll (unfortunately) take the TSA hassle in order to live to see my plane another day. I'm only a 300 hour pilot with an instrument rating that isn't really very wet and I just really don't want to get into a situation that I may not be able to handle. Call me a chicken, I'm ok with that.
 
And for the most part I wholeheartedly agree, but I just get really nervous this time of year with ice and such. I'll (unfortunately) take the TSA hassle in order to live to see my plane another day. I'm only a 300 hour pilot with an instrument rating that isn't really very wet and I just really don't want to get into a situation that I may not be able to handle. Call me a chicken, I'm ok with that.
No, I call you smart! Last April coming back to Chicago from Key West, I dropped Leslie off in Sarasota to come back commercial specifically because she NEEDED to be back the next day, and neither of us wanted that sort of get-there-itis on us. As it was, I made it back that night, but I never felt that I needed to, which can make a world of difference! And heading down there at the start of the trip, we did an unexpected overnight in St. Pete because of thunderstorms. We merely called the hotel we were planning to stay at and told them we'd be in the next day. We didn't even need to eat a penalty!

(But tell hubby to leave his guns packed; you don't want him with them on his person dealing with TSA. You either! :no: :))
 
No, I call you smart! Last April coming back to Chicago from Key West, I dropped Leslie off in Sarasota to come back commercial specifically because she NEEDED to be back the next day, and neither of us wanted that sort of get-there-itis on us. As it was, I made it back that night, but I never felt that I needed to, which can make a world of difference! And heading down there at the start of the trip, we did an unexpected overnight in St. Pete because of thunderstorms. We merely called the hotel we were planning to stay at and told them we'd be in the next day. We didn't even need to eat a penalty!

(But tell hubby to leave his guns packed; you don't want him with them on his person dealing with TSA. You either! :no: :))

Thanks :smile:. We're headed to the SHOT show (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) and I did warn him about being extra careful with his carry-on. In fact, I told him that for this trip, we shouldn't even take carry-ons.
 
Joyce, continue to follow your 'gut' and you will become an old pilot someday...

As far as the shootin' irons, MY airline has 3 rules...
1. Bring your own shootin' iron, the pilot don't share...
2. Bring your own bottle, the pilot don't share...
3. Hands off the stewardess, the pilot don't share...

denny-o and Fat Albert the Apache (an AA commuter in a previous lifetime)
 
Good on ya, Joyce!!

If'n you ever plan on heading up to Bolivar, M17, give me a shout ahead of time; we'll do lunch or dinner...
 
I'll get there Jim! Sure would be nice if this global warming would let up a bit so I could get up in the air more. :)
 
I'll get there Jim! Sure would be nice if this global warming would let up a bit so I could get up in the air more. :)

According to climate scientists global warming has been less than 0.2 degrees C per decade. I hope you're not counting on that to make winter a thing of the past any time soon!
 
According to climate scientists global warming has been less than 0.2 degrees C per decade. I hope you're not counting on that to make winter a thing of the past any time soon!

Lack of Smiley notwithstanding, I think that was her point. :D
 
Although the TSA and the airlines are truly horrid, I'll take both in spades before dealing with ice or thunderstorms.
 
And for the most part I wholeheartedly agree, but I just get really nervous this time of year with ice and such. I'll (unfortunately) take the TSA hassle in order to live to see my plane another day. I'm only a 300 hour pilot with an instrument rating that isn't really very wet and I just really don't want to get into a situation that I may not be able to handle. Call me a chicken, I'm ok with that.

Your 182 is also not the same as Andrew's Matrix, and that is a similarly important factor. When I read reports of people who ice up in birds without any de-ice equipment whatsoever and crash, my biggest question is "Why did they even take off?" I've got an upcoming trip to Utah, and even with my Aztec (de-ice and all) I have a primary weekend and a backup weekend, hopefully that will be enough to get the trip completed.

Good on ya, Joyce. Keep on making good calls. :)
 
Lack of Smiley notwithstanding, I think that was her point. :D

No one has been predicting that global warming will cause winter to cease to exist any time soon, so I'm having a hard time seeing how it's relevant to anything.
 
I'm sorry, I was being pretty sarcastic with the global warming comment. We've had way more precipitation in TX and way colder weather in AR this year than even the old timers can remember. I just think it's funny that there has been so much talk about global warming and it's actually now much colder than normal. It was all just a little tongue-in-cheek humor... :D
 
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