aviation - Stephan Segraves

Kwajalein

March 18, 2014 ssegraves

“Kwaj”

In World War II, a short, brutal battle was fought between Japanese and American forces for this coral atoll. Before that, the Japanese used the island as an outpost, forcing Korean prisoners and Marshallese natives to do manual labor building up the island’s fortifications. Today the islands exist as a listening station, the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, and home to a large number of native Marshallese. The story of how me, a group of my friends, and 100 other passengers on United 154 ended up on the atoll is nowhere as historically significant or important as the stories of those who fought and died here, but it is a brief look into a part of the world that very few people ever get the chance to see.

3.7.2014

The purpose of the trip was to fly the United “Island Hopper”. The route takes passengers from Honolulu to Guam via stops on the islands of Majuro, Kwajalein, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Chuuk and takes approximately 14 hours to complete. Keep that duration handy, we’ll be referencing it later. The actual final destination for the trip was Hong Kong and we had a dinner with an old friend planned as well as a plan for some sightseeing on Sunday. The red lines on the map below are what we were supposed to fly. The green lines are where the trip diverged and what I actually ended up flying.

Leaving Honolulu was uneventful. After the excitement of having nine boarding passes printed I grabbed some snacks, knowing that there was only a breakfast served on the way to Majuro. Our flight departed for the 4.5 hour journey to our first stop a little late due to problems with baggage equipment at the Honolulu Airport. Finally underway, passengers started getting comfortable, or trying to do so. A light breakfast of french toast or eggs was served and before we knew it, we were on the ground at Majuro.

Walking off the plane the humidity hit me like a wet mop. The temperature difference immediately caused my camera lens to fog up. I really wanted some pictures from each island so I took a few photos with my phone and made my way into the small terminal. It was a tight fit in the terminal and the humidity made it even less comfortable. We recorded a quick update for the Dots, Lines, and Destinations podcast and convinced Seth to take off the Burger King crown he had put on in Honolulu. A short time later the gate agent was calling for boarding and before I knew it, we were taxiing to the end of the runway. The pilot announced that he would be making a low pass over the atoll for those of us on the left side of the plane. As we departed Majuro faces were pinned to the windows; it was not a typical departure pattern. We flew low and slow. The pilots recognized that this trip is a special one and wanted to give passengers the opportunity to see the atolls closer than normal. I was in an aisle seat but craned my neck to get a gorgeous view of Majuro and the surrounding atoll.

It was scheduled to be a quick trip from Majuro to Kwajalein, right around 45 minutes. I had been chatting with the gentleman in the middle seat since we left Honolulu and learned that he worked on Kwajalein. Our discussion continued on this segment and he revealed that he worked on an island separate from the main one and it required another flight once we arrived at our next stop. He also told me that on arrival all bags are collected, opened, and screened by the security team for the island. His tone was that it was a bit of a hassle but one that everyone knew was necessary.

The Event

As we started our descent into Kwajalein the captain came over the PA and announced that due to a problem with “the flaps” we would need to make a faster than normal approach into the island and that it would be treated as an emergency situation. The crew reviewed the emergency evacuation procedures and the bracing position with the entire aircraft and then made sure everyone in the exit rows were comfortable with opening the emergency doors and guiding people out of the plane. While the briefing was calm, you could sense the urgency in the crew’s instructions. My role was to block the aisle so that the person opening the exit were not rushed by people trying to exit the plane. After the exit was opened, I was to leave the airplane and help other passengers escape.

The aircraft approached Kwajalein and I felt the landing gear lower. We were definitely coming in much faster than normal and as soon as the wheels touched the ground, the brakes were heavily applied. The airplane stopped short of the end of the runway and a sigh of relief filled the cabin. We quickly taxied to the tarmac and announcements were made about the procedures at Kwajalein. No pictures. No leaving the aircraft. We will take a look at the problem and be back with you soon.

As you know, I’m a regular flyer and I am comfortable with turbulence and pilots announcing that they are dealing with issues but this problem and the landing made me tense. Maybe it was because I knew what the problem meant or maybe because I knew how long the runway is at Kwajalein, but I had a slight tinge of nervousness from the time the captain made the announcement until we had come to a full stop.

Sequestered

After a number of attempts by the on-board mechanic (did I mention the Island Hopper carries a mechanic?) to fix the problem, it was found that a new part would need to be flown in. The actual issue was a proximity sensor on the leading edge slats that gives information on how far the slats are extended. Without that information only a visual confirmation of the slat position was possible and that is not adequate as far as the FAA is concerned.

Since it was evident our time on Kwajalein would be longer than originally expected, the crew arranged for us to be moved inside the terminal building. We were asked to take everything off of the plane and to go straight to the terminal. A few of us wandered off the path from the plane to the terminal and were quickly told to get back on it.

The inside of the terminal was crowded and not really setup for a plane load of people. But, there was wifi. Not the fastest and certainly not the most stable, but it was there. I sent off a quick number of e-mails and iMessages letting people know where I was and then did the obligatory Foursquare check-in. I mean, how many times does one get to check-in to a U.S. missile base? Every now and then a pilot would give us an update on the progress in fixing the plane. With every visit my belief that we would be stuck in Kwajalein for the night grew stronger. Around 3pm local time the announcement was made that there was no way to fix the airplane and that a rescue flight was being organized in Guam. There was no exact timeline for when this flight would reach us or if the United corporate office would opt to put us up on the island for the night rather than send the plane in the dark. All of this was met with blank stares. I said a little prayer that the rescue flight would be the option they went with and I am pretty sure there were others saying the exact same prayer.

Using the WiFi in the Kwajalein airport terminal

Then the decision was made to move us to the ferry building because it was more secure. Some passengers inquired as to whether this new location had internet access and were quickly told “no”. This caused a small uproar because people were using the wifi to try and figure out flights and make contact with family members. But the pleas to stay in the terminal were met with “please board the bus”. We packed into the bus (which only held 32 people) over four trips and realized exactly where we were on the short drive to the ferry building. The island was beautiful. We passed a number of beaches and different living facilities. We passed a pool where kids were being given swimming lessons and saw a number of bicycles on the roads. Come to find out, bikes are the primary form of transportation on the main island.

The ferry terminal was a little more open than the airport’s building but had a lot less seating. In addition to the indoor area we were allowed to go back and forth to what I call “the yard”; A fenced in area, much like its namesake at prisons. Between talking with friends and other passengers, walking around outside, and eating, there was not much else to do but wait. And wait. And wait. Eventually a large number of pizzas and water were delivered and we all had the opportunity for multiples of each.

Kwajalein Ferry Terminal — Kwajalein ferry terminal conditions.

I had noticed that the crew from our flight had not come along with us but a pilot (Ryan) and two of the flight attendants did show up when the pizzas arrived and told us that they were getting their rest at the Kwajalein hotel, a facility that is off limits to those who do not have business on the island, aka, those of us on the flight. I had actually asked the lady sitting in the window seat on my row about what she thought would happen if we had to spend the night on Kwajalein. Her response was that they would probably ferry us over to another island called Ebeye where there is a small hotel. She then went into detail about Ebeye and gave me a piece of advice if we were sent there to spend the night, “pick up some small stones and carry them in your pockets, it will help to distract the stray dogs”. My mind filled with images of what this other island looked like. And a little bit of research shows that Ebeye is an example of what happens when money and power mix in way too strong of proportions. During the handing out of pizza and water an announcement was made that United had decided to send the rescue flight and that it was expected to land sometime near 1 or 2am.

Rescued

Around midnight local Kwajalein time we were told that we would be bused back to the airport. It is amazing how quickly people jumped up to try and get back on the bus first, even though we knew we would have to wait for multiple trips before we were boarded on the rescue plane. A short bus ride back in the dark and we were standing in a “check-in” line where we gave our names and boarding passes and checked off a list. We then went through a security screening. No PreCheck here. In fact, I had to surrender the water that had actually been handed out to us by the same people conducting the security check. As I threw my bottle in the trash one of the security officers looked at me and just shook his head, “I know, I know”. The best part was, after taking a seat and using the wifi to send out another quick update to loved ones, the same security officers brought a new case of the exact same water. The water did taste a little funny and the more I think about it, the more I think they were just getting rid of expiring rations.

Another hour in the terminal and a quick check of FlightAware showed that our chariot off this island was close. I strolled outside to watch the rescue flight land. There was a light, intermittent rain but in the distance I saw the landing lights of the 737-800 and shortly thereafter I watched it make a perfect landing. A quick refuel and boarding announcements were made, yep, they even boarded by group numbers. We were finally on our way to Kosrae.

Sort Of…

By this point in the trip I was teetering on delirium. I had not slept much since we started the Island Hopper flights and had only slept a few hours the night before in Honolulu. You can hear this listening to the episode we recorded while at different stops along the way. Near the end I am close to slurring my speech and not making a lot of sense. I even sent text messages to my wife that were incomprehensible, to the point that she asked me about them later.

On the flight to Kosrae I started to doze off in little cat naps since I could not get comfortable. During one of those cat naps I was startled awake when the pilot came on with an announcement. “Not to alarm anyone but we are beginning our descent into Kosrae. The runway here is shorter than most so the landing will be much more rough than you’re used to, just wanted you all to know.”

I am actually glad he gave the warning, it gave me time to watch the approach. We made a sweeping left turn and out of the window I saw runway lights. It was strange because the horizon sank into the ocean, there was no reference point for what was up or down. Seeing those runway lights made what I was (or wasn’t) seeing outside make a bit more sense. As we lined up for the final approach it felt as though we were landing into the abyss. The lack of light made it hard to distinguish the water from the sky and it wasn’t until we were just above the runway that I could tell how high we were.

The pilot was right, it was a hard landing with a lot of braking. We turned around at the end of the runway and taxied back to the terminal. Passengers who’s destination was Kosrae seemed relieved to have finally arrived as they left the airplane. We sat. And sat. And did some more sitting before they announced that they would be doing the security search of the ABC (port) side of the airplane. Those of us seated on that side of the airplane were asked to collect our bags and move to the DEF (starboard) side of the plane as security personnel searched the seats and looked for unclaimed luggage. After they were done we put our luggage back up and sat back down. It felt like a really long time but really it was only an hour and 20 minutes or so. Eventually the pilot made an announcement. The flight would be skipping Pohnpei and Chuuk. Due to the FAA having a waiver in place for the Island Hopper and our particular flight not being covered by that waiver since it was a rescue flight, our next stop would be Guam. The pilot was rather blunt, everyone was welcome to continue on to Guam but they would be stuck in Guam for a full day until the evening Island Hopper left. Then the security team at Kosrae announced that because we were going to Guam a full security check of the plane would need to be performed. They repeated what they did earlier, everyone from the ABC seats grabbed their luggage and moved to the DEF seats. Then, they repeated the steps on the DEF side. For a bunch of people who were really sleep deprived, it was really confusing.

To top it all off, the pilot made one last announcement, if the passengers that were on their way to Pohnpei or Chuuk got off on Kosrae, the plane that broke in Kwajalein would be stopping to pick them up and finish the Island Hopper since it had the original clearance. It would arrive in Kosrae around 4am and everyone who wanted to go to the last two islands before Guam would probably want to disembark here.

There was a bit of a ruckus as passengers tried to decide what to do. People started grabbing their luggage and making a b-line for the door. Some passengers felt very uneasy about getting off the plane and possibly being stuck on Kosrae should something occur (again) to the original plane we were on. After about twenty minutes it seemed that everyone who wanted to travel to the last two islands before Guam had left the airplane. Before Kosrae I actually had a small bit of hope that we would make it to Guam in time for me to catch the flight to Honolulu and then onward to Houston. I had given up on Hong Kong, I would have to wait an extra day to get there now and by that point it would be time to fly home. But now my possible connection to Honolulu was quickly becoming impossible. After two hours on Kosrae we were finally in the air again and headed for Guam.

I fell asleep almost immediately after takeoff. My body had finally had enough and just wanted to shut down for a little while. Next thing I knew the flight attendants were prepping the cabin for arrival and I was lucky to get a nice view of the sunrise over the island of Guam. A smooth landing and quick taxi to the gate and we were finally in Guam, 27 hours after leaving Honolulu.

Guam

I walked very quickly to customs where the agent asked where I came from. Honolulu? Well, kind of. I got off in Majuro and Kwajalein and we landed in Kosrae. Blank stare. “Ok, have a good stay.” Looking at my watch I knew I was going to miss the flight back to Honolulu.

I ran upstairs to the check-in area and gave a quick explanation to the agent of what had happened. At first she seemed to understand what I and my three friends wanted. A flight back home and to declare the trip a “trip-in-vain” since we never made it to Hong Kong. After having our passports and boarding passes for close to two hours and flights being removed from our itineraries, we got on the phone and were successful in getting an agent to get us rebooked. Kind of. She was able to rebook me but dropped flights for two of my friends. We were all getting frustrated but after four hours at that ticket counter we had a mostly usable rebooking. One of our friends was on standby to get to Tokyo, yet he had a confirmed seat from Tokyo back to the United States.

Seth calling the United 1K desk — Seth calling the mainland to get rebooked. We also know how much he weighs now.

We used the Priority Pass lounge at Guam for a quick shower and by then it was almost time to board the flight to Tokyo. We had a good crew on the flight north and it was actually one of the better meals I have had on United in a long time. There were artichoke hearts and hearts of palm in the salad. On such flights in the U.S. I am lucky to get a tomato in the salad. We were on time into Tokyo and made our way through the transit security checkpoint.

Meal on Guam to Tokyo — That meal I was raving about on the Guam to Tokyo flight

My flight to Houston was leaving shortly after our arrival into Tokyo so I gave my meal vouchers to my friends and I hear they enjoyed a nice meal of sushi.

The flight from Tokyo to Houston was uneventful. I was able to get a solid 9-10 hours of sleep and my body and mind were thankful. On arrival into Houston the Global Entry line was empty and I was home 30 minutes after landing and more than 72 hours after this whole thing started.

Thoughts

The crew on the original Island Hopper was fantastic and they did everything they could to try and make the situation as bearable as possible. The contract staff on Kwajalein did an excellent job as well, making sure that we were well fed and hydrated. They did the best they could with the conditions they were presented.

United on a whole did a rather poor job of handling all of the missed connections. In fact, the ground staff at Guam were unaware that our flight was so delayed. The agents at Guam were a mix of really helpful and trying and completely useless. It shouldn’t take four hours to rebook four people, ever. There was a flight to Tokyo that had cancelled and the agents were able to help every single one of those passengers in the time it took to process the four of us. That is ridiculous.

The agent issues aside, the trip was an experience. Sure it was a really tedious and grueling delay on Kwajalein but I am glad that my friends were there to experience it together. I can’t imagine going through the same delays and uncertainty without friends there to make the time pass. We even recorded a podcast during the Island Hopper, and there is a bit of a premonition about the possibility of a mechanical problem. The audio quality suffers a little as we were recording in a number of different locations, but it is fun to listen to the progression and hear just how delirious we are by the end of it.

If you are wanting to read about a successful Island Hopper journey, this trip report is a great place to start.

How to Harvest Christmas Trees

December 10, 2013 ssegraves

Watch this mesmerizing video of pilot Dan Clark, of Northwest Helicopters, LLC, moving harvested Christmas trees at Noble Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Oregon.

Incredible.

Below 10,000 Feet

November 11, 2013 ssegraves

As you probably know by now, the FAA now allows use of personal electronic devices from gate to gate. Each airline has to come up with their own policy and implementation plan and a number of have started doing just that. JetBlue, Delta, American, United, and others now allow personal electronic devices during all stages of flight and more airlines are sure to follow.

My personal experience with the new policy has been solely with United. The airline took around a week and a half to implement the policy and I flew with them the first day it was in place. The flight attendants were very upbeat about it and stated that the only two caveats were that heavier devices, computers mostly, needed to be stored for takeoff and landing, and, that all devices needed to be in airplane mode during flight. The ability to use the device for the entire flight felt a little strange. I usually carry a physical book for takeoff and landing, now I just need my iPad mini or Kindle and I’m set. It is one less thing in my bag and that is always welcome. I would also say that it must be a relief for the flight attendants to not have to walk around and police people’s hand movements or worse, make those announcements, you know, “The captain has informed me that a sensor in the cockpit shows 10 devices still being used”. We can also stop policing each other. Passengers no longer have to hide that they are using a device to listen to music, receiving an ugly glare from their seatmate.

If you are flying soon realize that some carriers have not yet implemented gate-to-gate policies, the Express arm of United is one example. Also know that for international flights, most countries and FAA like bodies have not approved electronic device usage below 10,000 feet. Keep all of this in mind if asked to turn off your device. Sure the flight attendant may not have received the memo but they could also be correct when asking you for your cooperation.*

*As I wrote this there was a passenger arguing with a flight attendant about turning off her laptop.

United MileagePlus Devaluation

November 3, 2013 ssegraves

I won’t go into the details of the changes to the MileagePlus reward charts, Seth has done a good job of that. The quick summary is this: United raised reward rates and in the case of rewards on partners, the numbers are really, really ugly. One example, a business class reward Mainland U.S. to Europe on United becomes 57.5k miles one way, which is not a bad increase, but a business class reward on a partner is now 70k miles one way. That’s a 40% premium over the original 50k mile one-way reward that has been the norm for a while.

There is a lot of speculation as to why United made these changes. Some point to the 3rd quarter 10Q and the liability mentioned for outstanding miles. While I am sure this is part of the reason, United also likely wanted to offset some of the costs that they are obligated for when a passenger redeems a partner reward.

Is the sky falling?

While the changes are definitely not great from a customer perspective, it is not the end of the world. You can still redeem reward trips for reasonable rates on United and Copa operated flights. I think the biggest negative is that for those of us in Houston or Denver (or even Los Angeles) our options to Europe are somewhat limited. People will be looking for the more affordable mileage option to their destination, meaning United metal. Without a lot of non-stop flights out of certain hubs to Asia and Europe you end up with a lot of people competing. So while the prices may not be restrictive, the availability may become very scarce. Some travelers will give up and pay the higher rate for a partner flight while others will look for different dates for their trip. I doubt there will be a mass exodus from United, but I am sure there are those, like me, who have started looking at other airline options.

One of the caveats of the rewards is that you can redeem partner flights at the United rate if the partner flight is in a lower cabin. So if you flying Houston-Frankfurt in United BusinessFirst, you can connect on Lufthansa in coach for the United redemption rate. While this is great for places like intra-Europe where business class is a coach seat with a nicer meal, it stinks for places you cannot get without a partner or where partner availability is scarce. I am thinking of Africa where you can get as far as Lagos in BusinessFirst but then what do you do? Or southern South America (Chile, etc.) where your options are really Copa or Avianca, the latter of which you will pay a premium for.

What to Do

I have received a couple of e-mails from Houston based flyers asking what they should do in the wake of the changes announced by United. I will be quite honest, I do not know what I am going to do. If you are a leisure traveler who was mileage running on United for miles and you are willing to hunt down United operated rewards, then I would say nothing should change for you. The 57.5k mile business class reward to Europe is still a good deal.

My travel revolves mostly around work and rewards were the bright spot of being on the road. I could redeem for a very nice trip for my wife and I and be happy. Keeping that same focus is probably my best course of action, even though I am tempted to jump ship to American Airlines. One thing holding me back is the impending merger of US Airways and American. We have no idea of what the results of that union are going to be, leaving me uncomfortable devoting a lot of my flying to either of those carriers. Once that becomes more clear, I will start thinking about my options again.

These changes certainly are not the end of the world and like Seth points out, there is an even more impactful devaluation in Northern South America upgrades, but United’s changes to the partner reward chart are certainly a kick in the gut. Sure, other Star Alliance airlines have different reward prices for flights on partners, but MileagePlus was United’s shining star. I have flown them weekly for the nearly the past three years and the product has suffered but I stayed loyal because I do like redeeming my MileagePlus miles and hardly had any problems doing so. I will have to see if that continues.

United has a pre-flight video that talks about reward travel with MileagePlus and how United has a vast network of destinations. They should leave that video but add a disclaimer at the beginning or end that lets people know they will be charged a premium to get to some of those destinations on partners.

Hitching a Ride on History

September 17, 2013 ssegraves

One of Lufthansa’s side projects is restoring vintage airframes and showing them off at airshows and museums. One of the airframes is a Junkers Ju-52 that saw service in Germany and Norway before being sold to Ecuador. An American bought the aircraft after that and in 1984 Lufthansa bought her back, restored her and now flies her on sightseeing trips. A while back I wrote about my desire to ride on this plane and during the summer I did just that.

Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung offers sightseeing flights and an option for point to point flights. The point to point flights take you from one airport in Germany to another, giving you a chance to explore some of the smaller airfields in the country. I decided to buy a ticket and a seat on one of the point to point offerings. Choosing the flight ended up being the challenge. Some of the airfields are merely grass strips with no nearby German rail stations, leaving passengers relying on taxis or family/friends to pick them up. The other issue is that a lot of the flying is done on weekdays. I needed to be in Germany on a Friday and back in New York City by Monday afternoon, again, limiting my choices on which flights I could take.

I found a flight from Köln to Egelsach, a small airfield south of Frankfurt, on a Sunday and booked it. I decided to fly Newark to Stuttgart since there was decent upgrade space available then take a train to Munich to visit friends, then take another train to drop my stuff at the Frankfurt airport and continue on to Köln on Sunday.

On arrival to Köln I did a little planespotting. They have a great visitor deck with three tiers of viewing space. Visitors get a great view of two of the runways, the passenger terminal area and tarmac and a perfect view of the cargo area. There were a number of families visiting and a ton of spotters (around 30-40).

The Ju-52 was actually doing a few sightseeing flights over Köln and it taxied out while I was on the viewing terrace. Everyone was in awe and the noise of camera shutters filled the air.

Eventually I walked over to the meeting place for the flight, the general aviation terminal, and collected my boarding pass. Soon all of the passengers were gathered and led through a quick security check before heading for the aircraft in vans. The pilots, flight engineer, and flight attendant were waiting for us and the passengers made their way around the plane for a quick set of pictures in the beautiful weather. The crew was trying to gather everyone and I was unable to take any good shots in Köln (more on this later).

The pilots gave an introduction, in German, of the plane and their experience, they are all Lufthansa pilots who do this for fun. Our crew today consisted of a 747 pilot and an A330 pilot. I did not catch what aircraft the flight engineer operated. My German is so-so and I have trouble following some conversations and when we boarded they started giving some very detailed descriptions of the safety procedures and I wasn’t able to follow all of it. I asked the flight attendant if she could give some of it in English. She apologized profusely and explained they don’t get a lot of non-German passengers on these flights. My hat is off to her for taking a few extra minutes to point out the finer details of what should be done in an emergency in English.

We taxied out and were off. The pilot took us on a bit of a scenic tour of the Rhine and overflew a small airfield on our way to Egelsbach, then he doubled back and gave a low pass to a large number of glider pilots and bystanders (all of whom seemed to have their cameras out). We continued on to Egelsbach and on the way the flight engineer left the cockpit and we were told we could visit the flight deck. I made my way forward and pilots handed me a headset and said they understood I spoke English. I asked a few questions and they pointed out the window that the weather was starting to deteriorate and that I should make my way back to my seat.

The entire flight experience was, put simply, incredible. The roar of the radial engines was drowned out a little bit by the modern insulation in the plane, but the noise was still fantastic. As we flew through light turbulence you could feel the plane react as the pilots compensated. Making wide turns you could feel the pilots working the pedals to make sure the turn was coordinated. It was classic stick and rudder flying and I think I was smiling the entire time.

The ceiling kept dropping and dropping. My understanding is that they can fly the aircraft purely on instruments but like to stay out of the clouds for the passenger experience (the entire flight we never really climbed higher than 1,500 feet). Eventually we flew by Mainz and Wiesbaden and made a wide sweeping turn to Egelsbach before making a pretty cool landing.

Junkers Ju-52 Landing at Egelsbach from Stephan Segraves on Vimeo.

The weather was terrible when we landed and I got some raindrops on the lens while trying to grab some photos of the Ju-52. None of the shots really came out the way I wanted and I am still kicking myself for not grabbing more photos while in Köln. If you have a love of aviation and aviation history I highly recommend you find a way to take a ride on this plane. From the cabin to the sound of the engines to the enthusiasm of the crew, the whole experience was fantastic. You can learn more about the rides and the aircraft itself by visiting the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung website.

I have shared some pictures below and will be uploading more as I have time. If you’d like, you can see the entire set by visiting it here, on Flickr. I should note, if you take this trip, don’t bring a backpack. There is very little room onboard, especially near your feet. You are much better served just bringing a camera.

Egelsbach Airport

Ju-52 Interior

Ju-52 Cockpit

Ju-52 Parked At Egelsbach

Air Travel Caste System – Or Not

August 26, 2013 ssegraves

The New York Times published a piece on the state of air travel. More specifically, the state of air travel on United Airlines. While the piece tries to paint with a broad brush, equating the mix and match products the airlines now offer to a socioeconomic riff in American society, it leaves out some basic facts, including airline ticket prices are at all time lows. In fact, this article by The Atlantic pretty much debunks the New York Times article and explains why fees, to a certain extent, are a good thing.

There are a few notable quotes in the New York Times piece, including this one.

The American credo has always been a strange, contradictory one: adamant about the right to differential outcomes of wealth and privilege, and adamant about the right to fairness and equal treatment. In aviation, that used to mean different food in first class and economy, perhaps, but food of some sort for all. Different baggage allowances, perhaps, but some bags allowed for everyone. Different degrees of intimacy in the customer service, perhaps, but a universal right to speak to a real person when aggrieved.

What is changing today is the erosion of the idea of a common minimum experience — in air travel, to be sure, but not only there.

While benign at first, it seems this quote’s purpose is to accuse United of getting rid of food in coach and starting bag fees for customers. Sure, the base product of just about every airline has been reduced to a very simple offering, a seat between point A and point B. At the same time, the prices for those tickets have come down but the author is complaining he has to buy a $12 sandwich in the airport.

I think The Atlantic hit the nail on the head when it comes to fees.

Why do we hate fees if they keep basic prices low? Because we’re Americans, Heimlich said: “It’s the American way to want a product approaching first-class for a price approaching zero.” But cultural selfishness doesn’t explain all of it. Bargain-hunters experience a dopamine rush (literally) when they find great prices. The drip-drip of additional fees mutes the joy of finding a great price. They kill our buzz.

Do I think air travel has been degraded in the past 20 years? Only in terms of comfort for the sake of price. Sure, I would love to be comfortable, but I don’t want to pay what that would cost.

A Nice Day for Spotting

July 16, 2013 ssegraves

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to spot at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and was able to get some fantastic shots. I have shared below the international departures that I was able to catch.

Chasing An Antique Flight

April 17, 2013 ssegraves

Before I took the trip to Berlin a few weeks ago, one of my readers suggested I try to get a flight on a Junkers Ju-52. To be honest, I did not even know such flights existed. I started poking around the website that I had been sent and found a very large schedule for this year (German).

The Ju-52 has a storied history, being one of the early commercial aircraft for the new airline Luft Hansa, now known as Lufthansa. Being able to enjoy a ride on such an amazingly well restored piece of history is on my bucket list, if you can call my list of travel wishes a “bucket list”.

My mission to fly on the Ju-52 started in earnest immediately after being informed of the service and realizing that it would not be possible during the Berlin trip. I have now started looking at multiple dates and options for hitching a ride on the trimotor. The best prices to get to Europe are in May, but the Ju-52 schedule that month is not very good. I have started exploring options in June and July but due to the summer demand, the transatlantic prices make it difficult to justify the trip.

I will continue to watch the airline prices and if for some reason the prices drop, tickets will be purchased in a flash. The Ju-52 schedule is unique in that it doesn’t just offer sightseeing flights but also point to point flights as they move the aircraft around Germany. I would love to get in a couple of destinations. While pricey, it would be completely worth it to fly on such a beautiful piece of history.

photo by: bagalute

Lufthansa’s New Entertainment Option – In Testing

January 24, 2013 ssegraves

On Monday I flew Lufthansa between Budapest and Munich on one of their Airbus 320 aircraft (registration D-AIPP). When I sat down I started looking through their magazine and noticed an extra insert in the seatback pocket. On the insert was a description of the new in-flight entertainment system that is being tested and how to use it on this particular flight. I read through and downloaded the required application for my iPhone, called “my mediaworld”, to test it out. I registered the application (required before using the system) and was all set.

The system works off of a wireless signal that starts transmitting as the aircraft passes through 10,000 feet. You select the network and launch the app. You are presented with a number of options including WatchEnjoy (television, movies, etc.), ListenRelax (music, spoken work), eJournals (newspapers, magazines), and FlyLufthansa (flight information).

I played with each of the options just to see what was provided. The only one that did not really work for me was the magazines and periodicals section. I could never get it to actually load. I ended up selecting a movie to watch and it immediately started playing. The video quality was great and there was no lagging video artifacts that one usually sees with streaming video.

When I watched a few of the TV shows, they were only in German and there was no option to for subtitles. Not having subtitles was a little disappointing, but they are a German airline so having such content isn’t all that surprising.

The video quality was just as good as what you would have if you downloaded the content yourself.

There is also an inflight moving map that shows your current position and a few flight statistics. The application launches the web browser, in my case Safari, and presents the flight data and map there. Great information if you’re an aviation nerd like me.

One of the neatest features is that when an announcement is being made over the aircraft’s intercom, the system pauses the content you are in. I was still a little sick and could not hear well enough to tell if the sound from the intercom was being piped through my headphones as well.

Overall it’s a very cool system and if this is the direction that United is headed with their inflight entertainment, passengers will be very happy. The only concern I had with the Lufthansa system was the lack of power ports in their short haul product. If you are doing some of their longer flights on a short haul aircraft, there are no power ports. Heck, even on Lufthansa’s new A380, there are no power ports in coach, meaning you’ll only be able to watch content until you run out of juice.

This really is the future of inflight entertainment and it’s good news for passengers. No more giant content boxes under the seat in front of you, no more watching movies on a tiny screen three rows in front of you, and no more watching the same content over and over on a loop.

Next time you are on a Lufthansa flight, be sure and check the inflight magazine, you may just have a wireless content delivery system installed on the aircraft (currently, this particular A320 is the only one with the system)! Also, I have included a few more screenshots of the product below. Lufthansa also has a full description of the “my mediaworld” system and available content on their website.

Air China Comes to Houston

December 23, 2012 ssegraves

Update 1/15/2013

Air China has made an official announcement. The service will start on July 11, 2013, pending government approval.

Update 1/9/2013

The route was pulled from Air China’s systems not too long after I posted this. However, there are rumors that a private event at the Chinese Consulate in Houston January 15 will be centered around this service. Stay tuned to see what comes out of that event next week!
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Though there has not been a formal announcement from the Houston Airport System nor from Air China, it is now clear from airline schedule information that Air China will begin Beijing-Houston non-stop service in July of 2013. The 4x weekly schedule currently has the flight leaving Beijing at 3pm and arriving in Houston at 3:40pm local time on the same day. The return flight will depart IAH at 1:30am and arrive in Beijing at 5am local time the next day.

Air China is a part of the Star Alliance so the new route will link up perfectly with United’s domestic network out of IAH. This is also a great way to connect to destinations in Asia. Air China serves a large number of Asian destinations out of Beijing and if connecting to another country, there is a 72-hour transit without visa option to get out and see Beijing.

The route will be served by Air China’s new Boeing 777-300ER, with three cabins of service, first, business, and economy. The first class seat is a suite like product configured in a 1-2-1 layout. From the photos it looks like quite the upgrade from what Air China used to offer. You can tour the cabin by watching the video below. The business class seat on the 777-300ER is pretty much identical to what United installed on their ex-Continental international aircraft, a lie-flat seat with a large entertainment screen. And lastly, economy class is configured in a 3-3-3 arrangement with a new inflight entertainment system and a footrest.

It is great to have another international carrier out of Houston and when added to Turkish’s new service starting April, Intercontinental will have thirteen foreign carriers providing flights.