Things in the Sky

Ah, finally, the end of the trip report.

For some reason or another I woke up a bit before four in the morning. Before going back to bed, I went out onto the balcony and could see the glow of the Miami coastline, which was just beautiful. Sadly, none of my photos came out too well.

Anyway, I got up a bit after six to finish up some packing and get my final meal onboard, which is always sad. After that, it was back to the cabin again, and then to the priority departure lounge that I talked about earlier. The lounge closed down at 8, but our luggage tag color was called right before then, so then it was time to make that sad walk down the gangway.

The luggage situation in the terminal wasn’t the best. Basically, when we got to the carosel it was filled with bags from color groups called before us, so those working didn’t exactly have much space to put new bags down onto the belt. So, it took roughly 40 minutes to collect all of our luggage. Then, it was time for a painless customs check that took only a few seconds, and then we waited for the car service.

The car arrived right on time despite part of 95 being closed down. Unfortunately, this really slowed down our ride back to Fort Lauderdale, but we had plenty of time to get to our flight on time. The driver was really great though.

We walked into the terminal a few minutes after 10 to find this long line for check-in, but it moved pretty quickly. After looking at the luggage tags, it looks like that there were plenty of cruise passengers from Miami, and I believe Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas was in Fort Lauderdale.

Allegiant’s way of saving money? (Used in lieu of traditional signage behind the check-in desk.)

Soon enough it was time for security, which went pretty well except that I was told to remove my laptop from my bag despite it saying “checkpoint friendly” in big letters on it. After I went through, one TSA agent asked me why I took my laptop out. Grrr. I know it’s not a huge issue, but it just annoys me as in this case people are buying something extra to get through security faster. Anyway…

We were in the terminal a bit after 11, which provided plenty of time to wait and walk around. Unfortunately, the terminal that Southwest uses (T1B) really isn’t the best.  There are some food places and a couple of shops right after security, but other than that it’s pretty much a big rectangle full of seats. At least it provided some nice views of departing traffic.

Another nice perk is that FLL has free Wi-Fi, and that was complimented nicely by the abundance of power outlets that Southwest provides in its new boarding areas. Sadly, one charging table wasn’t working, but after I told the gate agent someone was there to fix it very quickly.

Eventually it was time to board, and I was very happy the gate agents stressed staying in order.

Southwest Flight #2178
May 30, 2009
Depart Ft. Lauderdale (FLL): 2:31 PM
Arrive Orlando (MCO): 3:12 PM
Duration:  0:41
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700
Seat: 15F

We ended up choosing this flight because the timing of the nonstops weren’t the best, so this one-stop through Orlando made sense.

Boarding went well, and since I was the first regular passenger I was able to talk with some A-List members. Those who were aware of it love the priority security loved it, and other really appreciated the priority check-in at PHX (it’s currently in testing). So, hopefully the program is working for Southwest.

I plopped down in 15F, the flight attendants took drink orders, and we pushed back right on time at 1:40. Sadly, we had to wait 50 minutes to take off. But, at least I saw some interesting things, like the US Airways PSA livery and I think the only Saab 340 painted in the new Northwest colors.

Eventually we took off.

Sadly, the ride was pretty bumpty, so the flight attendants weren’t able to give out drinks and snacks. Oh well. Soon enough we were arrived in Orlando. We could have moved around to a new seat, but since the exit row was taken we stayed put.

Southwest Flight #2178
May 30, 2009
Depart Orlando (MCO): 3:49 PM
Arrive Providence (PVD): 6:03 PM
Duration:  2:14
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700
Seat: 15F

Boarding started pretty quickly, and sadly, an annoying kid who liked kicking the seat was behind me. Oh well. We took off at 3:49, which was pretty impressive considering we had parked at the gate only about a half hour ago.

The flight was pretty much your basic Southwest flight. Soon after departure, snacks were given out.

Soon enough, we were getting near Rhode Island.

I believe that this is the elusive “Mystery Farm.”

In the end, we landed at 6:03, and parked a few minutes later, so we had arrived on time. Nice.

I just want to point out one more improvement at PVD – the new ramps! Before, you had to walk back to the security checkpoint and then go down to the baggage claim, now there are ramps that take passengers directly there, which is nice.

And then…it was time for the post-cruise depression to set in.