I don’t have a lot to contribute here. My work doesn’t require a lot of travel. I do have a unique flight experience.
Maybe some of the Midwest/Chicago guys have taken this flight. It’s a twin-engine turboprop (smaller than the old RJ Bombardiers) that files from MDW to Manistee and back once a day. If you can arrange ground travel, you can be in the clubhouse at Arcadia Bluffs approximately 30 minutes after landing. The landing my pilot performed in Manistee was kind of like the sideways landing pilots used to have to perform at the old Hong Kong airport. (I think it was HK?). Anway, it’s definitely unique.
This was an awesome pod @Tron@Randy any chance we can circle back and recap grocery stores at some point? Maybe too close to favorite food of 2021, topic-wise?
I like the Denver airport, all things considered. I only take the train to/from now—it’s so much nicer than driving and parking (and way cheaper too). Also, flying Delta is the best—can use the Bridge security right to Terminal A and not worry about the tram and cluster around main security (TSA Pre-check was also a life-changing investment this year for me).
Having lived in Cincy and Jax Beach for a while though, I’m numb to airports out of the way.
Once my older siblings got drivers licenses, my parents would make them schlep the car(s) to the cabin. My parents and I got to fly those to Traverse City.
Cherry Capital Airport was next to an Arby’s with the huge old cowboy hat sign and a mini-golf course.
I had a similar experience this summer flying CapeAir from ACK to BOS. Either you will love it (like i did) or you will hate it (like my wife did).
I knew we would be in for a different type of experience when ALL passengers and ALL bags needed to be weighed at check in, including my son’s backpack that was less than 10 pounds.
The ground crew and the pilot were adjusting the position of our backpacks before the flight to ensure balance. A passenger sat in the co-pilot’s seat and listened to the comms.
This Cessna seemed like the same plane that Nick the Stick flew the boys to Barnbougle in TS1.
Cool experience for me and my kids, but my wife won’t be up for that type of flight again. Edit: it didn’t help that a CapeAir flight crashed in PTown a few days after our flight.
Really? Grew up in Pgh, played soccer all my life and we always had to travel to Ohio, Eastern PA, and VA for tournaments. Not enough flat land to put together truly massive sports complexes like you see in the MW and coastal areas. We used to play a tourney at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton. Literally hundreds of soccer fields in between the runways. I wonder if there’s one that was built after I finished HS.
PIT as a home airport was pretty great b/c it has the capacity/space for a much busier hub but receives a fraction of the traffic. Sometimes a little eerie with how quiet/empty such a large space can be. It’s a tad out of the way, but Pittsburgh car traffic is so minimal it’s usually nbd.
That’s fair. I would like it a lot more if I could take the train easily, but it’s not really possible. The couple times I’ve gone to the airport from downtown have been great with the train. I also haven’t flown on anything but United or Southwest in years, so the bridge is not an option.
Flew in something similar from Key West to Fort Myers once. Didn’t get a headset, but the Pilot’s warning of everything here works so don’t touch anything was a bit surprising to say the least.
Also, I was so hungover from being in Key West for the week prior that the warmth of the sun combined with noise and gentle rocking motion led to me passing the f-out about 5 minutes after takeoff. Slept like a baby, but it might have dashed any potential desire I have to learn to fly.
Weighing all the bags and people reminds me of the super old Top Gear episode where May and Hammond raced Clarkson and one of the legs was in a Cessna 182 flown by May; he had to tell Hammond to stop jostling about so much in the back while they were in the air.
Smoothest flight I’ve ever had. Game changing life experience. The experience of flying was so much more immersive. Having the virtually 360* view, hearing the coms, watching a pilot perform, the list goes on. Just mind blowingly awesome.
Like I said, I haven’t flown any other private aircraft but the SF50 was extraordinarily comfortable and chic for its size and apparent price point.
The Polaris lounges are in a completely different class than other domestic carrier lounges as you said. Granted you have to be flying international business to have access but that’s the point. I’ve enjoyed the visits i’ve had to them.
Now regular United lounges, yeah, they’re meh, but that’s almost every US carriers lounges.
Interestingly enough we had this as a family topic of conversation with family in Ohio, Detroit, and parents and us major travelers out of Dallas.
Some interesting conclusions from folks that fly different airlines and all have high status levels:
-If you have good status (ie…Platinum or higher on AA…although that is getting less and less meaningful) you like your airline or at least tolerate it. And most likely you like the airports where the airlines that you have status on are some sort of a hub you like better than not.
-Surprised that other frequent travelers dont know that both ATL and DEN have security checkpoints that are not part of the main gigantic checkpoints at both spots.
-All of us agreed on the Delta is running things better than AA, United, etc. Agreed that SW is straight down the middle if you are of status on the other mains…you know what you are getting…there are some good things…and some bad things…but no hate for SWA.
-Also Delta and their hub airports are great…MSP, SLC, DTW.
-And funny seems like everyone hates MCO, MCI, CLT, LAX, LGA, LAS, etc.
I’ve found the opposite to be true. Living/flying out of a hub kinda stinks. I was Exec Plat on AA for years living in L.A., and and it was touch and go for every single upgrade, because there were so many other Exec Plats in the city, most of whom flew on the company’s dime. Especially the flights to NYC, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, good luck getting an upgrade as an Exec Plat, and as a regular Plat, lol.
On the other hand, flying out of Vegas, just being a lifetime Gold, I get upgrades at an incredible rate, because it’s a smaller city, with wildly less business travel. And still there are direct flights almost anywhere you want to go. It’s amazing.
Wouldn’t it be more useful to just look at how many passengers an airport serves annually than metro F500 revenue? PHX is a busy ass airport. ATL is the busiest in the US.
Thoughts on a few airpots from the last year or so.
MRY (Monterey, CA) - Great little airport. All small airports should be like this.
SEA - Train to Seattle is clutch. Going to Tacoma it’s nice that it’s not closer to Seattle.
MKE - Nice mid size airport
DSM (Des Moines) - Not great. So crowded.
SLC - Being in the far terminal suuuuuuucks. Holy shit that is a long walk and I thought I was lost 2 times but was actually going the correct way.
DEN - The construction really sucks. Train to downtown is real nice though.
EUG - Nice small airport
