matt1168
01-02-2004, 07:44 PM
This is PART II of my EWR-FLL-EWR trip:
FLIGHT- 1508
DATE- 12/31/03
AIRCRAFT- B752
SEAT- 3D
DEPATURE AIRPORT- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
ARRIVAL AIRPORT- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE- 4:00 PM
DEPARTURE GATE- D5
ACTUAL DEPARTURE- 3:50 PM
ACTUAL TIME WHEELS OFF GROUND- 4:00 PM
CRUISING ALTITUDE- 32,000 Ft.
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL- 6:54 PM
ARRIVAL GATE- B46
ACTUAL ARRIVAL- 6:44 PM
ACTUAL TIME WHEELS ON GROUND- 6:38 PM
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 4.5/5
Getting to the Airport
After a long sleep, a quick trip to the bank, and a good breakfast, I got in my cousin's 1994 Jeep Cherokee on my way to the airport, at 1:45 PM. There was no traffic on the Florida Turnpike, and the 20 or so miles to the airport exit was a breeze. Since it was a weekday, there was construction going on (what else is new :roll: there) at the airport, and traffic approaching the airport on I-595 was a bit slow. When we got off the freeway, onto the long and twisty road to the terminal, there were cops doing "spot checks" of all cars; luckily we were not checked out. The traffic going to the terminal was SO bad that it took us 15 minutes to get from T1 to T2 (a distance of about 300 feet) :lol: . I finally got there and jumped out of the car, saying bye to my cousin (and uncle who was in the back) and entering the terminal.
Check-in, Security, and in the airport
I decided to use one of the Self-Service Kiosks for check-in (there were about 15 of them :shock:. Sadly, when I went up to one it said Out Of Order, so I went ot one with a line. The man in front of me was having alot of trouble and couldn't figure it out, so I just said screw-it and went over to the regular check-in desk. There was a short line, and overall, Check-in took 10 minutes (not too bad :wink: ). I got my boarding pass, changed my seat from 3C-3D (just for the hell of it) and proceded on to security. On my way to security, I ran into one of my old friends, who I hadn't seen for 5 years!! :clap: He was there to pick up his daughter who was coming from Boston. We exchanged numbers, and I went on to security, where there was a long line. After they checked my boarding passes about 15,000 times :lol: I got to the screener, who frisked me, checked my shoes 3 times, and opened my bag. After finally getting to the concourse, I had some time to kill, so I grabbed a slice of pizza, bought a magazine, and went to take some pictures... finding that I had left my camera at my uncle's house :x . I looked out the window and spotted: A Jetblue 320, A DL 767 (going to ATL), and a Southwest 737. They started boarding my flight, and I was in Zone 1, so I went to the gate and boarded the plane.
The Flight
I was in the third row from the front (exactly the oppisite of my first flight) of the plane, in the small cabin that would normally be first class. As we boarded, the FA's handed out 2004 glasses and hats :lol . The cabin filled up, and a very nice woman was in the seat next to me. I overhead the man in the first row talking to an FA while the plane was boarding about Southeast Airlines :lol: . It turns out I am NOT the only Southeast Airlines Buff :lol: . I joined the conversation, and was shocked to hear the FA (the head FA on the flight) say that Southeast was one of Song's biggest competitors!!!!!!! We talked about planes for a little while, until pushback, when the FA told me to return to my seat. After the safety briefing and the "hello from the flight deck" I found something out... both captains were female, and all the FA's were male :shock: . Anyway, we taxied to 9L, waited while a CO 757 landed, and then held on the runway for 20 seconds. We took off to the east, over the beach, and turned to the north, entering the clouds. Takeoff was smooth, and after the 10,000 foot mark, the in flight service started. I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich (again), and talked to the woman next to me for a couple of minutes. After we reached cruising altitude (32,000 ft.), I decided to get up and take a walk through the cabin. I squeezed past the beverage cart and food cart, and found that the rear cabin had probably less than 45 people in it, if even that!! There were 48 people in the front cabin!!! I thought about taking an empty row toward the back of the plane, but then decided against it, since it was too loud back there. Going back up front, I got held up by the 2 carts, and had to sit in seat 33D for about 2 minutes while the FA's finished up. There was little turbulence when I got back to my seat, but overall the flight was smooth. I talked to the FA some more, and before I knew it, we began our long descent into EWR. After the FA's came around once more for all trash items and we passed the 10,000 foot mark, I made a mad dash to the bathroom, and when I came out found the FA's already sitting :wink: .
It was completely dark out by now, and the FA's came on the loudspeaker and said "only 5 hours and 35 minutes left of 2003!" For landing (my fav. part of the flight) I took a window seat- 7F, which had just been abandoned by a heavyset man. We finally passed the Newark skyline, crossed over the NJ Turnpike's exit 14 ramp, and then flew about 100 feet above the economy parking lot, before slamming down on the runway, for a rough landing. The FA's did their "welcome to Newark" thing, and then made everybody on the plane promise they would fly Song, by putting your hand on your heart and making a New Years Resolution :roll: . For some reason, the FA's played that Graduation song (what the hell is that called?) over the loudspeaker, and we arrived at gate B46. I went downstairs to get my bag (which took an hour :x :roll: ), and then got back on the AirTrain Monorail. I waited 20 minutes at the crowded Newark Airport Train Station and boarded a full North Jersey Coast Line Train, where I had to stand for 30 minutes with my bag (never doing that again). I finally got back to my mom's at around 8:30, where I changed and rushed to a New Years Party in Philadelphia; I got there at 10:30.
FLIGHT- 1508
DATE- 12/31/03
AIRCRAFT- B752
SEAT- 3D
DEPATURE AIRPORT- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
ARRIVAL AIRPORT- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
SCHEDULED DEPARTURE- 4:00 PM
DEPARTURE GATE- D5
ACTUAL DEPARTURE- 3:50 PM
ACTUAL TIME WHEELS OFF GROUND- 4:00 PM
CRUISING ALTITUDE- 32,000 Ft.
SCHEDULED ARRIVAL- 6:54 PM
ARRIVAL GATE- B46
ACTUAL ARRIVAL- 6:44 PM
ACTUAL TIME WHEELS ON GROUND- 6:38 PM
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 4.5/5
Getting to the Airport
After a long sleep, a quick trip to the bank, and a good breakfast, I got in my cousin's 1994 Jeep Cherokee on my way to the airport, at 1:45 PM. There was no traffic on the Florida Turnpike, and the 20 or so miles to the airport exit was a breeze. Since it was a weekday, there was construction going on (what else is new :roll: there) at the airport, and traffic approaching the airport on I-595 was a bit slow. When we got off the freeway, onto the long and twisty road to the terminal, there were cops doing "spot checks" of all cars; luckily we were not checked out. The traffic going to the terminal was SO bad that it took us 15 minutes to get from T1 to T2 (a distance of about 300 feet) :lol: . I finally got there and jumped out of the car, saying bye to my cousin (and uncle who was in the back) and entering the terminal.
Check-in, Security, and in the airport
I decided to use one of the Self-Service Kiosks for check-in (there were about 15 of them :shock:. Sadly, when I went up to one it said Out Of Order, so I went ot one with a line. The man in front of me was having alot of trouble and couldn't figure it out, so I just said screw-it and went over to the regular check-in desk. There was a short line, and overall, Check-in took 10 minutes (not too bad :wink: ). I got my boarding pass, changed my seat from 3C-3D (just for the hell of it) and proceded on to security. On my way to security, I ran into one of my old friends, who I hadn't seen for 5 years!! :clap: He was there to pick up his daughter who was coming from Boston. We exchanged numbers, and I went on to security, where there was a long line. After they checked my boarding passes about 15,000 times :lol: I got to the screener, who frisked me, checked my shoes 3 times, and opened my bag. After finally getting to the concourse, I had some time to kill, so I grabbed a slice of pizza, bought a magazine, and went to take some pictures... finding that I had left my camera at my uncle's house :x . I looked out the window and spotted: A Jetblue 320, A DL 767 (going to ATL), and a Southwest 737. They started boarding my flight, and I was in Zone 1, so I went to the gate and boarded the plane.
The Flight
I was in the third row from the front (exactly the oppisite of my first flight) of the plane, in the small cabin that would normally be first class. As we boarded, the FA's handed out 2004 glasses and hats :lol . The cabin filled up, and a very nice woman was in the seat next to me. I overhead the man in the first row talking to an FA while the plane was boarding about Southeast Airlines :lol: . It turns out I am NOT the only Southeast Airlines Buff :lol: . I joined the conversation, and was shocked to hear the FA (the head FA on the flight) say that Southeast was one of Song's biggest competitors!!!!!!! We talked about planes for a little while, until pushback, when the FA told me to return to my seat. After the safety briefing and the "hello from the flight deck" I found something out... both captains were female, and all the FA's were male :shock: . Anyway, we taxied to 9L, waited while a CO 757 landed, and then held on the runway for 20 seconds. We took off to the east, over the beach, and turned to the north, entering the clouds. Takeoff was smooth, and after the 10,000 foot mark, the in flight service started. I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich (again), and talked to the woman next to me for a couple of minutes. After we reached cruising altitude (32,000 ft.), I decided to get up and take a walk through the cabin. I squeezed past the beverage cart and food cart, and found that the rear cabin had probably less than 45 people in it, if even that!! There were 48 people in the front cabin!!! I thought about taking an empty row toward the back of the plane, but then decided against it, since it was too loud back there. Going back up front, I got held up by the 2 carts, and had to sit in seat 33D for about 2 minutes while the FA's finished up. There was little turbulence when I got back to my seat, but overall the flight was smooth. I talked to the FA some more, and before I knew it, we began our long descent into EWR. After the FA's came around once more for all trash items and we passed the 10,000 foot mark, I made a mad dash to the bathroom, and when I came out found the FA's already sitting :wink: .
It was completely dark out by now, and the FA's came on the loudspeaker and said "only 5 hours and 35 minutes left of 2003!" For landing (my fav. part of the flight) I took a window seat- 7F, which had just been abandoned by a heavyset man. We finally passed the Newark skyline, crossed over the NJ Turnpike's exit 14 ramp, and then flew about 100 feet above the economy parking lot, before slamming down on the runway, for a rough landing. The FA's did their "welcome to Newark" thing, and then made everybody on the plane promise they would fly Song, by putting your hand on your heart and making a New Years Resolution :roll: . For some reason, the FA's played that Graduation song (what the hell is that called?) over the loudspeaker, and we arrived at gate B46. I went downstairs to get my bag (which took an hour :x :roll: ), and then got back on the AirTrain Monorail. I waited 20 minutes at the crowded Newark Airport Train Station and boarded a full North Jersey Coast Line Train, where I had to stand for 30 minutes with my bag (never doing that again). I finally got back to my mom's at around 8:30, where I changed and rushed to a New Years Party in Philadelphia; I got there at 10:30.