April 1st, 2001
Daytona Beach Florida
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
1:30am

Awaking from my 2.5 hours of sleep in my dorm, I got ready for my 6:25am flight. Now this is a bit early for me to be waking up, but sometimes you do what you gotta do to get home.

I just finished teh Flight Exploration camp at ERAU. It was very enjoyable. Everyone was out partying that night (in their dorms) but I was sleeping as I needed to get some rest before comming home. After waking up, and getting a phone call from friends in ATL, I took a shower, got dressed, and got ready to go.

I stoped by Adam's room around 2:15 or so. Hanging out there with everyone else, I felt a tad bit overdressed.

Around 2:45, James, the RA living in the dorm next to me stoped by and was ready to take me to the place where the DOTS shuttle was going to pick me up to take me to MCO. They never showed up, and by 4:30, I was pissed. After making call after call to them, I got through. They said that they went out there twice. I was like "I didnt see you at all." They went to a different stop than I went to.

I was pissed. I managed to get a cab to take me the few miles across the road to the terminal of DAB. I was hoping to purchase an ID90 on Delta for the 6:30 flight into ATL. The sad thing is that even with my eligable letter, Delta wouldnt help me.  

Calling for another cab, I took that down to the office of DOTS. Somehow, the original driver that took me to ERAU on the 26th, didnt give me a return ticket. I ended up having to purchase another one. So far this day hadnt gone at all right.

I was so tired when I was on that bus, that I managed to curl up and sleep for the 2 hour drive into Orlando Airport. It is a long and boring ride.   Im glad that I got some more rest.

"Now, im here" I though to my self. "Ok, now what do I do?" I missed the one flight that was looking good into DEN, and I wanted to avoid ORD. I walked over to the IAD flight. It was a 727. Out there in the nice morning sun, it sparkled. A real friendly agent helped me with my quest to get back to the bay area. This was my first experience with the new U N I T E D. She and I laughed, and joked. She told me that I could probably get on the 8:55 flight to Denver, and then take the 777 to San Francisco. With that, I was listed on UA425, and UA289.

United Airines flight 425
Depart MCO at 8:55am
Arrive DEN at 10:05am
Airbus A320
N457UA (4657)
Seat 1C, United First

I was the second standby called; right after a non-reving pilot. I boarded with the group of passengers boarding at that time. Jumping into my seat, there was a very friendly black man sitting at the window. In many ways, he resembled my good friend UALfa@jfk. He works for Soney and was transiting to Onterio California.

I noticed that the morale of the crew was very high on this trip. When the flight attendant asked me what I would like as a pre-departure beverage, I asked for a diet coke. After doing something else, she said "Short term memory loss...what do you want again?" We chuckled...and I told her again.  

The door closed, and we pushed back right on time. With the start of the engines, and the showing of the famous and rare United safety video we were on our way to DEN.

Today's flight was 100% full enroute to DEN. I was glad that I was not stuck in a middle in coach. Once airborn, the flight attendant asked me what I'll be drinking, and I said "Remember what I had one the ground?"
She responded, "yes"
Me:  
Her:   Ok sweetie!

The movie Shrek was shown. Silly me, I was watching it on the spanish translation for 10 mins with out realizing it. I just thought that they were talking funny.

When breakfast came around, I ordered the egg dish. It had a side of fruit as well as a crossant. It was pretty good. I've had better. It did fill me up, as I hadnt had food since i've been up.

I began talking with the flight attendant just casually, on my way to the restroom. She wanted to know what I did for United, and I told her what my dad does. I did tell her that I want to be a flight attendant. At this point, Dana, one of the other flight attendants came up from the back. Dana and I talked abuot flying, as she is going after becomming a commercial pilot. She is sick of being a flight attendant, and she brosed through my log book.

Dana and I ended up talking for the rest of the flight. She was a real nice person. Little Dave here didnt leave the plane empty handed. I got a phone number! But we are just friends...and besides, Im only 16.  

We landed in the Sunny Denver. That is a first for me. Everytime that I've gone to the new Denver Airport, it has been cloudy, rainy, or snowy. I seem to have a way of shutting it down when ever I pass through it.

United Airlines flight 289
departs DEN at 11:49
arrives SFO at 1:10
Boeing 777-222ER
N785UA (2785)
United First, seat 3J

I was the last standby called, as when United is working a widebody international plane, if there is a chance that I'll get first, they will clear all of the people junior to me first. Those people include, but are not limited to ID90s, Buddy Pass riders, BP8Bs and then employees, dependents and parents. 12 years of seniority is becomming a good thing I guess. When you dont have it, you miss it.

When I entered the plane, it was through door 2L. One of the flight attendants was there wearing these glasses with fake eyes in them. I just about broke out laughing. It was quite ammusing. The purser was there, then he started to laugh at me. I can tell that everyone's morale was a lot higher. Passing right through the business class galley, I mossied on it to first. Opened one of the overhead bins above the suite, and placed my roller, tote, as well as a small shopping back in the bins.

This is my second experience with the first suite. I must say that this time I was much more impressed with it than last time. Maybe it was because I had been up for almost 12 hours by this time in the day.

For those of you who have not experiened the suite, it folds down into a 6 foot flat bed. The side armest folds down, and the PTV extends out of the front of the buldge in the suite. There is a little reading light that hooks on to the seat.

The chair moves foreward as you recline it. When you click the button to make it in to a bed, it scoots foreward..all of the way.

When the safety demo was preformed, the flight attendant doing the demo in first, was amusing. When the life vest demo was shown, she made this hissing sound when the puser said "inflate by pulling down on these red tabs." I craked up.   Another plus for United  

I got the last lunch. It was a chicken sandwich. I ate about half of it, then the f/a took it away. At that moment, my window shades came down, shoes off, blanket out, and the seat into a bed. I was out. At that point, the day had started to catch up with me. Sleeping felt great.

I woke up a few mins before the seat belt sign came on. Got out of bed, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I asked the f/a how long I was out for. She said "Oh a good 45 mins." I told her about my day and she was shocked.

When we were preparing to land, I was looking out of the window. I saw my place of work in fremont. 5 mins later, we were on the ground in SFO. With a quick taxi to gate 86, we deplained, and I was home...well my dad met me at international departures. After that, I was home.

On the way home, we stoped by the United ticket office in Palo Alto. I needed to run in there to purchase an ID90 for my return. This would bring me to Daytona Beach, which is not served by United. Since I had my doubts that the agent did the ID90 correctly, I took it up to the airport the next day for inspection by DeltaSFO.

He looked at it for a few mins, then said that it was valid. After checking the loads, it was looking like I was going to have some problems getting back to Embry-Riddle on Delta. A friend of mine had given me 2 r/t DL buddy passes, and I opted to use them to get me out on the night of the 2nd, instead of the morning of the 3rd.

Delta Airlines flight 384
departs SFO at 11:50am
arrives ATL at 7:23am
Boeing 767-300
Economy, seat 42G

I came back to SFO that night around 10:00pm for an 11:50pm fligh to Atlanta. I was informed that the flight was wide open in back. I didnt look like I had a chance for first, but thats ok. When more than half of economy is open, it really doesnt matter to me.

DeltaSFO re-ticketed me with the buddy pass to Daytona Beach. I was now on the NRSA list for Delta flight 384 763 service to Atlanta. My name was called up with a bunch of other standbys. I took seat 42G, the window.

At 11:45, DeltaSFO made the following announcment over the PA. "Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of your San Francisco ground crew, we thank you for chosing Delta Airlines. Once again, this is Delta flight 384 service to Atlanta. (long pause) We hope that you have a nice flight to Atlanta."

Since I've never heard his voice over an airplane PA before, it was amusing. It was nice to see that he was working Delta gates today. With that, the door was closed, and armed for departure.

Two of the flight attendants walked through the cabin carrying this screen which they hung mid cabin from the center bins. I called it the Danglescreen. I wrote a topic about it a few weeks ago in the main forum. The safety video was played. Again, I lauged at the comic video of safety at Delta. The lack of Gary Collman, just makes a safety video into a video. I love the kid and his mother waiting for the masks to drop, and how the little kid (who looks like someone who I went to middle school with) looks over to the camera for a split second. "If cabin pressure ever changes..." Oh please. It is always changing. Oh well.

At 11:51 we began our take off roll from runway 1R. Once airborn, i noticed this popping sound form the engine. It was actually kinda loud. A few mins into the flight, one of the flight attendants came by and asked if I was David. With a smile, I responded "yes." I was handed a pair of headphones, and she said to enjoy the flight. Nice touch Delta.

The movie Shrek began. I tried to watch the begining of it, as I missed it the day before. Sadly, I was having problems with my pre-historic headphones again, so, I missed the intro to the movie. "Screw this" I thought, and I was off to bed. I curled up nicely between my two seats, and got a pillow and a blanket. Then, I did my best to fall asleep for the remaing four hours.

"Ding" goes the seatbelt sign, and I wake up on aproach into Atlanta. A few mins later..."Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding" goes the seatbelt light. How annoying is that? Why cant they say "Flight attendants prepare for landing" like they do on United? That is so much less annoying than the double ding.

We landed in Atlanta at some time in the 7o'clock hour. Shortly there after, we passed Delta plane after Delta plane, after Delta plane, passing the occasional AirTran plane, passing more Delta planes. Too many widgets! Agggg!

Sean, B747437B met me in the terminal, and we had breakfast. The 8:20am flight to DAB was running full, and I was number 8 on the standby list. I didnt get called. Then for the CRJ flight that follows, I got on, but barely.

Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA)-Delta Connection, flight 4513
departs Atlanta at 10:00
arrives Daytona Beach at 11:20
CRJ


The agent called a standby. Myself, and two others were waiting. Those two people were traveling together, and would not spit up. I was the next one on the list. As soon as I was called, Sean and I were like "Oh-yeah!" I got my boarding pass, and boarded the CRJ to DAB.

A lady needed to get off as I got on, and I took seat 10A, where she was sitting. 10B was open too. This flight that the agent thought was full wasnt. There was an open seat next to me. The flight attendant Tammy made the pre-departure announcments, then we were off.

She preformed the safety demo, and passed out water. She explained that we were in for some bumps, and she wanted to make sure that we all got a beverage, incase the service had to be discontinued midflight.

After a wait that lasted about 15 mins, our little jet blasted down the runway. When you sit this close to the ground, you feel the speed of it. We rotated and flew over a freeway, and on to DAB. In the flight, Tammy came around with Snacks and beverages. I got a cupfull of coke, and 4 Biscoff cookies. Later on in the flight, I asked for another coke, and she gave me the can. I just put it in my bag for later.

We lined up for approach over the freeway. I forget its number at the moment. Turning, we lined up for the longer runway at DAB facing Embry-Riddle. With a slam to the runway, we arrived in Daytona Beach florida. Wet and rainy. Thank god for the use of jetways deplaining.

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