Continental Airlines FLT 840
Scheduled Departure: 6:30a
Actual Departure: 6:27am
Gate: C-102
Scheduled Arrival: 7:40am
Actual Arrival: 7:14am

I arrived at Newark Airport on a Monday morning that followed a night of showers and thunderstorms, and I was expecting delays. There were none. Security at Newark was the usual, joke. In short, there was none. Just the illusion of a very long line, but I made it through very quickly. I doubt the screener even looked at my briefcase. Either way, I arrived at EWR at 5:00am and was in the President's Club at 5:15. Had a doughnut and coffee, and then walked to Gate C-102, which was just outside the President's Club window in the area between C-2 and C-3. The flight was almost full. My ticket said it was going to be a B737-500 but it was a B737-300. I have never flown to Boston on CO on the type of plane I am supposed to fly on. It seems they switch it all the time. The aircraft was clean, very clean, for a plane that was at least 15 years old. The seats were the old ones (no winged head-rests) but for a short flight, who gives a damn. We pushed back early and were airborne within minutes. The captain announced flight time would be 39 minutes. Beverage service was quick and efficient and at 6:50 we began our descent. Arrival was in the misty early morning hours and we taxied up to Gate 8 in Terminal A, which is now closed. The terminal was nearly empty, with almost all concession stands gone, although the Legal Sea Foods was still there, as was the Bank of America ATM and one newstand. Delta Shuttle, Frontier, and Midwest Express had already moved to Terminals B, C, and D. This was the last week of CO operations at A. On May 5th, all CO and CO Express flights moved to C.

Continental Airlines Flight #20
Boeing 737-300
Scheduled Departure: 5:00pm
Actual Departure: 4:56pm Gate A-8
Scheduled Arrival: 6:31pm
Actual Arrival: 6:01pm Gate C-96

We arrived at Terminal A around 3:55 and just missed the 4PM to Newark, which was actually a 737-500. We were booked on the 6:00pm to Newark, but were able to switch it on the E-Service Center. Security was again laughable (the agent at the X-Ray spoke no English and the National Guardsman was eating a doughnut and reading the Boston Globe!). We boarded the 737-300 at 4:30pm. Flight was less than 1/2 full, with many people from the morning flight. This was CO 20, operating BOS-EWR-MAN (Manchester, England) with a switch to a B767-400 at EWR. Pushback was early. Cabin was clean. The flight attendant making the announcements was an irritating German woman with a very annoying accent and a piercingly loud voice. We took off behind a LH A340-300 in the mist and were airborne into the thick clouds for the 41 minute flight to Newark. Landing was swift and smooth. We taxied up to Gate C-96 past CO 777 Ship #17, SAS A340, BA 777, and several other CO jets.

Great flights.

ContinentalEWR