TPE-LAX-LAS-LAX on AA and EVA Air

Leg 1:
EVA Airways BR 112
Boeing 747-400 (B-16401)
Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) to Los Angeles, CA, USA (LAX)
September 15, 2002
Scheduled Departure: 6:30 PM
Actual Departure: LATE
Schedule Arrival: 3:50 PM
Actual Arrival: 3:00 PM (E
Seat: 54C (Economy)
Gate: C7

I had relatives on the China Airlines' afternoon flight to LA, so I was at the check-in counter around three hours prior to departure. When making my reservations, I had opted for an Evergreen Deluxe Class upgrade with my award cheques. At the airport, however, the agent said the flight was full and that standby wouldn't be possible. I had pre-selected my Economy seat, and I had no checked baggage, so I completed check-in quite quickly. All U.S.-bound passengers have their checked baggage searched individually by Airport Security.

Boarding was totally inefficient. The agent first called for Super First, Super Business, and Evergreen Club Diamond and Gold Card Passengers. Afterwards, Evergreen Deluxe was called, and finally Economy was called to board. However, since row numbers weren't called, everyone in Economy just piled up, and inside the aircraft, it was totally crowded.

After everyone was seated, the cabin attendants came around with refreshing wet towels. After the safety demonstration video and the safety checks, we were in the air. After we passed 10,000 feet, the Captain announced "Cabin Attendants, Service Check," and all the flight attendants were on their feet preparing service.

Shortly, we were served mixed nuts and a cold beverage. Immigration and customs forms were passed out. Then, meal service began. No menus were available in Economy. But, we had the choice of chicken with noodles or beef with rice. I chose the chicken with noodles. It came with a salad, cold dinner roll, fruit, and a cake. The chicken was good, but the noodles were kind of sticky. The meal came with a cold beverage and a choice of hot tea or coffee. The cabin attendants came around with second rounds of tea and coffee.

Afterwards, duty free sales began, and the lights were shut off for the passengers to rest. When the lights were off, I went to the galley to grab a drink. Unfortunately, they only had water on the tray. If you wanted anything else, you would have to ask a cabin attendant. When I was hungry, I hoping for a cup of hot noodles, but I ended up with two packs of crackers.

About three hours prior to arrival, the lights were turned back on, and the cabin attendants came around with trays of drinks for the passengers. Afterwards, hot wet towels were served. Unfortunately, I had fallen asleep so I missed the towel. For breakfast, in Economy, we had the choice of Chinese-style rice porridge or Western-style omelet. I chose the rice porridge, which came with a warm Chinese bun, pork shreds, and Chinese-style-marinated Chicken. We were given a choice of a cold beverage and hot tea or coffee. Again, the cabin attendants came around with second rounds of hot beverages. The trays were then cleared, and we still had around an hour and a half before arrival. The cabin was bustling with passengers getting arrival for arrival.

After "Service Check" was called by the Captain, the cabin attendants came around to collect the headsets and to do final safety checks. We were on the ground 50 minutes ahead of schedule and at the gate super early. Fortunately, another aircraft wasn't occupying our gate.

This flight was generally satisfying. Even though service wasn't as great as it was a few years ago, I felt that the flight attendant serving my area was super nice and had a very good attitude. It made the long flight very pleasant.

Leg 2:
American Airlines AA 1236
Boeing MD-80 (Super 80)
Los Angeles, CA, USA to Las Vegas, NV, USA
September 15, 2002
Scheduled Departure: 5:55 PM
Scheduled Arrival: 7:03 PM
Seat: 16D (Economy/More Room Throughout Coach)
Gate: 36 (Terminal 3)

After clearing customs, I directly went to Terminal 3 since EVA Air had given me a connecting boarding pass. Afterwards, I went to the gate to get my boarding. I had approximately a two hour lay over in LAX, but it was alright since my relatives arriving on China Airlines were with me.

I was assigned to Group 4 for boarding. I find this process very efficient. What's even better, I wasn't selected for a "random" security check. I was seated on the 3-person side and the other two seats were unoccupied. This flight was beverage service flight. So I got a pack Rold Gold snack mix and a beverage. In no time, we were on the ground in Las Vegas.

Leg 3:
American Airlines AA 1059
Boeing MD-80 (Super 80)
Las Vegas, NV, USA to Los Angeles, CA, USA
September 19, 2002
Scheduled Departure: 11:52 AM
Seat: 24A (Economy/More Room Throughout Coach)
Gate: D11

Security was a disaster. The line was LONG, and I note VERY LONG. I was in the line for at least 30 minutes. What worried me more was that my flight was leaving real, real soon. I needed to be past security fast. Fortunately, the security check was smooth. However, I still had to run to my flight.

I was assigned to Group 2 for boarding. It really didn't make a difference because I was the last ten people on the flight. I was seated on the 2-person side and the person sitting next to me was a relative. So it was nice. The flight was a beverage service flight again. I got the exact same snack mix and beverage. The flight was really short and we were in LA very soon.

Conclusion:
I have to say that the MRTC on AA is very comfortable. I look forward to flying with American again for my next domestic travel (who knows whenever that is).

I would have taken pictures with my digital camera; however, it was off for repairs.