This is my third trip report connected to my wonderful Colombia trip over my winter break from work...

12/30/05
MDE-CTG
MM8464
Fokker 50
dep 14:30 on-time

We spent the night before at a club and didn't get to bed until nearly 5 AM, so it was a bit hard to get up in the morning - we were glad the flight left in the afternoon. My two friends with whom I was staying planned to take a taxi from the house to where my roommate was staying with his family. We we running a bit late but ended up on the Medellin - Bogota highway soon enough and got to the Jose Maria Cordova Airport in Rionegro (about 1 hour's ride) about 1 PM - more than enough time to check in.

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Photo © Andrés Dallimonti Restrepo

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Photo © Andrés Dallimonti Restrepo


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Photo © Andrés Dallimonti Restrepo

JMC is a modern, clean and efficient airport. Good signage and facilities. It was built in the mid-80s to be the principal airport for Medellin, but seems to be sadly underused. Only Copa, American, Avianca/SAM, Aerorepublica, and Aires serve the airport (I think I got them all). It would be great to see, at least, CO or DL to the U.S. or at least flights to other Latin American cities. I think PTY is the only international city served in additiion to MIA with AA.
As soon as we got to the Avianca check-in line, an agent - after asking us where we were traveling to - offered us a free ticket within Colombia (excluding San Andres - an island that is part of Colombia located in the Caribbean and a huge vacation spot for Colombians) if we were willing to take the 18:40 departure. Oversold!
This wasn't too surprising as it was the day before New Year's and the expected number of visitors to flood Cartagena was over 100,000, so oversold flights were to be expected.
3 of us declined but our one friend is from a city in the south of Colombia but living in Medellin. For him, a free ticket could save him a 14 hour bus ride when he wants to visit his family.
We all checked in but one pasabordo (boarding pass) was marked "volunteer".
The Avianca staff, again, were all very professional and pleasant. We were assured of all the details regarding the offer for our friend, too.
We went off to gate 5 and soon. PH-MXT is in the Summa colors (I think only 1 Fokker 50 is in the new Avianca scheme) and is parked next to the jetbridge but not connected.

MyAviation.net photo:

Photo © Juan Pablo Gómez

This is my first Fokker 50 flight and I curious if it will be just like a Dash 8 or ATR-42.
We begin boarding soon after getting to the gate and our friend is asked to stay in the gate area until it is determined if his seat is needed. We say good-bye and tell him we'll see him on the beach!
We go down the jetway, make a turn to got down the stairs leading to the ramp and are directed to our little Dutch beauty. With a strange looking nose, that is.
One of our flight attendants greets us at the door and we go to our seats 24AC - last row - while our other friend gets 10D - first row. The cabin is clean and cool and I don't need to stoop to walk down the aisle. I am 188 cm tall (6'3") and usually whack my head in "smaller" planes!
The seats are a bright blue with and interesting seatbelt buckle; it has an Avianca "crest" with Colombia and a condor superimposed. i think it's Avainca logo from the 60s? Very cool.
Meanwhile, our "left behind" friend appears at the cabin door only to turn around and go back to the terminal - hmmmmm.* Every seat was filled including 2 youngs girls in the cockpit jumpseats.

One thing that stands out was that our aircraft was pushed back - it seems that every ATR-42 and Dash 8 flight I've been on has always powered out from the gate. I guess it depends on the ramp area?
We did a very quick taxi - high-speed it seemed - and turned onto RWY 36 for blast-off! The Fokker 50 is actually pretty quiet (at least where we were seated).
I've flown upwards of over 200 times and have never been airsick. However, on this flight, I quickly became nauseated! How strange. Is this common to Fokker 50s? I wasn't sick, but felt green for the entire climb-out.
The scenery of Antioquia (the department in which Medellin is located) is gorgeous.
There was a drink service after a very professional announcement from the cockpit.
After 1 hours and 15 minutes, we landed at Cartagena. It's a pretty small ramp area and terminal with no jetbridges. Next to our Fokker was a Copa EMB-190 and a Aerolinea de Antioquia Jetstream 31. We quickly reclaimed our luggage in the air-conditioned terminal and were on our way the beaches of Bocagrande!
*our friend joined us later that night and explained that he was offered the cabin jumpseat, but refused - hence, the turn around at the cabin door

1/3/06
CTG-MDE
MM8471
Fokker 50
PH-MXT
dep 20:30 45 mins. late



After a great vacation, back to the airport!
We definitely made a mistake in judging how long it would take to get to the airport. Traffic was really bad and we made it only 1/2 hour before scheduled departure time! My roommate was sweating! Luckily, SAM 8471 was delayed from MDE - phew.
Again, a pleasant experience with check-in with seats 18CD assigned. We walked around the terminal - only local airlines and AA and Copa represented. But there is an Air Madrid sign - I guess for charters from Spain. We had a cafe con leche and went through security after going to the mirador (observation deck). Couldn't see anything from the glassed-in deck except a SAM MD-80.
The waiting area is one seating area for multiple flights. An Avianca MD-83 arrived for a Bogota flight and soon after, our Fokker 50 arrived from MDE. I saw a Sky Service A320 taxi by too. Funny I didn't see it from the observation deck?
We boarded pretty quickly after the plane's arrival - PH-MXT again!
We were seated across from each other in aisle seats, whish was fine as its being nightime meant there was little to see out of the windows.
A quick taxi again (is this common to the Fokkers or just SAM pilots?) and soon after, in the air.
A bit cloudy and bumpy, but otherwise a fine flight. Quicker than our northbound flight. A beverage service only.
The pilots apologized for the delay during the flight and explained that JMC Airport had been closed earlier due to heavy rains and hence, the delay.
The arrival pattern to RMY 36 is pretty at night with what looks like flower farms/green houses lit up along the route.
The passenger next to me had her cell phone on as it rang many times while we were landing - I guess it's not too risky for the aircraft's navigation system as is announced?
On disembarking, there was a SAM Fokker 50 in the new colors but with Operado por Sam titles (Operated by Sam). Sharp color scheme but the end of Sam's separate identity?
Back in a taxi and off to Medellin.

What a great trip!