Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz


Background
In the middle of the cold and snowy December 2010 my brother and I decided to escape to the US West Coast for a few days in early February. My brother hadn't been to that part of the country yet and he was very interested in visiting Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I always enjoy going to California and saw the chance to meet some very good friends again. We came to the conclusion that it would be a good opportunity to exchange accumulated miles for Business Class tickets. After checking all possible flight options on the Miles & More website, it was clear that we would try SWISS' new intercontinental Business Class with lie-flat seats. That innovative product was available on all A330-300s and a few A340-300s. Destinations served by the retrofitted A343s in early February were San Francisco, Boston, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and New York (once weekly).

I was first considering to take an A330 flight to Chicago and an A340 flight from Los Angeles or San Francisco so that we would be able to get both types. But I quickly scrapped that idea because I didn't want to risk being stuck at Chicago in a possible snow storm. So we finally booked Munich-Zurich-San Francisco and Los Angeles-Zurich-Munich, operated by Swiss A340s, a Swiss European Avro RJ100 and a Lufthansa A319. At the end of the convenient booking process we were able to select our seats on all four sectors - and there were still many empty seats, so we got exactly what we wanted: single window seats on the flight to SFO and center seats in the two-row forward section (so-called "Stübli") on the return flight from LAX.   
Here's the seatmap:
http://www.swiss.com/web/EN/about_sw...ircraft/Pages/airbus_a340_new.aspx

After booking the long-haul flight combo, we added a few domestic hops. Of course I wanted to get some new airlines, so we decided to book a San Francisco-Denver-Las Vegas connection on Orbitz. There would have been cheaper options (including numerous nonstop flights), but Republic Airlines (Embraer 170) and Frontier Airlines (A319) were new carriers for me - and I had never been to Denver. Interestingly, that Frontier Airlines connection wasn't available on the Frontier website. It was simply impossible to search for flights from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Probably they are convinced that people would never want to connect through Denver on the way from San Francisco to Las Vegas…Finally, we reserved rooms in the Venetian and the Bellagio.

Part I can be found here:
Fully Flat Bed to SFO: SWISS' New Business Class



San Francisco Sightseeing
After arriving at SFO on LX038, we took the BART to downtown San Francisco and then took a taxi to the Holiday Inn Express near Fisherman's Wharf. Some time later we went to Pier 39...

Picture taken by my brother

...and enjoyed great seafood at Neptune's Palace:



Picture taken by my brother

On the next morning we walked to Pier 33 and took the ferry to Alcatraz:

Picture taken by my brother

Clear sky, warm sun - the weather was perfect:





Picture taken by my brother



Almost there:

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Charming welcome to Alcatraz Island:



On the way to the cellhouse:

Picture taken by my brother

There are many rundown areas:

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Welcome to the prison’s central part:

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Punishment cell:

Picture taken by my brother

Shower area:

Picture taken by my brother

This used to be the dining room:

Picture taken by my brother

The last breakfast menu before the prison’s closure:

Picture taken by my brother

Some famous inmates:

Picture taken by my brother

The Golden Gate Bridge behind barbwire:

Picture taken by my brother

This used to be the warden’s house:

Picture taken by my brother

Former lighthouse:

Picture taken by my brother

Lovely view:

Picture taken by my brother
I had been to Alcatraz before, but this time I took the cellhouse audio tour (which is available in several languages). It’s excellent, an absolute must do!   

After spending about 1.5 hours on the island, we took the ferry back to Pier 33 and walked straight to Pier 39. The famous seals are always nice to watch:

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

After dinner we took a taxi to the Coit Tower at Telegraph Hill…

Picture taken by my brother

…went on top and enjoyed awesome views of the bay and the city:





















We returned to the Fisherman's Wharf and asked a taxi driver to bring us to the Point Vista Overlook north of San Francisco. Entering the bridge:



Lovely views from Point Vista Overlook:

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

What would a visit to San Francisco be without a cable car ride? We took the famous Powell & Mason Line back and forth:

Picture taken by my brother

Lots of handwork required:

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother

Picture taken by my brother
After returning to the origin, we took a pre-ordered shuttle to the airport and changed to the Bay Landing Hotel's complimentary shuttle. I had chosen this hotel near the airport due to the early departure on the next morning.




February 2011
San Francisco (SFO) - Denver (DEN)
Frontier Airlines F9 1668, operated by Republic Airlines
Scheduled times: 09:00-12:29
Actual times: 09:02-12:37
Flight duration: 02:08 (hrs)
Distance: 967 miles
Economy Class, seat 12A

Embraer 170
N873RW (MSN 17000144)
First delivered in 09/2006 to Shuttle America

1st flight on N873RW
2nd Embraer 170 flight
6th E-Jet flight
110th airline

View Large View Medium Photo © Ben Wang

View Large View Medium Photo © Mark Kopczak

Former appearances:

View Large View Medium Photo © Keith Wahamaki

View Large View Medium Photo © Michael Durning

About two hours prior to departure, we took the shuttle to the airport and went to Frontier's check-in area where you only find kiosks. A friendly female check-in assistant immediately showed up, but we didn't face any problems. After paying an extra $20 for each checked bag, we got our boarding passes. "Stretch seating" had been offered for $25 per person, but we had declined the offer.

Our plane turned out to be N873RW, painted in full Midwest colors:



That livery is not bad, but I would have preferred the Frontier colors the plane used to wear:



As soon as we stepped on board, I noticed a bad air quality - and the green leather seats weren't comfortable at all:



Legroom wasn't great either:



Inflight magazine...



...with integrated buy-on-board menu:







The air quality improved only slightly after the air conditioning had been switched on - the 100 percent load factor took its toll. A young lady two rows behind us had started to chat intensively with her seat neighbor and she awfully giggled after every sentence - and that wouldn't change for the next two hours...  

Anyway, I concentrated on the traffic:





Entering runway 1R:



Southwest 737-700 on 1L:



Takeoff into clear blue skies:





Beautiful views of San Francisco:







Here you can see Oakland Harbor and the former Naval Air Station Alameda:



Only 16 minutes later we were cruising over snowy mountains:



Non-alcoholic drinks were served free of charge. Ginger ale for me, of course:



Then I bought a breakfast for $6:


Stale croissant, hard and tasteless fruit pieces and an average yogurt – I cannot recommend to buy that!

Nice scenery, about 50 minutes prior to landing:



Cabin view:



Finally on approach:



Barren landscape…






We arrived at the gate a few minutes late and I was glad about the bright sunshine - at least a weather-related delay at DEN was unlikely now...



Transfer at Denver
Changing planes was very convenient in our case - our (Concourse A) departure gate was only a short walk away from our arrival gate. Here's the Jeppesen Terminal with its famous tensile fiberglass roof which resembles the Rocky Mountains:



Unfortunately, I didn't see many planes except those taxiing to and leaving our concourse. Nevertheless, the scenery was nice:






February 2011
Denver (DEN) - Las Vegas (LAS)
Frontier Airlines F9 777
Scheduled times: 14:07-15:00
Actual times: 18:25-19:03
Flight duration: 01:23 (hrs)
Distance: 628 miles
Economy Class, seat 11B

Airbus A319-111
N902FR (MSN 1515), named "Woody the Wood Duck"
Delivered in 06/2001

1st flight on N902FR
17th A319 flight
64th A32X flight
111th airline

View Large View Medium Photo © Radek Oneksiak

View Large View Medium Photo © Jonathan Morgan

Our departure gate was located close to the famous pedestrian bridge connecting the Jeppesen Terminal with Concourse A:



The plane scheduled for our flight to Las Vegas was N938FR...



...named "Misty the Arctic Fox":



While waiting in row, a gate agent asked us if we were interested in changing seats with a couple. The older man was not allowed to sit in the emergency exit row due to a walking disability. We agreed and got the couple's boarding passes in exchange for ours.

A friendly female flight attendant in her 50s welcomed us on board. However, what looked totally out of place was her signal red lipstick...anyway, the old-style leather seats were quite comfortable:



Legroom was good in that exit row:



My brother could completely stretch out due to the lack of a seat next to the emergency exit:



Frontier Airlines offers 24 channels of live DIRECTV service at every seat on the Airbus fleet:


The cost to access all channels is $6, but the service is free for Ascent and Summit Level members in the EarlyReturns mileage program.

After boarding had been completed (probably 100 percent load factor), nothing happened for a while - with the main door remaining open. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, the captain showed up next to the door and made an announcement: He explained that the cabin control screen had gone black and that a reset hadn't been successful. "The mechanics will check it and eventually replace it", he added. "You can stay in the plane, but if it takes longer you have to go back to the gate."

We had been optimistic, but ten minutes later the captain asked us to leave the aircraft and said that we would be kept updated in the gate area.  
The screen at the gate showed a new departure time of 3:00 PM which wouldn't have been too bad...but some 15 minutes later it changed to 5:43 PM which was a big disappointment!  
A gate agent made an announcement and promised that all passengers would get a flight coupon worth $100 as compensation. Well, that couldn't improve our mood because we would still lose lots of time in Las Vegas - and we didn't know when we would travel to the United States again.

Then I contacted a (very friendly) female Frontier agent near the gate and asked about the possibility of a cancellation. She said that there were no plans to cancel the flight - actually Frontier was planning to use a plane inbound from Chicago. However, she told me that we should check the gate status every 20 minutes just in case another replacement aircraft would be available sooner than currently planned. Well, that meant that we would be stuck in that boring area around gate A36 for more than three hours. And you cannot really do much there.

In the next few hours, I permanently checked the status of the inbound flight from Chicago. It was running a bit late, but I was confident that Frontier would be able to get the plane ready again until 5:43 PM. I walked around Concourse A a few times and also went to the passenger bridge over the apron. At least I got some more Frontier and Republic registrations:





During the frustrating waiting time I went to a Frontier customer service desk and asked for a different kind of compensation, explaining that we probably wouldn't be able to use our flight coupons within a year. The friendly agent told me that Frontier didn’t offer anything else except for food vouchers in certain cases. I declined because I had eaten something only a short time before. Since our gate A36 had meanwhile been deserted, I asked the customer service agent about our flight's status...and I learned that the departure time had been changed to 6:08 PM...  

Some 20 minutes prior to the alleged new departure time, gate A36 was still deserted. The broken aircraft hadn't been removed yet either and I was really wondering where the plane from Chicago had been parked - I hadn't been aware of a gate change. Then I noticed that people in the adjacent gate A34 were apparently boarding a flight - but it said "Kansas City" on the screen. Some minutes later I realized that the Kansas City flight was scheduled to leave at 7:15 PM, more than an hour away. That was strange and I decided to ask one of the passengers in line which flight they were going to board. I was shocked when he said "Las Vegas"! So the gate for our flight had been changed and boarding had started - but neither the one nor the other had been announced over the loudspeakers. According to the very passenger, an announcement had only been made directly at the gate. We had been seated only some 30 meters away and hadn't heard anything. I can only wonder why the actual destination wasn't shown on the new gate's screen. So we would have almost missed our flight despite the fact that we had been around all the time.  

The replacement aircraft at the gate turned out to be N902FR, the oldest A319 in the fleet:



It wasn't easy to take a picture of the tail showing "Woody the Wood Duck":



After we had joined the queue, our names were called. We showed the boarding passes which we had received in exchange for our own ones from the older couple earlier in the afternoon and the agents crossed out our names on a list. When we stepped on board, I was surprised to see the same crew again. The plane's interior was identical to the other one's, but it looked more worn.

A grumpy looking female flight attendant in the 50s (not the one with the signal red lips) explained the emergency exit rules and then asked us to confirm that we had understood her by saying "yes". She first pointed towards my brother who did answer, but just not straight away - at least not as fast as the lady had obviously expected him to do so. "I have to move you", she harshly said and of course we were quite irritated to hear that. I quickly replied that he had indeed said "yes" and that the delay may have simply been caused by a slight tiredness after that four-hour delay. "So what's the problem?", I asked. She looked at me as if I was an enemy. "I haven't talked to you", she snarled and pointed out snappishly that she simply had to do her job. I was really amazed again about that rude and military-like reaction.   

Then she started all over again and the same happened again - my brother didn't answer immediately which was not acceptable for her. She emphasized that she had to move him and started asking for volunteers. Justified or not, we had to accept her decision. My brother had to move to a window seat two rows in front and I got a new neighbor. I wanted to avoid any more problems, so I quickly shouted "yes" after the rude lady had started the questioning for the third time. Finally, the plane was ready to go, taxied to the runway and took off into the dark sky.

As an additional compensation for the delay, all channels were available free of charge:





Warm cookies and drinks were served some time after takeoff. I ordered ginger ale - one of very few positive aspects on that evening:



I wasn't interested in the live TV channels and watched the moving map most of the time:


"Welcome to L-a-s V-e-g-a-s!!!", the "lipstick lady" cheerfully emphasized after we had touched down. I found that totally inappropriate, but many passengers started cheering and applauding...  

Interestingly, we hadn't received the promised coupons in the end - neither at the gate nor at the plane. Who knows, probably those had been distributed before we had been aware of the gate change. I was planning to write a letter of complaint anyway...After grabbing our luggage, we took a taxi to the Venetian and tried to make the most of the remaining evening. Story to be continued...



Conclusion
My first journey on Frontier Airlines was a very disappointing one. I don't blame the airline for the delay itself, but for the poor way it was handled. At least the ground staff members were friendly and helpful. What I found absolutely unacceptable was the flight attendant's rude behavior. But even if the flight to Las Vegas had operated on time, I wouldn't have been impressed by the airline's product. You get free drinks and warm cookies, but there's nothing which makes that low-cost carrier particularly attractive or special in comparison to others. And due to the uncomfortable seating and the bad air quality I couldn't even enjoy the Embraer 170 flight on Frontier's partner Republic Airlines. And the breakfast was an additional letdown.

Back at home, I wrote a detailed letter of complaint and mentioned all that day’s negative events. Surprisingly, I got a reply only a few days later. Well, it contained some explanations and the standard phrases which you would expect to hear from a customer relations department, but it was good to get an apology. One sentence hit the nail on the head: "No matter what the situation our flight attendants should provide a friendly tone and accommodating personality." We also got two electronic certificates in the amount of $150 each which provides a discount on a future Frontier Airlines flight (valid one year). So will I give Frontier a second chance? Probably.


Best Regards,
PlaneHunter



P.S.: Just in case you missed them - my previous trip reports:
Fully Flat Bed to SFO: SWISS' New Business Class
Mountains, Meals & More: SunExpress Vs. Pegasus
Crossing Two Oceans: AKL-SFO-MUC, NZ 777 & LH A346
Bad Weather & Other Bad Luck: Touring New Zealand
Trans-Tasman Treat: Aerolineas Argentinas A340-200
Detours To Sydney: Wildlife, Tiger, REX & QFLink
Thai Fails To Impress: MUC-BKK-BNE On 744 & 777
Painful Delay & My 100th Airline: AF A380, VO F100
Fifth Freedom Tidbit: Kuwait Airways A300-600
Ship Vs. Plane: Porto Santo Line & Sata Air Açores
Awesome Approach, Splendid Scenery: LIS, FNC & TAP
Guernsey, Ash Cloud Alarm & Mostly Empty SQ 77Ws
Totally Thrilling: Scenic Flight On Lufthansa A380
Cirrus D38, Adria CRJ & Captain Niki Lauda On Duty
Monarch Hot Meal, E195 & More: PMI-ALC-MAN-MUC
Premium Meal & Palma Spotting: MUC-PMI, DE 757-300
The Dead Slow Transfer: PEK-MUC On Air China A332
Cancellation Brings Joy: HKG-PEK on Dragonair A330
A380 Cacophony, 777 Star Livery: DXB-SIN-HKG on SQ
The Next 5* Carrier? MUC-MCT-DXB, Oman Air A330
Turkey For 1.5 Hrs: Daytrip To AYT On Sky Airlines
CO Scores Again: ATL-IAH-EWR-FRA On ERJ, 752 & 764
Riding The Ultra Long-Haul Twin: Delta 777-200LR
Pacific Coast Jaunt: 3 Carriers, E120, E140 & Fog
The Ultimate 737: LHR-IAH-PDX On CO 777 & 739ER
Bye Bye, Hell! TRD-OSL-TXL-NUE - DY/AB/HE DH4
My Trip To Hell: NUE-CPH-OSL-TRD On Cimber & SAS
SFO-YUL-FRA: Map- & Sleepless On Air Canada's 77W
Sin City Gloss & Virgin America's Chic First Class
Seat Dilemma & Canyon Glamour: FRA To LAX, AC 763
On Par With Air France? DTW-AMS-MUC, KLM A330
Goodbye, Red Tails! DC-9-40/50 & Chicago Tour
Champagne & World Of Coke: Air France A340 To ATL
"Mission A380": Disappointing Legs On BA/BD/EI
Delights Of Doha, 773 & 77W: DOH-DXB-LHR On EK
A380 Really a Step Forward? LHR-DXB-DOH On EK
Quality & Style: HKG-LHR On Air New Zealand 744
Taiwan Trio: TransAsia, UNI Air And The Taipei 101
"The Wings Of Taiwan": EVA Air A332, 744 Combi
SHA-SZX, Shanghai 757: Delayed By The Military
PEK-SHA, China Eastern A330 & Shanghai At Night
Striking Newcomer: Berlin-Beijing On Hainan A330
Short & Splendid: MXP-MUC On Air Dolomiti's 146
3 Hours On Blue1: HEL-MXP On The MD-90
BCN-MAD-ZRH-MUC: UX Shuttle Meets Swiss Quality
MUC-MAD-BCN: Star MD-87 & The Pain Of Vueling
Low Fares, Lovely Island: AK & Best Of Langkawi
4 Stars Or 5 Stars? FRA-KUL-FRA, Malaysia 777s
First And Last Time? JFK-FCO-MUC, Alitalia 777
JFK For 1 Day: Transatlantic Hop On CSA's A310
Sardinian Sun, Shiny New 73Gs & Cramped Mad Dog
Top And Flop: KIX-HEL-MUC, Finnair A320 & MD-11
The 524-Seat Twin-jet: HND-ITM On ANA 777-300
Kobe For 1 Hour: 767-Quickie On ANA & Skymark
Rocketing To Tokyo: FUK-HND On JAL (ex-JAS) 777
Oddities & Okinawa: JTA 734 & JAL 744D(Domestic)
MUC To Nagoya: Finnair E170 & (Old) "New" A340
Mad Dog, A320 Tech Delay & Best Of Lanzarote
Canaries Prop-Hopping: Islas Airways & Naysa
Canaries And Confusion: LH CRJ900 & Spanair A321
Hubbing For 162 Miles: HOQ-FRA-STR Ret On IQ/EW/LH
BOS-JFK-AMS-MUC: SSSS-Check And KLM 777
ATL-PIT-JFK-BOS: FL B717, JetBlue E190 And Delays
MUC-AMS-MEM-ATL On NWA A332 And 40-year-old DC-9
FRA-BKK-FRA Via CMB: SriLankan A332 & A343
BNE-SIN-DXB-MUC On Emirates B772ER & B773
2 Hours In Paradise: Hamilton Island (JQ/DJ)
BNE-SYD-BNE: Domestic Run On QF’s Oldest B747-400
Testing Qantas: SYD-MEL-SYD-BNE (B738, B763, A332)
Going Down Under: MUC-DXB-SYD On EK A332 & A345
9/11 Review: Failed Trip To LAX - Fuel Dump Pics
Surprised By NIKI's Newest A320 & Screw-up By AB
Leisure Vs. Full Service: Condor & SN Brussels
"betterFly" On LH: Business Class For 99 Euro
Weekend Transatlantic Trip (2): US A321 & B762
Transatlantic For A Weekend (1): MUC-DCA On US

[Edited 2011-06-04 00:50:01]

Hey PH,

Yet another wonderful TR from you. It seems like Frontier's Embraer jets leaves much to be desired. However, it's great to see a PTV in narrowbody aircraft and thankfully they are becoming increasing popular among airlines these days. From your picture of the E170 cabin, it looked like a very cramped cabin and I am guessing I might even have my head bang against the ceiling should I stand up straight in the aisles. Not somewhere I'd want to be in for a long time. The food looks like it leaves much to be desired. Looks pretty unappetising and the fruits don't look as fresh as they should be.

Looking forward to more reports from you, especially the UAE report.  

Regards,
Daniel

Quoting initious (Reply 1): Yet another wonderful TR from you.

Hi Daniel, thanks for comments! Nice to hear from you.

Quoting initious (Reply 1): However, it's great to see a PTV in narrowbody aircraft and thankfully they are becoming increasing popular among airlines these days.

  

Quoting initious (Reply 1): From your picture of the E170 cabin, it looked like a very cramped cabin and I am guessing I might even have my head bang against the ceiling should I stand up straight in the aisles. Not somewhere I'd want to be in for a long time.

Well, usually the E-Jets are great planes, but this time I felt cramped. But don't worry about the ceiling - it may just look a bit lower in that particular picture than it actually is.

Quoting initious (Reply 1): Looking forward to more reports from you, especially the UAE report.

I still have to finish this series...but then I'll write the UAE report.


PH

Hi PH,

Nice to see the next installment in the series & as always it's fantastic  .

It's a shame about how disappointing Frontier was, delays do happen sometimes but the way it was handled and the rude crew on your second flight definitely put me off from flying them.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): San Francisco Sightseeing

Great pics of San Francisco, definitely on my list of places to see once I get around to visiting the US

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): A grumpy looking female flight attendant in the 50s (not the one with the signal red lips) explained the emergency exit rules and then asked us to confirm that we had understood her by saying "yes". She first pointed towards my brother who did answer, but just not straight away - at least not as fast as the lady had obviously expected him to do so. "I have to move you", she harshly said and of course we were quite irritated to hear that. I quickly replied that he had indeed said "yes" and that the delay may have simply been caused by a slight tiredness after that four-hour delay. "So what's the problem?", I asked. She looked at me as if I was an enemy. "I haven't talked to you", she snarled and pointed out snappishly that she simply had to do her job. I was really amazed again about that rude and military-like reaction.

Well crews have bad days but this is just awful  

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): I ordered ginger ale - one of very few positive aspects on that evening:

Good to see that you got a whole can on both flights.

Looking forward to the next installment

Regards,
aflyingkiwi

Hi PH,
nice TR with many very good pictures.
The downtown of SFO looks really worth a visit and the view from Vista Point is simply amazing.
Also the pictures of your brother are very good.
The flight with F9 seemed to be only average, and I think I would choose another airline, but it was cool that you got a E170 in full Midwest colours.
Thank you a lot for sharing
Cheers
Johannes

Quoting Aflyingkiwi (Reply 3): Nice to see the next installment in the series & as always it's fantastic

Hi aflyingkiwi, many thanks for your feedback!

Quoting Aflyingkiwi (Reply 3): It's a shame about how disappointing Frontier was, delays do happen sometimes but the way it was handled and the rude crew on your second flight definitely put me off from flying them.

I recommend to try Jetblue, Southwest or Virgin America instead.

Quoting Aflyingkiwi (Reply 3): Great pics of San Francisco, definitely on my list of places to see once I get around to visiting the US

It's one of the greatest cities in the world!

Quoting Aflyingkiwi (Reply 3): Good to see that you got a whole can on both flights.

The FA even asked "cup or can?".

Quoting Luxair747SP (Reply 4): nice TR with many very good pictures.

Hi Johannes, good to hear you enjoyed it!

Quoting Luxair747SP (Reply 4): The downtown of SFO looks really worth a visit and the view from Vista Point is simply amazing. Also the pictures of your brother are very good.

Thanks!

Quoting Luxair747SP (Reply 4): The flight with F9 seemed to be only average, and I think I would choose another airline, but it was cool that you got a E170 in full Midwest colours.

The Midwest brand name and colors will disappear, so I guess it's not too bad after all that I got that plane.


PH

Hey PH, nice report!

To me FR looks like a pretty nice airline, at least when it comes to the brown leather seats, the IFE and free drinks and cookies. I suppose that service is pretty sufficient on US airlines domestic. BOB menu looked rather ok, prices seemed very reasonable. Too bad the breakfast you ordered turned out to be so bad. Did they offer you any coffee with it?
Then again FR were above US standards not too long ago, when they used to serve warm snacks free of charge. But I guess no airlines in the US are offering free food on domestics anymore.

Too bad you had such a bad experience with the airline. The $100 voucher seemed pretty generous. But then again, you can't put a price tag on a ruined vacation.

Thanks for sharing!
//Jonas

Quoting lh4116 (Reply 6): Hey PH, nice report!

Hi Jonas, thanks for your comments!

Quoting lh4116 (Reply 6): Too bad the breakfast you ordered turned out to be so bad. Did they offer you any coffee with it?

No specifically, but non-alcoholic drinks had been served shortly before (free of charge).

Quoting lh4116 (Reply 6): Then again FR were above US standards not too long ago, when they used to serve warm snacks free of charge.

Good old times!

Quoting lh4116 (Reply 6): But I guess no airlines in the US are offering free food on domestics anymore.

CO was among the last ones to serve free meals in Y Class. I don't know if anyone is left now - I guess not.

Quoting lh4116 (Reply 6): The $100 voucher seemed pretty generous. But then again, you can't put a price tag on a ruined vacation.

After the complaint we even got $150 vouchers, but the time was certainly lost. At least we were still able to visit the most important Las Vegas sights. More to follow in the next report.


PH

Hi PH, thanks for sharing. I love the pictures of SFO! It's a shame that Frontier didn't treat you well with the delay situation.

Regards,

Martijn

Quoting CrimsonNL (Reply 8): Hi PH, thanks for sharing. I love the pictures of SFO!

Hi Martijn, good to hear you liked them!

Quoting CrimsonNL (Reply 8): It's a shame that Frontier didn't treat you well with the delay situation.

  

Quoting CrimsonNL (Reply 8): Next month: Greenland!

Have fun in Greenland! I'm looking forward to the report.


PH

Hi, PH,

superb pictures from the SFO area, it seems I should collect these airport to my list soon.

While I like the Frontier way of painting the planes, I dislike the interior you showed us and also the rude behaviour there,
something more to dislike.

So, looking forward to some nice pictures from you´re stay in Vegas, been there also a couple of years ago at the Luxor.

Greetings,
Markus(FLIEGER67)

Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 10): superb pictures from the SFO area

Hi Markus, thanks for your feedback!

Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 10): it seems I should collect these airport to my list soon.

Good decision, great airport, great destination.

Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 10): So, looking forward to some nice pictures from you´re stay in Vegas, been there also a couple of years ago at the Luxor.

I guess you stayed there when the Luxor was still a fine hotel.


PH

I have not yet read the report but I am sure it is awesome. I got to the picture that is "on the way to the cell block" and what struck me was the top floor left window. It appears that of a person or child in a ghostly image peering out. Really cool. Thanks for sharing!

Hi PlaneHunter. First of all, very nice images throughout your trip report! San Francisco looks like a city worth visiting. Flying from SFO to LAS via DEN is certainly the enthusiast's way of getting there, so it's too bad to hear you had negative experiences onboard Frontier. At least you could enjoy some great scenery en route!  

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): I noticed a bad air quality

Were the air conditioning packs turned off when you entered the aircraft?

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): N873RW, painted in full Midwest colors

One of my personal favorite color schemes, I think it suits the E-Jets very well.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): the famous pedestrian bridge connecting the Jeppesen Terminal with Concourse A

Interestingly, Airbus A32S aircraft do not fit under the Sky Bridge. I have always wondered why it wasn't built with a higher clearance.


View Large View Medium

Photo © Royal S King

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): valid one year

That is not too much and therefore belittles the $150 voucher, in my opinion.

Many thanks for sharing and best regards,
Marius

Another great report, PH!

I flew Frontier back in September 2010 from MSP-SEA through DEN both times, and also found them to be pretty average. They, unlike you're situation, did get us there on-time to all our destinations. Sorry to hear you had such a rough day!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): A grumpy looking female flight attendant in the 50s (not the one with the signal red lips) explained the emergency exit rules and then asked us to confirm that we had understood her by saying "yes". She first pointed towards my brother who did answer, but just not straight away - at least not as fast as the lady had obviously expected him to do so. "I have to move you", she harshly said and of course we were quite irritated to hear that. I quickly replied that he had indeed said "yes" and that the delay may have simply been caused by a slight tiredness after that four-hour delay. "So what's the problem?", I asked. She looked at me as if I was an enemy. "I haven't talked to you", she snarled and pointed out snappishly that she simply had to do her job. I was really amazed again about that rude and military-like reaction.

God, why do people have to talk like that sometimes? If you behave like that, you really should find a different job not in customer service. You're left with a really bad impression of the airline!

Thanks for sharing!

Matthew

Hi Planehunter,

Fabulous photos by both you and your brother! Makes San Fran look very very desirable.
A shame about your experience on Frontier... and the unpleasant behaviour of one FA, which, unfortunately, leaves a bitter memory of the airline.

Hi PlaneHunter, once again, a great trip report with excellent pictures! As usual.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Picture taken by my brother

Looks delicious!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): On the next morning we walked to Pier 33 and took the ferry to Alcatraz:

We should've went to Alcatraz when we visited San Francisco, it looks like a great place.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): The last breakfast menu before the prison’s closure:

Looks like a typical selection of a Holiday Inn breakfast buffet!  

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): After spending about 1.5 hours on the island, we took the ferry back to Pier 33 and walked straight to Pier 39. The famous seals are always nice to watch:

Ahh! The seals, I was shocked to see a lot of them when we went there, I didn't expect that!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Then I bought a breakfast for $6:

Holiday Inn Breakfast! 

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): The cost to access all channels is $6, but the service is free for Ascent and Summit Level members in the EarlyReturns mileage program.

That's unacceptable, poor move by Frontier considering B6, VX and DL offers free Direct TV.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): She emphasized that she had to move him and started asking for volunteers

 

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): "Welcome to L-a-s V-e-g-a-s!!!", the "lipstick lady" cheerfully emphasized after we had touched down. I found that totally inappropriate, but many passengers started cheering and applauding...

Oh you! Cheer up! 

I love it when passengers clap after landing, though after your experience, I wouldn't be too happy either.


Once again, great trip report. It looks like you had fun in San Francisco, if there's a city better than New York (IMHO) It's San Francisco and I would love to go back there someday. Great city!

You guys are a bit nuts spending a whole day flying short SFO-LAS via DEN.

Btw - there is a reason why some systems would not let you book it. Such a routing is beyond the IATA MPM (maximum permitted mileage) tariff for that city pair.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): The screen at the gate showed a new departure time of 3:00 PM which wouldn't have been too bad...but some 15 minutes later it changed to 5:43 PM which was a big disappointment! Embarrassment A gate agent made an announcement and promised that all passengers would get a flight coupon worth $100 as compensation.

Ive never had any compensation for a 2+ hour delay

Great trip report, good insight into Alcatraz and some of the jail warden mentality that got carried to your Frontier flight lol

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): t was simply impossible to search for flights from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Probably they are convinced that people would never want to connect through Denver on the way from San Francisco to Las Vegas

Well, I don't think anyone in their right mind would fly a route like you did to get to Las Vegas, from San Francisco via Denver!! Not rocket science! But then you had your reasons you wanted to try out a new carrier and new aircraft!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): As soon as we stepped on board, I noticed a bad air quality - and the green leather seats weren't comfortable at all:

Always nice to see something for you to grumble about lol...But don't we all have these moments!!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): A grumpy looking female flight attendant in the 50s (not the one with the signal red lips) explained the emergency exit rules and then asked us to confirm that we had understood her by saying "yes". She first pointed towards my brother who did answer, but just not straight away - at least not as fast as the lady had obviously expected him to do so. "I have to move you", she harshly said and of course we were quite irritated to hear that. I quickly replied that he had indeed said "yes" and that the delay may have simply been caused by a slight tiredness after that four-hour delay. "So what's the problem?", I asked. She looked at me as if I was an enemy. "I haven't talked to you", she snarled and pointed out snappishly that she simply had to do her job. I was really amazed again about that rude and military-like reaction. thumbsdown

Quite rude, but then at the same time I think she was following procedures, and in the event of an emergency she knew she had conveyed the message and had it understood by the seat occupant. However as the company indicated a friendlier tone would have helped.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): "Welcome to L-a-s V-e-g-a-s!!!", the "lipstick lady" cheerfully emphasized after we had touched down. I found that totally inappropriate, but many passengers started cheering and applauding... Yeah sure

Okay, I know you had the delay, the Frontier dragon but seriously you did after all land in Las Vegas lol. No matter what the delay, headaches faced once you land in Las Vegas you automatically cheer up, and that is the reaction you saw from all, the FA and the customers on board. Hopefully you didn't remain grumpy for the rest of your trip lol

Your brother does seem to be the better photographer!! He's got some really excellent shots in there, and I am glad you acknowledged those as his!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 7): CO was among the last ones to serve free meals in Y Class. I don't know if anyone is left now - I guess not.

I believe HA does on trans-pac flights from the west coast to Hawaii, but I'm not sure anymore. Great Report!

Quoting globalflyer (Reply 12): I have not yet read the report but I am sure it is awesome. I got to the picture that is "on the way to the cell block" and what struck me was the top floor left window. It appears that of a person or child in a ghostly image peering out. Really cool. Thanks for sharing!

Hi William, thanks for your comments! You are right about that picture - I hadn't noticed that!

Quoting Luftfahrer (Reply 13): Hi PlaneHunter. First of all, very nice images throughout your trip report!

Many thanks for your feedback, Marius!

Quoting Luftfahrer (Reply 13): At least you could enjoy some great scenery en route!

  

Quoting Luftfahrer (Reply 13): Were the air conditioning packs turned off when you entered the aircraft?

I only remember that I definitely turned on mine!

Quoting Luftfahrer (Reply 13): Interestingly, Airbus A32S aircraft do not fit under the Sky Bridge. I have always wondered why it wasn't built with a higher clearance.

Interestingly, it's just the A318 with its higher tail which doesn't fit, all other A32X aircraft do.

Quoting 767747 (Reply 14): Another great report, PH!

Hi Matthew, thanks for your comments!

Quoting 767747 (Reply 14): God, why do people have to talk like that sometimes? If you behave like that, you really should find a different job not in customer service. You're left with a really bad impression of the airline!

No doubt about that!

Quoting robso2 (Reply 15): Fabulous photos by both you and your brother! Makes San Fran look very very desirable.

Thanks a lot, robso2!

Quoting robso2 (Reply 15): A shame about your experience on Frontier... and the unpleasant behaviour of one FA, which, unfortunately, leaves a bitter memory of the airline.

Yes, I will definitely keep that in mind for a long time.

Quoting JetBlue777 (Reply 16): Hi PlaneHunter, once again, a great trip report with excellent pictures! As usual.

Hi Jezrel, thanks for commenting! Good to hear you liked it!

Quoting JetBlue777 (Reply 16): We should've went to Alcatraz when we visited San Francisco, it looks like a great place.

Yes, make sure you visit Alcatraz when you go to San Francisco again.

Quoting JetBlue777 (Reply 16): Looks like a typical selection of a Holiday Inn breakfast buffet!

 

Quoting JetBlue777 (Reply 16): That's unacceptable, poor move by Frontier considering B6, VX and DL offers free Direct TV.

There's a charge on CO, too.

Quoting JetBlue777 (Reply 16): Once again, great trip report. It looks like you had fun in San Francisco, if there's a city better than New York (IMHO) It's San Francisco and I would love to go back there someday. Great city!

  

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 17): You guys are a bit nuts spending a whole day flying short SFO-LAS via DEN.

Well, it should have taken only six hours...

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 17): Btw - there is a reason why some systems would not let you book it. Such a routing is beyond the IATA MPM (maximum permitted mileage) tariff for that city pair.

Interesting, thanks.

Quoting WABENNER (Reply 18): Ive never had any compensation for a 2+ hour delay

Well, we were already facing a 3.5 hour delay when they mentioned the compensation.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 19): Great trip report, good insight into Alcatraz

Hi flightsimboy, thanks for your comments!

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 19): jail warden mentality

  

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 19): Well, I don't think anyone in their right mind would fly a route like you did to get to Las Vegas, from San Francisco via Denver!!

Well, I could imagine to do go even further to get from A to B...

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 19): Always nice to see something for you to grumble about lol...But don't we all have these moments!!

  

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 19): Quite rude, but then at the same time I think she was following procedures, and in the event of an emergency she knew she had conveyed the message and had it understood by the seat occupant. However as the company indicated a friendlier tone would have helped.

Yes, it's the tone which I'm complaining about.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 19): Hopefully you didn't remain grumpy for the rest of your trip lol

No, definitely not.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 19): Your brother does seem to be the better photographer!! He's got some really excellent shots in there, and I am glad you acknowledged those as his!

He took most of the destination pictures because I had visited most places before. However, sometimes I took pictures with his camera.

Quoting lovetojetblue (Reply 20): I believe HA does on trans-pac flights from the west coast to Hawaii, but I'm not sure anymore. Great Report!

Thanks! Would be nice to see a HA report which could clear things up.


PH

Good morning PH. Simply stunning pictures from SFO and your recent travels - both in the air and on the ground. You were very fortunate to have such good weather in San Francisco. I really enjoyed the shots from Alcatraz. Thanks for posting these.

The second Frontier flight sounded like a nightmare but as you say, delays do happen - it's about how the airline handles them and how well (or not) it communicates with its passengers. As long as they keep me informed, I can live with delays. Frontier's lack of communication in your experience sounded well below the standard you would expect an airline to be operating at.

As for the flight attendant - entirely unacceptable. I've never heard of such crazy rude behaviour. Unfortunately these days, even if you wanted to respond just as rudely, in the post 9-11 world, this is seen as aggressive behaviour which is liable to see you taken off the plane.

Looking forward to more!

Cheers P/jet

Quoting Palmjet (Reply 22): Good morning PH. Simply stunning pictures from SFO and your recent travels - both in the air and on the ground.

Hi Palmjet, thanks a lot for your feedback! Good to hear you enjoyed reading.

Quoting Palmjet (Reply 22): You were very fortunate to have such good weather in San Francisco.

Yes, I was really surprised that it was so good. I went there in May 2009 and it was very cold and foggy.

Quoting Palmjet (Reply 22): As long as they keep me informed, I can live with delays. Frontier's lack of communication in your experience sounded well below the standard you would expect an airline to be operating at.

I can only agree.

Quoting Palmjet (Reply 22): Unfortunately these days, even if you wanted to respond just as rudely, in the post 9-11 world, this is seen as aggressive behaviour which is liable to see you taken off the plane.

Yes, exactly. That's why I decided to keep quiet in the end.

Quoting Palmjet (Reply 22): Looking forward to more!

The next part will be about a Vision Airlines sightseeing flight.


PH

Hi PlaneHunter!

Thanks for an amazing report with amazing pictures ! Your brother is a fantastic photographer as well as you ! San Francisco IS a fantastic city and your pictures clearly shows why.

Too bad about the delay on F9 and really bad that they did not communicate weill about the delay and the new departure tume. Very bad attitude by the flight attendant as well........

Lookiing forward to the next part!

The777Man

Quoting The777Man (Reply 24): Thanks for an amazing report with amazing pictures ! Your brother is a fantastic photographer as well as you ! San Francisco IS a fantastic city and your pictures clearly shows why.

Hi Lars, thanks so much for your comments!

Quoting The777Man (Reply 24): Too bad about the delay on F9 and really bad that they did not communicate weill about the delay and the new departure tume. Very bad attitude by the flight attendant as well........

At least my anger was soon gone...


PH

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 21): Interestingly, it's just the A318 with its higher tail which doesn't fit, all other A32X aircraft do.

Isn't that ironic? The smallest aircraft from the series is the only one too big to fit under the bridge.   Anyway, I guess it is pretty much a non issue, now that they are about to completely leave the fleet.

[Edited 2011-06-05 08:49:49]

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 21): Well, it should have taken only six hours...

A nonstop SFO-LAS is mere 1:15   

Hello PH,

What a great report! You and your brother are simply a great traveling couple. Just look how both of you complement each other.

Stunning photos of San Francisco. I really like the way you highlight city sights like The Golden Gate, cable car and Alcatraz. I got somehow eerie feeling while looking at some interior pictures of Alcatraz.

When I saw your title about Frontier, something must have turned out badly.

Long delay due to mechanical problems could happen to anyone, but the treatment you and your brother got from that particular flight attendant beat everything. It was totally unbelievable that she separated you and your brother just because of him not saying "Yes!" appropriately in her eyes. Were did such rude behaviour come from?

Luckily, the company was on your side. You did a good job by complaining about this. Even though your first impression was spoilt, at least you know that you can still rely on their customer service.

Thanks a lot for sharing this excellent insight review of both San Francisco and Frontier.

Cheers,
Suryo

Awesome trip report and pictures! The ones from San Francisco are especially stunning, they reminded me of my four day vacation there last summer.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): As soon as we stepped on board, I noticed a bad air quality - and the green leather seats weren't comfortable at all

Its interesting that they took the time to swap green seats onto the E170s even though all of them will be moved over to DL by November.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): My first journey on Frontier Airlines was a very disappointing one.

That's too bad, although I guess I'm not that surprised. When the Republic CEO announced that YX would be merging into F9, one of the things he talked about was how the combined airline was going to focus on providing top-notch customer service. From what I've read/heard though things haven't been going to smoothly, and another example of this is the outrageous hold times out of their call centers.

Quoting Luftfahrer (Reply 26): Anyway, I guess it is pretty much a non issue, now that they are about to completely leave the fleet.

Yes, the "problem" will be solved in the near future, unfortunately. It's a shame what has been happening to these nice little planes.

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 27): A nonstop SFO-LAS is mere 1:15

...and quite boring.  

Quoting akhmad (Reply 28): What a great report! You and your brother are simply a great traveling couple. Just look how both of you complement each other.

Quoting akhmad (Reply 28): Thanks a lot for sharing this excellent insight review of both San Francisco and Frontier.

Hi Suryo, thanks so much for your kind words!

Quoting akhmad (Reply 28): Stunning photos of San Francisco. I really like the way you highlight city sights like The Golden Gate, cable car and Alcatraz. I got somehow eerie feeling while looking at some interior pictures of Alcatraz.

I'm glad you liked the pics.

Quoting akhmad (Reply 28): Long delay due to mechanical problems could happen to anyone, but the treatment you and your brother got from that particular flight attendant beat everything. It was totally unbelievable that she separated you and your brother just because of him not saying "Yes!" appropriately in her eyes. Were did such rude behaviour come from?

Who knows. I cannot imagine seeing that on an Asian carrier.

Quoting akhmad (Reply 28): Even though your first impression was spoilt, at least you know that you can still rely on their customer service.

Yes, that was a positive surprise.

Quoting mke717spotter (Reply 29): Awesome trip report and pictures! The ones from San Francisco are especially stunning, they reminded me of my four day vacation there last summer.

Many thanks, Michael!

Quoting mke717spotter (Reply 29): Its interesting that they took the time to swap green seats onto the E170s even though all of them will be moved over to DL by November.

Well, some of the birds (including N873RW) used to operate in Frontier colors. I guess they have never changed the seats. Interesting to hear the planes will soon fly for DL. All of them or just a certain number?

Quoting mke717spotter (Reply 29): When the Republic CEO announced that YX would be merging into F9, one of the things he talked about was how the combined airline was going to focus on providing top-notch customer service.

Well, there's still some work ahead...

Quoting mke717spotter (Reply 29): From what I've read/heard though things haven't been going to smoothly, and another example of this is the outrageous hold times out of their call centers.

Sounds really bad.


PH

Hi PH,

nice to see one of your trip reports again.

I have always found Frontier an interesting airline, I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience with them.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): I had been to Alcatraz before, but this time I took the cellhouse audio tour (which is available in several languages). It’s excellent, an absolute must do!

I liked San Francisco, walked all over the city, but I did not go to Alcatraz and I see that I should have done it. Well, it is a nice excuse to go to San Francisco again sometime if it will be possible.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Lovely views from Point Vista Overlook:

Great shot, when I was there it was a bit foggy so it was not possible to see the city, but the Golden Gate bridge appeared quite mystic in the fog.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Nice scenery, about 50 minutes prior to landing:

I love watching mountains covered in snow, they offer some spectacular views. Denver is highly on my cities to visit list, so if Lufthansa will really put the first B748 on the FRA-DEN route, I will not hesitate to book a flight 

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): The screen at the gate showed a new departure time of 3:00 PM which wouldn't have been too bad...but some 15 minutes later it changed to 5:43 PM which was a big disappointment!   A gate agent made an announcement and promised that all passengers would get a flight coupon worth $100 as compensation. Well, that couldn't improve our mood because we would still lose lots of time in Las Vegas - and we didn't know when we would travel to the United States again.

I had a 12 hour delay with CO last year. We were about to board when they notified us about a minor technical problem. And after 45 minutes they made an announcement that the flight was delayed until 21:15 this evening (it was around 11 in the morning). Quite a shock Houston, We Have A Problem! 12 Hour Delay On CO 5 (by SloAir Nov 14 2010 in Trip Reports)

When we boarded the aircraft later that day (a lot later  ) a ground staff agent asked us if we would like a 300 USD voucher or 10,000 OnePass miles. I decided for the voucher and it is also valid for a year, which is not very helpful as I do not know yet if I will visit the States again next year or not.

But I was satisfied with how Continental dealt with the delay, the ground staff, FAs and the pilot were very friendly and helpful.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): "I have to move you"

That is just rude and without any feeling, despite the fact she has to make sure that everything is safe on board she overreacted.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): As an additional compensation for the delay, all channels were available free of charge:

That is a nice gesture.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): "Welcome to L-a-s V-e-g-a-s!!!"

I loved Las Vegas   I hope I will be able to return one day, I have spent seven days on my last US trip there and would do it again  

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Story to be continued...

I'm looking forward to that.

Regards,
Blaž

Hiya there. Nice little report you've got here. As a frequent flyer with Frontier, I've got to say that I'm surprised and disappointed that the flight attendant was so rude. I know that there can be quite a few of them out there, but I've known no FA to be any worse than average. I've probably jinxed myself on that regard, but I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of your trip.

I certainly hope your next F9 experience will be more satisfactory!

Hi PH.

Good to get round to reading this at last. I saw it here a few days ago but wanted to sit down and read it properly with no distraction.

Excellent work with the photography around San Fran. Your bro and you make a good combination in this area. Some good memories from this part of the world for me so it was nice to reflect on that time. The view from Coit tower is amazing. BTW, the last picture of the Golden Gate really caught my eye. Gives a good perspective on its size with the cars coming head on at you.

A shame then that your flying experience didn't quite cut it. From your description is sounds rather mundane flying with these two airlines. As you say, tech delays happen and its not the airline to blame, but the way it's handled can make a bad situation really frustrating. As for the abrupt crew member, well, no excuse. A good way to leave a negative feeling for sure.
At least they are ticked off the list of flown airlines now.

Look forward to the next update.
Cheers, Lee.

Quoting SloAir (Reply 31): nice to see one of your trip reports again.

Hi Blaž, thanks a lot for your comments!

Quoting SloAir (Reply 31): Well, it is a nice excuse to go to San Francisco again sometime if it will be possible.

  

Quoting SloAir (Reply 31): Great shot, when I was there it was a bit foggy so it was not possible to see the city, but the Golden Gate bridge appeared quite mystic in the fog.

That bridge always looks impressive. I also remember seeing it on a foggy day.

Quoting SloAir (Reply 31): Denver is highly on my cities to visit list, so if Lufthansa will really put the first B748 on the FRA-DEN route, I will not hesitate to book a flight

I'm also excited about the 748's first destinations. I really want to try the new J Class...

Quoting SloAir (Reply 31): I had a 12 hour delay with CO last year. We were about to board when they notified us about a minor technical problem. And after 45 minutes they made an announcement that the flight was delayed until 21:15 this evening (it was around 11 in the morning). Quite a shock

Thanks for posting the link. I just read that impressive report!

Quoting SloAir (Reply 31): I hope I will be able to return one day, I have spent seven days on my last US trip there and would do it again

Seven days? Did you gamble a lot? Did you take a sightseeing flight?

Quoting Tigerguy (Reply 32): Hiya there. Nice little report you've got here.

Thanks, Tigerguy!

Quoting Tigerguy (Reply 32): As a frequent flyer with Frontier, I've got to say that I'm surprised and disappointed that the flight attendant was so rude. I know that there can be quite a few of them out there, but I've known no FA to be any worse than average.

Well, it seems I was really unlucky...

Quoting Tigerguy (Reply 32): I certainly hope your next F9 experience will be more satisfactory!

That's what I hope, too.

Quoting Tigerguy (Reply 32): I've flown with Charlie I, Buddy, Earl, Carl, Lucy II, Fritz, Stretch, L.J., Thunder, Flip, André, and 10 others

Great signature! The animals are the best about F9!

Quoting AlwaysOnAPlane (Reply 33): Good to get round to reading this at last. I saw it here a few days ago but wanted to sit down and read it properly with no distraction.

Quoting AlwaysOnAPlane (Reply 33): Excellent work with the photography around San Fran. Your bro and you make a good combination in this area. Some good memories from this part of the world for me so it was nice to reflect on that time.

Thanks a lot for your nice comments, Lee!

Quoting AlwaysOnAPlane (Reply 33): BTW, the last picture of the Golden Gate really caught my eye. Gives a good perspective on its size with the cars coming head on at you.

That's what I thought, too. I really like these kind of close-up pictures.

Quoting AlwaysOnAPlane (Reply 33): From your description is sounds rather mundane flying with these two airlines.

  

Quoting AlwaysOnAPlane (Reply 33): At least they are ticked off the list of flown airlines now.

Well said!

Quoting AlwaysOnAPlane (Reply 33): Look forward to the next update.

Should be online in less than two weeks...


PH

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 34): Seven days? Did you gamble a lot? Did you take a sightseeing flight?

I stayed with a friend, went to LA and San Diego for the weekend, did a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon plus all the other classic stuff - I visited almost all the major casinos (but only gambled at one and won 100 usd ), the Stratosphere, Le Reve, Hoover Dam,... It went by very quickly.

But if I would do it again I would at least try to include a flight on Southwest, Virgin America or Frontier 

Hi PH!

Cool report with lovely sunny pics. Your flight experiences apparently weren't the best but that great weather made a bit up for that, didn't it?
I'm sorry to read about this rude flight attendant. Most probably she was stressed and frustrated by this delay as well but that does not justify her behaviour. She should've behaved professionally!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): and the green leather seats

Uh, ugly green.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Ginger ale for me, of course

No doubt about that  

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Here's the Jeppesen Terminal

Looks a bit like the palace of justice in Antwerp, called 'Vlinderpaleis':



Bye,
Nils

Hey PH,

thanks for the report. Great pictures of San Francisco, they really bring back memories from my trip last year - and at the same time show some places I missed out, so I will definitely need to go there again.

Also nice to have a Midwest coloured plane. I really like that scheme. Too bad it will be gone by some time...

Looking forward to the following part!

Olaf

Hi PlaneHunter

Thanks for your report and nice pictures from SFO. Will be there myself in a couple of weeks and it gave me some ideas on what to do there!

I'm completely with you on the SFO-DEN-LAS detour! I would do something like that, too. I think it was odd to see that the E70 was wearing F9 colours some time in the past..... and now flies again for F9 in YX colours.

From what I've seen and heard, F9 always seemed like a friendly and consistent airline... not so anymore, it seems. I considered booking F9 from NYC to LAS next July, but I ended up booking WN because of a better price and the absence of a bag fee plus the chance to land and take-off in MDW to connect.

Looking forward to your report of the sightseeing flight with Vision.
Cheers, LXM83

Hi PH.

A very nice continuation on your Swiss trip to SFO! Very nice pictures from San Fransisco - reminds me from my visits there, although I've never seen the Golden Gate in such a great weather as you did - it was always covered in clouds and fog when I was around. The Fisherman's Wharf area is quite tacky and far too touristic, not exactly my cup of tea, although the seals are of course nice.

Republic sounded like a decent regional/feeder carrier - unfortunately that is the service standard you nowadays get in the US. Frontier, on the other hand apparently messed up things quite royally. I can't really understand why an earth they handled that delay so badly - it's one thing, and to a certain degree completely understandable to have a delay, but another thing all together to have such a bad ground handling experience with it.

That amazingly rude and annoying FA on the flight was just icing on the cake, I can understand the crew getting pissed off by such a long delay (as that will of course prolong their working day), but a professional customer service person must not let it show and definitely not snap at customers like that.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): The plane scheduled for our flight to Las Vegas was N938FR...

I still have a hard time getting over the fact that they use the acronym FR as well - it is forever associated with a certain Irish airline in my mind!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): We also got two electronic certificates in the amount of $150 each which provides a discount on a future Frontier Airlines flight (valid one year). So will I give Frontier a second chance? Probably.

How about trying to score an A318 the next time?

HI PH,

I was quite intrigued by the title, I though the frontier fiasco related to an incident at the border somewhere so i wasn't expecting your catalogue of woes with your flight to Vegas.

The only thing in the airline's favour seems to be the innovative livery, a very nice touch, but the delay and the way you were treated sound just appalling. Imagine if you'd missed the flight because they hadn't made announcments throughout.Hope you'll be able to use the Frontier vouchers on a future trip and have a more enjoyable experience.

Your brother took some fantastic photos of San Francisco, he certainly does have an excellent eye for a good shot. Look forward to reading about Vegas.

Happy flying
Infodesk   

Hi PH

Really interesting report, with some great photos!

The fiasco sounds like it could easily have been avoided through better customer service. In my experience, Frontier is actually very good at this. I have flown Frontier quite a few times, and have had issues with long delays, overbooked flights and luggage traveling on different flights to me... but everything was always dealt with in a very friendly way, and good compensation offered. I have twice managed to get $400 compensation vouchers for volunteering to be offloaded!

On this occasion, the flight attendant was obviously rude, which is unacceptable. But I think you were just unlucky with this, as I have always found Frontier to be a very friendly airline to fly with - give them another shot!

Thanks again for sharing this report!

Absolutely stunning photos of my hometown and favorite city, San Francisco! A brief glance at your photos, and I'm ready for a trip home. For once, I spent more time looking at the city photos than the airplane photos   Glad you enjoyed your visit to the City by the Bay!

Hi!

Just wanted to say many thanks for the report. Sorry you didn't have a very pleasant flying experience this time though. I always wanted to try Frontier since I saw a really good flightsim video someone did of them on Youtube once. And JetBlue of course!

Many thanks,

Pierre

Quoting SloAir (Reply 35): I stayed with a friend, went to LA and San Diego for the weekend, did a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon plus all the other classic stuff - I visited almost all the major casinos (but only gambled at one and won 100 usd ), the Stratosphere, Le Reve, Hoover Dam,... It went by very quickly.

That sounds great! It seems you were really busy!

Quoting SloAir (Reply 35): But if I would do it again I would at least try to include a flight on Southwest, Virgin America or Frontier

Try Southwest or Virgin America - or both!

Quoting sultanils (Reply 36): Cool report with lovely sunny pics.

Hi Nils, thanks for your feedback!

Quoting sultanils (Reply 36): Your flight experiences apparently weren't the best but that great weather made a bit up for that, didn't it?

  

Quoting sultanils (Reply 36): Uh, ugly green.

Yes, the color isn't nice at all.

Quoting sultanils (Reply 36): Looks a bit like the palace of justice in Antwerp, called 'Vlinderpaleis':

Wow, that building looks great, never seen it.

Quoting OlafW (Reply 37): thanks for the report. Great pictures of San Francisco, they really bring back memories from my trip last year - and at the same time show some places I missed out, so I will definitely need to go there again.

Many thanks for your comments, Olaf! San Francisco is always worth a visit. I would even enjoy going to the same places again soon.

Quoting OlafW (Reply 37): Also nice to have a Midwest coloured plane. I really like that scheme. Too bad it will be gone by some time...

Yes, yet another brand name/livery to disappear...

Quoting LXM83 (Reply 38): Thanks for your report and nice pictures from SFO.

Hi LXM83, thanks for your feedback!

Quoting LXM83 (Reply 38): Will be there myself in a couple of weeks and it gave me some ideas on what to do there!

That's nice to hear. Will you fly LX, too? Enjoy your stay, hopefully we get to see some pictures here.

Quoting LXM83 (Reply 38): I'm completely with you on the SFO-DEN-LAS detour!

  

Quoting LXM83 (Reply 38): I considered booking F9 from NYC to LAS next July, but I ended up booking WN because of a better price and the absence of a bag fee plus the chance to land and take-off in MDW to connect.

Sounds like a good decision. And yes, it's amazing that WN doesn't charge anything for a bag.

Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 39): A very nice continuation on your Swiss trip to SFO! Very nice pictures from San Fransisco - reminds me from my visits there

Thanks for commenting, FlyingFinn!

Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 39): I've never seen the Golden Gate in such a great weather as you did - it was always covered in clouds and fog when I was around.

I guess I was really lucky.

Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 39): I still have a hard time getting over the fact that they use the acronym FR as well - it is forever associated with a certain Irish airline in my mind!

They should use "FA" instead...

Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 39): How about trying to score an A318 the next time?

Only four frames are left, and with more A320s joining the fleet these planes may soon get retired, too. I'm glad that I got the A318 on AF.

Quoting infodesk (Reply 40): Your brother took some fantastic photos of San Francisco, he certainly does have an excellent eye for a good shot. Look forward to reading about Vegas.

Hi Hannah, thanks a lot for your nice feedback!

Quoting infodesk (Reply 40): The only thing in the airline's favour seems to be the innovative livery, a very nice touch,

No doubt about that!

Quoting infodesk (Reply 40): Hope you'll be able to use the Frontier vouchers on a future trip and have a more enjoyable experience.

Well, I guess I won't make it to the States again this year...and in 2012 there are only two months left.

Quoting legalkiwi (Reply 41): Really interesting report, with some great photos!

Thanks for your comments, Richard!

Quoting legalkiwi (Reply 41): The fiasco sounds like it could easily have been avoided through better customer service.

  

Quoting legalkiwi (Reply 41): I have flown Frontier quite a few times, and have had issues with long delays, overbooked flights and luggage traveling on different flights to me... but everything was always dealt with in a very friendly way, and good compensation offered. I have twice managed to get $400 compensation vouchers for volunteering to be offloaded!

Sounds good, that's the way it should be.

Quoting legalkiwi (Reply 41): But I think you were just unlucky with this, as I have always found Frontier to be a very friendly airline to fly with - give them another shot!

I may do so.

Quoting modesto2 (Reply 42): Absolutely stunning photos of my hometown and favorite city, San Francisco! A brief glance at your photos, and I'm ready for a trip home. For once, I spent more time looking at the city photos than the airplane photos

Many thanks! I'm glad to hear that from a local!

Quoting modesto2 (Reply 42): Glad you enjoyed your visit to the City by the Bay!

I wouldn't hesitate to go again tomorrow - it's such a great city!

Quoting Ps76 (Reply 43): Just wanted to say many thanks for the report.

Hi Pierre, thanks for your comments!

Quoting Ps76 (Reply 43): I always wanted to try Frontier since I saw a really good flightsim video someone did of them on Youtube once. And JetBlue of course!

Go JetBlue!


PH

Damn, I want to go back to SFO now - Your photos were great.
As for Frontier, its a shame to read that they wern't all that great on your flights as I have read on here many good things about them - I have not flown them so cannot comment first hand.
Must say though looking at the map on the IFE; it really looks old fashioned compared to the newer maps you see on more modern IFE systems.

Kev.

Hi PH!

Sorry for my late read, but it was a great report as always! Love the details, even how you write about the -not so friendly- service from Frontier. Actually, I was surprised, since in the US you usually get treated very well (my impression so far). Despite the bad seat quality on the E170, you logged an interesting aircraft so that makes up probably. btw, in DEN when you got to hurry a bit to the new gate for your Vegas flight, didn't you mention it to the groundstaff? I usually make some notice like "hey if you miss some people, you might put the correct flight on the screen" or so, just to let them realize that they're so wrong in doing their job! It's just unbelievable. And that attitude of the lady on board, is unacceptable also. She is probably ok to assist in an evacuation (because that attitude), but she lacks all skills of customer friendly service and warmth. With many other airlines she wouldn't be welcome to serve customers onboard. btw, did you get/ask for her name? That might cool down the situation a bit, especially in the US.

Anyway, it's still the flight that brought you in to Vegas, so better times were ahead!

Regards
Eric

Hello PH!

Thanks for another good story! The pictures of San Francisco is stunning. It looks like a place worth to visit!

Sorry for the bad experience on Frontier. At least you get compensated properly. I use to watch Frontiers flight attendant school on Discovery channel and Frontier had very high demands, wonder how that F/A passed it!:D

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Inflight magazine

Well-used!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Lovely views from Point Vista Overlook

Just beautiful, their must be a special feeling to see it for real for the first time!?

Quoting PlaneHunter (Thread starter): Stale croissant, hard and tasteless fruit pieces and an average yogurt

At least it looks good 

Thanks again

Greetings
Robert

Quoting FlyKev (Reply 45): Damn, I want to go back to SFO now - Your photos were great.

Many thanks, Kev!

Quoting FlyKev (Reply 45): Must say though looking at the map on the IFE; it really looks old fashioned compared to the newer maps you see on more modern IFE systems.

That's true, but an old-style map still better than none.

Quoting airbuseric (Reply 46): Sorry for my late read, but it was a great report as always! Love the details, even how you write about the -not so friendly- service from Frontier.

Thanks for your comments, Eric! Good to hear you liked it.

Quoting airbuseric (Reply 46): btw, in DEN when you got to hurry a bit to the new gate for your Vegas flight, didn't you mention it to the groundstaff? I usually make some notice like "hey if you miss some people, you might put the correct flight on the screen" or so, just to let them realize that they're so wrong in doing their job!

They gate agents appeared very stressed, I guess such a comment wouldn't have had an effect.

Quoting airbuseric (Reply 46): With many other airlines she wouldn't be welcome to serve customers onboard. btw, did you get/ask for her name?

No, I wasn't interested in a possible further escalation.

Quoting airbuseric (Reply 46): That might cool down the situation a bit, especially in the US.

I'm not sure about that.

Quoting parton87 (Reply 47): Thanks for another good story! The pictures of San Francisco is stunning. It looks like a place worth to visit!

Hi Robert, thanks for your feedback!

Quoting parton87 (Reply 47): I use to watch Frontiers flight attendant school on Discovery channel and Frontier had very high demands, wonder how that F/A passed it!

Probably she passed 20 years ago...  

Quoting parton87 (Reply 47): Just beautiful, their must be a special feeling to see it for real for the first time!?

I had been there before, but never seen it from that place in such good weather.


PH

LOL a Light yoghurt with 50 calories. I hate these sacharin yoghurts. it's crazy that they don't serve a normal yoghurt.