In a recent blog post, Jon Talton takes Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to task over an upcoming two-week junket to Germany. But he gets something wrong – the importance and scope of Germans who visit Arizona.
Phoenix Sky Harbor
“Accidental” Flight on United a Pleasant Surprise
If you’re flying out of Phoenix, your two biggest airline choices are Southwest Airlines or US Airways. You know Southwest: It’s a perky, courteous brand with few frills – but not a lot of hidden costs. US Airways gets unfairly demonized. I’ve flown it many times, and had only one hiccup over the years. It’s not great, but it’s not the flying snake pit it’s made out to be. Still, I didn’t want to fly either for a recent trip to Denver for skiing. Why? Air Miles – I’m starting to collect a good number on my Continental OnePass account. That’s also the one that has the most potential value for international flights. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s Terminal Four – T4 is the lunatic asylum from which Southwest and US Airways fly. Parking is awful, which drives us over to East Long-Term Parking, which requires a bus ride. It’s laid out awkwardly, and security lines are frequently a mixed martial arts cage fight. Continental, on the other hand, flies out of the sedate, compact Terminal 2. Is it old and outdated? Yes to the former, no to the latter. Unless you think it’s not cool to be able to walk from long-term parking to check-in within moments. My wife booked the flights through Continental.com (CO 6498, an Airbus A319, and CO6491, an A320), and soon discovered a surprise: The flight was a code share, and we’d actually fly on United Airlines (one of Continental’s partners in the Star Alliance, [...]
Airport “Authorities” Continue Running Amok
Monday night, I had to visit Sky Harbor Airport to pick my wife up from racing in the Ironman triathlon in Madison, Wisc. She flew United, which is based at Terminal 2. For a person stiff and sore from completing the 140-mile course -and with extra injuries from a crash- it’s the perfect terminal: It’s small, and you can see the un/loading ramp from the baggage claim. She called me from the baggage claim, and I was there moments later at the farthest end to pick her up. I could actually see her headed slowly my way (that soreness was taking its toll). As I was waiting, some guy in an unmarked polo shirt and shorts tells me to keep driving. So who was this guy? He had no insignia. He wasn’t wearing a TSA or Phoenix Police uniform. He wore an orange vest, but so do the schmoes at LAX who solicit you for their church. I told him I’d be away in a moment, but I wasn’t eager to tell more to someone who wasn’t identifiable as any sort of authority. Then he went to the back of my car and started writing on a pad. I got out when my wife walked up with her bags. I popped the rear hatch and helped her load. This is where it gets interesting: I asked the guy for identification. “It’s right here,” he said, pointing to a lanyard around his neck. I inspected the card hanging there, which seemed to be [...]
US Airways Doing the Samba from Charlotte, Heading to Tel Aviv from Philly
Note from Wandering Justin: Since I live in Phoenix, which is a US Airways hub, I plan to keep a closer eye on its activities. I won’t regurgitate press releases, but rather analyze what it means from a traveler’s perspective. I am also not an industry expert, just a curious flying enthusiast. Feel free to debate or tap me wit the clue bat! Back on May 26, US Airway announced that it would fly from Charlotte, NC, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On the surface, I have to wonder how much sense that flight makes. Obviously, the airline is going to do anything rash. It wants to make money, so it’s going to analyze the numbers to see if this makes sense for them. So I guess they found some sense in a BBQ Belt to Sunny Samba flight. The flights will start on Dec. 2. I’d love to read more than what’s in the press release (look for it here). I’m guessing US Airways is funneling passengers from other Eastern cities to this flight. Why Charlotte rather than Philadelphia, another nearby hub? I have no earthly idea. Still, seeing Charlotte snag a major international destination fills me with some hope – hope that it will deem its Phoenix hub worthy of some major international destinations. Right now, we have the most boring big airport on the planet. Great for getting to Cleveland, but useless for getting to Copenhagen. So if a small city like Charlotte can land a good [...]
A Tip of the Hat to the Boeing 747
A preface from Wandering Justin: I originally wrote this for another blog, but it seems relevant here. Enjoy! Every time I go to band practice, I take the 143 freeway past Sky Harbor. I always look to my right and see a British Airways 747 parked at Terminal 4, getting ready to head to London. And I wish I was getting on that plane. Not so much because it’s going to London, but because … well, I can’t explain it in one sentence. But here are the thoughts that jumble through my head: -First, there is a certain something special and exciting about a 747. It’s an icon of style, adventure and anticipation. You don’t take a 747 from Charlotte to Pittsburgh. No, That’s what takes you to Hong Kong, to Paris, to Sydney, to Johannesburg. From the first time I rode one on the way to Germany as a 5-year-old boy, it has made me feel something no other airplane can replicate. The 777 is a marvelous piece of technology, and the A380 is built on a mind-boggling scale. But no aircraft save the Concorde cuts the same image on final approach, or puts that flutter in my stomach as I cross from the jetway into its fuselage. Sadly, less than a handful of American-based airlines still fly it. -Second, it being a British Airways flight, I know that the people aboard will not be treated like cattle. Foreign airlines seem to have figured out how not to nickel-and-dime [...]
