Round The World and other travels

Flight Log 6: US1197

Phoenix (PHX) - San Diego (SAN)

Given that US Airways had gladly accepted USD15 from me to reserve seat 5F and then told me at check-in that I couldn't have it, I wasn't exactly happy when I boarded this flight. Little did I know that things were about to get worse. Immediately on stepping through door 2L, I noticed that my allocated seat (8F) was already occupied. Worse, it and the adjacent seat were occupied by two young children, part of a family group that I had seen pre-boarding with a dog. Seizing my chance, I explained the reservation mix-up to one of the flight attendants and pointed out that my replacement seat was taken. However a quick check revealed that the current occupants just needed to slide one place to the left. The flight attendant did quietly say to me that if the flight wasn't full, she'd try to find me something away from the kids, so I took 8F in the hope that this might happen. Just to add to the fun, there was no space for my hand luggage in the overhead locker, so my bag had to go under 7F, next to the dog under 7E - a situation that I regarded as less than ideal.

In fairness, however, the dog was far better behaved than the child in 8E, who couldn't sit still for fifteen seconds and whose bare feet ended up just about everywhere, including resting against my left leg. The rest of the family group, consisting of mother and a third child, were in 8A/B and, as I was to discover later in the flight, a second dog was parked under 7B. The seat that I had paid for (5F) remained empty for a very long time, but eventually it was taken. As the flight appeared to be completely full, I resigned myself to having to endure what seemed to be payback time for the first class delights of my transatlantic journey, nearly two weeks previously.

At least we managed to get away two minutes ahead of schedule and around fifteen minutes later, in spite of it all, I was able to enjoy the take-off and steep climb out in the ludicrously over-powered 757. The expected flight time was given as 45 minutes. There was no service in the Economy cabin, although there was - at the very least - a beverage service in First Class. Around half way through the flight, a minor miracle happened when the hyperactive brat in 8E fell asleep; the gods must have decided that I'd been punished enough.

We made a spectacular approach through a series of mountain passes into what, according to a recent TV programme, is one of the World's Top Ten Extreme Airports.   Touchdown came at 1810 and the 757 showed what it could do when braking, as those beefy engines generated powerful reverse thrust and an amazing roar. 

Overall, a horrid flight - one to be expunged from the memory, lest it dissuade me from future travel.

Date: Fri 09 Sep 2011

Aircraft: Boeing 757-200

Scheduled dep: 1700

Actual departure: 1658

Scheduled arrival: 1809

Actual arrival: 1812

Cabin: Economy

Seat: 8F

 

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