Travel Day
I previously posted about TSA experience and having my check-in bag searched to find they were concerned with the camera. Must make sure to have camera out when flying out of Ft. Lauderdale on the return leg of the trip.
Having flown first class a few times in the past, I was struck by how the quality of care had slowly reduced over time. With all the press about the trouble airlines were having financially in the wake of 9/11, as well as general economic pressures everyone has been experiencing these past several months and years, I seriously wondered what my experience would be this time.
The first leg of my flight from SJC to FLL was fairly short, only 1.5 hours. Thus the service provided on this flight was pretty much snack and drinks. But I was /very/ surprised after waking from my nap on the longer leg, to find that folks up here had been served a full meal! Not only that, but I was stunned to hear and then see china and metal flatware. Suddenly I felt special again.
Another interesting twist to this leg is that this Airbus A321 has apparently only been in service with US Airways for seven days. When we were boarding, other staff were stopping in to check out “the new toy.” I'm not sure if I feel safer in a newer plane. But I do have the sense of being one of the first folks to be touching and using things on it. Just as it happens with a new car, there is a sort of special sense of being first I get from knowing this.... makes it feel more special.
As I write this, I'm also charging my iPhone. And I'm setting up my media manager for the anticipated onslaught of photographs I (and maybe Sue) expect to take over the coming days. In fact, the only reason I actually brought my MBP with me was to process photos from the camera during the trip. The idea of using it to capture my thoughts for later use in my blog was kind of an afterthought. But now that I'm typing here I think it was a wise choice.
I don't necessarily expect to bring the laptop with me everywhere. Though I must say that I found it fairly easy to open and use it the first class space -- it probably wouldn't have been so easy in steerage. Instead, I think I'll make use of it when we're back on the ship and I can collect my thoughts for the day. I think I may have to use the iPhone's Notes application to capture anything during the day that I really must remember for later. I've done this in the past, like with quotes during munches and family gatherings. I guess we'll just have to see how well it works for this trip. I don't get to take these often, so it's not like I'll get a lot of trial-and-error to “get it right.” ;-)
Well, now it's a battle between the iPhone and the laptop... will the iPhone finish charging off the laptop before the laptop needs to be shut down? Heh. Truth be told, I'm more concerned about being able to make calls and have my phone up for the drive to Miami, where I can charge both from utility power... so I will wait as long as I can before shutting down the laptop. So I'll just putz around on the MBP a while longer, and be amused as the flight attendants compare notes on the new touch-screen panel for the (new) plane, as they learn the new controls. Looks like they're playing with the cabin temperature now. Funny.
Oh, and in case you were wondering -- as I did when I realized I'd be connecting from Phoenix -- we are actually flying mostly over water. Though there was a fair amount of cloud cover in the early part of the second leg, once it opened up the water was clearly visible. Hi there! Guess I better really pay attention to where those flotation devices are! :-)
Having flown first class a few times in the past, I was struck by how the quality of care had slowly reduced over time. With all the press about the trouble airlines were having financially in the wake of 9/11, as well as general economic pressures everyone has been experiencing these past several months and years, I seriously wondered what my experience would be this time.
The first leg of my flight from SJC to FLL was fairly short, only 1.5 hours. Thus the service provided on this flight was pretty much snack and drinks. But I was /very/ surprised after waking from my nap on the longer leg, to find that folks up here had been served a full meal! Not only that, but I was stunned to hear and then see china and metal flatware. Suddenly I felt special again.
Another interesting twist to this leg is that this Airbus A321 has apparently only been in service with US Airways for seven days. When we were boarding, other staff were stopping in to check out “the new toy.” I'm not sure if I feel safer in a newer plane. But I do have the sense of being one of the first folks to be touching and using things on it. Just as it happens with a new car, there is a sort of special sense of being first I get from knowing this.... makes it feel more special.
As I write this, I'm also charging my iPhone. And I'm setting up my media manager for the anticipated onslaught of photographs I (and maybe Sue) expect to take over the coming days. In fact, the only reason I actually brought my MBP with me was to process photos from the camera during the trip. The idea of using it to capture my thoughts for later use in my blog was kind of an afterthought. But now that I'm typing here I think it was a wise choice.
I don't necessarily expect to bring the laptop with me everywhere. Though I must say that I found it fairly easy to open and use it the first class space -- it probably wouldn't have been so easy in steerage. Instead, I think I'll make use of it when we're back on the ship and I can collect my thoughts for the day. I think I may have to use the iPhone's Notes application to capture anything during the day that I really must remember for later. I've done this in the past, like with quotes during munches and family gatherings. I guess we'll just have to see how well it works for this trip. I don't get to take these often, so it's not like I'll get a lot of trial-and-error to “get it right.” ;-)
Well, now it's a battle between the iPhone and the laptop... will the iPhone finish charging off the laptop before the laptop needs to be shut down? Heh. Truth be told, I'm more concerned about being able to make calls and have my phone up for the drive to Miami, where I can charge both from utility power... so I will wait as long as I can before shutting down the laptop. So I'll just putz around on the MBP a while longer, and be amused as the flight attendants compare notes on the new touch-screen panel for the (new) plane, as they learn the new controls. Looks like they're playing with the cabin temperature now. Funny.
Oh, and in case you were wondering -- as I did when I realized I'd be connecting from Phoenix -- we are actually flying mostly over water. Though there was a fair amount of cloud cover in the early part of the second leg, once it opened up the water was clearly visible. Hi there! Guess I better really pay attention to where those flotation devices are! :-)