Trip Report - SDF-DTW-AMS-BCN-MAD-JFK-CVG-SDF

It's been awhile since I've posted a trip report, but I thought I'd share
this with everyone as I haven't seen a Trip Report in awhile. I've been
meaning to write this for awhile as the trip was from first half of October,
but I finally have the time to sit down and post this.

Schedule:
Sept 30
SDF-DTW-AMS (NW)
Oct 01
AMS-BCN (KL)
Oct 09
BCN-MAD (UX)
Oct 10
MAD-JFK-CVG-SDF (DL)

Sept 30

I arrived at the Louisville airport at 10:00am because I was originally
scheduled to fly SDF-MEM-DTW-AMS-BCN, as this was the only available routing
for an award at the time of booking. I proceeded to the FC check-in at SDF
and tried to use the kiosk. Didn't work, so I walk up to an agent. The
agent checked me in with the original routing, but as the boarding passes
popped out, he asked if I would like the non-stop to DTW. I happily
accepted, and out popped new boarding passes, a new luggage claim, and a new
receipt with new flight information. My bag was tagged and then off I went
to the TSA for the CTX screening of my luggage. I politely asked the TSA
agent to put a zip-tie on my luggage after being cleared, which was happily
done after encountering a bit of attitude. I politely explained I was
traveling overseas with multiple connections and would feel safer if my
baggage at minimum had a zip-tie on it since I couldn't lock it. At least
my luggage didn't set off the ETD machine this say, as one time back in
July.

Because of the re-route, I had to proceed directly to security and to the
gate. There was a real shoe nazi working security this day telling everyone
to remove all footware. I was wearing sandals, walked through without
beeping, yet I got the full secondary treatment and a full wanding of my
feet sans sandals as they went through the x-ray machine. Anyone feeling
safer yet?

After security, I was off to the gate and boarding began. FWIW,
construction with the new RJ gates at SDF appears to be making nice
progress.

SDF-DTW, NW, DC-9, seat 1C (but took empty window seat)

On-time pushback and a pleasant flight upto DTW. Cheddar mix instead of
Spinzels up in front served on this flight with a beverage service. Flight
path took us along the Ohio river and I was able to get a good view of CVG
out the window prior to us turning north. A bit of circling in the DTW area
and a nice landing.

Because of the change in routing, I had a good 5 hr layover at DTW, and
traveling in World Business Class, I had access to the lounges which made
the layover go by nicely. The main DTW World Club is quite nice and also
contains a smoking room for us smokers. The smoking room was entertaining
in several ways (pax passing out sleeping pills for the NRT flight, inbound
NRT pax half-asleep/drunk/ready to pass out, etc) and interesting
conversation.

DTW-AMS, NW, DC-10, seat 4A (World Business Class)

Upon boarding there were some electrical problems with the lighting & call
buttons, which took the mechanics about 30 minutes to fix. In the meantime,
I kicked back, and had a glass of campaign. Lady sitting next to me in 4A
was extremely snotty and complained about everything. We made a bit of
small talk and one of her first comments was "I *always* fly Business
Class". Needless to say, this passenger became a royal PIA later in the
flight.

Pushback was just a few minutes late, as the mechanics were able to fix the
problems while economy was boarding. The flight was full as it was
originally scheduled to be a 747-400 but downgauged to a DC-10 on this
particular day. The flight path took us north out of DTW, across northern
Canada, over the south tip of Greenland, just south of Iceland, to the north
of Ireland, over the northern UK, and then across the North Sea into
Amsterdam for an on-time arrival.

Flight crew was great, but there was a catering problem which resulted in
the dinner service taking about 4 1/2 hours, which upset many passengers,
especially the one next to me who cursed out the FA, complained every chance
possible, and then got up, took her tray up to the Purser and told him to
forget about the main course. She then lost her cool and said "It's a good
thing my husband isn't and that Northwest will hear about this". Thankfully
she went to sleep after her outburst. I stayed up and enjoyed the full
dinner service (the new WBC meal service), which was excellent in quality,
despite the fact it took just way too long. For the main course there were
three choices, including a tasty Salmon dish, which I opted for. A
breakfast service was provided prior to landing in Schiphol, which hit the
spot.

Upon landing I went through passport control (and my passport was stamped
for the first time in AMS -- normally they don't stamp it). After a quick
trip to the ATM for Euros, upstairs I went to the KLM lounge in the Schengen
area. While this was my first visit to this lounge, it looked like it had
seen better days, but the coffee, juice, and snacks available hit the spot
and my 2 hr connection went by quickly.

October 01
AMS-BCN, KL, 737-400, Seat 1F

KLM now operates their 737s in a full 3x3 configuration and their business
product is now referred to as "Europe Select". I found the bulkhead quite
cramped, but luckily it was only a 2 hr flight. However, it turned out to
be an extremely turbulent flight and seemed like it lasted 5 hrs. In flight
service was good, but catering was messed-up. Everyone up front got
different meals, ranging from hot egg breakfast dishes, to lunch and dinner
dishes. I ended up with some type of hot pasta dish, a plate of ham &
cheese, and other goodies. No complaints with the food, but I was really
wanting a hot breakfast type meal.

Per the pilot, the turbulence existed at all available altitudes and not
much could be done about it, but finally as we reached the Pyrenees we came
out of the cloud layer and the turbulence stopped. Our approach took us out
over the Med, which provided a good view of the BCN coastline and we had a
nice landing. My checked luggage actually arrived this time!

October 09
BCN-MAD, UX, 737-600, economy

Arrived at the Barcelona airport, had lunch and did some shopping. While
Air Europa provides assigned seats, boarding was done all at once. More or
less a free for all. The interior of the aircraft was quite nice and I was
surprised to find a little menu in my seat titled, "As you like it". It
turns out Air Europa is a no-frills carrier where you pay for everything
on-board, be it a bottle of water, a beer, an alcoholic drink, or a snack.
I went for a 2 EUR bottle of water, but was impressed with the service and
efficiency of the FA's on this short flight.

On-time departure with a rapid climb; flight path took us to the south and
we then turned west and headed towards Madrid. About 40 minutes in the air
and it was a very pleasant flight. Initially I found the Madrid airport a
bit confusing upon arrival, but I found the arrival lounge, my suitcase
arrived safely, and off I went to the metro station in the airport to get to
my hotel. While not air related, the Metro Line into Madrid is extremely
nice. It's a bit of a walk to the Metro station, but it's nice and I was
impressed with Madrid's metro system compared to the Metro system in
Barcelona (which does not goto BCN).

October 10
MAD-JFK, DL, 767-300ER, 2A, BusinessElite

Arrived at the Madrid airport early and was one of the first to check-in.
Went though some questioning prior to the ticket counter and ICTS security
stamps were placed on bag & passport. Received my boarding passes and was
provided directions to the Business Class lounge. After clearing security,
I went to the lounge, which was quite nice, IMHO, and I was able to get a
couple of hours sleep there. As boarding time neared, I did some quick
duty-free shopping and bought some clothing and candies with my leftover
Euros. When I got to the gate, surprise: another checkpoint. This time
the screening was very thorough. Then I got in line to board, and was
questioned yet again by the security people. Just when I got through the
line and I thought we were ready to board, another surprise: a bus ride to
the airplane. The airplane at the gate is the one for the Atlanta flight.

I was quite pleased with BusinessElite, the service was good, but the FA's
weren't the most service oriented as I normally find on NWA and other
carriers. On-time arrival into JFK and I happened to clear immigrations,
get my checked luggage, and clear customs in record time -- about 15 minutes
total.

I visited the BusinessElite lounge at JFK while awaiting my flight to CVG,
which was actually on the same aircraft I just arrived on.

JFK-CVG, DL, 767-300ER, 2G, FC/BusinessElite Cabin

I slept most of this flight, but it was a quick 1 hr 40 minutes and quite
smooth. Only a beverage service was provided in the front cabin.

Upon arrival at CVG, I used the BusinessElite lounge there and found this
one to be much nicer than JFK. As my connection was short, I didn't have
much time to spend, but it was relaxing.

Off to the Comair terminal for the last flight.

CVG-SDF, Comair, CRJ700, economy

Flight was overbooked and departed late because of problems getting
volunteers. Most of the pax on this flight had elite status, as there was a
big rush once elite boarding was called (and the gate agent was checking for
status). Once the overbooking was resolved, off we went for a 20 minute
flight to SDF. We arrived about 30 minutes late thanks to the overbooking,
but it was nice to be back home. Luggage showed up when I made it to
baggage claim and I was at home 20 minutes later.

Overall, a nice trip and definitely worth the 80,000 WP miles I redeemed. I
have some more trans-Atlantics between now and the end of this year, but
unfortunately all of them are in the 'back of the bus' (er, main cabin), but
it looks like I should be able to upgrade on one of them.

Cheers!

Steve

"Steve" wrote ...
It's been awhile since I've posted a trip report, but I thought I'd share
this with everyone as I haven't seen a Trip Report in awhile.

We should have more trip reports, like this one. Kewl.
Greetz,

*nice*

Because of the re-route, I had to proceed directly to security and to the
gate. There was a real shoe nazi working security this day telling
everyone
to remove all footware. I was wearing sandals, walked through without
beeping, yet I got the full secondary treatment and a full wanding of my
feet sans sandals as they went through the x-ray machine. Anyone feeling
safer yet?


As I have some embedded bodily metal I always remove my shoes in the US,
however at ORD the other day, the shoe nazi whilst wanding me down, told me
not to bother removing my shoes next time - strange.

Steve wrote:

A month ago I got into it with a lady working the checkpoint at EWR. As I
placed my laptop, cell phone, bag, etc, on the belt, she asks, "What about
your shoes?", I politely reply, "I'm wearing sandals, they're ok, there is
no metal in them, mam", I then lifted up a foot and showed her my footwear.
She replies and berated me to the 3rd degree in a snotty, nasty tone, "It's
not metal we're looking for!!". I rolled my eyes and went on. I felt like
replying to her, "This is a metal detector I'm about to walk through, isn't
it?", but I held back and kept my mouth shut.

I think you missed the point. It wasn't about the metal. She wanted them
x-rayed for potential weapons, metal or non metal.

Steve wrote:
When I say my shoes/sandal's are ok (no metal), does that justify her going
off on me & berating me to the 3rd degree?

If you had gone to the USSR back in the 80s, would you have even dared to
question an agent's request ?

Consider that Mr mattocks had been detained and harassed because he didn't
smile at a joke made by TSA frisking him.

If those measures do not represent what americans want, then it is up to
americans to rise up against the current regime. It is up to americans to tell
the sole opposition to wake up and start seriously opposing the current
government. Of course, it is really hard for established democrats to admit
that they made a big mistake in supporting Bush Jr's police state all along
and only now seing the political potential for opposing Bush Jr.

The democrats should have impeached Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Woldfowitz the day
the UN annoucned that some of the evidence presented by the USA to the UN had
been fabricated. They didn't. They are just as guilty.

The american public have a constitutional right to rise up and bear arms
against their govermnent. Not only did they not rise up, but they accused
anyone not supporting Bush Jr's lies to be unpatriotic.


Sorry, but you are getting the police state treatment that you asked and
supported. Sorry, but you chose to ignore all the warnings coming from your
allies, chosing instead to call them "former allies".

In article r4bpb.65386$275.155359@attbi_s53,
"Steve" wrote:

One thing I've found is there is no consistency with the TSA anywhere in the
states. Procedures even vary from lane to lane at the same airport on the
same day.

This point gets consistently raised in many discussions of this issue --
and yet it seems logical to me that if you're trying to create maximum
security using some fixed or limited amount of inspection resources,
then variation and inconsistency is the approach you _should_ follow.

if there are many ways that bad guys might try to get dangerous stuff
through security and for reasons of cost or efficiency you can't
reasonably check every single one of them on every single passenger,
then some kind of random checking (weighted perhaps by the most likely
threats, and varying randomly from day to day, lane to lane, and every
passenger to passenger) would seem to have the maximum deterrent effect
on the bad guy, who faces a big downside if the random check catches him.

(Note: Not arguing either way on whether security checks do any good,
or whether current checking procedures are optimally chosen; just making
the specific point stated above.)

"Fren Ullum" with absolutely NO knowledge of American
History whatsoever wrote in message ...

If those measures do not represent what americans want, then it is up to
americans to rise up against the current regime. It is up to americans to
tell
the sole opposition to wake up and start seriously opposing the current
government. snip

What the hell do you think America is, a democracy??

It isn't. We're a republic. Our votes for president don't even count. We
elect representatives and they run the show. It's up to THEM to impeach the
smarmy little ****er, not the citizens. We have no established criteria for
recalling a president. A president, and therefore his cabinet, must be
impeached first, and convicted second in order to get rid of them, a process
than can take years, or the whole of a president's term.

In other words, a waste of time.

"Hilary" wrote in message
...
| A month ago I got into it with a lady working the checkpoint at EWR. As
I
| placed my laptop, cell phone, bag, etc, on the belt, she asks, "What
about
| your shoes?", I politely reply, "I'm wearing sandals, they're ok, there
is
| no metal in them, mam", I then lifted up a foot and showed her my
footwear.
| She replies and berated me to the 3rd degree in a snotty, nasty tone,
"It's
| not metal we're looking for!!". I rolled my eyes and went on. I felt
like
| replying to her, "This is a metal detector I'm about to walk through,
isn't
| it?", but I held back and kept my mouth shut.
|
| When I've been asked to remove my shoes, I went through the metal detector
| and my shoes went through the x-ray scanner with my bag and coat.

When I got asked to remove my shoes (and jeans) in front of several hundred
people at Columbus, I got four soldiers drawing their guns on me, and a
gloved finger up my ass for my protests. In one sense, it is worth
protesting against. I shall protest by boycotting travel to and through the
USA. I don't need to deal with that crap.

colin wrote:

When I got asked to remove my shoes (and jeans) in front of several hundred
people at Columbus, I got four soldiers drawing their guns on me, and a
gloved finger up my ass for my protests. In one sense, it is worth
protesting against. I shall protest by boycotting travel to and through the
USA. I don't need to deal with that crap.


You would not been asked to remove your jeans in public..

AES/newspost wrote in message ...
This point gets consistently raised in many discussions of this issue --
and yet it seems logical to me that if you're trying to create maximum
security using some fixed or limited amount of inspection resources,
then variation and inconsistency is the approach you _should_ follow.

I agree!

However logical this policy might be from a security standpoint, it
raises another problem. When citizens interface with government law
enforcement, there must be rules/laws, and they must be applied
evenly. The 'rules of engagement' cannot be 'whatever we feel like
doing at this moment', or we do not live in an essentially just
society in which government derives it's power from the consent of the
governed.

Yes, that would be great for the concept of security (disregarding, as
you stated, the concept of how effective that type of searching might
be), but it can lead to all sorts of abuses. Even if the government
*does* choose to employ a range of security postures vis-a-vis their
interface with airline passengers, they must state that. It is not
right for the government to state "We are not going to require shoe
removal anymore" and then have individual TSA agents decide to
override that at their leisure (as an example).

What else might they decide to change, just because they feel like it?
What recourse would anyone have if an individual TSA goon or security
supervisor just decided one morning that everyone had to remove their
shoes AND socks, and undo their flies and turn their pockets inside
out? Yes, it might be reported in the news, and yes, people can fill
out a form and complain, but really, passengers would still have to
comply on the spot or be denied travel (or arrested, if they pitch a
bitch).

And that, I believe, is the point of the shoe-removal exercise. Not
to employ variable security techniques to shock and awe potential
terrorists, but rather to condition US citizens to comply instantly
with TSA demands, no matter how nonsensical or even illegal they might
seem to be. Conditioning is a long, slow, process. Shoes today.
Tomorrow?

If they state "we will employ a range of security procedures, which
might or might not include mandatory shoe removal," I think many would
have less of a problem with that, and it would be consistant within
the 'rules of engagement' while still being variable and inconsistant
from an application standpoint. But they don't do that.

In any case, my opinion is that direct federal searches of passengers
and their effects are a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment, so
to me, the point is moot.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks