Trip Report: No chicken on Malaysia Airlines, solicitors at LAX, etc.

Redeemed 60,000 Delta Skymiles for MSY-TPE round trip Award ticket in mid
January.

Left New Orleans on March 17 for 30+ day vacation in Taipei and Taiwan.
Delta is really cutting back. All MSY-DFW flights are now handled by Delta
Connection with CRJs. The 7:00 AM Flight 4914 was packed but not overbooked
by about 3 seats.
DFW-LAX coach passengers are only served beverage and pretzels for the 9:30
AM (breakfast time) Flight 1625 so I went to the DFW Burger King before
boarding. Aircraft used is MD-88 (should be at least a 757) because it's was
packed both ways. Arrived at LAX around 11:00 AM for a 12+ hour layover.
Fortunately I my cousin lives in LAX so I waited for him to arrive and sure
enough a pesky Korean solicitor wanted a donation to some Korean crap.
What's with LAX being a haven for solicitors and for it being so infamous
getting mocked (and the PA recording with the "red zone, white zone, etc.")
decades ago in the Airplane movies? Is it like this at SFO? I have been
solicited just about every time I go to LAX.
I finally noticed this but why are all LAX signs only in English? Even the
MSY airport is foreigner friendly with Spanish, French and Japanese
translations on its signs even though there are no direct flights to/from
Japan and only one nonstop flight each
to/from Toronto and San Pedro Sula.

Picture of MSY terminal with the four languages used on its signs.
http://208.55.190.92/images/SB_line_...east_2-4-2.jpg

My cousin and I had Dim Sum for lunch in Monterey Park and also I got some
sleep at his house in Alhambra for a few hours.
Got back to LAX about 3 hours before the 11:35 PM departure to TPE on MH 95.
You really have to arrive at LAX at least three hours before International
departure because TSA is screening every checked baggage. You may end up
arriving at the gate 2 hours before departure but that's because you just
avoided the mad last minute rush. To kill some time I watched a DVD on my
laptop.
Finally boarded MH 95 and it was packed! It must be people going back for
the Taiwanese Presidential Election. I booked window seat 26K both ways two
months in advance. I should have booked a better seat which I did on the
return trip.
I was never given a good explanation why there was no chicken even on
flights from the USA. See the airline meal pictures below for what I was
told.

Airline meal pictures
http://public.fotki.com/apjung/airline_meals/2004/

Photos from the entire trip
http://public.fotki.com/apjung/vacations/2004/taiwan/

http://public.fotki.com/apjung/trainspotting/taiwan/

http://public.fotki.com/apjung/roadgeeking/flying/

http://public.fotki.com/apjung/roadgeeking/taiwan/


Left Taipei on April 19 back to New Orleans.
Booked window seat 81K shortly on MH Flight 94 after arriving in Taipei and
it was the best choice I ever made for another packed flight. There are only
two seats instead of three because of the curvature of the 747 at the rear
so I had plenty of side space to stretch my legs and store some carry on
items. There is still row 82 behind me but those are reserved for the cabin
crew for resting and meal times so reclining is not a problem. (best seats
in the rear are Rows 80A/K and 81A/K)
Finally learned the true reason that chicken is not being served on Malaysia
Airlines aboard is because of the bird flu so what was substituted in place?
Absolutely nothing! We all had to settle for fish or vegetarian for Dinner.
At least Malaysia Airlines should have offered beef as a substitute! Just
before landing at LAX the flight attendants sprayed disinfectant towards the
ceiling to circulate thru the system. Will this procedure kill all airborne
SARS and bird flu viruses?
Arrived at LAX an hour early around 5:20 PM so I have another long 8 hour+
layover.
Picked up my luggage and went thru Customs and rechecked for the connecting
flight. Caught the LAX shuttle bus to domestic departure terminal.
Avoided those damn solicitors at LAX like the plague when that same Korean
solicitor approached a lady sitting next to me so I got up and left but I
couldn't check in at the Delta counter until 6 hours before departure which
was another 50 minutes of agony. The sooner you go thru the security
checkpoint at LAX, the sooner you leave those pesky solicitors behind for
good! Hey TSA, please do not lift the ticketed passengers only rule except
for a family member accompanying children, disabled people or people who
can't speak English.
I arrived at Gate 63 after many of the restaurants had closed on a Sunday
night. Only one of the food places in Terminal 6 was open but the line was
not really moving so I didn't really eat for the night.
Killed some waiting time again with another DVD.
Finally boarded the 1:45AM redeye MD-90 (again should be at least a 757)
Flight 2088 to DFW and again it was packed so I didn't get continuous sleep
in Sardine Class. I should have realized that the 6:37AM arrival time at DFW
was during DST so the sun hasn't risen yet which meant I should have booked
an aisle seat back in January.
Arrived at DFW around 6:30 AM and went directly to the Burger King again and
ordered a Chicken Whopper meal after about 12 hours between my previous
Brunch meal on MH 94. Yes, you can have lunch/dinner during breakfast hours
at the DFW Burger King.
On the final leg on 7:30 AM Delta Connection Flight 4922 to MSY I finally
got a less than half full flight so everyone got plenty of room to move
around and stretch their legs. I couldn't say the same for the unfortunate
folks on the 9:30 AM 4922 flight back to DFW because it was overbooked. Now
why couldn't it be overbooked for me on March 17 so I could've asked for a
First Class flight to ATL and LAX on bigger aircraft and gotten fed with a
meal?
Arrival at MSY was around 8:45 AM which was about 15 minutes early. Baggage
claim wait time was virtually non existant.


--
Andy P. Jung
Metairie, Louisiana U.S.A.
http://www.JungWorld.com/

To reply via e-mail, please visit my web site.

"Andy P. Jung" spam@yourownrisk wrote in message
news:uvqic.9911$55.1808@lakeread02...
Left Taipei on April 19 back to New Orleans.
Booked window seat 81K shortly on MH Flight 94 after arriving in Taipei
and
it was the best choice I ever made for another packed flight. There are
only
two seats instead of three because of the curvature of the 747 at the rear
so I had plenty of side space to stretch my legs and store some carry on
items. There is still row 82 behind me but those are reserved for the
cabin
crew for resting and meal times so reclining is not a problem. (best seats
in the rear are Rows 80A/K and 81A/K)

Whoops, should be window seats in row 60 and 61.


--
Andy P. Jung
Metairie, Louisiana U.S.A.
http://www.JungWorld.com/

To reply via e-mail, please visit my web site.

"Andy P. Jung" spam@yourownrisk wrote in message news:uvqic.9911$55.1808@lakeread02...
Redeemed 60,000 Delta Skymiles for MSY-TPE round trip Award ticket in mid
January.

Left New Orleans on March 17 for 30+ day vacation in Taipei and Taiwan.
Delta is really cutting back. All MSY-DFW flights are now handled by Delta
Connection with CRJs. The 7:00 AM Flight 4914 was packed but not overbooked
by about 3 seats.
DFW-LAX coach passengers are only served beverage and pretzels for the 9:30
AM (breakfast time)

I was surprised that Continental is still serving meals, at least they
were 2 weeks ago on the IAH-SFO-SFO/IAH flights. The e-ticket said
"snack only" and I was pleased to see breakfast and lunch served.

"Andy P. Jung" spam@yourownrisk wrote in message
news:uvqic.9911$55.1808@lakeread02...

snip

DFW-LAX coach passengers are only served beverage and pretzels for the
9:30
AM (breakfast time)

This is pretty consistent among all the major carriers.

snip

Aircraft used is MD-88 (should be at least a 757) because it's was
packed both ways.

That's what airlines aspire to, now. It's a concommitant of deep discount
fares.

Arrived at LAX around 11:00 AM for a 12+ hour layover.
Fortunately I my cousin lives in LAX

Poor guy! He lives in the airport?

so I waited for him to arrive and sure
enough a pesky Korean solicitor wanted a donation to some Korean crap.
What's with LAX being a haven for solicitors and for it being so infamous
getting mocked (and the PA recording with the "red zone, white zone,
etc.")
decades ago in the Airplane movies? Is it like this at SFO?

There is a "free speech desk" just outside the President's Club entrance at
the CO domestic terminal. Solicitors harrass airport passengers from there.
There isn't, however, the ubiquitous white-uniformed "fake nun" parked in
front of every escalator as there is at LAX.

I have been
solicited just about every time I go to LAX.
I finally noticed this but why are all LAX signs only in English?

They're not, at least at the United and American terminals.

snip

My cousin and I had Dim Sum for lunch in Monterey Park and also I got some
sleep at his house in Alhambra for a few hours.

Ah, some of the best Chinese food in North America can be had at Monterey
Park.

snip

To kill some time I watched a DVD on my
laptop.

Out of curiosity, what software/hardware do you use? I'm experimenting with
movie viewing on my laptop in-flight. My batteries won't take me through a
2-hour film if its read from the DVD, so I was thinking about copying it to
my hard drive.

snip

Hey TSA, please do not lift the ticketed passengers only rule except
for a family member accompanying children, disabled people or people who
can't speak English.

I agree (though not about the people who can't speak English part). Since
the ticketed passengers airside only rule, terminals have been less crowded,
you can you usually find a comfortable seat near the gate, there are usually
seats at the bar, etc.

snip

"Lou Minatti" wrote in message
om...
"Andy P. Jung" spam@yourownrisk wrote in message
news:uvqic.9911$55.1808@lakeread02...
Redeemed 60,000 Delta Skymiles for MSY-TPE round trip Award ticket in
mid
January.

Left New Orleans on March 17 for 30+ day vacation in Taipei and Taiwan.
Delta is really cutting back. All MSY-DFW flights are now handled by
Delta
Connection with CRJs. The 7:00 AM Flight 4914 was packed but not
overbooked
by about 3 seats.
DFW-LAX coach passengers are only served beverage and pretzels for the
9:30
AM (breakfast time)

I was surprised that Continental is still serving meals, at least they
were 2 weeks ago on the IAH-SFO-SFO/IAH flights. The e-ticket said
"snack only" and I was pleased to see breakfast and lunch served.

I didn't know that. Since turning Platinum, I haven't yet had to fly in Y
on CO, so my only source of information about food service was the e-ticket
which, like yours, said either "snack only" or "none."