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MCO Trip, Mar 2022

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ANCFlyer (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 23 Mar 22, 12:53Post
So MrsANC had some vacation time to burn . . . she says, last week . . . let's go to MCO! Oh good. A weeks lead time on an F seat to MCO during spring break. Gimme a challenge. . . . .

Booked.

ORD-MCO AA2529 (Broke down, beat up, old -say again OLD - as in 1990s - F seats, no IFE, barely stable tray tables) (N177US for those that care). No pics, not worth the effort.

Got to ORD about 1400(L) for a 1650 board time. Logistics required that. Time on target in the AA Admiral's Club between H & K concourse. Nice, actually, very nice. Drinkies, poo-poos, lunch, windows=aircraft movement=happy ANCFlyer.

Gate H17. Nondescript ORD gate, the usual. Boarded and sat. Early departure. The alley between G & H gates, to Bravo, eventually to 10C for departure. Rough climb out, first hour was a roller coaster . . . MRSANC doesn't like that stuff . . . I had my beverage in hand. . . service delayed for Y, only drinks in F. I gotta admit, it was a bit of a chop up there, through climb out until somewhere over Tennessee.

So, AA Admirals Club: Grade B. Bar service A, Food Service B+, crowded, C.

Gate and Boarding: A

Seat/Aircraft: D Broken down, old - really old - A321 from the initial US Air buy from Airbii back in the day, according to the Captain (spoke to him on deplaning). No IFE of any kind, 1st gen F seats. I mean really dismal aircraft. Obviously used for the high density shuttles from ORD-MCO-ORD (made 3 round trips on that route yesterday according to flight tracker).

Beat up AA, you can do better . . .

On Board: F F/A was reasonable. . . she gets a C. Probably her last turn for the day. Not spectacular but not impressive.

Arrival: Standard issue for MCO . . . fly past Orlando, turn and burn. Landed long, with lots of traffic in trail. Hard hit on the brakes to make room them off of 35L. MRSANC - who doesn't like to fly - grabbed my hand . . . we're okay, he just wants to make this taxiway - kind like the Tri_State in Chicagoland, you'll be fine.

Short walk to the tram, short tram ride to the terminal, broken baggage belt on 24, changed to to 25, appropriately tagged One World Priority bags off the belt quickly.

Usual commute to Ocoee. Florida has no taxes. . . . but they have tolls . . . just sayin'.

No issue with AA on this trip. Other than the beater 1995 version (complete with original issue interior) on their aircraft (N177US). Like trying to haul my 5th wheel with a Chevy 1/4 ton . . . .

Back to Chicagoland on 3/29. Another 321 is scheduled. Probably the same high density $$$ making commuter ORD-MCO-ORD bird . . . we'll see.

Stand by.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!!
ShanwickOceanic (netAirspace FAA) 23 Mar 22, 18:04Post
I flew sister-ship N173US back in 2011, and it was pretty well shagged out even then.

ANCFlyer wrote:appropriately tagged One World Priority bags off the belt quickly

I had some of those when I flew to LAX. They arrived last, hauled on a huge trolley by an even huger woman who proceeded to hurl each one six feet through the air and onto the belt. {sarcastic}
My friend and I applied for airline jobs in Australia, but they didn't Qantas.
ANCFlyer (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 24 Mar 22, 09:09Post
ShanwickOceanic wrote:
ANCFlyer wrote:appropriately tagged One World Priority bags off the belt quickly

I had some of those when I flew to LAX. They arrived last, hauled on a huge trolley by an even huger woman who proceeded to hurl each one six feet through the air and onto the belt. {sarcastic}


It's LA Dude, be glad you got them at all and in one piece . . . . coulda been snatched up and sent to Compton or some other ward of a less than noble politician professing to save the people!! ;)

I find those tags work about half the time. And that's a historical perspective from the way back clock . . . by that I mean US Airways (early 90s), Continental (90s), United (mostly to/from Hawaii also in the 90s), and of course, AS. I don't fly enough anymore to watch that very closely, just glad to see the bags on the belt. But when I was doing 10-15- 20,000 miles a month (sometimes in a week if I were headed to GUM), I figured I earned it.

Times have changed.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!!
ANCFlyer (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 29 Mar 22, 21:18Post
Return to ORDland this morning, AA 2721, another of AAs 200+ A321s from the US Airways merger. Another bland, simpleton seat at the pointy end of the plane.

Got to MCO at 0545L. Had Pre-Check so that was a snap. Looked forlornly at the couple hundred people trying to get to their planes during the morning departure bank at MCO. Thankful for pre-check, but will say, even that took 20 minutes.

No Admiral's Club this morning. Straight to the gate (25). Boarding was on time, Active Military, the Brat Parade, Broken Passengers and F (I qualify in the last two categories). Checked the rego when I boarded to confirm it was another AA A321 shuttle bus doing the ORD/MCO/ORD/MCO turn. The usual seats again.

Cabin crew was all DFW based. Good folks, and they all had a personality. Unlike the geriatric cabin crew that could have passed for my 7th grade English teacher in a different life.

Off the block 6 minutes early, quick taxi and departure to the north.

Breakfast wasn't so bad at all. Particularly liked the really fresh fruit place. Three hours 1 minute enroute.

Long taxi back and forth across the south side of ORD - we were 15 minutes early - and then to K concourse.

Plus side for today, two AA Retro Airbii . . . a Piedmont painted A319 and a US Airways (post HP merger) painted 320. Got pics of them both, but the pics suck badly.

Naturally, we had THE last gate at THE end of K concourse. Pretty good hike to baggage claim.

Bags in hand, 28 minutes after deplaning, and we're on the road to Fox Lake. 35 minutes, moderate traffic (for a 12 lane highway), and home.

I'll see about cleaning up those pics, but no promises.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!!
ANCFlyer (netAirspace ATC & Founding Member) 30 Mar 22, 19:51Post
Best I can do with those two retro AA birds at ORD.




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LET'S GO BRANDON!!!!
 

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