SIN-PER-SIN - April 11-14, 2013

I'm back from my three-day jaunt down to Perth, which happens to be the city farthest from New York and other points on the eastern seaboard for those interested in such points of trivia. I haven't written much about aviation lately, so I thought I'd just post a quick bit about the trip before writing about the games I saw.

I left on Thursday afternoon, taking a bus from downtown Singapore to Changi, which had recently been ranked the best airport in the world in a survey sponsored by SkyTrax. The bus takes just over 30 minutes from where I work, making it a much more affordable option than a cab.

The outbound flight was on Tiger Airways, one of the numerous low-cost airlines that make Singapore a great hub for budget travellers. The one-way trip is about 5 hours and cost about $120 US, not a bad deal at all.



Tiger doesn't have online check-in for non-Singaporeans so I had to line up with everyone else, which took an unbearable 5 minutes. One thing about Changi is that they realize that people standing in check-in lines are not spending money, so most carriers seem to have plenty of staff to make things move quickly and get passengers into the shopping area as soon as possible.

Another benefit here is that security is handled at each gate, so after checking in, you proceed straight to immigration. As a Singapore resident, I am able to use an automated gate both coming and going, a process that is easier on your passport as you don't get it stamped each time you travel.

Changi has three distinct terminals, each with a few interesting attractions. Tiger flies out of Terminal 2 which has a sunflower garden and orchid garden, as well as a spotting gallery. Computers with free internet connections are widely available, although getting used much less these days as nearly everyone is taking advantage of the free wi-fi provided. Either way, there are plenty of things to occupy your time while you wait for your flight.

My flight left on time and 5 hours later, I was in Western Australia. The wonderful experience of Singapore's airport was a distant memory as I  now had the task of figuring out the best way into town. Taxis are too costly so I had to choose between Perth's poor public transit or a private shuttle service.

There are four terminals at Perth's airport, with the international terminal being a 15-minute drive away from the main domestic terminals. I don't know who designs these airports that require such a trek between terminals, but it is massively inconvenient, especially given that there is no public transit at the international terminal. There is a free shuttle to the domestic side, which I took hoping to catch a bus downtown. Just as the shuttle arrived, I saw the bus pulling away, and the next bus wasn't for another hour, so I ended up waiting just 40 minutes to take the PerthConnect shuttle at $25 return. Such inconvenience would be a recurring story during my weekend stay, but more on that in another post.

Return Trip

One of the advantages of these LCC's is that they charge the same price for each flight whether you buy a return or a one-way ticket. In other words, there is no cost advantage to buying the return ticket with the same airline, so I used Jetstar Asia for my return leg, paying just $89AUD as I had a voucher affording a $50 discount. In other words, I flew a total of 10 hours for just over $200, an amazing bargain.

The flight was at midnight which gave me some time to explore the airport. Turns out there is an observation gallery that is completely empty in the evening, giving you some peace and quiet away from the crowds and a nice view of the apron. There were also a couple of computers on the main departure level with free internet but little else worth noting. All in all, I can see why Perth ranks #78 in the world's airports and strongly advise the authorities there to improve their transit options to the city, which lies less than 20km from the airport.

Best,

Sean

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HND-CTS - April 5, 2012

The busiest air route in the world is between Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND) and Shin-Chitose in Sapporo. Over 40,000 people a day are flown from one to the other, or to put it in another way, about 1% of Japan's population makes this trip every month. Today I was part of that group as I grabbed an early Air Do flight (that's the plane below, JA601A, a former ANA bird) that took me from springtime in Tokyo to the last ravages of winter in Hokkaido. Well, I'm exaggerating a bit, it is about 4 degrees during the day here with a lot of snow and ice remaining. Not pleasant, but not miserable either.

The flight was actually not routine for a change. After pushing back a few minutes late, we took off to the southeast before turning around and heading northwest. This took us over Tokyo on a clear morning and I got a decent picture of the new Tokyo Sky Tree, a 634-meter tower that will open to the public next month, just after I leave the country.

To compare, here is the whole east side of Tokyo with the Tokyo Dome being the white dot in the top right corner.

You could also see Mount Fuji in the distance above the haze covering the metropolis below.

It was a smooth flight, but when we began our descent, it became slightly turbulent - apparently a windy day in Sapporo. As we neared the runway, I could feel the plane being buffeted and could see the flaps being manipulated quite heavily to try to mitigate the effects of the wind. It was actually a bit frightening as one could sense the struggle going on in the cockpit, and sure enough, just before touchdown, the engines revved and the pilots performed a go-around. This is not an uncommon operation, landings in strong winds are occasionally aborted. It is disconcerting for the passengers but immediately the cabin crew were on the PA to explain and apologize. The plane circled around for another approach which was somewhat easier and we landed without issue, arriving at our gate just 15 minutes late.

With some time to kill before I could check in to my hotel, I headed up to CTS' great outdoor observation deck (above) where you can see the planes taxing, taking off, and landing. There is no fence at face level here, so it is easier to get pictures straight on. In fact, that's the main reason for this post, to show a few airplane shots.

Paint your plane green and call it Eco!

Or paint it purple and call it Peach! Actually, a new low-cost airline here in Japan.

JinAir, a new Korean airline that I had never heard of.

Kudos to JAL for returning to their classic livery.

Japan is great if you like special liveries, this Pokemon 747 is famous in the aviation world.

Of course, the reason I am in Sapporo is for sports. I saw the Nippon Ham Fighters tonight and will post on that tomorrow.

Best,

Sean

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LAX-SLC-YYC - February 10th, 2012

I don't want to get in the habit of posting whenever I fly, but yesterday's trip from Los Angeles to Calgary via Salt Lake was rather interesting. Or should I say the people I flew with were. And not in a positive way. And why am I starting all my sentences with conjunctions? But enough of that.

My question is why is it that when people fly in the US, they lose all semblance of common sense. Is it the experience of being humiliated and degraded by the TSA's security theater that renders them incapable of understanding that there are other people in the airport or on the plane?

Some unsolicited advice for fellow travelers:

1) Learn the skill of sitting quietly and thinking. At the gate, many people are on their cell phone, speaking so loudly that I am forced to learn far more about their lives than I really want to. What happened to covering your mouth when you talk on the phone? (Note to friends: if I die and you are going to my funeral, do not announce that fact so all of gate 31 can hear it). Those traveling with families are talking amongst themselves, which is fine, but again far too loudly; I don't need to know about Aunt Dora's psoriasis.

2) The flight is 2 hours long, not 6 days. When you board the plane, put the suitcase in the overhead bin and sit down. You don't need to unpack your carry-on, get our your laptop, iPhone, smelly lunch, and change your shoes. Because if you do that, you will have to reverse those steps when you leave the plane, and you will trap the guy at the window seat who needs to get to his connecting flight.

3) Please do not speak excessively loudly about your lives throughout the entire flight in a futile attempt to impress those around you. Yes, your lives are interesting, but only to yourselves. Nobody cares that you are going to Belgium next month with your mother.

4) If you are obese, consider buying an extra seat, paying for the upgrade to business class, or asking to be seated by yourself. Failure to do so will surely turn the poor soul trapped between your excessive girth and the fuselage in a permanent state of hating on fat people.

5) I do not want half a chocolate bar. But thanks for asking.

Enough ranting. Despite being saddled with less than satisfactory seatmates, I still enjoyed the flights, simply because of the views, as it was a clear day for most of the way. Below are a few shots from my window seat.

This 757 (N6716C) took us from LAX to SLC. I love when they give the plane a unique touch, like naming this one after Joseph E. Lowery. Who knew flying could be so educational?

During the taxi, I was happy to see Air New Zealand's All Blacks livery decorating a newly delivered bird (ZK-OKQ). This honours the All Blacks championship at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

We took off at the same time as this United flight. LAX has four runways, generally two are used for arrivals and two for departures, so this sort of thing is not uncommon.

The coast north of LAX

We turned back over the airport, a great overhead view of most of the complex.

Approaching Salt Lake City

SLC with the city in the background

On the way to Calgary with the sun setting on the mountains just northwest of the Salt Lake City.

The lesson from the trip is that you can always let the little things bother you, but when you start to look at the big picture, you'll realize that there is more beauty in the world than you can ever possibly see.

Best,

Sean

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HND-LAX - February 8-7, 2012

Greetings from Los Angeles! I flew here direct from Tokyo International Airport, more commonly known as Haneda. It was my first flight to North America from the sparkling new international terminal that is just 15 minutes from Shinagawa station.

Haneda is so much more convenient than old standby Narita, but due to the fact that domestic flights take up all the landing slots during the day (HND is the fourth busiest airport in the world), international flights leave and arrive at odd times. The flight I took, DL636, left at 12:30 am on February 8th, arriving in LA at 5:45 pm on February 7th. The advantages of such a late departure include a fairly empty airport, no lines at check-in or security (see the photo above), and it is easy to fall asleep on the ride over.

Unfortunately, nearly all the shops are closed, but you can spend time on the observation deck as long as it isn't raining too hard.

After we landed, I was surprised to see that was raining in LA as well. The plane was parked at a domestic gate and then passengers were bused over to the Tom Bradley International Terminal for immigration processing. Most might be annoyed by this, but for me, it's great to be driven around an active airport tarmac with planes taxiing, taking off, and landing all around you. By the time we got going, it was dark and with the rain, there wasn't a good chance to take pictures, the one below is as we were taxiing.

The immigration and customs procedures were unbelievably smooth and speedy, as we were the only international flight arriving at that time. There was no line at immigration, and when I walked to baggage claim, my suitcase was right in front of me, a very rare happening. A good start to the trip.

Interestingly, the return flight also has odd times, leaving LA on February 29th at 11:45 p.m., arriving in Haneda at 5:30 a.m. on March 2nd. Which means no March 1st for me, an effect of the international date line. Before then though, lots of sports, starting tomorrow with an NBDL game between Tulsa and L.A. Check back for a recap then.

Best,

Sean

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Flying and Fort Worth

My 4-day trip to Texas has come and gone and not surprisingly, it was rather too short. Still, I managed to see 5 pro games, including a Toronto win, and part of an amateur affair as well, so it was time well spent. But I did a few things other than sports.

Flying to DFW via DTW

First I want to talk about flying, which is a topic I have touched on in the past. Aviation consistently receives a bad rap in the U.S. but all of my flights this trip were completely without incident. I flew via Detroit both times as it was the least expensive option given my late booking and I was concerned about delays causing me to miss the connecting flight. But it was as smooth as could be, the airports were clean and security lines moved quickly despite it being Thanksgiving, and I found the Delta flight attendants friendly and professional. I also found my fellow passengers seemed to be experienced travelers, which makes things a bit easier on everybody. There is nothing more frustrating than watching someone hold up the boarding process as they try to stuff an oversized suitcase into the overhead bin. All in all, a good trip and evidence that the US airlines and airports are not the dinosaurs they are often made out to be.

Fort Worth

The second topic is the less famous city in the DFW area, Fort Worth. It is the 16th-largest city in the US, but is overshadowed by Dallas and Arlington, home of the four major league sports teams. On my previous trip here, I toured only Dallas, seeing the 6th Floor Museum and Reunion Tower. I did catch an independent league ballgame in Fort Worth but no tourist attractions.

So I made sure to stop by Fort Worth this time. The jet lag still had me up early, so I first stopped at the Fort Worth Botanical Garden. It was open early on Black Friday and offers a large garden center that you can wander around for free. Given that it was late fall, there wasn't much in bloom, but it was a quiet getaway with fresh air, something I don't get in Tokyo very often.

There's also a Japanese garden that I did not check out, as well as a small conservatory for $1. I just spent an hour outside enjoying the relative peace (there is a highway that runs just south of the garden and you can hear the drone of traffic as you approach).

A rose garden lies at one end of the garden center, but again there were few fully formed flowers due to the season. Still, a nice way to start the day and well worth a visit if you are in town.

After lunch at In-N-Out (yes, they have expanded to Texas!) I went over to the Kimbell Art Museum to check out the Caravaggio exhibition.

This exhibition was the reason I was visiting this area in the first place. It was initially shown at the National Gallery in Ottawa, and my parents told me about it after they went to see it. I would have liked to have seen it but was unable to make it home during its limited run. When I found out it would also be in Fort Worth, I checked the hockey and football schedules and saw the Leafs would be in town the day after Thanksgiving, and presto, a sports road trip was born.

Woman Addressing the Public: Project for a Monument by Miro

Photography was not allowed in the exhibition itself, but it was fantastic, with paintings arranged by topic over 8 rooms. A free audio guide was distributed and really added to the presentation.

There is also a permanent collection in which you can take pictures, below is an early Monet, "The Cape de la Hève at Low Tide".

The Great Divide

Finally, I think this photo summarizes America in 2011. In a Walmart parking lot, you are encouraged to help keep prices low, while the biggest and most expensive stadium in the land sits just across the street.

Best,

Sean

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Flying on the 787!

For those of you who don't follow aviation, the past few years have been a struggle for Boeing as they tried to bring their newest airliner, the 787, into service. Originally scheduled to be delivered in late 2008, the program suffered a number of setbacks in both production and testing that caused a total of three years in delays. The 787 is the first composite jet aircraft (with the fuselage mostly composed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic rather than aluminum) and it is also the first aircraft to use an extremely modular manufacturing process, in which engineering firms around the world built the parts and shipped them to Seattle for final assembly. Given how completely different it is in both product and production, it is not entirely surprising that it took so long to get it right.

The first test flight was in late 2009 and from then, things have progressed relatively smoothly. Last month saw launch customer ANA, a Japanese carrier, receive their first plane with a special livery. They had already set their schedule this past summer, with the first flight taking place on October 25th. That was a charter from Narita to Hong Kong with many media members and aviation enthusiasts aboard. Regular service commenced on November 1st with daily flights to Okayama and Hiroshima. Unfortunately I had to work that day, but November 3rd was a holiday in Japan, so I decided to book a ticket that day for a one-night excursion to Okayama, returning on Friday, again on the 787.

When I booked the ticket, I was surprised that seats were still available on the holiday as I expected a great number of airplane geeks to snap them up. The price for the 787 flight was the same as for other flights, but it was an early departure, leaving Haneda at 7:30.

One of the great things about flying in Japan is that you can avoid the check-in desk entirely if you have a certain type of ticket. I arrived just before 7 for the flight, went through security in a minute (the TSA could learn a few things from the Japanese system) and finally got a glimpse of JA801A, the first 787 in revenue service. The gate area was filled, not only with passengers for the flight but also with those from other flights who had come to take a few pictures of the new bird.

When boarding began, there was a distinct buzz among the passengers, with most taking pictures from the jetbridge. Once on the plane, people took their seats quickly (only 10 minutes to board 264 passengers!) and then took the time to look around.

The 787 has a number of features that make flying much nicer. The most obvious is the lack of a window shade; instead passengers can darken the window through five levels of shading using a button just beneath. Even at the darkest setting, you can still see outside, which is a great benefit for those of us who enjoy the view while in the air. The windows themselves are about 1.3 times bigger than those found on older aircraft.

As we were boarding, the ceiling was lit with the colours of the rainbow, but once the flight was ready to leave, this was switched to a light blue.

ANA has configured the economy cabin in a 2-4-2 setup, with personal entertainment systems in each seat. The middle two seats are separated by a small space and each has its own armrest, so it is a bit more spacious than a typical middle seat.

One of the interesting features is the wing, which has a raked end and flexes during flight. Below is a picture of a wing with the sun rising beyond.

The 787 is noticeably less noisy than other planes, although I think the upper deck of the A380 is even quieter. There were times when you forgot you were flying, it was such a smooth and quiet ride. Pressurization on the aircraft is also much better, so much so that on landing I didn't have feel my ears pop as they normally do. Of course, the flight itself was only an hour long, so it wasn't enough time to really appreciate the differences between the 787 and its predecessors, and a lot of things I missed, such as the fancy new lavatories with washlets.

After we landed in Okayama and taxied to the terminal, I noticed a couple of hundred people lined up on the other side of a fence who were taking pictures. This is a big news event in Japan and aviation enthusiasts from around the country were happy to be able to see it firsthand.

The Okayama airport has an observation deck which costs 100 yen to enter, but allows for some good clear shots such as the one below.

If you are planning to visit Japan and looking to fly on this aircraft, ANA does have an English website. Okayama and Hiroshima are the only cities served at the moment, but more will be added as more planes are delivered. It's definitely a very cool plane and worth checking out when you get the chance. As for me, the ride was so comfortable though that I'm hoping to catch a long-haul flight on one of these in the near future.

Best,

Sean

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Tokyo to Des Moines - via Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Minneapolis

I'm in Des Moines about to head to the Iowa Cubs game. Getting here was interesting: flying to Salt Lake City and then on to Chicago, where I spent Friday evening. I was too late to see the White Sox game live but watched some of it on TV to re-acclimate to western society. Saturday morning was a short flight to Minneapolis where I rented a car and then drove south to the Iowa capital. The picture below is Milwaukee Airport - unfortunately I couldn't pick out Miller Park from the air.

Landing

The Mississippi River just southeast of St. Paul

The trip itself was uneventful but there's a couple of tips that might be found useful that I want to mention.

Picking a Plane

When booking a long-haul flight, it's important to consider not only the airline but also the type of plane to be used. In most cases, you don't have much of a choice, the airline only uses one aircraft type on a given route. But if you are not flying directly to your destination, you might be able to improve the experience by knowing the difference between planes. A perfect example of this is Delta Airlines, which uses 4 different planes on its routes from Narita to the US.

For the larger destinations such as Los Angeles, Detroit, and Minneapolis, the 747 is used. These old birds were inherited from Northwest and lack newer amenities such as personal TVs (PTVs) that make long flights more enjoyable. I try to avoid these but they are the most dominant jet that Delta uses. Portland is serviced by a 767 which I have yet to fly on but which I've been told is not that comfortable. Flights to Atlanta are on the 777, which is a much nicer option with all the modern amenities. Finally, the A330 is used on less popular destinations such as Seattle and Salt Lake City.

On the flight to Chicago I took yesterday, I had several connection options, but chose to fly via SLC because it was an A330 and I had yet to be to that airport. The seat setup on the A330 (2-4-2) is much more comfortable than the other planes and it has the PTVs which allow you to watch a movie at any time with the ability to pause, rewind, fast forward, etc. (Older systems show a loop of the movies and if you miss the start, you are out of luck).

So when you fly, check all your options and use Seat Guru to check the options available on the different flights.

As an aside, one of the movies I saw was called "The Damned United". It's about Brian Clough who managed Leeds United for 44 days back in 1974. It's a great sports movie, no happy ending, just a true story with great acting. I knew nothing of the story and was transfixed. It helps if you know the basics of English football, but otherwise this movie is easily accessible for any sports fan.

Salt Lake Immigration

Salt Lake City is not an international destination for many tourists. And their airport reflects this. The flight arrived 40 minutes early but we weren't allowed to disembark because the immigration authorities weren't prepared. Another flight had just arrived and the size of the customs and immigration area isn't big enough to handle two planeloads. So we spent a further 30 minutes in our seats. Once we were allowed off, we still had to wait for about another 30 minutes as they had to clear the previous plane before they could begin doing ours. Passengers were bemused but generally good-natured, likely due to the jet lag after a 10-hour flight. Still, it's something to be aware of if you have a tight connection.

O'Hare Security

The flight from Chicago to MSP is just over an hour. That's almost the same amount of time I spent in the security line-up. They had a new machine that did full body scans but I was spared it this time around. But it slowed things down even more than usual and I was glad I got there 2 hours early. I'm not sure how much longer the silliness that masquerades as US airport security will continue but it's not getting any better. For short flights though, driving is becoming more and more the better option.

Speaking of driving, the final bit of the trip was a 3.5-hour journey from MSP to my hotel in Des Moines. It was done entirely on I-35 and I arrived in time to catch the last 30 minutes of the World Cup's 3rd place game. I much prefer to take roads other than interstates, but the World Cup takes priority. Once that's done tomorrow, I plan to take some scenic Iowa drives over the next few days and make this blog about road trips as well as sports.

Best,

Sean

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Flying Porter YTZ-YOW

After spending four jet-lagged days in Toronto, I flew back home to Ottawa in time to watch Canada's men's hockey team win gold. I'll post more about the Olympics shortly, but here I just want to talk about the short flight on Porter Airlines, a relatively new entrant in the market and one that seems to get everything right.

Porter began flying back in 2006, using Toronto's Island Airport, now known as Billy Bishop Toronto City Centre Airport. There was much controversy as those living near the airport do not want to have commercial operations there, but for most Torontonians, the airline is a boon as it offers flights to regional destinations without requiring a trip to Pearson International.

Porter's first route was Toronto-Ottawa, but they have since expanded rapidly and now include Montreal, Halifax, St. John's among other Canadian destinations. For roadtrippers, flights to Boston, Chicago, and New York are also available, and there are plans to expand to several other nearby cities including Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. It's almost enough to convince me to return to Canada and live downtown!

My experience

I walked from my downtown hotel to the airport on Sunday morning. The airport is located on an island and you need to board a ferry to get there. The ferry, which leaves every 15 minutes, takes all of 2 minutes to reach the airport. Porter recommends arriving just 30 minutes before as the airport is small enough that security lines move quickly, so you can use that guide to figure out which ferry to board.

You can check in at the ferry terminal or at the airport itself. I had already checked in online (faxing my boarding pass to myself at the hotel) so proceeded directly to security. Once through security there is a lounge that provides free wi-fi and internet access. It's quite comfortable and there are enough seats for everyone, but this terminal will be replaced next week with a much larger space.

The CN Tower is visible as we pull back

The planes (all Bombardier Dash 8 Q400's) hold only 70 passengers, so boarding is quick and orderly. We took off on runway 26, which faces west and provides good views of Ontario Place and the CNE grounds, including Ricoh Coliseum. We turned south over the lake and eventually circled around to head northeast for the 56-minute journey to Ottawa.

I was surprised to be given a small snack set for free. This contained a ham sandwich, a couple of cookies and a chocolate. It was fresh and tasty, a change from the usual in-flight meals. Beer and wine are also available at no charge.

The flight itself was uneventful and we arrived at the gate in Ottawa exactly on time. It was an entirely pleasant experience from start to finish and I'm glad to experience a problem-free flight after last week's difficulties.

Snowy landscape

I fly back to Toronto on Sunday, the day that the new terminal opens. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience an airport terminal on its first day of operations, so I'm really looking forward to it and I'll try to add some pictures here.

Best,

Sean

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Stuck in Detroit

So much for getting to watch the Canada-Russia quarterfinal. A passenger on my flight from Tokyo took ill and forced a diversion to Winnipeg. The three hour delay caused me to miss two connecting flights. Naturally the flight I was in time for was completely full. So I get to spend an evening in the Detroit airport waiting for my late flight to Toronto. I'll see if a sports bar will show the game, but I'm not hopeful.

Update: Things worked out after all. I don't know why I thought that HockeyTown airport wouldn't have the game on. I found a bar and watched Canada hammer Russia 7-3, and chatted with several Americans sitting nearby. It was a good experience and although it took me 28 hours door-to-door, it wasn't that much of a burden. And a 4-goal first period is the best cure for jet lag I've found yet.

I also complained to Delta who answered in a timely manner and added miles to my frequent flyer account to make up for the delay. I'm more than satisfied with their response and will now forget this long day.

For completeness, I'm keeping the rest of my post (written when I was very tired but still valid) below:

I may sound callous given the circumstances but the passenger in question shouldn't have been flying in the first place. A fairly overweight gentleman, he was sweaty and nervous before we even took off, and was extremely reluctant to sit in the middle seat to which he was assigned. The flight was full though, and volunteers to give up their aisle seat were not to be found. So he took a middle seat and seemed quite normal, sleeping for most of the flight. But with two hours or so to go, he became unwell. Treatment onboard was not effective, so the flight was sent to Winnipeg, where he was treated by paramedics and removed from the plane, seemingly in reasonably good spirits.

I hope he's OK but I also hope that he doesn't get to fly again until his medical condition is cured. This was a preventable diversion in my mind (of course, I don't know all the facts, but judging from my observation). The result was thousands of dollars in expenses to Delta and inconvenience to 300 other passengers. The moral is: if you are not sure you can fly, don't risk it.

Trip Plan

I should be in Toronto tomorrow to watch the Marlies. Friday the Raptors host the Cavaliers and then Saturday it's the Rock taking on the Orlando Titans. After that, it's back to Ottawa for some more hockey. Check back regularly for posts on all the games.

Best,

Sean

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Goodbye Northwest

For those of you who might have missed it, the Delta/Northwest merger has been completed and the airline is flying under a single operating certificate now. The NWA website no longer exists (it redirects to delta.com) and it's getting harder to spot Northwest planes as more and more are repainted in Delta colours.

On my return flight from Atlanta last week, I was fortunate to fly on N671US, the last 747 in Northwest's scheme. According to Airliners.net, it is now being repainted at Victorville airport in California, which means the end of that familiar red tail on 747s in Narita.

I've been flying NW for well over 10 years as they were usually cheaper than Air Canada and offered reasonable connections through Detroit. I've always found them to be a decent airline, although these 747s could use some refurbishments on the inside as well, particularly with the addition of personal video systems. It's sad to see them go, but so far Delta has been similar in service, so we'll see how things go.

For now, here's a picture of the last NWA 747, before flying ATL-NRT on February 1st, 2010.

Best,

Sean

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