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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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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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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Atlanta Activities

Atlanta is the capital of Georgia and the 8th largest metro area in the US. It's home to Coca-Cola, CNN, and Delta Airlines. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the world's busiest, although the majority of the passengers are in transit.

For tourists, Atlanta offers myriad options that touch art, pop culture, industry, entertainment, history, and sports. I visited here in 2001 and saw all of the major attractions at that time. I revisited some of them, but was put off by the 2010 prices, so am afraid that there's not much to talk about here.

Skyline

The main attractions are downtown, all within walking distance of each other. The CNN Tour is $13 and can be interesting to see how difficult is to put together so many news broadcasts around the globe.

The World of Coca-Cola is $15 and gives a detailed history of the world's most popular soft drink. I'd been in 2001 so skipped it this time, but Sharpy's tells me that it gives you a sense of why it is such a commercial juggernaut. Below is a statue of John Pemberton, inventor of Coca-Cola, located just outside the main entrance.

The Georgia Aquarium is nearby, but at $27 is far more than I would pay to see fish. Here's a picture out front.

The High Museum of Art is located near the Marta Arts Center station and is $18. It takes 3-4 hours to see the whole thing, which I didn't have time for, so I took a picture of a big horse sculpture out front.

As an aside, living in Japan has completely destroyed my ability to judge the proper price for things in the States. After 13 years in a country with nearly no inflation, it's hard for me to understand how something that was $6 in 2001 is now $15. At some point, travel and tourism has become rather expensive in my mind, especially for families.

Fortunately, there are some free activities in the city that are worth visiting. First is the Martin Luther King National Historical Site, which provides a detailed explanation of the life of the leader of the civil rights movement. Run by the National Parks Service, the site contains his birthplace, the church where he was a pastor, his tomb, and an exhibition that illustrates just how much King and his followers had to endure in their fight for equality. In my mind, the best thing to see in the city.

The wagon that held King's coffin

Ebenezer Baptist Church next to the visitor's center

Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics, which was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the modern games. The Centennial Olympic Park commemorates the event. Located in the center of downtown, it is a good area to rest in between the other attractions. There's nothing extraordinary about the place, but it's worth walking through - few cities have a park this large in their downtown core.

Picture of Westin Peachtree from Centennial Olympic Park

Statue of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics

The State Capitol is not that far from downtown and is worth visiting for political or history junkies. The gold dome is visible from various points in the city and gives you a strong sense of southern history from the Civil War onward.

Finally, if you are visiting Atlanta, you should pick up a multi-day pass for MARTA, the rail system. The system requires that you have a Breeze ticket or card, which you tap on the gates to get in and out. The ticket costs 50 cents and come with the 1-day to 4-day passes. The card costs $5 and comes with the 7-day pass. Given that a normal ride is $2, the two-day pass at $9 is well worth it, and the 7-day pass at $15 is a bargain. Train service is good enough in the downtown core, although in the evenings you may be waiting for 15 minutes if you are coming from the suburbs.

Atlanta is definitely a great destination for tourists of all types. Of course, sports road trippers have 4 major league teams to choose from, as well as nearby minor league teams and several college programs as well. All-in-all, a city not to be missed.

Sunset over the Georgia Dome

Best,

Sean

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NRT-MSP-ATL - January 14, 2010

Flew today from Tokyo Narita to Atlanta with a stop in Minneapolis. A few thoughts about the very long day, about 21 hours door-to-door.

America's Newest Export - Security Theater

Thanks to Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab or whatever his name is, flying from Japan to the US has become just that much more annoying. It used to be very relaxing in Narita - in the past few years, I've had nothing but good experiences - quick check ins, almost no lines at security or immigration and some time to eat before boarding the plane. Some of this is due to the fact I generally fly at non-peak periods, but Narita and its airlines had streamlined its processes as well, adding plenty of check-in kiosks, expanding security lanes, and renovating the restaurant areas.

Sadly, due to the TSA's latest dictum, we must be patted down and have our baggage hand searched AFTER we have had our boarding pass scanned, in other words, on the jetbridge to the plane itself. They had about 8 people doing full pat downs and another 8 doing visual checking of baggage. It makes the boarding area even more crowded and bothersome (not to mention unnecessary as neither the pat down or baggage check does anything more than what was done as the first security screening). I always enjoy boarding a plane for a flight, but this new rule, even though it only takes a couple of minutes, is so poorly considered that it left me shaking my head.

I don't want to go into all the problems with the TSA's approach; do a Google search for the term Security Theater or check out some of Patrick Smith's columns at Ask the Pilot, a great resource for frequent fliers. But as the TSA reacts to every threat by making new rules (no liquids, shoes off etc) that I wonder how much longer until a terrorist attempts to hide something in his butt just to see what happens here.

To be fair, I didn't think that Japan was on the list of countries that needed to increase their vigilance, so it's possible this is something that Narita airport is doing of its own accord. But whatever the case, it's simply a waste of everybody's time and energy.

Delta Airlines

The flight from Narita to Minneapolis was about 10 hours and a bit choppy at times, but otherwise pretty routine. The biggest problem was that during the breakfast service, they ran out of eggs by the time they reached my seat; I'm guessing I was lucky to have avoided them. I am looking forward to when Delta retires these old 747s that they inherited from Northwest as they lack in-seat entertainment and are really not that comfortable. Always better to use the A330s if you are flying from Japan, but those are limited to San Francisco and Seattle as far as I know.

However, I would like to praise Delta for their good service after I arrived in the States. They were helpful on the ground in MSP regarding a small problem in my booking, and the flight to Atlanta was highlighted by the GoGo WiFi service. I know that the service is not Delta specific, but it's good that they had these older planes equipped and that the service worked as advertised. I had never used internet in the air and was impressed with how quickly my iPhone loaded pages. I was even able to track my own flight on FlightAware. So cool. At $7.95, it might be a bit much for a short flight, but it was well worth it as a first experience. I even updated the previous post while in the air!

Below is a shot of the MD90 that took me from cold Minneapolis to chilly Atlanta (N915DN).

We arrived 15 minutes early in Atlanta, which gave me plenty of time to get to my downtown hotel and venture over to Philips Arena to watch the Sabres and Thrashers. More on that in the next post.

Best,

Sean

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