Flight Report: AC 1918 – ATL to YYZ

It was a whirlwind five-day trip to Atlanta just to see Copa America 2024 Opening Match, but well worth it.  However, with the late nights and plenty of libations to go around, I was ready to head home at this point.  But not before we indulged at the business class lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for a bit, which was a perk given to us for using my Aeroplan miles to book this flight.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

Our original flight time was scheduled for 3:30pm EST, but I received an email update from Air Canada stating that our flight was now delayed to 4:50pm EST.  Carrie and I discussed whether we should grab something to eat nearby or just head to the airport now and kill several hours at the airport lounge instead.  It was shortly after 11am EST when I received this email, so we’re talking at least 4+ hours to kill here before boarding our plane.  Ultimately, we decided to kill time at the airport lounge, especially since I hyped up my last airport lounge experience to someone whose never enjoyed this type of luxury before.

United Club Lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

The Uber got us to Jackson-Hartfield International Airport within 20 minutes.  Airport security was standard, so there were no hiccups there.  The real confusing part was where exactly was this lounge that we had access to.  I struggled to find the Maple Leaf Lounge, which is Air Canada’s chain of business class lounges worldwide at select airports.  However, I was told by one of the customer service reps that our ticket granted access to United Airline’s business class lounge instead, called the United Club.

Tarmac view of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport from the United Club

After nearly 30 minutes on the hunt for this lounge, we finally found the United Club.  And it was very underwhelming.  Spacious with bright windows overlooking the tarmac for any plane spotters wanting to kill time, the lounge felt more like a cafeteria with its standard round white tables and buffet style food options.  Multiple screens dotted the dining area with streaming services, but we were unable to watch any of Euro 2024 matches going on that day.  We grabbed some sandwiches, snacks, and alcohol over the course of the next couple of hours before heading closer towards our gate so I could find a bar playing some either Euro or Copa America matches while Carrie wanted to browse some of the shops.

Boarding AC 1918 - ATL to YYZ

The time had finally come for us to board AC 1918 after a couple of delays and an extra three hours added to our wait time.  As we boarded the Airbus A319, I noticed it was not the original plane that we were originally supposed to fly on.  You could tell right away with its seat formation of 2x2 within the first four rows of “Business Class” followed by a 3x3 formation all the way to the back at Row 42.  Air Canada has been absolute garbage this week but having used Aeroplan miles to help subsidize this once-in-a-lifetime trip, I’m limited to how much I can complain.  Let’s be thankful that we’re finally making our way home at this point.

Chicken Marcella, Spring Leaf Salad & Brownie with Red Wine

Given the short two-hour duration of this flight, meals were only served to those sitting in business class.  I had a chicken marcella, spring leaf salad with oil and vinegar dressing, and a brownie with two glasses of red wine.  My other option was the pasta entrée, which I wasn’t really feeling given I was still somewhat full from eating lunch at the United Club only a few hours earlier.

Inclement weather at Toronto Pearson International Airport

The flight went smoothly, except for the few minutes of turbulence we experienced about 20 minutes before we landed at Pearson International Airport due to inclement weather.  It was 21C with a slight drizzle in case anyone was keeping track.  Upon landing, we were required to wait approximately 20 minutes on the tarmac as our arrival gate wasn’t ready yet.  From there, Carrie and I went through customs and took our separate ways home while looking forward to our next soccer trip adventure together.

Inclement weather at Toronto Pearson International Airport

AC 1918 – ATL to YYZ

Operated by: Air Canada 

Aircraft: Airbus A319 (twin-jet); Seat: 2A

Cabin: Business: Meal / Business: Complimentary

Depart: 05:53PM EST – Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL) – Gate F14

Arrive:  08:17pm EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F36 

Flight Time: 2:24; Non-Stop Flight – 816 Miles/1313 Kilometers; Date:  June 22, 2024

Flight Report – AC 1677 – MCO to YYZ

After a few days of work and pleasure in Orlando, it was time for me to head back home.  For the ride to Orlando International Airport, I opted to take an Uber for a change.  What a great call on my part as not only was it a quick 25 minute ride, but my driver was one of the most memorable characters I have ever met.  Shelly and I had a great conversation for the majority of the ride.  We talked about how she works Uber full time and only daytime hours.  It turns out that I was lucky to even have Shelly as my Uber driver as she “don’t do civilians.”  Rather than deal with the headaches and stress of driving locals all over the place, especially after a night of debauchery at local watering holes, Shelly only accepts airport pickups and drop off requests now.

Leaving Mickey Mouse Country

Orlando is one of a handful of cities in America that are popular for conventions and trade shows because of its low cost and ease of access for business travelers.  While I understand her reasoning for going this route, I couldn’t help but notice that she was a rather attractive African-American woman and asked her how often she gets hit on by Corporate Executives.  Without missing a beat, she admitted to me that it happens every now and then, including a recent customer who was overly obnoxious with the pickup lines.  But for this street smart ex-New Yorker, she “don’t do Executives, either.”  We had a great laugh over that before having a more serious conversation about the “Me, Too” Movement, particularly Bill Cosby.  That part of the conversation didn’t go over as well as we were in disagreement as to whether or not Cosby’s alleged victims should have spoken up about their sexual assaults decades ago or not.  But we both agreed that we were severely disappointed and saddened by the man Cosby is instead of the beloved actor and comedian that we grew up with during the Eighties.  Fortunately, that part of the conversation only last a few minutes as we had arrived at the airport – just over three hours before my scheduled flight.

Waiting for the tram to take me to Terminal B

Despite the extra time that I had, I had to wait for almost 30 minutes before Air Canada was able to check me in as they had flights to Halifax, Montreal, and Toronto all within 45 minutes of each other.  Because the Toronto flight was the last one of the day, the passengers heading to Halifax and Montreal were given first priority.  Following check in, I spent close to another 30 minutes waiting in line to go through TSA Security.  That was a complete chaotic process as there were clusters of people just randomly standing in line instead of listening to the TSA Officers who were trying to organize all of us in five different lines.  Overall, it took me about an hour to check in and go through security leaving me with 90 minutes to kill before boarding.

The galley on Air Canada Flight 1677

Since I had plenty of time to grab something to eat, I headed over towards Bahama Breeze for some dinner.  I’ll save the details for a later date, but I essentially picked it because it was the only restaurant near my gate that seemed lively and the tropical theme was really appealing.  Following dinner, I headed to Gate B94 where I had a few minutes to spare prior to boarding.  Nothing of significance to note for this flight as it was pretty similar to my Air Canada flight down to Orlando only a few days earlier.  However, I ended up losing my window seat to a five year old child due to a booking mishap his family had when they made reservations for this flight.

Air Canada Flight 1677

His father explained to me that Air Canada had accidentally separated his entire family of four, and because both of his children were under the age of seven, the Air Canada agents paired the father and son together in my seat while the Mother and Daughter were sat a few rows up on the other side of the plane.  No one told me about the change in seating planes when I boarded the flight, but given my history with Air Canada, I wasn’t surprised, either.  The father apologized for the confusion, but how could any reasonable person be upset given this situation?  I was just unsure where I would now sit as it was full flight.  Fortunately, the Father’s original seat was actually right beside me in the middle row, thus saving me the trouble of asking one of the flight attendants to help me find a new seat.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

With an estimated arrival time of 1am EST, I decided to take a nap during the flight.  Toronto has a noise by-law which prevents flights from departing between Midnight and 6am and arriving between 1am to 6am.  So, it was eerily quiet by the time we arrived at Pearson International Airport as we were one of the last arrivals for the day.  On the bright side, Canadian Customs wasn’t as busy as a result, so I was able to grab my luggage and head home all within 20 – 30 minutes of arriving.  Since this will be my last business trip for an indefinite period of time, the only thing I could think of while I headed for home was when and where my next flight would be.  And more importantly, when would I return to Orlando again?

An eerily quiet Toronto Pearson International Airport

AC 1670 – MCO to YYZ 

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Boeing 767-300 (twin-jet); Seat: 46A                                                   

Departure: 10:26PM EST – Orlando International Airport (MCO) – Gate B94

Arrival:  12:58am EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F69

Flight Time: 2:32; Non Stop Flight – 1090 Miles/1754 Kilometers; Date: March 20-21, 2019

Flight Report – AC 1670 – YYZ to MCO

Orlando was an impromptu work trip due to some recent internal restructuring.  An extra spot opened up for our biggest trade show of the year, so off I went to get out of this chilly winter weather.  However, the trip got off to a bit of a rough start.  With a departure time of 6:50am EST, I was already running late by not leaving my condo until 4:30am EST.  Although my cabbie got me to Toronto Pearson International Airport within 30 minutes, there was a massive lineup for Security check in when I arrived.  For the first time in years, Security escorted me to a shorter line in order for me to make it on time for my flight.  Sure, that may have saved me about 15 – 20 minutes.  But the lineup for U.S. Customs was even longer.  Overall, the whole process took me close to an hour.  There were people in line with me who had it worse, though, as their departure times were around 6:40am EST and 6:30am EST.  It goes without saying that some of these early morning flights were either not going to depart on time or the lineup for U.S. Customs was deceivingly faster than it actually looked.

Air Canada Flight #1670

By the time I arrived at Gate F61, Air Canada already started boarding passengers on my flight.  No time for me to have breakfast, so I had to wait until we arrived in Orlando for that.  First Class had a 4x2x3 formation while Coach had a 2x3x2 formation.  This was perfect for me since it meant I only had to deal with one person the entire flight instead of two.  The plane had about 50 rows in total and was near full capacity.  Because it was an Air Canada Rouge flight, this meant that the only way you can watch movies is through the Air Canada app on your phone.  Unfortunately, I brought the wrong headset as I left my iPhone ear buds at home.  That being said, I opted to sleep away as much of the flight as possible as I was still a bit exhausted.

Orlando International Airport

With the exception of a few minor incidents of turbulence, it was a relatively smooth flight that allowed me to sleep away a couple of hours or so.  As we descended upon Orlando International Airport, I noticed it was extremely cloudy – much different from the sunny skies that embraced me nearly two years ago.  The landing was pretty rough – and we arrived at our gate 35 minutes later than expected – but there was no rain just yet.  So, I grabbed my luggage as soon as I could and headed to my hotel.  The only plan for today was to make my way to the Orlando City FC match.  But first, I needed to see how early I could check into my hotel as it just a little after 9:30am EST.  Plus, I still needed to grab some breakfast.

Orlando International Airport

AC 1670 – YYZ to MCO 

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Boeing 767-300 (twin-jet); Seat: 46A

Departure: 06:50AM EST – Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F61

Arrival:  09:43am EST – Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Flight Time: 2:53; Non Stop Flight – 1116 Miles/1796 Kilometers; Date: March 16, 2019

Flight Report – AC 8171/AC 7977 – PIT – YUL – YTZ

With our event wrapping up much earlier than I expected, I had a lot of time to kill until my 4:00pm EST flight – and by “a lot of time,” I mean close to 5 ½ hours.  Yikes!  There were a couple of museums in Pittsburgh that I wanted to check out, but the Roberto Clemente Museum requires reservations in advance and the Senator John Heinz History Center requires the better part of 3 – 4 hours to explore all seven floors of exhibits in my opinion.  Both would have to be saved for a return visit to Pittsburgh I’m afraid.  My two co-workers had earlier flights and needed to get to Pittsburgh International Airport around noon.  With no other viable options to kill time before my flight, I decided to go with them to the airport instead.

Pittsburgh International Airport

We left Pittsburgh Marriott Downtown shortly after 11:30am EST.  Late morning meant less cars on the streets as people would be working.  While my co-workers discussed business in the back seat, I engaged in conversation with our Lyft driver to pass the time.  Our discussions ran the gambit of historical buildings to general traffic issues with Pittsburgh; from the Uber vs. Lyft debate in terms of which car ride sharing app is better and more ethical to the President Trump vs. Prime Minister Trudeau debate in terms of which World Leader is better and more ethical.  And before you know it, we had arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport in about 20 minutes.

A local musician takes part in Pittsburgh's Performing Arts Series

Although my colleagues were flying home on American Airlines, both Air Canada and American Airlines were located within the same Terminal for check in.  We agreed to meet after we passed security check in since they had TSA pre-clearance and carry-on luggage and I had neither.  Glad we agreed for me to text them after I cleared security as Air Canada wouldn’t allow me to check-in for at least another 15 minutes as my flight was more than four hours away.  Somehow I forgot about this rule given my experience at Dallas-Fort Worth about 18 months ago.  But at least it was only a 15 minute wait instead of two hour for me this time.

Red Brain Ale - Mindful Brewing Company

There was a bit of a lineup to get through Security, but a TSA employee directed me to an alternative Security check point that required me to walk outside the terminal through a covered pedestrian bridge and into a smaller terminal.  Security was light in traffic here, so I was able to clear it within 10 minutes.  I still had to find my gate for my Air Canada flight, though, which required about a 10 minute walk and a passenger tram to get to the my Terminal.  Once I got to my Terminal, I received a text from my co-workers to meet them for lunch at Bar Symon.  Not much to report here other than I ordered a chicken salad for lunch and washed it down with Red Brain – a Red Ale brewed by Mindful Brewing Company, a local Brew Pub in Pittsburgh.

Heading towards Gate A18 at Pittsburgh International Airport

My co-workers had to leave around 1:30pm to catch their flights, so I was left on my own for the next couple of hours.  Although the Museum of Pittsburgh International Airport had a series of small exhibits spread throughout the airport to educate me on the history of this Regional Airport, as well as learn more about the various Carnegie Museums throughout Pittsburgh, I opted to go to Penn Brewery for a couple of pints to watch the Spain vs. Portugal World Cup match instead.  Ironically, I ended up sitting in between two Spaniards who moved to the United States for work a few years ago.  They both came from Miami for a work trip.  The match itself was the most anticipated one for World Cup 2018.  What a match it was!  With just two minutes left in regulation, Cristian Ronaldo scored a hat trick off an awarded free kick to tie the match 3 – 3.  Four minutes of extra time were added due to compensate for injury time in the second half.

Watching World Cup 2018 - Spain vs. Portugal

At this point, boarding for AC 8171 had already begun and I was a good 5 – 7 minutes away from my gate, so I high tailed as fast as I could to get to Gate A18.  As I made my way around the final corner of the terminal, I tripped on the floor and scrapped up my left elbow.  My elbow wasn’t bleeding, but I did get a nice rug burn as a result of my fall.  To make matters worse, my flight had just started boarding by the time I made that final corner.  So I didn’t have to run as fast as I did as I would have made my flight on time, anyway.  A family of three that waited in line with me for boarding offered me a sanitary wipe to clean my scrape, but I passed on it as it didn’t hurt as much as the embarrassment I felt at the time.  Serves me right trying to push my luck with that World Cup match!

Boarding Air Canada Flight #8171

For this flight, I sat in 13C – all the way at the back of the plane right beside the one and only bathroom on this flight.  Although my seating arrangement sucked, there was not much I could do as this flight was completely sold out.  Our plane seats 50 passengers in total with 12 rows in a 2 x 2 formation plus my seat and the window seat beside me with estimated flight time to be around 55 minutes.  Montreal is a major International hub for Air Canada with direct flights to North Africa and Europe.  The majority of passengers on this flight were heading to Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport for that reason.

Air Canada Flight #8171

It was 27°C, which made it extremely hot inside the plane prior to takeoff to the point where I started to sweat a bit.  Fortunately, the air conditioning kicked in once we took off.  I was starting to worry that we would have a similar situation when I was in Philadelphia.  For the most part, I went in and out of sleep for the majority of the flight as there were no in-flight entertainment system available and I had already read the latest issue of Air Canada’s enRoute Magazine on the way to Providence earlier in the week.  Complimentary drinks were offered, but no snacks for some reason, so I grabbed two tomato juices.  The pilot announced that we were preparing for landing around 5:30pm EST.  As I gazed out the window, there was very little I could see of Montreal during the descent as the wing was obstructing 85% of my view.  All-in-all, it was a very smooth, quick flight with a little bit of turbulence here and there.

Descending into Montreal

AC 8171 – PIT to YUL

Operated by: Jazz Air (Air Canada)

Aircraft:  Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200; Seat: 13C

Cabin:  Snacks & Complimentary Drinks                                                

Depart: 04:01PM EST – Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) – Gate A18

Arrive:  05:42PM EST – Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) – Terminal F, Gate B5

Flight Time: 1:40; Non Stop Flight – 540 Miles/869 Kilometers; Date:  June 15, 2018

Disembarking Air Canada Flight #8171

Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport was such a zoo when we arrived.  For some reason, we all gathered outside on the tarmac waiting for our luggage.  It turns out that some of the passengers who had carry-on were required to store it in the under carriage of the plane as the sold out flight meant that there was not enough overhead storage space for everyone during the flight.  The rest of us went straight to connections if necessary.   While it took me a relatively quick 10 minutes to go through Customs, I still had to hustle to the other side of the Terminal as my flight was departing out of Gate A3.  That walk took about 15 minutes as the airport was completely packed with tourists everywhere.  Some passengers seemed lost or confused and would just literally stop right in front of me or blocked me from passing on the left of the escalators.

Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport

With only a 90 minute layover, the extra time it took to get to my gate was a bit infuriating as it meant it would cut into my dinner time.  As such, I was able to grab a quick bite to eat at the Pork & Pickle – a nice little BBQ joint beside my gate.  Within 10 minutes, I was able to wolf down a turkey sandwich with a 650 mL bottle of L'Écurieux.  It was far more beer than I was expecting, but this Brown Ale from Brasseurs du Monde had great Malty and toasted Hazelnut flavours.  It was a beautiful little airport restaurant with lots of natural lighting from the windows that overlook the tarmac in front of us.  I wish I had a bit more time to enjoy this restaurant, but I will the next time I fly back to Toronto via Montreal.

Flying over Lake Ontario

The Air Canada Express flight to Toronto Billy Bishop Airport was even smaller than AC 8171 with about 20 rows in a 2 x 2 formation.  At least this plane had comfortable leather seats and I had my coveted window seat for the flight back home to Toronto.  Flight time was estimated to be 55 minutes at a peak altitude of 20,000 feet – much quicker than the average 5 hour drive it takes from Montreal to Toronto, but far more cheaper if you do.  There was a beautiful sunset view upon takeoff, which occurred around 7:30pm EST.  The flight itself was extremely smooth with no turbulence.  As an added bonus, I was completely surprised by the variety of snacks available on this flight, which included granola bars, fruit gummies, and bags of chips.  I opted for a bag of Miss Vickies with my usual tomato juice.

Descending upon Toronto

Once again, there was no in-flight entertainment system available due to the short length of this flight.  So I just stared at the endless miles of Quebec farmland below.  Truth be told, I could have taken a direct flight from Pittsburgh to Toronto earlier in the day.  But it had been almost seven years since my one and only experience at Billy Bishop Airport.  I was really looking forward to landing at Billy Bishop.  And boy, did it not disappoint with the orange-yellow glow of the Sunset covering the Toronto skyline upon descent.  Aside from the bumpy landing, the flight went off without a hitch.  Within 10 minutes of disembarking off the plane, our luggage was ready for pickup at Arrivals and it home time for me.  This would be my last work trip for a while, so I couldn’t have asked for a better finish to this one.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

AC 7977 – YUL to YTZ

Operated by: Jazz Air (Air Canada)

Aircraft:  de Havilland Dash 8-400 (twin-turboprop); Seat: 19F

Cabin:  Snacks & Complimentary Drinks

Depart: 07:26PM EST – Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Gate A3

Arrive:  08:49PM EST – Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)

Flight Time: 1:23; Non Stop Flight – 328 Miles/528 Kilometers; Date:  June 13, 2018

Flight Report – AC 7378 – YYZ to PVD

Although my flight to Providence wasn’t scheduled until just after 9:30am EST, I foolishly waited until 7am before leaving for the airport.  Getting some extra sleep took priority on this sunny June morning.  However, as soon as my cab driver merged on Highway 401, my heart sank.  We were stuck in Rush Hour.  For the next 30 minutes, we were moving at a snail pace crawl with some occasional “stop and go” segments.  Externally, I kept my composure, but internally, I was quite nervous.  I am not sure why, but traffic suddenly cleaned up and we were at Pearson International Airport within the next 10 minutes.  Forty minutes for the complete journey wasn’t too bad – average really – but given that it was a Monday, I knew this was just the first of my worries.

AC 7378 - YYZ to PVD

Security and check-in took less than 10 minutes, so that helped me a lot.  But given that it was Monday morning and a popular travel time during the week, Customs was busy, but swift taking about 30 minutes to get through.  Gate F86 was actually in an odd spot of Pearson International Airport.  Not only did it take about 15 minutes or so to walk to after passing through Customs, but there were a lot of renovations going on in this section of the airport.  After finding my gate, I noticed that there weren’t any restaurants nearby for me to grab a proper breakfast.  So I went to Great Canadian Bagel instead.

Boarding Air Canada Flight #7378

After eating my breakfast sandwich and drinking my freshly brewed coffee, I went back to Gate F86 to wait for boarding.  I noticed that this section of Pearson is where some of the shortest flights depart from with routes to Detroit, Cleveland, and Dulles (Washington, D.C.) listed on the itinerary schedule along with Providence.  With it being in a really small section of Pearson, Gate F86 reminded me of Yellowknife International Airport – small, yet quick and efficient with a handful of people sitting quietly nearby awaiting for boarding.  We also had to walk out onto the Pearson tarmac to board our flight much like I had to in Yellowknife for my flight to Calgary.  The flight was delayed for a few minutes due to some maintenance issues they needed to deal with before we could board.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Once we were given the go ahead to take our seats, I was shocked by the size of the plane – a 2 x 2 formation.  I can’t remember the last time I sat in such a small plane, but this was a definite “puddle jumper” for the expected 57 minute flight from gate to gate.  The downside to this was that there was no in-flight entertainment system due to the length of the flight.  But the upside was that this was a really quick flight.  I passed the time by reading the June 2018 Air Canada enRoute magazine.  Ironically, they just released an interview they did with world renowned Chef and Traveler, Anthony Bourdain, three days after his suicide.  What was particularly creepy about this interview was his last comments when asked who he would like to invite to dinner next – Keith Richards – and what does he think that they have in common:  “We’re both still alive – against all odds.”  Yikes.

A sadly ironic Anthony Bourdain interview in the June 2018 enRoute Magazine

The flight attendants came by to offer us complimentary snacks and drinks.  Pretzels and tomato juice for me, of course.  All-in-all, it was a very smooth flight no turbulence.  Upon descent on T.F. Green International Airport, I noticed we were flying over a lot of forested land with pockets of lakes and swamps.  It reminded me of the approach to Orlando International Airport, but with a lot more trees.  A loud boom scared the bejesus out me when the wheels opened up for landing.  When you mainly fly much larger airplanes, these little differences are certainly noticeable.  We finally landed at 10:47am EST.  Within 20 minutes, we grabbed our luggage and I was on my way to Gillette Stadium for my next work trip.

T.F. Green International Airport

AC 7378 – YYZ to PVD

Operated by: Air Georgian (Air Canada)

Aircraft:  Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200 (twin-jet); Seat:

Cabin:  Snacks & Complimentary Drinks

Depart: 09:34AM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F86

Arrive:  10:51AM EST – T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) – Gate 14

Flight Time: 1:17; Non Stop Flight – 463 Miles/745 Kilometers; Date:  June 11, 2018

Flight Report – AC 1836 – PHX to YYZ

After a few days in Phoenix, it was now time for me to fly back home.  There’s definitely a lot more to Phoenix to discover than I initially thought that I will have to come back again at some point in the future.  But for now, I hopped into an Uber to make my way to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  The drive to the airport was actually quite enjoyable.  After telling my driver some of the interesting things I did in Phoenix, including the Chase Field tour, we got into a discussion about Major League Baseball.  As it turns out, Rene, my Uber driver, was family friends with Joe DiMaggio's cousins.

Passing Downtown Phoenix en route to Sky Harbor International Airport

A year after DiMaggio retired from Major League Baseball, the Yankees held an exhibition match in Cuba.  Rene was just a four-year-old child at the time, but he vividly remembers watching DiMaggio hit a homerun on the first pitch.  As he rounded the bases, he tipped his cap one last time to the crowd as this was his swan song to his professional career.  At that precise my moment, Rene became a lifelong Yankees fan.  As to why he was in Cuba at the time, Rene mentioned to me that his family worked in the Casino industry in Cuba at the time.

Phoenix Airport Museum - "Memory Arizona" (1991) - Howardena Pindell

He eventually found himself working in Las Vegas later in life with Mickey Mantle’s brother at one of the casinos.  One time when Mickey was visiting his Brother, Rene arranged to meet him over some drinks.  After telling him how much of a Yankees fan he was, Rene worked up the courage to ask Mickey Mantle for his autograph.  Unfortunately, all he had available at the time for him to sign was a cocktail napkin.  The next day, Mickey gave him two autographed Homerun balls he hit.  How cool is that!  Rene is a really engaging story teller, and as much as I would love to have heard more of his baseball related stories, we had already arrived at the airport within 25 minutes.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

There are four Terminals at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  Terminals 2 – 4 handle all domestic and International flights while Terminal 1 is reserved for the American Air force.  Because I was flying with Air Canada, Rene dropped me off at Terminal 4.  Check-in took about 30 minutes.  The self-check-in kiosks were a bit chaotic as it some passengers had no clue what they were doing, so a few of us walked around them to check in with the Air Canada agent instead.  This caused a bit of a rift for those who thought we were budding line.  Whatever.  As I headed towards Security, I noticed various pieces of artwork throughout the airport.  I was intrigued to learn that the Phoenix Airport Museum has exhibits throughout the various terminals to entertain passengers while they look for ways to kill time before boarding their respective flights.  This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing.

Waiting for takeoff at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Finally, I made my way through TSA Security.  Strangely enough, I wasn’t required to take off my shoes nor take my laptop out of my bag during security screening.  However, as I started to question the “lax security,” the guy behind me was pulled over to the side as he was found with a pocket knife within his carry-on luggage.  He was extremely upset when TSA told him it would be confiscated unless he wanted to mailed it home or to his next destination instead.  He couldn’t understand why his knife was going to be confiscated when he’s brought it on his carry-on luggage with him countless times before in other International airports.  I couldn’t help but shake my head and wondered if he was actually hearing the words he was saying.  Really?  You can’t understand why you wouldn’t be allowed to bring a pocket knife on board an airplane departing from the United States?  Where have you been for the past 17 years?

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Having cleared security within minutes, I had more than enough time to grab some lunch before boarding.  I ended up eating at Ciao Cowboy as it seemed to be the best and closest option to my gate.  Following lunch, I made my way to Gate B25 to prepare for boarding.  It turns out that AC 1836 was over sold by one passenger.  Yes, one!  If someone was willing to give up their spot, then Air Canada would pay for one night’s accommodation in Phoenix and rebook you for the same flight 24 hours later.  I was seriously tempted to give up my spot.  But not wanting to go through the hassle of rescheduling my Friday conference calls and the simple fact that I was just completely exhausted from the past few days in Phoenix, I refrained from giving up my seat.  Fortunately, some lady took the offer a few minutes later.  Right beside at Gate B26, the WestJet flight to Calgary – WS 1403 – was overbooked by 10 people!  It was crazy busy at the airport today!  For a Thursday, I wasn’t expecting Phoenix Sky Harbor to be this busy at all.

Phoenix, Arizona

Due to the time it took for Air Canada to deal with the overbooking, our flight was delayed by almost 20 minutes.  Once we boarded the Airbus A321, I noticed that AC 1836 had a 2x2 format in Business Class with about 8 rows.  Economy, on the other hand, was in a 3x2 formation that had us all crammed together like a can of sardines.  Yeesh!  On top of that, we had a very turbulent takeoff – worse than what I had experienced in Orlando a year earlier – that was just very bumpy.  We had a couple more rough turbulence incidences – one about three-quarters of the way through the flight that felt like we in a bumper car and another instance about 15 minutes from landing in Toronto.

Watching "Wonder Woman" on Air Canada Flight #1836

I killed time on the flight by watching a couple of movies.  The first was Wonder Women.  Starring Gal Gadot as the title character, this movie received a lot of critical praise when it was initially released in 2017.  It’s definitely a bit confusing as the plot is set during the First World War and somehow combines the events of the war with how Wonder Woman was brought to Earth from her mythical island of Themyscira.  I never grew up reading comic books like other children do, so I am sure there’s a lot I missed out on that prevented me from keeping up with the plot.  But the action and cinematography is very fast paced and engaging and really helped in passing the time more than half of the flight.

Descending upon Toronto Pearson International Airport

As for the second movie – Entanglement – it took a bit for me to get into this comedy-drama romance film starring Thomas Middleditch.  The main character – Ben Layten – finds himself in a downward spiral that leads him to several failed suicide attempts after becoming divorced and jobless with no direction in life.  This all changes once he accidentally finds out his parents gave up their adopted baby Girl once they were able to conceive Ben on their own.  Ben then goes on a mission trying to find this “long lost Sister” of his to bring more meaning into his life.

Dusk setting over Toronto Pearson International Airport

Unfortunately, due to the length of Wonder Woman, I was only able to watch the first hour of this movie before we landed in Toronto.  While the movie has its moments, I can’t imagine myself seeking out this movie elsewhere to watch the remaining 25 minutes that I missed.  Aside from that, there’s not much more to add to this flight report other than it started to rain once we got closer to Toronto.  After several consecutive days of mild dry heat in Phoenix, it was a bit of shock to the system coming home to this cold, rainy weather.  It honestly felt more like October than it did May.  But I was back home safe and sound with my next scheduled trip about six weeks away.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

AC 1836 – PHX to YYZ  

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Airbus A321 (twin-jet); Seat: 42F

Cabin:  Business – Continental Breakfast; Economy – Food for sale

Depart: 12:48PM MST – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – Terminal 4, Gate B25

Arrive: 08:05PM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F83

Flight Time: 4:17; Non Stop Flight – 2029 Miles/3265 Kilometers; Date:  May 3, 2018