Once I had checked in for my flight to Chicago, I had almost an hour to get some breakfast
before boarding.I’ve already have had
my fair share of Wahlburger’s by now and fancied something other than Twist, Apropos
or Red Rocket.So, I decided to eat at the Hearth
for a change. The breakfasts here are very hearty and healthy
and come in decent sized portions.I
opted for the Farmer’s breakfast.For
$16, I ended up getting two pieces of Rye toast, two scrambled eggs (or any
style of egg of my choice), sausage, and potatoes.I also ordered a cup of coffee and a tomato
juice just because I was in the mood for it.It was a very filling breakfast as I only finished half of my eggs and potatoes
due to the sausage being larger than I had anticipated.
The Hearth by Chef Lynn Crawford
The Hearth provides a very homely feel just
like its name suggests. It’s very clean
and pristine with an open kitchen and decorative artwork of various vegetables adorning
the walls. It also has a front patio and
a takeout section. Bar service here is
decent and the television sets are typically tuned into sports channels. I was able to watch some of the 2019 Rugby
World Cup semi-final match between England and New Zealand. England was dominating the match with a decisive
30 point lead early in the second half.
Due to its relaxing, laid-back environment, it’s
relatively easy to strike up conversations here with your fellow travelers.Somehow I managed to meet a woman from Los
Angeles who was on her way home after a scheduled business trip.Deanna was a very lovely lady and well-traveled.When I asked her what she did for a living,
she told me she was a trainer and merchandiser for an adult novelty
manufacturer.Oh, boy! I got a good chuckle out that for a while. Anyway, this is the Hearth in a nutshell.It’s definitely a “home away from home” if
you are looking for something a little different at Pearson International
Airport as far as restaurant options go.
The Hearth by Chef Lynn Crawford
The Hearth by Chef Lynn Crawford
Lester B. Pearson International Airport
Terminal 1 – After-Security – Near Gate F60
Hours of Operation: 7 days/week from 4:45am – 10pm
EST
Being that it was late October, it was still
dark outside and a brisk 3°C when my cab arrived just after 6am EST. I was on my way to Pearson International
Airport for yet another work trip, although this one was scheduled for me at
the last minute as one of my colleagues could not make it. As a child, I have only driven through New
Brunswick on a couple of family trips to Halifax. But I have no recollection of what we saw or
did in New Brunswick aside from the few photos we took along the way. So needless to say, I was pretty stoked to
see what Saint John had to offer even if I only had a short amount of time to
explore it over the next 48 hours.
Air Canada Flight #8946
Highway traffic was minimal allowing us to
arrive at Pearson International Airport within 30 minutes. Check in and security took about 20 minutes in
total as Air Canada had several early morning domestic flights. They even opened the downstairs security location
to make the process go even faster, which I didn’t even realize existed until
now. The more things you learn over time
about your local airport! All-in-all, it
was a relatively smooth and painless process.
With over an hour to spare before boarding, I decided to find my gate
first before grabbing breakfast at Mill Street Brewery Pub.
Flying past downtown Toronto
Similar to my flight to Providence, Gate D7 was
located in a relatively small section of Pearson International Flight. Instead of short commuter flights to regional
airports in the United States, this section is commonly used for smaller
domestic locations, such as Sarnia, Thunder Bay, Moncton, and Fredericton. This would be one of those situations where I
would walk out onto the tarmac to board my flight – a de Havilland Dash 8-400
twin-turboprop plane. The only downside
to this flight was the lack of any entertainment system available, so I took a
quick nap for the first half of the two hour flight.
A Quebec-shaped lake while flying over Quebec!
The flight itself was pretty uneventful, except
a couple of occasions where we had some turbulence. Highlights of the flight included flying
right past downtown Toronto, seeing the beautiful Quebec farmland landscapes, and
our descent over the Bay of Fundy as we approached Saint John Airport. Saint John presented an interesting dichotomy
between the factories along the Bay of Fundy that were clearly polluting the
air with the beautiful autumn foliage dotting the landscape. We landed around 11:30am Atlantic Standard
Time and pulled up to the tiny Saint John Airport – probably the second
smallest North American airport I have ever been to after Yellowknife. It was a brisk 2°C and cloudy when we landed,
but no signs of inclement weather thankfully.
Descending into Saint John, New Brunswick
A few things that really stick out at Saint
John Airport near the Arrivals section is a wall mural discussing the
significance of prop planes in New Brunswick aviation history, a brick wall that
literally says “Welcome to Saint John – Home of Moosehead Brewery,” and the “Saint
John on the Bay of Fundy” sign right above the luggage carousel. For me, I thought that was a bit unnecessary,
but for International visitors, I suppose it was needed to distinguish the
difference between Saint John and St. John’s – the capital of
Newfoundland. After nearly a 10 minute
wait, I grabbed my luggage, called a cab, and made my way to my hotel. I only had about five hours to explore the
city before my colleague was to arrive.
But as I would soon discover, five hours was more than plenty to get the
gist of this beautiful, yet depressed city.
Aeroport de Saint John/Saint John Airport
AC 8946 – YYZ to YSJ
Operated by: Air Canada Jazz
Aircraft: de Havilland Dash 8-400
(twin-turboprop); Seat: 18A
Departure: 08:28AM EST – Pearson International Airport
(YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate D7
Arrival:
11:33am ADT – Saint John Airport (YSJ)
Flight
Time: 2:05; Non Stop Flight – 710 Miles/1143 Kilometers; Date: October 23, 2018
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
Just as quickly as I came home from Boston, I was
quickly out the door to Phoenix for my next work trip.It had been 12 years since my last trip to
Arizona’s capital, which coincidentally was for work.Actually, it was one of the first work trips
I had ever done in my career, so there was a bit of nostalgia returning to one
of the places where it all began.The
last time I was here, it was in the middle of summer and humid as Hell.With this trip occurring around the first
week of May, I wasn’t sure what to expect to be quite honest.
Boarding Air Canada Flight 1837
With an early flight around 9:30am, I had to
leave my condo early enough to avoid Rush Hour.What should be a quick 35 – 40 minute drive to the airport can easily
double in time if I didn’t time my cab pickup correctly.And with it being a Monday morning flight,
that could cause me severe problems as it is one of the busiest times of the week
for departures.Leaving around 6:45am, I
had a little bit of a scare as we ran into slow moving traffic on the
highway.It eventually cleared up so
that I was able to arrive just a bit more than two hours before my scheduled
departure.
Cimarron, Colorado
Check in was uneventful, although it took me
about 50 minutes because I lost some time trying to check in with Air Canada
International Departures instead of USA Departures.Chalking that one up to tiredness as I should
have known better having only being here a little over a week earlier for my
Boston flight.For breakfast, I decided
to give Wahlburger’s a second try.Boy,
was that a mistake!Although the Bartender
served me almost immediately, it still took almost 30 minutes for me to get
Paul’s Crispy Haddock again.After
wolfing my breakfast down as fast as I could and settling my bill, I literally
walked a few feet over to Gate 48 just to see my section being called for
boarding.No more Wahlburger’s for me in
the future – good food, but terrible service.
Thoreau, New Mexico
Finally, I could relax a little as I took my
seat in 49K.I picked this window seat
based on as I would get a great view of Camelback Mountain upon landing.Economy was also in a 2 x 3 x 2 formation
similar to my flight to Barbados.It was
a sunny 9°C in Toronto by the time we departed for the 4 ½ hour flight.Things were seeming to look up for this
flight if it weren’t for the fact that the in-flight Entertainment System
wasn’t working for the first hour of the flight.But that seems typical with my past
experiences with Air Canada.We also had
some turbulence issues once we crossed over Lake Huron, but it settled down
once we entered Michigan airspace.
Snowflake, Arizona
Around this time, I decided to watch Baywatch –
starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron – to pass the time.As with most children of the 90s, I used to
watch the original television series.Back
then, Baywatch was considered a “drama,” but it was a very cheesy one at
best.The movie takes on more of a
comedic approach with a little bit of drama mixed into the plot.Dwayne Johnson plays the role of Mitch Buchannon
– Head Lifeguard of Baywatch – who works with the team to uncover a criminal
plot that threatens the future of the Bay.I definitely had a few chuckles watching this feature film and
appreciated some of the inside jokes and nostalgia thrown into storyline, but
definitely would not have paid to see this in the theaters.It was an okay movie, but not great like the
Lego Movie.
Apache-Sitegreaves National Forest
Once we crossed over Colorado, I kept checking
the scenery every so often.From the
Rocky Mountains to endless miles of desert; from lush National Forests to
random Plateaus caused by Millennia of erosion, the Southwestern United States is
a Photographer’s dream.It was also dry
and humid outside as we got closer and closer to landing.In fact, I may have caught a glimpse of what
appeared to be the beginnings of a wild fire in the Forest Lakes area of Apache-Sitgreaves
National Forest with large clouds of smoke just endlessly carrying on for miles.Aside from that once incident, this stretch
of the flight was absolutely stunning.
We arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Airport about 15 minutes early around 10:34am PST, which is kind of unusual
when travelling from East to West in North America as you are usually flying
into headwinds that slow you down.Whatever gains were made in this early landing were quickly eaten up as
we had to wait ten minutes upon landing for another Air Canada flight to leave
Gate B23 at Terminal 4 before we could disembark.Once we got off the plane, it was straight to
Carousel 1 to pick up my luggage, grab the first taxi available, head to my
hotel to drop of my suitcase, and then head back downtown to catch the last
Chase Field tour of the day.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
AC 1837 – YYZ to PHX
Operated by: Air Canada Rouge
Aircraft:Boeing 767-300 (twin-jet); Seat: 49K
Cabin:Business – Continental Breakfast; Economy – Food for sale
Depart: 09:18AM EST – Toronto Pearson
International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F68
Since I was scheduled to be in Boston for a
work trip that required me to fly in on Sunday, I decided to just fly in one
day earlier and give myself 24 hours to explore as much as I could in this
historic city. Coincidentally, there was
supposed to be a Stanley Cup Playoff game to be played between the Boston
Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. So
needless to say, it was a smart move on my part to book this Saturday morning
flight.
Pearson International Airport - Terminal 1 Entrance
I was bit nervous to see what highway traffic
would be like on the way to Pearson International Airport. No matter what time of the day or week,
Highway 401 always seems to be like a parking lot near the airport. Fortunately, that was not the case today as I
was able to get there within 20 minutes by cab.
That must be a record as it usually takes me 30 minutes on average to
get to the airport. Ironically, check-in
took me twice as long only because I tried checking in the Air Canada domestic
booth by mistake instead of going to their U.S. departures booth instead. That ate up about 10 extra minutes.
I hope to visit over 180 destinations worldwide in my lifetime!
My Boston flight was departing from Gate F64,
so with about an hour to spare before boarding, I walked around there for a bit
looking for a different Pearson Airport restaurant to eat at this time. Lo and behold, there was a Wahlburgers nearby. Founded by native Bostonians and celebrities
Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, it only seemed appropriate that I have my first
Wahlburgers experience here at the airport.
What a great way to kick off my trip to Boston – or so I thought. After the underwhelming service at Wahlburgers, I made it back to my gate just in the nick of time for boarding. The flight was a 2 x 2 formation and pretty full. You could tell there were a few people heading to Boston for the hockey game as I saw quite a few Leafs hats being worn. As usual, I had a window seat to enjoy the view leaving Toronto and heading into Boston.
Boarding Air Canada Flight #522
Beside me sat a very friendly, yet talkative,
62 year old woman named Judy. She told
me she was a lawyer and worked for the Government. There was a Board of Directors meeting at her
Alma Mater that she needed to attend to in Boston, but just like me, she
decided to fly in early to see a bit of the city and visit some friends of hers
near the area. Over the course of the 1 hour flight, Judy and I swapped stories about travel, family, and career. Well, she mainly told me stories about her life, children, career, and travels, and I sat there and just listened. I could have easily stopped the conversation at any point that I wanted, but she seemed eager to connect with someone – as if she hadn’t had the opportunity to have this type of conversation with another person in quite some time. But hey, it helped to pass time and I got to learn a little more about Jewish culture and Tel Aviv as a result.
The Toronto skyline en route to Boston
The arrival into Boston Logan International
Airport was absolutely stunning as we landed near the harbor. Somehow we made up a bit of time, so instead
of a 90 minute flight, we got there a little over an hour. Judy and I made our separate ways on the way
to the luggage carousel. She told me
that we can take a free shuttle from Boston Logan Airport to the nearest subway
station so I could get to my hotel a lot cheaper. Since I was staying near the Dorchester area
instead of downtown Boston, I opted for an Uber instead. Within a few minutes, I was on my way to the
hotel and the start of a 24 hour world wind tour of Boston. First stop – Dorchester Brewery!
Boston Logan International Airport
AC 522 – YYZ to BOS
Operated by: Air Canada
Aircraft:
Embraer ERJ-190 (twin-jet); Seat: 31F
Cabin:
Business: Breakfast /
Economy: Food for Sale
Depart: 10:57AM EST – Toronto Pearson International
Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F64
Arrive: 12:03PM
EST – Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
After five days on Captiva Island, it was time
for me to head back home.It was a
gorgeous sunny day with balmy 24° C weather.I wish I had a bit more time to enjoy the good weather, but I was okay
not spending extra time on Captiva.Since my flight wasn’t scheduled until 1:40pm EST, a few of my colleagues
and I drove back together around mid-morning to make sure we got there in time
for check-in.During the hour-long
drive, I tried to take in as much of the scenery as possible.Captiva and Sanibel Islands are certainly
interesting islands that are completely different from each other – Captiva
being more of a sleepy retirement community while Sanibel being a busy beach
destination for tourists.
Taking the Sanibel Causeway back to the Florida Mainland
After a quick stop to buy some gas for our
rental car, we finally arrived at the airport around 11:24am EST. Because Southwest Florida International
Airport is relatively small, check-in with Air Canada was extremely quick for
me. While it should have taken me about
5 minutes, I had to fight for my right to waive the $25 baggage fee as an
Aeroplan Visa card holder. It was a
successful fight and only the second time within the past couple years I have
been a member of this program where this benefit has been honoured.
Southwest Florida International Airport
Security took a bit longer than expected, though. There were essentially two lines passengers
could choose from – TSA Pre-Clearance/NEXUS Pass Holders and regular passengers. Since I don’t travel to the United States
enough to justify paying for an annual NEXUS Pass, I had to wait in line with the
regular passengers. That probably took
me about 10 – 15 minutes to get through.
Not too bad of a wait, but still kind of long for a small International
Airport that doesn’t get the same amount of traffic like the airports in Tampa,
Orlando, Fort Lauderdale or Miami do.
Southwest Florida International Airport - Concourse B
With an hour or so to spare before boarding, my
colleagues and I decided to grab some lunch at Beaches Boardwalk Café as it was
the only restaurant in our Concourse that was available. The only other options we had here were
Burger King and a small bakery. Since I
didn’t take any pictures here, I will summarize my experience instead of
posting a separate “Airport Eats” article.
Beaches Boardwalk Café can accommodate up to 60 – 70 people with some
tables available on the outside of the café – like a pseudo-patio within
Concourse B. I ended up eating a Cobb
Salad to tide me over and washed it down with a pint of Hi 5 IPA brewed locally
by the Fort Myers Brewing Company.
Service was kind of slow due to the lunch hour rush, but the television
sets were tuned into European soccer action to keep me occupied – Spanish
league action if I am not mistaken.
Getting ready to depart Southwest Florida International Airport
Following lunch, my colleagues and I headed
towards Gate B3 only to find out we had been moved to Gate B1 instead. It was literally just two gates over, though,
so not really a big deal for us at all. Even
though we boarded on time, there was a 20-minute delay in departure as the
flight crew had to wait for a few late passengers to arrive. A bit irritating for sure, but beyond my
control, of course. The flight
configuration was 3 x 3 – the same as it was on AC 1234. Luckily, there was no one in the middle seat
and the lady who sat along the aisle moved back a few rows to grab an available
window seat. Bonus! I wasn’t expecting to have the entire row all
to myself for the flight home.
One final look of Fort Myers before the journey home
We took off shortly after 2pm, which kind of
scared me a little as we experienced noticeable turbulence for a few minutes. It was kind of like the experience I had in Orlando
the previous year. Once that subsided, I
decided to watch “Battle of the Sexes” again.
Steve Carrell and Emma Stone put in great performances in this one as
Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King respectively.
While it is labelled a “black comedy,” I didn’t find it to be that funny
as I did entertaining. The style of
filming was a bit unusual for this one until I realized afterwards that it was
directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Ferris – a famous husband-wife duo who
have directed some of the most memorable music videos of the late 1990s and
early 2000s. I have enjoyed some of
their previous work with the Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Just some of the in-flight "snacks" I had to pass the time
I was also kind of hungry at this point. Personally, I don’t believe in buying meals
on North American flights. But since I
wasn’t sure what I was going to have for dinner once I got home, I figured it
was best to eat now rather than risk the chance of hunger later on. Since my flight was already paid for, I
decided to go all out and order a trio combo for about $20 CDN. That included a roast beef panini sandwich, a
cup of chicken noodle soup, and a can of Goose Island IPA. I even asked for complimentary water and tomato
juice, which was a bit ridiculous consider how crowded my table tray was at
this point. No complaints about the
panini or the beer on my end, but the soup wasn’t good at all. You could tell that the Air Canada staff just
poured hot water into the container, but the noodles were still stuck together
when I got it.
Flying over Downsview Airport upon our descent on Toronto
We landed just after 4:30pm EST – about 20
minutes early – as the sun started to set.
While going through Customs was relatively quick and easy, there was a
massive lineup and Baggage Claim due to several planes arriving in Toronto
within minutes of each other. I don’t
think I have ever seen Baggage Claims this busy before. It must have taken me at least 10 – 15 minutes
to wait in line before exiting towards the taxi pickup area. Nevertheless, I had arrived safe and sound
back home wondering when my next trip would be.
Beautiful Winter sunset over Lester B. Pearson International Airport
AC 1234 – YYZ to RSW
Operated by: Air Canada
Aircraft:
Airbus A321-200 (twin-jet); Seat: 38A
Cabin:
Business: Meal / Economy: Food
for Sale
Depart: 01:52PM EST – Southwest Florida
International Airport (RSW) – Concourse B, Gate B1
Arrive: 04:39pm
EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate F36
Thursday morning arrived and it was time for me
to go home. Rather than take a cab to
Orlando International Airport, I decided to use Uber instead. If you’ve never used Uber before, then here’s
a summary of how it works. You download
the app to your smart phone and create an account with your credit card
information. Once your Account has been
set up, you then request a pickup time and an Uber driver by choosing from a
selection of different sized vehicles or even select a carpool option if you so
choose. Once you select a vehicle type
and pickup time, you then input the destination you want to go to. Uber will automatically quote you a flat rate
to get you there from your current location.
From there, you then hit the “CONFIRM UBERX” button and your driver will
arrive in the estimated time given to you.
Goodbye, Orlando!
The pros of using Uber are that the rates are
significantly cheaper than those of taxis.
I also like that you pay for the ride upfront on the app with your
credit card so you don’t have to worry about payment at your destination. The negatives of Uber are that tips are not
included with payment. However, Uber plans
on adding a tips feature in a future release.
I also don’t like the fact that it is mandatory for you to keep at least
one credit card on file on your Account even if you don’t plan on using the app
anytime soon. This is a security concern
that they really need to address in the event that personal data is hacked by a
third party in the future. Furthermore, it is a bit difficult to identify which car is picking you up as these are independent drivers using their personal vehicles. To deal with this situation, Uber provides customers with a map so you can see where your driver is coming from and see how close they are to your pickup location so you can wave them down. In a worst-case scenario, the Uber driver has your cell phone number and will call you if they can’t find you at your pickup location.
Waiting to board Air Canada Flight #1865
Now that we have the basics of Uber out of the
way, I must mention that my Uber ride was memorable for a couple of
reasons. First, the Uber driver knew of
an alternate way to the airport as the main highway was already starting to
back up with traffic. Secondly, we had
an interesting discussion about President Trump and Muslims after news came out
about the Manchester Arena bombing the night before. With so much fear and anger running rampant
in the Western world about Muslims and refugees due to ISIS activities in
recent years, I felt obligated to let my driver know that not all Muslims are terrorists. I know someone who grew up in the Islamic
faith and I fear for his son who hasn’t experienced bigotry yet, but I know
will someday. My driver’s outlook about
Muslims changed after that personal anecdote.
It was a small victory for me that day in a long battle ahead that I
doubt can ever be won.
Taking off from Orlando International Airport
We arrived at the airport around 9am even
though my flight wasn’t scheduled until Noon.
Based on my experiences in Chicago and Fort Worth, I wasn’t sure how
busy Orlando’s Rush Hour traffic would be, so I opted to get there as early as
possible just in case. Check-in took a
bit of time as Air Canada was taking forever to open. There was a family beside me who didn’t have
a Passport for their child even though they were planning to visit family in Canada. For some reason, they thought passports were
not required for children under a certain age.
They probably got that confused with getting a free seat for children
who are two years old or under. As I was
about to go to the next available agent, some asshole brushed right past me
without apologizing to get there first.
They were upset because the frequent fliers had to wait much longer than
usual. That’s still no excuse to be
rude.
Orlando has one of the most interesting landscapes
After going through security, I ended up having
to use a tram to get me from one terminal to the next to where my departure
gate was. I had almost 2 ½ hours to kill
before boarding, so I ended up finding a bar to have a drink in since I already
ate breakfast at the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort prior to check out. Time was passed by overhearing a group of
people discussing travel tips for Boston.
I have been to Boston once for a work trip many moons ago, but our
meetings were held in the suburbs and my only “experience” was eating dinner
near Quincy Market with the rest of the team.
Beantown is a city that I would love to go back to properly visit.
One last look at sunny Orlando
Although
it was mostly cloudy, the Orlando weather upon takeoff was a warm 26° C. The flight took off shortly after noon, but
it got off to a rough start. We
experienced a lot of turbulence upon takeoff from Orlando that last for a few
minutes. It was very unusual to
experience such turbulence so early in flight.
Not going to lie, but I was kind of worried here. The landing wasn’t much better as it was one
of the roughest ones in recent memory.
For whatever reason, we just couldn’t shake off the turbulence on this
flight. Then again, it was a chilly 10°
C and rainy upon arrival in Toronto, which didn’t help. Overall, it wasn’t the best flight I’ve ever
had, but at least it will be the last one I will have for a while.
Arriving in a cold, wet Toronto after an unusual turbulent flight
AC 1865 – MCO to YYZ
Operated by: Air Canada Rouge
Aircraft:
Airbus A321; Seat: 42A
Cabin:
Business – Breakfast; Economy – Food for sale
Depart: 12:15PM EST – Orlando International
Airport (MCO) – Terminal E, Gate 95
Arrive 02:46PM EST – Toronto Pearson International
Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate 69
