Flight Report – AC 1865 – MCO to YYZ

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

Flight Time: 2:31; Non-Stop Flight – 1123 Miles/1808 Kilometers; Date:  May 25, 2017

Airport Eats – Red Rocket 192 Grill

After countless flights out of Pearson International Airport in Toronto, there’s been one restaurant that has caught my eye for quite some time – Red Rocket 192 Grill.  Designed as a streetcar inspired retro café, the Red Rocket is a diner that I usually only ever see when flying back to Toronto on the second level of Terminal 1.  With my flight to Dallas scheduled to depart out of Gate 34, I had about an hour to try to this place out.

Red Rocket 192 Grill

As you enter Red Rocket 192 Grill, you will see a sign above the entrance with a street car logo on it.  The entrance is also lit up with red lights, although I am not really sure if that really adds to the mood of the environment or makes you question if you are walking into another type of “establishment” instead.  Once inside, I grabbed a spot at the bar as I usually do.  There was nothing really special about the bar (i.e. it did not have a retro countertop), but it was spacious and clean.  There were also a handful of patrons inside the restaurant, but I had the entire bar to myself.

Photos of Toronto's iconic sites adorn the walls at Red Rocket

Behind me were bright red walls adorned with photos of Toronto’s iconic points along the Toronto Transit Commission’s various street car stops.  Right in front of me past the bottles of liquor, I could peer into the kitchen.  And to the left of the bar was a huge window peering into Gate 51 where the plane arrives to either drops off or pick up passengers.  Red Rocket is one of the few restaurants within Pearson that give you this opportunity to see this transfer of passengers.

Looking out onto the tarmac at Pearson International Airport

With about an hour to spare before boarding, I had time to eat a full breakfast and decided to order the Big Red – Omega 3 eggs, peameal and smoked bacon, potatoes and toast.  This sizable breakfast cost $12 CDN.  I decided to go with poached eggs with this one.  They were good, but slightly watery.  I also ordered a coffee to go along with my breakfast as I had hardly slept the night before, but wanted to have enough energy to explore Fort Worth in the afternoon once I arrived.

Big Red Breakfast – Poached eggs with toast, smoked bacon & peameal bacon

For dessert – if you can even call it that during breakfast – I ordered a Vanilla Almond milkshake.  My waitress warned me that it wasn’t an authentic Almond milkshake, but Almond milk mixed with vanilla ice cream instead.  For $6 CDN, that is an expensive artificial Almond milkshake.  Nevertheless, I wanted to get the full diner experience and ordered one anyway.  It is very rare to find diners nowadays, so when I do find myself in one, I have to order a milkshake like people did back in the 1950s.

Vanilla Almond Milkshake

Overall, I found the food to be average.  The real highlight for me was the window view onto the tarmac of Gate 51 as you can watch the planes load and unload passengers.  By the time I had arrived, the sun had already risen.  But my waitress said that you can watch some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets here at the bar – something for me to keep in mind for the future.  Speaking of my waitress, she was also the second highlight of my dining experience here at Red Rocket – friendly, attentive, full of knowledge, and concerned about my customer experience (e.g. warning me about the Vanilla Almond milkshake).

Peaking into the kitchen at Red Rocket 192 Grill

For most people, this might not mean much as you would expect this from your servers.  But for me, it is important to point this out whenever I eat at an airport restaurant as they are consistently busy throughout the year with passengers coming and going to all parts of the world – either for business or pleasure – and typically have little patience or are in a rush to get to wherever they are going.  I can’t imagine working at an airport restaurant can be an “easy experience” for the servers.  So kudos to the wonderful staff here at Red Rocket!

Red Rocket even has a Snack Counter for those on the go!

Red Rocket 192 Grill  

Pearson International Airport

Terminal 1 – After-Security (USA) – Level 2 Gates, Near Gate D51/F51

Hours of Operation: 7 days/week from 5am – 11pm EST

Phone: (416) 776-3100, Ext. 1