March 12, 2010

AS 894 KOA-SJC Lv1220 Arr1935 Boeing 737-800 Winglet N558AS “Lei”

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The return flight was definitely a bit better despite the smaller scale of celebration understandably.  I arrived Kona around 10am and found out that Alaska Airlines operated at the Gate 6-10 satellite.  The check in area was quiet as it was a light load back to San Jose and the Seattle bound passengers had yet to arrive yet.  The agent was pleasant and the TSA was very friendly and knew about the new San Jose flight.  I managed to catch the glimpse of the Japan Airlines’ Boeing 767-300ER JA605J in its final boarding stage and flying back to Honolulu and then onto Tokyo.  It was very nice and it will be better if it was the Boeing 747-300 when they started first. It was nice to see the only daily international flight at Kona to depart.  Kona was fairly quiet and I saw the folks busy preparing for the arrival of the first AS flight from San Jose.   The plane arrived early at 10:47am and parked at gate 3 a few minutes later.  Hawaiian music, hula dancer and more leis are waiting for the arriving passengers and it was a big surprise to see the excellent San Jose team that I met the day before.  They were very friendly and I took a picture with the group. 

 

Well the load back to San Jose was 32, and both the Hawaiian operation manager and his assistant were playing trivia games at the gate and some lucky passengers got an upgrade to first class.  There were three F passengers when I checked in.  There was a small buffet with POG juice, bottled water and Hawaiian coconut cake.  Boarding soon began at 12:02pm and everyone was settled very quickly.  Unfortunately due to some schedule mix-ups, the crew did not arrive at the airport early enough and due to some late paperwork, we did not push back till 12:31pm.  The poor Seattle flight, surprisingly operated by N563AS, which I flew the day before to Maui, arrived early and had to wait for us to clear out. 

 

Cheri and Ross handled the first class passengers this afternoon and with a light load in Y, two F/As were sufficient to handle it.  Menus were passed out and I had both 1A and 1C to myself, which was not a common occurrence at Alaska Airlines.  We pushed back at 12:34pm and took off from R/W17 at 12:44pm.  Flying time was four hours and fifty-four minutes with an initial cruising attitude of 39,000feet and then up to 41,000feet and return to 37,000feet.  Here is the menu transcript:

Appetizer Salad

Red Pepper Hummus Pitas

Served with Gourmet Mixed Greens

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Warmed Rolls with Butter

 

Choice of Entrées

Braised Pork Shank with a Savory Sun-dried Tomato Relish

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Steamed Asparagus

Or

Chicken Marsala with sautéed mushroom & caramelized onion sauce

Penne Pasta with Olive Oil

Sautéed Green Beans

 

Dessert

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

 

Well this was definitely not my favorite menu and the hummus pita appetizer was still tasted strange and awkward.  It was nice to have some Hawaiian sweet rolls though (I missed the Taro rolls though).  I had some Mai Tai with macadamia nuts, and followed the appetizer tray and then entrée.  No surprise that the Chicken Marsala was the popular selection here.  I think it should not be two meat entrée selection – should always be one meat and one seafood choice.  Ross was the one passing out the meal trays and refilling the drinks.  There was definitely a marked different when two F/As were carrying out the whole service, compared to the usual one.  I think on full flights, one F/A should at least assist with the first beverage service in F before going back to Y.  Cherie was pretty good with beverage refills throughout the flight and pineapple upside down cake was served mid-flight.  The F/As were definitely much better on the return flight and with the light load, everyone were in good spirit. 

 

Descent soon began at 7:08pm PST and there was some light shower in the area and things were slowed down a bit.  We landed on R/W30L at 7:38pm and soon parked at gate C8 five minutes later.  In conclusion, it was an excellent trip especially the enthusiastic team in San Jose, which just makes that additional touch to it.  The flight over there was not that great but not bad, and the excellent team on the return flight made it better.  Unfortunately I can’t do the Sacramento inaugural, which was actually the flight that I really want to because SMF will be a new airport to me.  However, my mom’s big 60 birthday is more important.  Hopefully someone can report on it!

 

Thanks AS Hawaiian & San Jose team, as well as Cheri and Ross on AS 894!

 

Carfield