-As expected, today was again close to zero. As I didn't spend any time outside this wasn't much of a problem.
-I made pork wiener schnitzel for dinner tonight. I really enjoyed it, though it likely is a somewhat unhealthy food given the relatively large quantity of oil used during the frying process.
-It seems that not all that much happened today, but that is likely because I haven't left the apartment. Also I managed to kill off a few hours by napping, or at least trying to nap.
-A little while ago a friend contacted me to let me know that Air Canada was in the midst of offering a 2 for 1 seat sale for Canadian destinations. After a few minutes of discussion and schedule arranging he booked tickets for himself and another friend to visit us in Halifax for a few days in mid-April. I am already excited about the visit, which should be pretty fun.
-This trip booking adventure really cut into my productivity tonight (though this shouldn't be taken as a complaint). I guess I will really have to make the most of these post-midnight hours so that the day isn't a complete loss. This means that I likely won't be able to join Neil and Rebecca for much of this evening's ice dance coverage (which they are watching right now).
Blog-off Score
Neil: 0
Cameron: 37
Showing posts with label Air Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Air Canada. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Back to the Ghetto
As my flight was scheduled to leave at about 5:30, meaning that I wanted to be at the airport by about 4:30, I was decided to set my alarm for 3:30.
Upon waking, I checked the flight status and learned that the flight was still listed as on time. I then proceeded to make the final preparations for my departure. Fortunately everything went very smoothly, actually well ahead of schedule.
About fifteen minutes before we had originally planned to leave, my father, brother, and I headed out. Our first stop was a local fast food restaurant so that I could pick up some food to help me through the trip. Just a few minutes later, after completing my meal, we arrived at the airport.
As I had checked-in online I was able to use the short baggage drop-off line and proceed almost directly to the security area. While going through the security area I noticed that the protocols had changed since my last trip through the St. John’s airport, and even since my trip to Halifax in October. Of course none of these new changes made me feel any safer as all they did was prove the fundamental weakness of the system.
Anyway, once through security I claimed a seat near the gate area and proceeded to wait for the upcoming boarding announcements. Unfortunately, the next announcement was about delays that our flight would be experiencing because of mechanical problems. After several more similar delays they finally told us that the flight was cancelled and that our baggage would be returned to us.
After notifying us of the cancellation, which they only did about 15 minutes after the same information was posted online, they requested that we wait around the gate area so that they could inform us of re-booking arrangements.
After some number of minutes they informed us that a replacement flight was scheduled for 4:00 PM that afternoon. We were requested to head down to the baggage area and reclaim our luggage and then return to the check-in counter to hand over our baggage for the next flight.
Strangely, when I arrived at the baggage area I noticed that much of the baggage had already been unloaded and placed next to the carousel, indicating that it had never even gotten near the plane. The rest of the baggage took a surprisingly long time to appear, particularly as a fair portion of the batch had never even been loaded. In the end I think it took me about an hour to receive my one bag.
With my bag in hand, I proceeded to the check-in counter to hand over my bags and receive my new boarding pass. After about a half an hour or so I was nearing the front of the line. With only about three parties in front of me the airline announced that they would not be checking anyone else in for the make-up flight, some kind of computer delay was the stated reason. What they would be doing was giving us all breakfast and lunch vouchers, though from a different line.
The problem then was whether I should leave my position and possibly lose the chance to ask the ticket agent about the flight or hit the back of the voucher line.
Within a few minutes I noticed that the people in the voucher line were taking advantage of being able to ask agents questions more complicated and pertinent than where they could use the vouchers. I decided that it might make more sense to join that line, which I did and quickly was able to talk to an agent.
The agent gave me my vouchers and informed me that I would be able to check-in online, once the flight became available. It also seemed that the flight had been bumped back from a 4:00 PM departure to a 6:00 PM departure.
With my vouchers in hand I hopped in a cab and headed up. By about 9:30 AM, six hours after waking, I was finally back home and ready to return to sleep. Once home much of the day was spent in and out of sleep, trying to deal with the previous night significantly abbreviated sleep.
At one point I was woken by my brother to take a phone call from Air Canada who was calling to inform me that the flight had been further delayed. The flight was now scheduled for an 8:30 departure. My plans of a day in Montreal before the resumption of classes were quickly falling apart.
Before dinner I checked-in online and then returned to the airport to drop off my bag (which I only had to check because of my pocket knife). Shortly after dinner I returned to the airport for the third time and proceeded to the security line. My brother, father, and sister instructed me to look for the observation area once I had completed the security process.
Upon entering the secure area I noticed that the café was about to close. Completely forgetting about my commitment to wave to my family, with voucher in hand, I went to the café and ordered a coffee. The cashier informed suggested that as I couldn’t get change I might want to buy a few more things. As the only items available were bottles of pop I ended up with three.
With my free goods in hand I realized that needed to go and fulfill my previous commitment. As I approached and my father and brother saw my coffee they started to laugh, thinking that I had some kind of coffee addiction, not realizing that it was just an example of me taking advantage of free goods.
Within a few minutes I was back to waiting for flight announcements. As I continued to wait and the time passed the normal boarding time I began to worry about the likelihood of the rescheduled flight making it out. Eventually we were informed that there would be a delay because of a mechanical issue.
After what seemed likely a exceedingly long period of time we were allowed to board, only to find that they had still not fixed the mechanical problem and that the delay was likely to continue. The fortunate aspect, as the captain informed us, was that the problem did not relate to safety and would not cause us to remain in St. John’s. I did see a guy with a toolbox going back and forth from the back to the front of the plane.
Eventually we took off, without ever being informed whether or not the problem had ever been solved. At that point I don’t think anyone on the plane cared, we just wanted to be on our way to Montreal.
Early in the flight a relatively long announcement was made, presumably about the delay and how they would be making it up to us. Unfortunately, as I was sitting next to an engine I didn’t really hear much of it. When the started handing out $100 travel vouchers and free drinks I started to get the gist of what must have been said.
Amidst heavy fog we landed in Montreal just before 11:00. Unfortunately, I then had to wait over an hour for my bags to come from the plane. The waiting was made less pleasant by the fact that the baggage area was over-filled with people from a range of flights and hundreds of unclaimed bags. The other downside of this was that my bag was one of the last to be unloaded. By the time I left I recognized no one from the flight, many of the people having left many minutes before.
I quickly then found a taxi and started the final leg of my trip. The taxi ride was relatively uneventful, except at the very end when there seemed to be some confusion about which way certain streets ran.
The only remaining obstacle was gaining access to my apartment. Contrary to what had been promised me earlier in the day by the superintendent, my apartment had not been unlocked for me when I returned. I had to wake up the concierge at about 12:30 and get him to let me in, an experience that I am sure he would have quite pleased to skip.
By the time I made it to sleep last night it was well over 24 hours after I originally awoke for my early morning flight. Hopefully I won’t have too many such experiences in the future, particularly with relatively short direct flights.
Upon waking, I checked the flight status and learned that the flight was still listed as on time. I then proceeded to make the final preparations for my departure. Fortunately everything went very smoothly, actually well ahead of schedule.
About fifteen minutes before we had originally planned to leave, my father, brother, and I headed out. Our first stop was a local fast food restaurant so that I could pick up some food to help me through the trip. Just a few minutes later, after completing my meal, we arrived at the airport.
As I had checked-in online I was able to use the short baggage drop-off line and proceed almost directly to the security area. While going through the security area I noticed that the protocols had changed since my last trip through the St. John’s airport, and even since my trip to Halifax in October. Of course none of these new changes made me feel any safer as all they did was prove the fundamental weakness of the system.
Anyway, once through security I claimed a seat near the gate area and proceeded to wait for the upcoming boarding announcements. Unfortunately, the next announcement was about delays that our flight would be experiencing because of mechanical problems. After several more similar delays they finally told us that the flight was cancelled and that our baggage would be returned to us.
After notifying us of the cancellation, which they only did about 15 minutes after the same information was posted online, they requested that we wait around the gate area so that they could inform us of re-booking arrangements.
After some number of minutes they informed us that a replacement flight was scheduled for 4:00 PM that afternoon. We were requested to head down to the baggage area and reclaim our luggage and then return to the check-in counter to hand over our baggage for the next flight.
Strangely, when I arrived at the baggage area I noticed that much of the baggage had already been unloaded and placed next to the carousel, indicating that it had never even gotten near the plane. The rest of the baggage took a surprisingly long time to appear, particularly as a fair portion of the batch had never even been loaded. In the end I think it took me about an hour to receive my one bag.
With my bag in hand, I proceeded to the check-in counter to hand over my bags and receive my new boarding pass. After about a half an hour or so I was nearing the front of the line. With only about three parties in front of me the airline announced that they would not be checking anyone else in for the make-up flight, some kind of computer delay was the stated reason. What they would be doing was giving us all breakfast and lunch vouchers, though from a different line.
The problem then was whether I should leave my position and possibly lose the chance to ask the ticket agent about the flight or hit the back of the voucher line.
Within a few minutes I noticed that the people in the voucher line were taking advantage of being able to ask agents questions more complicated and pertinent than where they could use the vouchers. I decided that it might make more sense to join that line, which I did and quickly was able to talk to an agent.
The agent gave me my vouchers and informed me that I would be able to check-in online, once the flight became available. It also seemed that the flight had been bumped back from a 4:00 PM departure to a 6:00 PM departure.
With my vouchers in hand I hopped in a cab and headed up. By about 9:30 AM, six hours after waking, I was finally back home and ready to return to sleep. Once home much of the day was spent in and out of sleep, trying to deal with the previous night significantly abbreviated sleep.
At one point I was woken by my brother to take a phone call from Air Canada who was calling to inform me that the flight had been further delayed. The flight was now scheduled for an 8:30 departure. My plans of a day in Montreal before the resumption of classes were quickly falling apart.
Before dinner I checked-in online and then returned to the airport to drop off my bag (which I only had to check because of my pocket knife). Shortly after dinner I returned to the airport for the third time and proceeded to the security line. My brother, father, and sister instructed me to look for the observation area once I had completed the security process.
Upon entering the secure area I noticed that the café was about to close. Completely forgetting about my commitment to wave to my family, with voucher in hand, I went to the café and ordered a coffee. The cashier informed suggested that as I couldn’t get change I might want to buy a few more things. As the only items available were bottles of pop I ended up with three.
With my free goods in hand I realized that needed to go and fulfill my previous commitment. As I approached and my father and brother saw my coffee they started to laugh, thinking that I had some kind of coffee addiction, not realizing that it was just an example of me taking advantage of free goods.
Within a few minutes I was back to waiting for flight announcements. As I continued to wait and the time passed the normal boarding time I began to worry about the likelihood of the rescheduled flight making it out. Eventually we were informed that there would be a delay because of a mechanical issue.
After what seemed likely a exceedingly long period of time we were allowed to board, only to find that they had still not fixed the mechanical problem and that the delay was likely to continue. The fortunate aspect, as the captain informed us, was that the problem did not relate to safety and would not cause us to remain in St. John’s. I did see a guy with a toolbox going back and forth from the back to the front of the plane.
Eventually we took off, without ever being informed whether or not the problem had ever been solved. At that point I don’t think anyone on the plane cared, we just wanted to be on our way to Montreal.
Early in the flight a relatively long announcement was made, presumably about the delay and how they would be making it up to us. Unfortunately, as I was sitting next to an engine I didn’t really hear much of it. When the started handing out $100 travel vouchers and free drinks I started to get the gist of what must have been said.
Amidst heavy fog we landed in Montreal just before 11:00. Unfortunately, I then had to wait over an hour for my bags to come from the plane. The waiting was made less pleasant by the fact that the baggage area was over-filled with people from a range of flights and hundreds of unclaimed bags. The other downside of this was that my bag was one of the last to be unloaded. By the time I left I recognized no one from the flight, many of the people having left many minutes before.
I quickly then found a taxi and started the final leg of my trip. The taxi ride was relatively uneventful, except at the very end when there seemed to be some confusion about which way certain streets ran.
The only remaining obstacle was gaining access to my apartment. Contrary to what had been promised me earlier in the day by the superintendent, my apartment had not been unlocked for me when I returned. I had to wake up the concierge at about 12:30 and get him to let me in, an experience that I am sure he would have quite pleased to skip.
By the time I made it to sleep last night it was well over 24 hours after I originally awoke for my early morning flight. Hopefully I won’t have too many such experiences in the future, particularly with relatively short direct flights.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
My Return to St. John’s (I am actually back now)
I finally made it back to St. John’s early Saturday morning. Much to my surprise, the trip to the airport and then from Montreal to St. John’s went very smoothly. I even encountered a very pleasant Air Canada employee as I was checking my baggage. If my memory serves me correctly, I must have been inside the security area within about five minutes of being dropped of at the airport.
The only delay that I encountered during the trip was the wait to pick up my bags in St. John’s. It seems that about four or five flights arrived with in a few minutes of one another. For some reason only about one person was loading luggage onto the baggage carousels. The one individual was dividing his efforts between the flights, giving each about one load before switching to another flight.
From the airport we went directly to the grocery store as my parents seemed to not have any food in the house. This was a pretty quick shopping trip, though we did end up buying a 15 pound turkey on a whim.
Early the next morning I was able to head over to Monty’s to pick up a copy of the Globe. Though he didn’t say anything, I believe that Mr. Monty (not his real name) did recognize me from my years of continued patronage. From there I hit the Tim Horton’s on my way back. At this point I learned that there are still some Roll Up the Rim cups in St. John’s, though they seem to have sold out in Montreal (or at least the places I frequent).
It was then on to my haircut. My hair length is now “respectable.” I am thinking that in a few weeks I may even go shorter still. What I find strange is that I have still not really noticed the loss.
My weekend of curling started at just before noon. Amazingly, this was the first time I had ever competed in the Bon Voyage, an annual mixed bonspiel. We were beaten pretty badly in our first game, though we managed to come back in our second game that evening, only to be eliminated this morning. My body is really feeling these few ends, demonstrating the affects of age and lack of practice.
Hopefully in a day or so I will be on the Newfoundland schedule, though as it stands right now it may take a little longer.
The only delay that I encountered during the trip was the wait to pick up my bags in St. John’s. It seems that about four or five flights arrived with in a few minutes of one another. For some reason only about one person was loading luggage onto the baggage carousels. The one individual was dividing his efforts between the flights, giving each about one load before switching to another flight.
From the airport we went directly to the grocery store as my parents seemed to not have any food in the house. This was a pretty quick shopping trip, though we did end up buying a 15 pound turkey on a whim.
Early the next morning I was able to head over to Monty’s to pick up a copy of the Globe. Though he didn’t say anything, I believe that Mr. Monty (not his real name) did recognize me from my years of continued patronage. From there I hit the Tim Horton’s on my way back. At this point I learned that there are still some Roll Up the Rim cups in St. John’s, though they seem to have sold out in Montreal (or at least the places I frequent).
It was then on to my haircut. My hair length is now “respectable.” I am thinking that in a few weeks I may even go shorter still. What I find strange is that I have still not really noticed the loss.
My weekend of curling started at just before noon. Amazingly, this was the first time I had ever competed in the Bon Voyage, an annual mixed bonspiel. We were beaten pretty badly in our first game, though we managed to come back in our second game that evening, only to be eliminated this morning. My body is really feeling these few ends, demonstrating the affects of age and lack of practice.
Hopefully in a day or so I will be on the Newfoundland schedule, though as it stands right now it may take a little longer.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Planning a trip to Montreal
For several months now I've been making mental preparations for a trip to Montreal. Actual preparation started when I became aware of a Viarail promotion which was selling train tickets from Halifax to Montreal and back at half price. My plan then became to travel to Montreal during my February "reading week". The expiry date for the promotion was December 31st, 2006. My plan had been to book these tickets some time before the end of last year. On the last day of the year I realized that the discounted tickets were only marginally cheaper than the going Air Canada $124 plane ticket cost (after surcharges) and that the travel time was about 1/10th as much if going by plane.
As such I decided my trip would still be over the reading week, but would have to be by plane (the reading week decision is mostly independent). My problem with the $124 ticket to Montreal is that the distance between Montreal and Halifax is about 1250 km, whereas the distance between St. John's and Halifax is about 1500 km and that ticket goes for $94. You can probably come up with some reasons for that (if you have any substanciated reasons, let me know), but what really gets me is that it costs more to go to Montreal than it does to go to Toronto. On my last two trips on Air Canada the price has dropped after I booked (even though there were good reasons to assume prices would go up from there out), so on Sunday when I saw the price drop to $117 I figured I had better not rush into anything. However, today I find myself regretting waiting as the price is already back up to $124.
The current plan based upon when the cheap tickets are available on Air Canada is to go to Montreal early on Tuesday the 20th of February and to return to Halifax on the evening of Saturday the 24th. To make my trip any longer I either have to miss class or pay more. Considering that I have 11 days in a row without class, I figure I should be able to avoid missing class. It conceivable that I would shell out the extra $20 to change the dates though, especially if the price drops. I could also save $35 by selling my soul to Air Canada and declining Aeroplan miles, the option to check bags and by forfeiting any ability to change my flight plans.
So far my schedule in Montreal is pretty open. At McGill I would like to see the math building, library and graduate student's bar. I would like to see Cameron's preferred grocery stores and have some of his famous beans. Although I own a Canadiens hat, I'm not likely to do anything remotely hockey related.
Side note: At 12:00 AM it was 10 degrees Celsius at Halifax International Airport (HIA). I have a feeling this has something to do with the fact that it's warmer in my apartment than I remember it being ever before.
As such I decided my trip would still be over the reading week, but would have to be by plane (the reading week decision is mostly independent). My problem with the $124 ticket to Montreal is that the distance between Montreal and Halifax is about 1250 km, whereas the distance between St. John's and Halifax is about 1500 km and that ticket goes for $94. You can probably come up with some reasons for that (if you have any substanciated reasons, let me know), but what really gets me is that it costs more to go to Montreal than it does to go to Toronto. On my last two trips on Air Canada the price has dropped after I booked (even though there were good reasons to assume prices would go up from there out), so on Sunday when I saw the price drop to $117 I figured I had better not rush into anything. However, today I find myself regretting waiting as the price is already back up to $124.
The current plan based upon when the cheap tickets are available on Air Canada is to go to Montreal early on Tuesday the 20th of February and to return to Halifax on the evening of Saturday the 24th. To make my trip any longer I either have to miss class or pay more. Considering that I have 11 days in a row without class, I figure I should be able to avoid missing class. It conceivable that I would shell out the extra $20 to change the dates though, especially if the price drops. I could also save $35 by selling my soul to Air Canada and declining Aeroplan miles, the option to check bags and by forfeiting any ability to change my flight plans.
So far my schedule in Montreal is pretty open. At McGill I would like to see the math building, library and graduate student's bar. I would like to see Cameron's preferred grocery stores and have some of his famous beans. Although I own a Canadiens hat, I'm not likely to do anything remotely hockey related.
Side note: At 12:00 AM it was 10 degrees Celsius at Halifax International Airport (HIA). I have a feeling this has something to do with the fact that it's warmer in my apartment than I remember it being ever before.
Friday, January 05, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 45
A Few Quick Notes 45
(From Wednesday, obviously before my departure)
-It seems that my prediction that the rain would eliminate all of the snow was incorrect. While the rain did eliminate much of the snow, the remaining snow has iced up quite nicely because of the temperature drop that we experienced last night and today.
-Today I was able to complete an online check-in for my flight home tomorrow. As I did not have an assigned seat this was a comfort providing exercise. Amazingly, I was even fortunate enough to have a window seat. As I should be flying in daylight I may actually be able to see a bit of Montreal as I arrive.
(From Wednesday, obviously before my departure)
-It seems that my prediction that the rain would eliminate all of the snow was incorrect. While the rain did eliminate much of the snow, the remaining snow has iced up quite nicely because of the temperature drop that we experienced last night and today.
-Today I was able to complete an online check-in for my flight home tomorrow. As I did not have an assigned seat this was a comfort providing exercise. Amazingly, I was even fortunate enough to have a window seat. As I should be flying in daylight I may actually be able to see a bit of Montreal as I arrive.
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