Flying on Air Transat

[Kip Powick]

Air Transat to San Andres and return

We didn’t “rush” to get in line for the check-in as we had pre assigned seats, which is a great feature, even if it does cost a few dollars more…(Take note WJA). Another nice feature was the fact that a young TS employee stood at the entrance to the taped “corrals” and presented everyone who was going to San Andres with a TS beach bag. Sure, I know it is advertising but it was a nice touch. As we progressed toward the counter I also noted that there were a few placards on the tape posts that indicated the flight number as well as the Captains name and the in-flight movie title. This was going to be a great trip as I personally knew the Captain and I was looking forward to the movie, (The Incredibles), as was everyone else.

Check-in was simple but I was puzzled by the agent’s request to see our carry on and tag it with a TS identification tag. I asked him why that was necessary and was advised that “Security would not accept any “carry-on” unless it had a tag on it”…….OK..fair enough but I asked what would happen if someone went and bought an item in a shop and wanted to carry it onboard in the store’s bag. He replied,” Security would make the individual come back to an agent and have it checked and “tagged”.

Naturally we went through Security and of course we saw plenty of carry on baggage without airline ID tags on them…so…. was this a power trip, or a poor soul just out of touch with the actual rules??? On all my previous trips I was not required to “airline tag” my carry –on.

We waited in the lounge and had a snack as we watched all the passengers mill around. There was another TS flight heading south, I think it was Acapulco or Veradero..not sure and the passengers were at the gate next to ours. They were to leave about 30 minutes ahead of us. The agent at that gate started to give her little talk about Transport Canada rules and regs concerning carry on baggage and I guess she felt she wasn’t being listened to by her group so she literally lost it !!! I have never heard a gate agent belittle and berate passengers in such a manner as she started to shout about their failure to listen to every word she said. The agents at our gate stopped what they were doing and stared, as did everyone in the general area and then the snickering and guffawing started and the poor young lady was no better off than if she had just said her “TC rules and regs” and left it at that. Prior to us boarding, we received the same briefing but it was carried out in a very civil, professional and low key manner, much to the credit of our gate agent.

It was an A310 and Scuba 02 was in 4A and I was in 4D, as we left it a bit late to get seats together but at least we had no one head of us and a bit more leg room. Now I have done a lot of charter flying but the thing that struck me, as well as most passengers was not the seat pitch but the seat width. Everyone found the seats very, very narrow. This particular aircraft carried 240 passengers. I really can’t remember WDs max pax config but I don’t think it was3-3-3( 9 across). I think we had 2-4-2…anyhow it was a narrow seat.

Well the Captain wasn’t the one that was advertised in the Terminal and the movie was not “The Incredibles.” I mentioned this fact to the I/C as I wanted her to pass a note to the Captain, (my friend) the next time she saw him and she advised me that the crew was not even aware that such info was put out in front of the check-in counters.

We pushed back right on schedule and all briefings were either taped or verbal and all well done. The PA from the F/As was loud and clear but unfortunately the PAs from the flight deck were difficult to hear. I do know that the PAs from the front end were well done and very informative. I‘m sure all of us have had the PA volume/clarity issue with one airplane or the other…certainly not the crews fault.

Standard onboard service for a charter but in all honesty the “supper” was the worst I have ever experienced on a charter. First it should be understood that all the passengers had been in the Terminal from about noon to pushback, which was 3:15pm. The flight is about 4+45 so in effect if an individual had had a light lunch and was expecting a “normal” charter meal on board they were going to be sorely disappointed. The supper meal was a small bag of Ranch Doritos and supposedly a chicken type wrap which was actually a small folded crepe wrapped in tinfoil, which was extremely thin and was handed out as if the F/A was dealing a deck of cards. The item was squashed all to crap and was stuck in the tinfoil……arrggghh. Thank goodness we had a snack in the terminal. Oh yes, just prior to landing, about an hour out they did hand out dessert…those ice cream sorbets that one sucks out of a tube. Now I didn’t expect a supper meal similar to what was in style in the ‘80s but if WJA, Skyservice, and AC can at least put out supper that does resemble a mini meal, why can’t AirTransat ? I asked the I/C who was responsible for the choice of meals and she said she wasn’t sure but thought it would be TS in this case as there were quite a variety of tour company passengers onboard.

The flight was uneventful but as it was close to 5 hours and almost everyone was complaining about the seats. I would hate to do a real long flight , say 6 hours or more in that configuration. Oh, yeh, I thought I would get a bottle of Baileys for nightcaps and being a typical pilot, opted for the cheap duty free at the airport. It was $5.00 cheaper on the airplane ..arrgghhh. As we descended in the inky darkness to San Andres the oppressive heat became readily apparent even at lower altitudes. A 9.0 landing occurred to much cheering of the happy vacationers. Coming from Canada everyone found that first step outside unbelievably hot, even at 8:15pm, but we soon became accustomed to it.

14 days and 42 dives later Scuba 02 and I reluctantly left the warmth of San Andres and proceeded to the SAI airport. Interesting incident there. We were in no rush as we had pre-assigned seats so were behind an elderly couple who had just finished a one week stay there. We approached the spot where one has to pay $30.00 USD per person to get out of the country and the elderly couple were in shock as they were not aware of the requirement. All they had was $20.00CDN between them. It was sort of a Mexican standoff, the Columbians would not let them pass and they don’t take credit cards. I tapped the old fellow on the shoulder and handed him $60.00 USD and a business card and asked him to send me the money when he got back home. He looked a little shocked and thanked me and we proceeded to the area where they open all your luggage and grope through it, standard procedure in SAI. Again they were a little shocked seeing their suitcases being opened and when the Military guy started to do up their luggage the gentleman turned to his wife and said, “See Milly, I told you they wouldn’t find the bomb—hahha”. I don’t think the guard heard it all but I grabbed the old fellow, took him aside and gave him a quick lesson on what NOT to say in an airport.

Later we all climbed back on board TS 155 for our return flight to YYZ. As fate would have it a couple of the cabin crew were the same individuals we flew down with two weeks before. All PAs were well done and the Captain made an excellent PA prior to pushback, very informative and professional. We actually departed about 10 minutes early, which was nice as the arrival time in YYZ was normally scheduled for 1:55am.

Same thing, the seats were cramped but this time the meal was great. It consisted of a Montreal smoked meat bunwich, pasta salad and a chocolate brownie. Naturally there were free soft drinks etc. Finally got to see “The Incredibles” as it was playing for the return flight, mind you we had a couple of “incredible” screamers behind us…I think the little gaffers internal clock was probably all screwed up and the poor kid finally fell asleep upon descent…and had to be awakened arrgghh. Nothing but excellent service in the back once again and another informative PA from the front as we commenced descent into YYZ.

At the luggage carousel the old fellow and his wife walked up to me and asked if I would help them get their luggage and I said “sure…what do your bags look like?” They said they had two black roll-a-boards but then they thought all the bags looked the same so they couldn’t give me anything to work with. Took awhile and after we pulled about half a dozen wrong bags off the carousel managed to find the right ones.

We headed down the 401 and about half way home Scuba 02 started to laugh hysterically so I asked her what she was laughing about and she said, “Your $60.00…..I can just see that old guy getting home, finding your business card in his coat and saying ‘who the hell is this’ and throwing it away”. I guess we’ll wait and see.

A couple of points…TS makes a PA just prior to cleaning the cabin for arrival requesting passengers to volunteer any change, foreign or other wise and then they collect it for a children’s charity…...nice touch, and to be honest I can’t remember if WJA or Skyservice does that or not.

The one thing that I did find odd was that not one of the 4 F/As I talked with going down to San Andres, or the 4 F/As I talked to on the way back knew any of the names of the front end. This leads me to believe that there was no preflight crew brief or no introductions to one another as the crew boarded and I find that a bit odd. I know that when I was flying I always made a point of knowing the names of the entire crew, even if I had to write them down.

Years ago I used to hand out a little made up business card with my name on it and on the back was my drink of choice for the flight…saved a lot of chatter when the F/A working the front end wanted to know what the pilots wanted to drink and it also allowed them to know who was up front.

My biggest complaint would be the seats in the TS A310 and the meal for the YYZ-SAI flight but other than that, the flights were very enjoyable and the crew certainly projected an air of professionalism, tempered with patience, considering all the tourists types onboard.

[Canus Chinookus]

Great post! Regarding 'quiet' PA's, I've noticed that the pilots who choose to use their headset mike are usually the culprits. All it takes is to pull out the handheld mike, and crystal clear PA's are your friend.

[ccairspace]

Interesting read as usual. Thanks for the travelogue.

That bit about tagging the carry-on luggage rang a bell, but I can't remember which airline I was flying at the time. ?Alaska ?United I thought it unusual but didn't think it had anything to do with security per se. I figured that it was simply a pre-board way of checking the number and size of bags that were to be carried on, according to the airlines limits. Save hassling with the pax just before boarding the aircraft.

As for the narrow seats... seems counterintuitive given the increasing allowances with respect weight... which usually implies increasing girth of passengers.

ccairspace

[Guest rattler]

Re. carry on baggage..... from the CATSA site:

Things you can do before

you get to the airport

There are a number of things you can do

before you get to the airport to make your

experience at the airport and at the pre-board

screening (PBS) checkpoint more efficient:

* Check with your airline or travel agent to determine how early you should arrive at the airport. Recommended check-in times differ by airline and destination;

* Check with your airline or travel agent to determine how many pieces of carry-on and checked baggage you are allowed to bring with you;

* Remember to bring your airline ticket and valid Government-issued photo ID. Government-issued photo ID includes valid driver’s license and passport. For international flights, remember to bring your passport. If you have any questions or concerns regarding travel documentation, please contact your airline;

* Be sure to tag your baggage, including carry-on baggage and portable computer. For security reasons, you should try to use your business address whenever possible;

* Some passengers with implanted electronic medical devices, particularly cardiac pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators and infusion pumps, may be affected by screening equipment at the pre-board screening checkpoint and may request a physical search of their person. Please bring medical information verifying your condition. For more information, please consult our Special Needs section;

* It is recommended that medication be placed in your carry-on baggage. Please ensure that it is properly labelled (professionally printed label identifying the medication or a manufacturer's name or pharmaceutical label);

* If you have any Special Needs, please consult with your airline to make any necessary arrangementCATSA

[Kip Powick]

Be sure to tag your baggage, including carry-on baggage and portable computer. For security reasons, you should try to use your business address whenever possible;

I don't agree...if they are suggesting that home addresses should be put on all OUTSIDE luggage tags...not everyone has a business.

I DO NOT do this, NOR will I put my home address on any luggage tag that is on the outside of any bag. I put my home address INSIDE my bag.

It should be pretty obvious to all that putting ones home address on the outside of a bag is not a good idea. My carry-on has photos of each bag we check-in as well as all dimensions. The same info is carried in my wife's carry-on. That's just the way we do it.

[Guest rattler]

As always Kip, you are allowed to disagree with the folks who publish these guidelines..... however,,,,,,,

Some carriers insist on it. eg. NZ

8.6 CHECKED BAGGAGE

8.6.1 Upon delivery to us of items you wish to be carried as Checked Baggage we will take custody of them, and issue a Baggage Identification Tag for each piece of your Checked Baggage.

8.6.2 Checked Baggage must have your name or other personal identification affixed to it.

8.6.3 Checked Baggage will, whenever possible, be carried on the same aircraft as you, unless we decide for safety, security or operational reasons to carry it on an alternative flight. If your Checked Baggage is carried on a subsequent flight we will deliver it to you unless applicable law requires you to be present at the airport of arrival for customs clearance.

While others such as AC only suggest it.

Packing Tips

* Do not wrap bungee cords, ties or straps around baggage.

* Remove all old airline tags from your luggage.

* Attach identification tags to the inside and outside of the bag, giving destination as well as home addresses.

* Keep all medications and high value items such as cameras, jewelry electronic devices and cash with you, do not put them in checked baggage.

[Kip Powick]

Re NZ

8.6.2 Checked Baggage must have your name or other personal identification affixed to it.

Doesn't say inside, or outside does it

Re AC

Attach identification tags to the inside and outside of the bag, giving destination as well as home addresses

This, IMO, is out of date. With the new electonic luggage tags there is no need to put ones destination on a bag.

No home address will be found on the outside of my luggage ....

[CanadaEH]

Kip, you keep a picture of your checked baggage in your carry-on? That's not a bad idea.

I ran into a similar situation when I flew on Harmony last year; they made me label my carry-on and checked baggage before they gave me my boarding pass, but I can't remember the reason they gave me for having to do so.

[Fester]

Ah, those halcyon days of worldly travel on Wardair's fine fleet!

A310 seating was indeed 2-3-2, the F/A's all young, fresh and motivated, coming down the aisles in unision, serving you a second drink before supper. Nice chunks of beef, cooked to perfection, Royal Doulton china, and those great footrests on the seat in front of you (A310). And then half-way to Hawaii, the F/A's changed into hula garb; sure put everyone in the holiday mood!

So what happened? Why are we all sardines now? Why do we get fed buffet left-overs? In as much as pilot's work conditions are being rapidly eroded, the passenger's flying experience is going right down the tubes! Surely this can't be right! Do we really want to win this race to the bottom?!?

[Guest rattler]

Of course Wardair was going broke providing that level of service (very cut throat market) and when purchased by Canadian.... had only a limited time left if the purchase had not gone through.

Wardair on the Discovery Channel

As to the why,,,,,, cheap, cheap and cheaper fares. One only gets what they pay for in this world and when flying charter (at a decent rate), you must also expect they will jam in as many folks as they can to achieve a profit.Wardair on the Discovery Channel

[Kip Powick]

I would argue that WD was NOT going broke because of the onboard service. WD was going broke because of unrealistic plan to expand and compete against AC and CAI.

The service on WD was exceptional and you would be hard pressed to find any customer that thought otherwise and had they/we stayed in the charter market we/they would have had a "lock" on it in Canada...

Then again can you blame Max for taking his personal gain of 75 Million and walking away?? I am sure anyof us would have done the same thing, given the chance.

[W5]

The honour of leading the race to the bottom in regards to comfort has got to go to the European (esp. British) charter companies (132 seats on a B-737-200, 233 on a B757). Which in turn brought us Ryanair (189 seats on a -800).

[Guest rattler]

I would argue that WD was NOT going broke because of the onboard service. WD was going broke because of unrealistic plan to expand and compete against AC and CAI.

The service on WD was exceptional and you would be hard pressed to find any customer that thought otherwise and had they/we stayed in the charter market we/they would have had a "lock" on it in Canada...

Then again can you blame Max for taking his personal gain of 75 Million and walking away?? I am sure anyof us would have done the same thing, given the chance.

I agree that their service was great but it was also a great cost factor once they entered the sked area. They were able to control the cost to revenue when they flew charters (full aircraft) but in the sked area the cost to revenue was more difficult to control (less than full aircraft) If they had stayed in charters..... prob. would still be there. However the Canadian Aviation world is littered by those who deviated from their initial successful operations. The latest to go under was a very profitable company called PWA. I just hope Westjet, who has busted out from their original profitable plan, does not join the ranks.... We need a counterpoint to AC.