Winter storms, a day in NYC and 21.5 hrs in an aluminium tube

[dajop]

I have just recently completed a trip to the US flying SIN-EWR-SIN. As this route is the longest current commercial non-stop flight, I thought it worthy of a trip report.

However, the outbound trip was rather boring, some nice meals, plenty of alcohol (big thumbs up for service on this one, within an hour of take off I'd consumed 2 champagnes and 2 singapore slings ) and a track that took us slightly to the east of Japan, over Anchorage and across northern Canada and into New York. So that's it for now, unless I get time to post some of the meals I took photos of.

The homebound journey was where the adventure really took place, as some winter storms moved in on the north eastern US and meant a whole new experience for someone who's most extreme flying weather has usually consisted of fog in Canberra or thunderstorms in Brisbane or Singapore ....

 

[dajop]

Wed 24 Feb CO 2868 St Louis-Newark

The journey started with a quick flight on a 50 seat Embraer Regional Jet, operated by Continental Express. Dep 17:03, arr 20:30, 2.5 hours before my departure to SIN .... well that was the plan anyway.

After returning my car rental and catching the shuttle bus to the airport ... well first an aside on car rentals .... I do miss the Australian airports and their ease and efficiency of picking up and returning car rentals (ie at the terminal). At STL and many US airports you've got allow that extra time for the shuttle bus from an offsite location. Fully understand this for the busier airports, but somewhere like STL just doesn't have a huge amount off traffic -it has less flights than BNE, and way less pax, with the flights largely a mix of smaller narrow bodies ( M80, 319, 733, 735, 73G) and regional jets. Nevermind you factor that in, and add that to the additional time for security screening ....

Anyway, get to the airport and find my 17:03 has morphed into a 18:50 departure due to either ATC or weather (or more specifically weather causing ATC delays). I have my suspicions about this though - no doubt there were ATC delays in the New York area due to an incoming winter storm - but a quick look on the internet reveals most delays of about an hour. Why I was suspicious with this, is I suspect my flight was combined with the 19:15 departure (which was cancelled) and delayed to accomodate pax from that flight.

So at checkin I am assisted by a cheerful and helpful Continental lady, but it does take some time. As it is an international check-in for travel to SIN, the details on the screen indicates as an Australian, whilst I don't need a visa for Singapore I do need proof of onward travel, which of course I don't have as I live here. After showing the Employment Pass stamped into my passport, she decides to call international assistance desk, which tells her to proceed and answer more questions on the screen, which eventually leads to a question she can answer yes to! After about 20 mins, I am on my way and proceed to security.

Security was relatively painless (about 15 min wait) and soon I am airside. No star lounge at STL, so I find an unused gate, plug in my laptop and pay for some wireless to fill in the next couple of hours (which I also fill by taking a snack at the one airside food (sandwich) outlet at the "other airlines" terminal A. All the "decent" food outlets are understandably at the AA terminal - as it is an AA hub of sorts (used to be much busier in the TWA days I understand).

Catching up on emails, the time soon passed and I heard an announcement about 6:30 we would be boarding between 6:40 and 6:45pm. So I continued to work away, about 5 mins later I heard my name paged ... so rushed to the gate where the door was closed and no one in sight . Uh oh. Someone came running over to let me, and I commented on the announcement, and they said not to worry, we just decided to board early! Soon onboard, and too my relief they didn't close the doors straight away, so obviously they weren't just waiting on me... Then at 6:50 we pushed back right on (new) schedule, with a warm greeting from the captain welcoming us on board ... .and advising we would proceeding to the other side of the airport for a 45 minute wait for ATC clearance. Uh oh again .... there goes my new reduced connection time.

Sure enough after 45 minutes we were on our way, and into the air. Much to my surprise we were fed on this flight (on the way down from EWR we were not, but I guess that one was an 8pm flight - outside meal times). The snack consisted of some cheese and crackers and a packet of salami (about 6 slices), a hershey bar finger and a packet of "cranberry snacks" consisting of cranberries, yoghurt buds and some nuts.

A fairly uneventful flight, with little turbulence, we touched down at Newark at 11pm. As we taxi-ed past the terminal I could my SQ flight being pushed back from the gate. Oh well another day in NYC can't be all that bad .... I had actually thought about that, but when I tried to move my flights the flight was full and waitlist closed.

 

[dajop]

Arrival at Newark

Soon disembarking, I reported to the service desk to enquire about my missed connection. Fairly simple response - tough luck its weather and ATC related, you'll have to sort it out yourself, here's the phone numbers for nearby hotels, they may give you distressed passenger rate. Oh and if SQ can't help you we may be able to get you on a CO flight tomorrow to NRT (the CO and SQ tickets were not on the same tickets - but were on conjunction tickets)

Luckily the office was online back in Singapore, so contacted our team assistant to help me with accommodation and contacting our TA to change my flights (I had forewarned her by email whilst sitting on the tarmac in STL). Soon I had a reservation at the Hilton New York, was booked onto the same SQ flight the next evening and was on my way into Manhattan (but first I checked with baggage services to see if I could retrieve my bag... ha ha very funny try again in the morning ........)

Onto the airtrain and then NJT into Penn Station I eventually checked into the Hilton at around 12:45am or so... as a HHonors Gold I was given my free breakfast ... a voucher for a pastry and drink at starbucks ! Fantastic - the best one yet. Although in the morning I discovered I could go the cafe and have cereal, a pastry and a drink (but not fruit or yoghurt). They did let me have a late checkout however (that came with free of charge NYC attitude!).

Next morning I awoke to constant snow falling outside my window which was melting at ground level. Without much clothes to speak of (luckily I didn't check my heavy-ish jacket), I put on my trusty QF PJ's I'd taken for the flight home underneath my lightweight shirt to add some warmth. But after a minute or two outside, decided that indoors was the place to be and made a dash for the Museum of Modern Art to fill some of my day.

After that I came back and checked out, stored my small hand luggage for a fee of $3.50 (another first for me, the first time I've had to pay to store luggage). Before I go on, I would not recommend the Hilton NYC. The attitude, the poor HHonors recognition, and generally what I call a "factory" hotel, does not rate highly on my list. Much preferred the Hilton Garden Inns I stayed at in NYC last year, or the Club Quarters WTC where I stayed for a night at the start of this trip.

After checking out I proceeded to Union Square and watched the snow get heavier, the mush get mushier beneath my feet and myself get colder with the zip on my jacket that broke a week earlier...

Soon it was a hot chocolate at Max Brenners, before some shopping at Macy's and a trip back to the airport

 

[dajop]

SQ 21 Newark - Singapore J class (the only class on the plane)

Schedule: 2300/0645+2

After a very quick checkin (I had prechecked and allocated myself 18D - a bulkhead seat with extra legroom), I gave them my bag tag number - hoping my baggage would make it. Then proceeded to security, which was quick, being a J passenger bypassed the queue. Then to the LX lounge, which was pretty basic, they did bring some fried rice, but other than that I'd say QF domestic have a better offering off food and drinks.

At 10:30 proceeded to boarding, and noticed the snow was getting heavier. Took this shot of the SQ plane as we boarded (this Aussie is not used to planes covered in snow!) ....

 

[dajop]

It wasn't long after boarding that I got my blanket out (I was right next to the door, and it was rather cold), and the crew started their usual great service, hot towels, pre takeoff drinks, newspapers, magazines....

However we were soon informed (unsurprisingly) that there would be a delay while we were de-iced and this would take some time. This was only the second time I had ever been on a plane that was being de-iced (the first was 4 days earlier on a UA CRJ at ORD). The deicing continued for a good 75-90 minutes. As the storm grew and snow got heavier. Took this picture out the exit door window before we pushed back ...

After pushing back, we proceeded to a point to wait ATC clearance. Whilst we waiting, at about 1am they decided that a second round of de-icing was needed so that continued for a little while, perhaps 30 mins. Of course it was time for another photo whilst that was going on...

In the meantime, supper orders had been taken and I was already on my second singapore sling and half way through a bottle of water.

We soon proceeded to take off point, where we had to wait another 15 mins for ATC to clear the runway. We still of course had phones turned on, and the FA near me indicated we were lucky to get this far, another pax had been messaging someone they knew on the VS flight (that was two behind us in the queue) that ATC had instructed that the storm would be a lot worse by the time they had clearance to takeoff and had to return to the gate (and the flight was cancelled). Didn't augur well.

At about 1:50 or so pilot indicated that two of his flight crew would be coming back to do a final check of the wings out the window before taking off. By now I'm coming a little nervous hoping that SQ have changed their ways since the Taipei accident in 1999. Soon though we were lumbering into the air. Very slowly (full load of fuel) and not without some rotational and lateral movement, and with snow still falling and nothing but clouds visible outside the window. Rather nerve wracking overall, but we did make it into the air - obviously! Interesting comment made by another passenger (british - so not completely devoid of winter experience) when I was in the airtrain at SIN T3 heading towards immigration - that it was the scariest take off he'd experienced and he commented that LHR would have been closed well before they got to that point. I guess though NYC has a lot more snow than London.

As an aside I later heard that 2/3rds of EWR flight were cancelled that day, 61% at LGA yet only 39% at JFK.

Next to come details of the 18:15 flight, that would mean 21.5 hours in the tube ... my longest time on a plane in one go without any disembarkation...

 

[zig]

Rather nerve wracking overall,

Yikes, not for me! Great photos. Only snow experience I have had has been in LHR a couple of times, and as your travel companion said the airport was closed.

 

[SimonM]

Great TR dajop, look forward to more.
That snow-bound take-off would have had me thinking that another night in NYC might be all right!

 

[docjames]

. .... I'd say QF domestic have a better offering off food and drinks.

That's faint praise......


Great TR, loving the photos too. Keep it coming!

 

[drron]

Fantastic photos though I am glad I wasnt the one taking them!

 

[dajop]

That snow-bound take-off would have had me thinking that another night in NYC might be all right!

My thoughts exactly at the time! Although I think the wine in the lounge and a couple of singapore slings helped ....