This morning I left earlier than usual for the airport because of the construction at the airport and so I could enjoy the airport lounge a bit before leaving.
I didn’t have any issues parking at the Parking Spot (I made reservations last night) and the shuttle was quick to pick me up.
I checked in my bag and went through security quickly with CLEAR and TSA Pre-Check, although I did get the random beep from the metal detector requiring a pat down.
Since I arrived so early I started at the American Airlines lounge. They had some English muffins and I had a rum and coke (well alcohol is included, but they charge you for everything else just like United does). After I did some work on the computer I moved to the American Express Lounge which still had breakfast and didn’t serve alcohol until 10:30 AM. Eventually I got something that looked like food to me (tomatillo roasted beef – it was shredded).
I took a picture while on the train between terminals of the warzone, I mean construction.
The plane to DFW was an Airbus A319 and it actually left on time.
Here’s the view from my seat… luckily it was a short flight. 36 minutes wheels up to wheels down – why that is burned into my memory is a long story about a 12 hour flight that wasn’t supposed to even leave the state of Texas.
When I arrived in Dallas I took the train from Terminal C to Terminal D which required going through Terminal E for some reason (apparently putting things in alphabetical order isn’t allowed in the Metroplex). When I found the American Express Lounge the queue was horribly long, so I decided to go to the American Airlines Lounge. I first went to the Admiral’s Lounge, but they told me because I was Executive Platinum Pro I had access to the Flagship Lounge, so I went there instead.
Honestly the American Airlines Flagship Lounge is better than the American Express Lounge. They had Salmon, green beans, etc. and a range of liquor – although I didn’t see a bartender. I was perfectly happy with my decision to skip the American Express Lounge.
My flight to Amsterdam was delayed even before I got on the flight to Dallas. The flight was supposed to leave at 4:15 PM, but the arriving flight from Japan was scheduled to arrive at 4:30 PM. I don’t think American Airlines has a time machine, so I assume there was some sort of mechanical issue that caused an equipment (plane) change.
I went a bit early to the gate as I was worried about finding overhead space as my equipment takes up most of a large backpack and unlike usual I was going to be flying economy.
Eventually I got on the plane. I had no shortage of legroom, however the seats were a bit narrower because of the need to have space for the TV and the table. It was a bit of a hassle because the flight attendants used the space to store the carts and move them around. Other than that I nibbled on what they called chicken and had a couple of Jack Daniels and Coke.
I more or less slept the entire flight after eating. I woke up about 1 hour before landing to have breakfast. It actually was decent. Strawberry Yogurt, a massive Fig Newton and some granola that now that I think about it was probably supposed to be put into the yogurt.
