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I Finally Caved and Flew on the 'Worst Airline in America'
I Finally Caved and Flew on the 'Worst Airline in America'
Global Airlines Slash Profit Outlook as Fuel Costs Jump
22 secret codes of travel insiders
DCA-DFW-TYR/
TYR-DFW-PNS-DCA
SEP 2024:
last-minute miles for a brother's birthday
Now retired, my older brother seemingly has more time for fostering family ties. Baby sis Casey and I – along with my husband, Fernando, and her partner, Graham – have enjoyed his more frequent visits to D.C. He is, after all, a charming fella.
So, when he turned the tables on us, inviting us to Tyler, Texas, for his late-September birthday, we at least entertained the idea. With my mother now in Tyler, too, I’ve already been a couple times. This would’ve been a first for Casey. After pricing flights, however, she bowed out. With American alone flying to tiny TYR, fares aren’t competitive. The itinerary she priced was about $600.
I looked at using miles, and didn’t see anything reasonable. Once upon a time, 25,000 miles was good for a domestic roundtrip in economy. For 50,000, you got first. Then, those became a sort of starting point, a baseline price you’d be lucky to find. For a family Xmas, for example, the husband and I will be flying economy to Phoenix, for 61,000 miles apiece. That itinerary includes a stop in Dallas on the return, and flying on Christmas day, which is historically a cheap day to fly, whether for cash or miles.
I wasn’t going to spend anything like that to get to Tyler for a couple days. DCA-DFW might have been more affordable, but adding hours of highway time between Dallas and Tyler makes a trip of just a couple nights nearly pointless.
BEING SELF-EMPLOYED,
THE DOWNSIDE IS FISCAL UNCERTAINTY
AS A WAY OF LIFE,
COUPLED WITH NO BENEFITS.
THE UPSIDE IS FLEXIBILITY.
But I didn’t give up all hope. I told my brother that if a last-minute deal popped up, I’d happily join the birthday fun. Being self-employed, the downside is fiscal uncertainty as a way of life, coupled with no benefits. The upside is flexibility. A last-minute deal wouldn’t require clearing vacation time with anyone.
Then, late Sept. 14, a Saturday about a week before my brother’s birthday, already in bed, I took a break from pre-slumber doomscrolling to check flights on the AA app. I was very surprised to spot a Sept. 21-Sept. 23 DCA-TYR roundtrip for 25,000 miles. Granted, my Saturday morning departure was at 5:30 a.m. So, no Metro to the airport. Still, with a $30 Lyft at 3:30 a.m., along with about $100 for Main Cabin Extra on all but a TYR-DFW leg, still seemed like a great deal. I grabbed it.
Along with the ridiculously early flight, another downside was the convoluted return: Tyler to Dallas to Pensacola to D.C. Getting a giggle out of Pensacola’s airport code, PNS, was but mild compensation. A very early day was to be followed by a very long day. But I’m not so terribly frail, yet, that it seemed more than I could handle. Particularly so, considering my brother is a mensch and we’re not getting any younger. If I could make the trip, I’d make the trip.
While I’m at DCA once a week, from 7 to 10 a.m., to volunteer with Traveler’s Aid, I’m really not very familiar with the earliest hours of the airport. I was downright surprised to arrive at the South Security Checkpoint to find the security lines not yet open. I chose South, rather than the American-centric North Security Checkpoint, as I feared the first morning rush. While there may have been some folks already waiting at the North checkpoint, I was very first in line southside, with about 10 minutes to wait for TSA to open. A novel experience!
Held at stanchion standstill till 4 a.m.
While making it through in no time, the Admirals Club – a perk of the husband’s branded AAdvantage credit card – wouldn’t open till 4:45 a.m. With boarding scheduled a couple minutes after 5 a.m., seemed a bother to be the first in line there, too, for a complimentary cup of coffee. Rather, I made my way to my nearly empty D gate, and waited. Soon, the gate area was nearly full, indicating a crowded flight. I was grateful for my MCE window seat, and having no luggage beyond a tiny duffle, easily smaller than most roller bags. In a pinch, it can always go under the seat with my shoulder bag.
At 4 a.m., National Hall is a cavernous crypt.
But so nice to see that Solid State is coming soon.
Even better, I got morning smiles from Kamala Harris swag!
Of course, once settled in, I masked up and went to sleep. I was not tempted to plug into the seatback entertainment, though I was certainly surprised to see it. American is not big on narrow-body seatback screens, so to have them on this tiny A319 was thoroughly unexpected.
Cooling my jets at Gate D35, so grateful for my cuddly hoodie.
Hurry up and wait (on the jetway), get comfy and enjoy sunrise views as we head southwest.
While my connecting gate at DFW changed a couple times, I was relieved to see that we’d be escaping the clutches of the E Satellite terminal. My tiny Tyler flights usually use this terminal, and it’s a bit of a haul. My layover of roughly an hour was time enough, but certainly wouldn’t allow time to dawdle.
Instead, I merely had to hop one terminal over on the Skylink train, and enjoy the convenience of a B gate. Here, too, the Admirals Club would’ve been a waste of time. When I passed the B lounge, the line was out the door, blending into the concourse. Pass.
Along with skipping the E satellite, I was additionally surprised to find American Eagle had upgraded its DFW-TYR equipment. Instead of the usual, tiny CRJ 700 (if I recall, correctly), I found an Embraer 170. Still tiny, but seemed a bit newer and roomier. Better yet, when I pulled up my boarding pass at the gate, I raised one eyebrow upon noticing I’d gone from Boarding Group 5 to Boarding Group 1. Huh? The other eyebrow went up when I saw my seat assignment was now in first class. Very peculiar. Granted, this very short Saturday morning flight looked to be barely half full. Still, I don’t know what possible algorithmic alchemy would’ve upgraded me. I haven’t had any status whatsoever in more than a year. I was on an award ticket. There was a note on my boarding passes that, like Fernando, I have an American Airlines-branded credit card. (Mine, however, is much cheaper, entitling me to little more than a checked bag.) Best to just take my seat and not ask questions. Thank you, Skynet!
The upgraded equipment, the upgraded boarding pass, and the upgraded cabin!
Welcome to TYR, Tyler-Pounds Regional Airport
So, a nap and an upgrade, and welcome to Tyler. My brother was fêted, I got to see my mother and sister-in-law, was initiated into the courageous clan of the Tyler Unitarian Universalists, and finally saw Dr. Strangelove all the way through. (My brother has a Saturday-night film schedule of 52 films. I am very grateful that this particular Saturday called for a sci-fi classic.)
Departing Monday morning, I was again in line, awaiting TSA to open security. I don’t know if this more reasonable 10:30 a.m.-ish flight was the first of the four daily flights, of if staff had merely been on break. But soon enough I was through and at the gate for an on-time departure. No upgrade today, and the flight was full. Everything would be full this Monday. But it all ran with precision. Landing at DFW, I had just a few minutes till I was boarding the plane to Pensacola. In Florida, I reckoned there’s be just enough time to eat. The choices were Einstein Bros. Bagels, Chick-fil-a, and something called Pensacola Beach House. Considering I wanted a bar, and that there was no way I buying hate chicken, I headed to the beach house and ordered an orange crush. Followed by a rice bowl and some kind of grapefruit beer. Scarffed down everything, made it to a urinal, then lined up to get back on a plane.
It's 9 a.m. Tyler time, and again I'm waiting for TSA to open. I can appreciate a theme, but this one's not thrilling me.
I liked it better up front! Full up, TYR-DFW on Monday morning
A PNS-colada? Not exactly. Service was great, but the rice bowl didn't merit a photo. Southeastern skies absolutely merit a photo.
This final flight was another Embraer with 2x2 seating. I was grateful for the couple extra MCE inches (No PNS jokes!), as the guy next to me with the Chick-fil-a bag took up all his room, then a little more. And had a restless leg that vibrated all the way to Washington. I, meanwhile, was getting a headache by this point and was getting beard burn around my mask. Those last two hours were the longest.
Thankfully, we made good time and arrived a little early, despite foggy nightfall. Sadly, that meant there was no gate ready to accept us, so we sat on the tarmac for another 15 minutes or so, the Terminal 2 promised land just beyond reach.
But for 25,000 miles, it’s a trip I’d make again!
Beautiful fog welcoming us back to DCA