AA5142
PHL-PHF
Departure: 1421
Arrival: 1522
1hr 1min
Seat 10C
August 11, 2019
My flight to Newport News out of the satellite terminal, Terminal F. It was a hike from the Admirals Club near Terminal C.
Boarding had just started so I waited until the Group 9 was called before I passed through gate control.
I wanted tried to wait until the very last second to get on the small airplane, but my timing was slightly off. I ended up waiting until the passengers in front of me shoved their oversized bags into the small overhead bins…
The plane was packed, there was only two seats open. The seats were arranged in a 2-2 configuration with every seat being main cabin.
The seat reminded of the ERJ-140 that operates between Wichita Falls and Dallas. Very cramped, but perfect because the flights are usually less than one hour. The tray table folded down from the seat in front. There was no inflight entertainment or WiFi.
Boarding was complete in 10 minutes. Moments later, the door was closed (then reopened) and the pilot provided his welcome aboard announcement. He informed us of a 35 minute flight time and requested we do everything in our power to allow the flow of air throughout the cabin while on the ground.
The door was closed again three minutes prior to the scheduled departure. The pushback and safety demonstration began at this point. We had a quick, eight minute taxi to the runway. The pilot immediately began the takeoff roll. We were airborne within seconds.
I did not get to take in the scenery outside because I chose an aisle seat. This was fine by me, I was able to stretch my legs into the aisle for a little bit more room. I did not appreciate the temperature on the airplane, it was hot. The pilot did make an announcement on the ground about keeping the plane cool, but it was anything but that. The only thing I could do was try to fall asleep.
I was awoken by the pilot from my short lived nap aswe began our decent at exactly 35 minutes into the flight. We experienced a rough landing but no one was hurt.
Final Word
The flight was no frills…no, anything. We made it to Newport News in one piece. If the flight attendant was not offering any type of drink service, the least the airline could do was have the air working. I did not need all of that heat, especially after eating a Geno’s cheesesteak in Philadelphia.
