Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
25:19
I love traveling. I have been on countless flights where everything has gone off without a hitch. Air travel is prone to glitches from variety of sources, as it depends on pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, luggage handlers, ground crew, caterers, cleaners, fuelers, maintenance workers and computers. Not to mention a big metal tube and all of its varying parts. It’s a logistician’s dream/nightmare. So things go awry sometimes. There's a thunderstorm. Your gate is occupied. You land in the Hudson River.
My flight from Chicago to Delhi will (I hope) hold the record as my longest flight for as long as I live. The flight time (takeoff to landing) was estimated at approximately 14 hour and 15 minutes, which is about as long a flight as I'm ever likely to have been on anyway (unless Australia, which I plan to get to someday, is longer). We boarded in Chicago around 7:00pm for our 7:35pm departure. A few minor issues were encountered in Chicago due to the need for fuel stirring (a procedure apparently necessitated by the frigid cold zero degree temperature) and the ground crew being inside warming up (another procedure necessitated by the weather...I do not envy that ground crew) so we were a bit late pushing back. Add a runway change at the last minute (due to wind changes) and we took off around an hour late.
Upon takeoff, the captain informed us that unfavorable winds would cause the flight to be a bit long(er) and we were planning to arrive Delhi between 11:00pm and 11:30pm (scheduled arrival was 9:45pm). The flight went quite smoothly, I slept well (thank you business class upgrade) and we were on approach for landing when the Captain announced that we had been placed in a holding pattern. There was smoke obscuring the visibility and we needed to circle until it cleared. So we circled. And circled. (Odd that you don't get dizzy when circling like that). After 60-90 minutes of circling, the Captain announced that we were going to our alternate airport for re-fueling and to wait until visibility improved.
We landed and parked on a quiet taxiway at Jaipur around 1:00am. I did not expect to be there long, but I misguessed - I saw the sun rise in Jaipur. The weather did not clear in Delhi until the early morning hours. Once we were given the okay to go, we encountered another issue: There was an (empty) Air India plane that had been parked in front of us overnight. It took what felt like eons to get that plane moved. Finally, we took off around 8:15am for our (short) remaining flight to Delhi.
The total time from pushing back from the gate at Chicago to arriving the gate at Delhi was 25 hours and 19 minutes. Overall, I was on the plane over 26 hours. The flight attendants (who I wish to commend for staying professional, courteous, and helpful the full time) joked as we were deplaning that this may be a world record. I hope it always remains my personal record.
My flight from Chicago to Delhi will (I hope) hold the record as my longest flight for as long as I live. The flight time (takeoff to landing) was estimated at approximately 14 hour and 15 minutes, which is about as long a flight as I'm ever likely to have been on anyway (unless Australia, which I plan to get to someday, is longer). We boarded in Chicago around 7:00pm for our 7:35pm departure. A few minor issues were encountered in Chicago due to the need for fuel stirring (a procedure apparently necessitated by the frigid cold zero degree temperature) and the ground crew being inside warming up (another procedure necessitated by the weather...I do not envy that ground crew) so we were a bit late pushing back. Add a runway change at the last minute (due to wind changes) and we took off around an hour late.
Upon takeoff, the captain informed us that unfavorable winds would cause the flight to be a bit long(er) and we were planning to arrive Delhi between 11:00pm and 11:30pm (scheduled arrival was 9:45pm). The flight went quite smoothly, I slept well (thank you business class upgrade) and we were on approach for landing when the Captain announced that we had been placed in a holding pattern. There was smoke obscuring the visibility and we needed to circle until it cleared. So we circled. And circled. (Odd that you don't get dizzy when circling like that). After 60-90 minutes of circling, the Captain announced that we were going to our alternate airport for re-fueling and to wait until visibility improved.
We landed and parked on a quiet taxiway at Jaipur around 1:00am. I did not expect to be there long, but I misguessed - I saw the sun rise in Jaipur. The weather did not clear in Delhi until the early morning hours. Once we were given the okay to go, we encountered another issue: There was an (empty) Air India plane that had been parked in front of us overnight. It took what felt like eons to get that plane moved. Finally, we took off around 8:15am for our (short) remaining flight to Delhi.
The total time from pushing back from the gate at Chicago to arriving the gate at Delhi was 25 hours and 19 minutes. Overall, I was on the plane over 26 hours. The flight attendants (who I wish to commend for staying professional, courteous, and helpful the full time) joked as we were deplaning that this may be a world record. I hope it always remains my personal record.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Dubuque?
IBM announced today that they would be opening a new support cent in Dubuque, Iowa. The center will be located in downtown Dubuque, in an old department store. It will house 1,300 employees by the end of 2010.
IBM has long been known for building sites outside of major city centers, opting for smaller cities or suburban and rural areas. This is the first new IBM site to be built in the United States in many years. Good news for Iowa.
AP News Link
IBM to open center in Dubuque, create 1,300 jobs
IBM has long been known for building sites outside of major city centers, opting for smaller cities or suburban and rural areas. This is the first new IBM site to be built in the United States in many years. Good news for Iowa.
AP News Link
IBM to open center in Dubuque, create 1,300 jobs
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
My Flight Memory
Since I travel a lot, I like to keep track of where I've flown, how much time it has taken, what airlines, what aircraft. flightmemory.com allows me to enter my flights and it figures out all the statistics for me. Plus it creates my own personal flight map.
You can view my stats and map here: My Flight Memory
You can view my stats and map here: My Flight Memory
Daily Photo: January 1, 2009
I'm endeavoring to take at least one photo each day. If I take more, I pick one I like. This is January 1, a bank in the Georgetown section of DC.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Early, but late
I took two flights today. Both landed quite a bit earlier than scheduled. One we deplaned quite late, and the other just on time.
My first flight, to Detroit, landed 25 minutes early. As is often the case with early arrivals like this, the captain announced, "Our gate is occupied". So, we sat for 20-30 minutes waiting for our gate. After moving into the gate, the door wasn't opened as it usually is. We waited. And waited a little more. After five to ten minutes, the Captain announces that the gate agent is having trouble with the jet bridge. Five minutes later, he explains that the problem is as follows: The ground staff that marshalled the plane into the gate (you know, the guy with the red sticks) had the plane stop four feet short of where it should have parked. The reason? The snow confused him. In Aruba, this excuse would be acceptable. In Detroit, notsomuch.
55 minutes after arrival, we finally started deplaning.
My second leg was to White Plains/Westchester County. We landed 15 minutes early and were informed....you guessed it...our gate was occupied (this is an epidemic with airlines lately. I should start tracking how often it occurs.) After 10-15 minutes, we pulled into our 'gate'. Which wasn't even a gate, but rather some piece of tarmac, onto which we descended from the stairs of the plane and walked into the terminal. We waited for that.
I'm beginning to wonder about airline logistical planning.
My first flight, to Detroit, landed 25 minutes early. As is often the case with early arrivals like this, the captain announced, "Our gate is occupied". So, we sat for 20-30 minutes waiting for our gate. After moving into the gate, the door wasn't opened as it usually is. We waited. And waited a little more. After five to ten minutes, the Captain announces that the gate agent is having trouble with the jet bridge. Five minutes later, he explains that the problem is as follows: The ground staff that marshalled the plane into the gate (you know, the guy with the red sticks) had the plane stop four feet short of where it should have parked. The reason? The snow confused him. In Aruba, this excuse would be acceptable. In Detroit, notsomuch.
55 minutes after arrival, we finally started deplaning.
My second leg was to White Plains/Westchester County. We landed 15 minutes early and were informed....you guessed it...our gate was occupied (this is an epidemic with airlines lately. I should start tracking how often it occurs.) After 10-15 minutes, we pulled into our 'gate'. Which wasn't even a gate, but rather some piece of tarmac, onto which we descended from the stairs of the plane and walked into the terminal. We waited for that.
I'm beginning to wonder about airline logistical planning.
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