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After baking in the Valley of the Sun for a year, it was time for me to return home for a while to visit friends and relatives for a short period of time. This meant the 9000+ mile trip from Sky Harbor to Changi, via LAX. So after packing my bags, it was off to the 9th busiest airport in the USA for the 22+ hour sojourn.
PHX – LAX
HP 32: 737-300
Registration: N313AW (In US Air livery)
Seat 19A
Dep PHX: 1634
Arr LAX: 1751
Actual flight time: 0:55
I arrived about 2 hours early at Terminal 4 for the domestic flight leg of my trip (yes, typical kiasu-ism at work here!). I had a (pleasant) surprise in finding out that US Airways not only checked in my heavy luggage all the way back to Changi, but they were kind enough to print out my boarding pass for SQ 37 as well! And luckily I did not get the dreaded SSSSS on any of my boarding passes
. I did not expect that. However, one of my pieces of luggage was searched manually by the TSA folks at PHX after it had went through the x-ray machine. TSA clearance was a relative breeze, and before I knew it I was walking through the gate to the 733, which was about ¾ full for today’s flight. Before I boarded, I managed to fire off a shot of the 733 being serviced by the catering crew:
Usually I would take the A319 (HP308) that leaves at the same time for LAX. However, I opted to try the 733 this time round for a change. After all, variety is the spice of life, yes? After experiencing this flight, however, I realize that it would have been better if I had stuck to my original plan. While the seat itself was the usual bog-standard 31” pitch and 17.2” width, the problem was that there was no individual air conditioning outlet above each pax’s head (!!!). This, combined with the crew’s decision not to blast the air conditioning on the ground (fearful of overtaxing the APU, perhaps?) was not the best idea, especially when it was a mere 42 deg C outside. Anyway, here's a shot of the seatback in front of 19A:
After take off, I was treated to a nice view of the Gila River and the farmlands of Buckeye whilst the 733 was climbing to cruise altitude:
Unlike the A319, the 733 also does not have the overhead fold-down LCD display that at provides in-flight entertainment for the pax. Usually, it displays trivia or Brainiac questions that can help pass the time, and amuse the young’uns as well. In my case, the only entertainment I had was having two babes-in-arms in close proximity bawling their eyes out, especially in tune with the changes in altitude and pressure. While I can understand that parents are trying their best to keep the kids under control, it can be very, very taxing to one’s patience. My neighbour at 19C was visibly annoyed by the crying babes as he struggled to finish his sudoku puzzles; thankfully, I had my iPods on at more or less full blast.
Anyway, we flew westward above the Mojave Desert, flying slightly south of the I-10 and we had an uneventful landing at LAX slightly ahead of schedule. My luggage was checked all the way thru to SIN, so I exited from Terminal 1 into the cool 68 deg F weather. I had about three hours to kill before boarding the next sector of my flight home, so I skipped the shuttle and decided to take a slow stroll to the TBIT...
PHX – LAX
HP 32: 737-300
Registration: N313AW (In US Air livery)
Seat 19A
Dep PHX: 1634
Arr LAX: 1751
Actual flight time: 0:55
I arrived about 2 hours early at Terminal 4 for the domestic flight leg of my trip (yes, typical kiasu-ism at work here!). I had a (pleasant) surprise in finding out that US Airways not only checked in my heavy luggage all the way back to Changi, but they were kind enough to print out my boarding pass for SQ 37 as well! And luckily I did not get the dreaded SSSSS on any of my boarding passes
. I did not expect that. However, one of my pieces of luggage was searched manually by the TSA folks at PHX after it had went through the x-ray machine. TSA clearance was a relative breeze, and before I knew it I was walking through the gate to the 733, which was about ¾ full for today’s flight. Before I boarded, I managed to fire off a shot of the 733 being serviced by the catering crew: Usually I would take the A319 (HP308) that leaves at the same time for LAX. However, I opted to try the 733 this time round for a change. After all, variety is the spice of life, yes? After experiencing this flight, however, I realize that it would have been better if I had stuck to my original plan. While the seat itself was the usual bog-standard 31” pitch and 17.2” width, the problem was that there was no individual air conditioning outlet above each pax’s head (!!!). This, combined with the crew’s decision not to blast the air conditioning on the ground (fearful of overtaxing the APU, perhaps?) was not the best idea, especially when it was a mere 42 deg C outside. Anyway, here's a shot of the seatback in front of 19A:
After take off, I was treated to a nice view of the Gila River and the farmlands of Buckeye whilst the 733 was climbing to cruise altitude:
Unlike the A319, the 733 also does not have the overhead fold-down LCD display that at provides in-flight entertainment for the pax. Usually, it displays trivia or Brainiac questions that can help pass the time, and amuse the young’uns as well. In my case, the only entertainment I had was having two babes-in-arms in close proximity bawling their eyes out, especially in tune with the changes in altitude and pressure. While I can understand that parents are trying their best to keep the kids under control, it can be very, very taxing to one’s patience. My neighbour at 19C was visibly annoyed by the crying babes as he struggled to finish his sudoku puzzles; thankfully, I had my iPods on at more or less full blast.
Anyway, we flew westward above the Mojave Desert, flying slightly south of the I-10 and we had an uneventful landing at LAX slightly ahead of schedule. My luggage was checked all the way thru to SIN, so I exited from Terminal 1 into the cool 68 deg F weather. I had about three hours to kill before boarding the next sector of my flight home, so I skipped the shuttle and decided to take a slow stroll to the TBIT...
, but ever since coming back to PHX I have been inundated with work. Hopefully I can get something up for the weekend. 
Sometimes, you just can't win...
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