Hi and welcome to this second installment of my flight reports!
The routing for this trip was as follows:
1. CX806 HKG-ORD B777-300ER [http://flight-report.com/en/report-11725.html]
2. AA4319 ORD-MSP Embraer E-175 [You are here!]
3. AA3067 MSN-ORD Embraer E-145 [http://flight-report.com/en/report-11836.html]
4. AA2323 ORD-DCA B737-800 [http://flight-report.com/en/report-11913.html]
5. AA2239 DCA-ORD B737-800 [http://flight-report.com/en/report-12041.html]
6. CX807 ORD- HKG B777-300ER [http://flight-report.com/en/report-12515.html]
Background
Initially I planned to take Delta flight to Twin Cities as MSP is one of the Delta’s Hub. But later I changed my mind to American because:
a. as stated before American flights are eligible flight segments for renewing my Marco Polo Club membership
b. miles flown from American can be 100% credited to Cathay Asia Miles!
Flight Report
On the second day I woke up around 8am, packed my travel gear and then had breakfast in the hostel
After breakfast I had my hostel check out and met my friend in order to put my suitcase at his apartment (he just lives next to the hostel!). Then I took the CTA Blue Line to O’Hare
I arrived O’Hare at around 11am.
The check-in counters in Terminal 3, American Terminal.
I had already checked in through kiosk the day before and I only had my backpack and a small messenger bag with no check-in baggage. So I immediately proceeded to TSA checking.
The checking queue was very long with many Japanese because both American and Japan Airlines had flights to Narita at noon. In the queue I was even mistaken for a Japanese =P. Lucky it was very smooth and did not wait too long.
This was my first time to have TSA check and I was a little bit awkward for the procedure. But the TSA staff were very nice and guided me how to pass the full body scanner.
After checking I still had time, I refilled my bottle and walked around inside the terminal
And made some plane spotting. An American 737-8
It was very excited to see the Hong Kong SAR Flag in O’Hare!!!
What a beautiful sky! I like it :D (in Hong Kong you cannot see the blue sky always)
Arrived at the gate, still not ready
The plane which brought me to Minneapolis. It is a narrowbody jet
Passengers sat aside and waited
I also created my own flight meal
Around 11:40 boarding started. I was in group 2 and had to wait more time for boarding
Boarding
Walking through the cabin. It the meantime a baby in First Class kept crying loudly and his parent took a long time to appease him (until took off). Was he afraid of flying? :P
Economy class seats
I found my seat and quickly settled down. The seat pitch and legroom are adequate even I put all of my belongings under the seat. Later a businessman came in and sat next to me
View from the wing
Safety instruction card. This flight was operated by Republic Airlines
There were totally 2 FAs on the plane and they presented safety instructions during pushed back
Some airport spotting during taxiing.
Control Tower
United Concourse C
We finally took off! Far view of the Loop
Beverages service started when we passed Milwaukee WI. I chose water and started my “lunch”. The businessman ordered coffee and reviewed his documents.
We were now flying over the America's Dairyland!
About to land. Far view of Saint-Paul Downtown
We landed. Welcome to the Land of 10,000 Lakes!
Disembarking
We arrived at Terminal 1 Concourse E.
Passing through the Concourse.
It was interesting to see Japanese Signs in the airport everywhere
I took the people mover to the Metro station
Then I took the light rail to my first sightseeing spot: Fort Snelling
And this is the flight report.
Below are the tourist bonus of travelling in the Twin Cities. Enjoy!
Delta joined the Twin Cities Pride the day after the Constitution guaranteed a right to same-sex marriage!
Did I travel to Japan??? =P
The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory has been established for 100 Years!
Minneapolis is once the Flour Milling Capital of the World
You can find Peanuts everywhere in Twin Cities.
Minnesota State Capitol but under renovation
The Landmark Center in Saint Paul
St Anthony Falls and Stone Arch Bridge on Mississippi
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Thank you for reading this report!
It's interesting to see non-Americans' impressions of U.S. domestic flights--I would expect to see low grades from someone coming from Asia and probably used to a much higher level of service. So it's nice to see that you enjoyed the flight. E-jets are comfortable in general. I used to live in Minnesota for a several years and really liked it there. Minneapolis Pride was always a lot of fun. MSP Has a lot of signs in Japanese from when it was a Northwest Airlines hub before the merger with Delta. NWA had a big operation to Japan/Asia. Very nice photos! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your comment Kévin!
Maybe I just finished the 14.5-hour TPAC flight to Chicago the day before. So this 1-hour flight is too easy for me. =P
It seems that Delta now concentrates operations to Japan/Asia from other hubs i.e. LAX/JFK/DTW especially SEA. In MSP Delta only has flight to Tokyo.
Great report with great pictures. Thanks for sharing :)
Thank you for your support Whitelight44!
Thanks for sharing this FR with us!
This was my first time to have TSA check and I was a little bit awkward for the procedure.
- Welcome to the fun of traveling in the USA.
in Hong Kong you cannot see the blue sky always
- In Chicago, it's probably a treat to see a blue sky ;)
As Kevin mentioned, interesting to get your perspective on domestic US flights. You are very generous with your rating of O'Hare. Given the length of this flight, there probably wouldn't be too much difference in service standards from Asia (free drink). On longer domestic flights is where the disparity really starts to show. E-Jets are always a pleasure to fly on with good seat pitch and a 2-2 configuration.
Minneapolis is a city I've never been to before, so thank you for the bonus.
Thanks for your comment NGO85!
- Especially the process of passing TSA checkpoint :P
- Not only Chicago, I really enjoy seeing the blue sky in the USA :D
- Indeed before this trip I rarely have air travel. I only had 4 flights before and the last time I flew was 5 years ago. I already lost the memories about these flights. Moreover, compared with the long haul TPAC flights this time, all the domestic US flights I took didn’t last long i.e. more than one and a half hours, so overall I was satisfactory with them (except delay issue on one flight!). Maybe next time I would be able to experience the disparity when having the longer domestic flights.
- Minneapolis is a nice place and you are recommended to go there!