Welcome to this long, 18 flight series of US domestic mileage runs that I took in October 2020. After COVID-19, the demand for premium travel within the USA has decreased for short distances so on some occasions Domestic First tickets in the USA could be really cheap if you book in advance. American Airlines had a deal of DCA-RDU r/t for $227 which would have given me 240 British Airways Executive Club Tier Points so I decided to take 3 of these runs to achieve Gold status in British Airways Executive Club.
Although I am a Qatar Airways Privilege Club Platinum member at the moment, unless things change, I am pretty sure that I would lose it in mid-2022 so I have started working on a back-up plan as oneworld Emerald status is a really valuable status for a frequent traveler.
The thirteenth report of this series would be the start of the third and last part of the series. On that day, my journey was going to start with the American Eagle E-175 from Washington DCA to Philadelphia onboard a flight operated by Republic Airlines. As I arrived at the airport a bit late, I wasn't able to visit the Admirals Club at DCA.
I have arrived at the airport about 45-50 minutes before our scheduled departure time and here are the FIDS.
This time, security was a bit crowded and the priority lane was closed so there was a 2-3 minute wait for security. At security, everyone was for a reason I don't know why, they asked us not to remove our shoes and the metal detector was used rather than the body scanner so the process was a bit efficient than normal.
As boarding was going to start in 10-15 minutes after I cleared security, I didn't find it worth to visit the Admirals Club in DCA.
Terminal C was a bit crowded but it wasn't crowded like pre-COVID mornings.
Most of the merchants at the terminal were already open
However, some were closed.
GATE AREA & BOARDING
Before boarding the gate agent was checking volunteers for gate checking carry-ons. Shortly later, 25 minutes before scheduled departure time, boarding had started with the respect of group numbers at gate 44C.
AA 4404 WASHINGTON REAGAN AIRPORT TO PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT
After being welcomed by the crew and being handed a sanitizing wipe, I went my seat 4F.
The legroom is pretty generous on these regional jets.
The hand sanitizing wipe that was provided
Our neighbor was this AA A319
The overhead panel
Seatback pocket content
The Washington Monument from our parking position
When boarding was completed, the aircraft doors were closed and we started our push-back.
Some AA aircraft at Terminal B/C.
Some more of them
JetBlue A320 at Terminal B/C
Delta and Alaska aircraft
UnitedExpress aircraft at Terminal B
Terminal A was empty when we passed by
And after our taxi, it was time to take off towards the north.
Which meant that I would take magnificent photos of Washington DC starting with the Wharf area
Washington Monument & The White House
Foggy Bottom area
Northern suburbs
And we're at our cruising altitude
A last shot of Washington, DC and DCA airport
Wi-Fi and mobile entertainment was available on today's flight.
Philadelphia seemed very cold at that time, although I wasn't going to leave the terminal
Wi-Fi options for this flight
Movies & TV shows menu
Over New Jersey
Downtown Philadelphia
The stadiums of Philadelphia
The port
And the airport
The terminal
Some more of the terminal
And we've landed ahead of schedule
Cargo aircraft at remote stands
Grounded AA 321's.
Some more cargo aircraft at the other side of the runway
The terminal which was filled with AA aircraft
American aircraft at Terminal A-East
American 787-8 had arrived the previous day from Frankfurt as a cargo-only flight
The terminal building
We were going to park at gate A17.
And our neighbor was going to be this A321
PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT
After saying goodbye to the crew, I have left the aircraft and took this fuselage shot.
And a shot of N408YX from PHL Terminal A-West
And as I had time, I decided to head to the American Airlines Admirals Club at the airport until my next flight boards.
The journey would continue in the next report. Thanks for reading and hope to see you in another report.
See more
Verdict
American Eagle
7.4/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering5.0
Washington - DCA
8.4/10
Efficiency8.5
Access9.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0
Philadelphia - PHL
8.2/10
Efficiency8.5
Access8.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness8.0
Conclusion
A brief conclusion would be available at the 18th ( last ) report of this series.
2 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Flight-Report is a free website hosting more than 500 000 pictures and 17 000 reviews, without ads, this website can't exist. We understand that ads can be annoying, this is why we only display a maximum of 2 non-invasive ads per page.
To continue using Flight-Report, we invite you to add Flight-Report to your blocker's "white list".
0 Comments
Login to post a comment.