I traveled to Denver once again for several days in August to help celebrate my grandson’s seventh birthday. Fortunately, I was again lucky enough to use British Airways Avios points to secure First Class seats on American Airlines for the outbound portion of this trip. So, I started my journey at the Raleigh-Durham Airport on a Monday morning mid-month. When traveling in the pointy end of the plane, I’m not sure why but, I always prefer to check in at the airport even though I routinely carry luggage with me to avoid waiting at baggage claim. There were two gentlemen ahead of me waiting for an agent at the Premium Counter. But, there was no one to check us in since four of them were busy assisting Main Cabin passengers. Our wait wasn’t too long though, and within minutes I’d received my boarding passes. This time I was pleased to see “TSA PreCheck” printed on those documents. That resulted in a quick and stress-free security procedure and before too long, I was in the American Airlines Admirals Club located on the third floor of Terminal 2 across from Gate C3.
My first flight to Charlotte was aboard a Boeing B737-800. There were sixteen seats in the front cabin in four rows, each with a 2x2 configuration. I was seated in 3E on the starboard side and was pleased to note the airplane was equipped with larger overhead bins, which could hold no less than five roller board suitcases placed wheels first on their sides.The First Class seat backs also featured tablet holders, which come in very handy when the tray tables are in use. Prior to departure, three different flight attendants attempted to close the bin above my seat as they walked through the aisle. It wouldn’t close and I was a bit anxious this would delay our departure. The problem was traced to a small duffel bag which had become wedged in the back and once removed, the bin closed easily. I only had about 50 minutes to make a connection in Charlotte, so an extended delay would have resulted in my not arriving in Denver until early evening . Luckily, this wasn’t the case, although Air Traffic Control did postpone our departure by twenty minutes due to flow restrictions into the Charlotte Airport. This quick 130-mile flight gave our flight attendant just enough time to conduct a beverage and snack service, but I was surprised to note the only snacks offered were raspberry fig bars. Luckily, I had a bite of breakfast in the club earlier.
We touched down at 11:45 and parked at Gate A12. I headed right over to Gate C17 for my Denver flight, which was boarding at 12:25. The Charlotte-Douglas Airport is the second-largest hub for American after Dallas Fort Worth, accounting for approximately 90 per cent of their flights. On the East Coast, Charlotte is the second largest airport (after New York’s JFK), serving more than 161 non-stop destinations worldwide with more than 700 daily aircraft movements. This large airport has five concourses spread out like fingers but, there’s no way to navigate between them except by walking to the central concourse from which they emanate. I was pleased to note the American app indicated it would only take me fourteen minutes to travel between the concourses and it also provided directions.
On arrival at my departure gate, I discovered there was a flight boarding for Phoenix at Gate C18 and another going to Orlando at C19, so there were several hundred fliers in one place at one time. Despite the chaos, boarding was finally completed on our Airbus A321 and I settled into Seat 3D, again on the starboard side. This airplane accommodated twenty persons in First Class in the same 2x2 configuration. No pre-departure beverage service was offered, but our flight attendant did make the rounds shortly after takeoff. Lunch was served on this leg and I had preselected the turkey sandwich on brioche. There are few words to describe how tasteless it was, but I was particularly baffled to note the lack of silver and linen. The food was served on a linen-covered tray, but with a cellophane packet containing plastic utensils wrapped in a cheap, thin paper napkin. What was that all about? It reminded me of flying TWA when the airline was in severe financial straights. Should we be worried now about American?
The flight arrived in Denver at 1:55 local time at Gate A48 and, thanks to the people mover (officially known as the Automated Guideway Transit System), I arrived at the Jeppesen Terminal in short order. This main terminal has six floors with levels 1 through 4 mostly consisting of parking facilities. Level 5 has some shops and restaurants, baggage claim, and the south and north security checkpoints. Level 6 is the upper road system for passenger drop-off, check-in facilities, a food court, and access to a pedestrian bridge over to Concourse A for those who don't wish to ride the people mover.
I wasn’t heading west into the Rocky Mountains towards their home in Dillon on this trip as we’d decided to rendezvous in downtown Denver for several days. In my opinion, the best way to get from the Denver Airport to downtown is via the A Line commuter train. To catch the train, I walked to the Transit Center, located on the ground level outside the Westin Hotel and accessed at the south end of the terminal. Like most public transit in the area, it's run by a regional agency known as RTD. The train runs 23 miles between the airport and Denver’s Union Station, taking only 37 minutes. There's a train departing every fifteen minutes during peak travel times and every half hour during off-hours. While tickets normally cost $10.50 and can be purchased at machines at each station or on the RTD app. I was happy to see that no fares were being collected during the month of August with posters on the train reading “Zero Fare for Better Air.” Who’s doesn't like a free ride?
It started raining when the train arrived into Union Station so it took about twenty minutes to connect with my Uber driver. We made it to the Hyatt Place Hotel next to the Colorado Convention Center without incident but I had to suffer through listening to his hip-hop music at full volume. (Why do some people think everyone enjoys the same music played so loudly?) This modern 21-story, high-rise hotel has 248 rooms, each featuring mountain or city views, a cozy corner with a pull-out sleeper sofa and a good bit of space in which to relax or get some work done. The location is perfect and within easy walking distance of downtown’s many attractions. This property also features a fitness center, an indoor pool (which my grandson really enjoyed), as well as free internet access and a lounge serving light fare, which is located off the main lobby area.
Before too long, I met up with our son, our daughter-in-law and our grandchildren and we had the next two days to enjoy each other’s company, have some fun and explore several of Denver’s great attractions. I’ll tell you all about my time in the “Mile High City” in a future post.
Until next time…safe travels.
Oh, the trials and tribulations of the tortured traveller - plastic cutlery and loud Hip-Hop, Good grief! Does your family understand what you went through to visit with them??? 😉