Travel & Transportation: American & Alaska Airlines
Our family traveled via the Alaska Airlines for the first time on our recent family trip. Alaska Airlines had us fly via American Airlines to Portland, Oregon then on Alaska Airlines from Portland to Anchorage, Alaska. On our way back we flew from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with Anchorage Alaska to Seattle, Washington and American Airlines from Seattle to Charlotte, North Carolina.
The only complications we had was checking in with American Airlines in Charlotte at the beginning of our trip. The person checking us in at Charlotte was busy socializing with her co-workers and complaining about how she still had another hour of work before she could leave and she already had too many people and luggage go through her counter that day she needed a break. We weighed all our luggage at home and it was weighing under 50 pounds, however, their scales had them weighing at 50.1 pounds, 50.3 pounds, and 49.8 pounds. She checked the first one which was the lightest suitcase, threw it on the conveyor belt, it missed, fell off so someone else picked it up off the floor and put it on the conveyor belt. Then she weight the 50.1 and the 50.3 suitcases and refused to allow them past the counter until we took something out. Both were 50 pounds just a hair over .1 and .3 over. We had to lighten them by .1 and .3 which basically meant we took out a pair of socks and the other a pair of shorts and added them to carryons. It was annoying, but we should have made them a little bit lighter before leaving home just in case the scales were off. She could have had a better attitude and more pleasant as it appeared that she did not enjoy her job and we were just another inconvenience to her at the end of her shift. We travel fairly often with our kids and family so we encounter a wide variety of personalities. We have flown American Airlines many times over the year but have not encounter this type of attitude so maybe she was have a tough day, who knows…
The American Airline pilots, stewardesses, and other crew members were pleasant. After we got checked in with the person at the counter who had a bad attitude the rest of the trip was smooth and enjoyable.
We arrived in Portland, Oregon had a little bit of time before our next flight so grabbed a bite to eat and stretch our legs. Portland was a nice airport with plenty of options to eat and seating while we were waiting for our next flight to take off.
We arrived in Anchorage, Alaska in the middle of the night. Anchorage had a beautiful airport. It was not busy at that time of day. Even though most of the stores and restaurants were closed it was clean and the people we did encounter while in the airport were pleasant. We had to ask directions to find out which luggage claim terminal we need to be at and it took the luggage a little while to get out on the conveyor belt. Since it took more than 20 minutes to be delivered the Alaska Airlines offered everyone that asked vouchers for $25 off their next flight or Alaska Airline Rewards. I guess they have a policy that if it takes longer than 20 minutes to deliver your luggage they compensate the travelers with Rewards or money off which was really cool. We have never had an airline do that before and actually we thought they were fairly quick compared to some of the other flights we had been on even earlier this summer.
Alaska Airlines seemed to have a great group of employees, high quality service, and a loyal group of travelers. It appeared that they treated their reward members based on the interactions we had with other travelers on our trip. It was refreshing to see an airline take pride in their work and provide quality service to those choosing to travel with them.
Our flights home were pleasant, smooth, and enjoyable on the Alaska Airlines again. We were only in the air for 28 minutes from Vancouver to Seattle, but we rode on a type of plane the kids have never been on before so they were fascinated by the ride. It was the only flight that I can remember that allowed the passengers to board both the front and back of the plane simultaneously (you went in the front if you were in the front half of the plane and in the back if you were in the back half of the plane) which provided for a quick and easy boarding for everyone! The plane arrived at the gate in Vancouver a few minutes later than planned but they gave us a heads up in advance and they still had us loaded and we took off basically on time because they made of the delayed time by loading rather quickly which was really nice.
We would definitely fly Alaska Airlines again if we have another opportunity. It was a great experience and a wonderful first impression of the beautiful state of Alaska. Flying the Alaska Airlines was a great experience for our family. We have flown a variety of airlines both within the United States and internationally. We would highly recommend you check out Alaska Airlines if you ever have the opportunity to visit their beautiful area!!
Karlie’s Science Fair Project! More = Less!
More = Less!
Karlie did a fun Science Fair project this year for 5th grade! It was fun and a great learning experience for her. Her friends and classmates were fascinated by it. We are proud of her hard work!
The purpose of the experiment was to see if the changing the velocity movement through a pipe will cause the pressure to increase? Bernoulli’s Principle says that when a fluid is traveling in a horizontal direction, as the velocity increases the pressure will decrease and vice versa. The principle shows when the pressure is at it’s lowest, and is at it’s highest. Some of the things that use Bernoulli’s Principle are race cars, airplanes (Bernoulli’s Principle makes it possible to fly), and it helps a baseball player throw a curve ball. The fluids increase speed, when pushed through a narrower space, will cause internal pressure to decrease even though it is in a tighter space. The external pressure increase at slower speeds.
Karlie presenting her Science Fair Project! She did excellent!
Travel & Vacation: Look Out the Car Window (Charleston, SC)
Through the leaves in the blue sky and you’ll see a plane coming into Charleston
Whether you are flying into Charleston, SC or driving there is always plenty to see. Our family always sees something new or different every time we go to Charleston. There are a lot of learning and teaching opportunities if you just look out your car window while going down the roads. Sometimes we take the little stuff for granted. When the kids see something they will often ask about it.
I did not grow up near the ocean or port so I learned about more of these things later in life. The first time I saw the ocean was when I got engaged to my sweetheart. Yes, that’s what happens when you grow up in Kansas (the middle of the 48 states) and about as far away from the ocean as you can get.
Some really nice private boats are docked in one of the inlets nearby
We usually see this factory when driving to and from Charleston. You can tell when they are doing certain things because there will be a faint “wet paper” odor in the air. Usually that smell will be coming from KapStone Kraft Paper Corporation in North Charleston. It’s not a bad smell just unique which peaks the curiosity of the kids riding in the car with you.
The kids are always on the lookout for the cargo containers being moved around. If you time it just right you can see the huge crane picking up cargo containers and loading (or unloading) them from the ships. They think it is neat to watch.
One of the cargo ships coming as we cross over the bridge.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
