It all started a few weeks ago on Travelocity (The only way I differentiate between all those discount travel sites is by spokesperson, and I'm quite a fan of the Roaming Gnome) when I was looking to book a flight from Florida to Colorado for a much-needed four-day vacay. Most all of the options herded me to some random airport in between, subtracting a significant amount of time and enjoyability from my trip. But then I discovered a direct flight from FLL to DIA & back. It was roughly $240 roundtrip (only about $20 more than my other options) so to get the most out of my wallet & my weekend I went out on a limb and booked it.
They only had one desk at Ft. Lauderdale, but the wait wasn't long at all. It's a little annoying that they charge an extra $15 for each checked bag, but I know most of the other airlines are doing that these days. There isn't much schedule flexibility; I was on the single flight from FLL to DIA that day. I left a little after three, but since I gained two hours crossing time zones, landed in Denver a little before five (we were about 30 minutes early based on the original ETA).
The interior reminds me a lot of Jet Blue; big, comfy leather seats with lots of legroom. There are also mini LCD screens installed in the back of each seat for individual entertainment, but UNLIKE Jet Blue, you have to pay $6 to take advantage of it. That didn't really bother me since even though I was technically on vacation, I took my trusty pink notebook along to brainstorm ideas for a project I had been briefed on the day before. The staff and beverage service were typical; and you could enhance your snacking experience for a couple extra bucks. And I know this would probably happen with any airline, but I was a little disheartened to see my pretty pink Samsonite suitcase marred with black streaks and scratches when it came around the carousel. *Tear*
On the return flight back to Ft. Lauderdale today, I noticed a few more details. The brand's tagline is "A whole different animal" and according to their website,
"With the help of some advertising genius types...Each of our "spokesanimals" has a unique and entertaining personality. Today there are more than 50 different animal photographs prominently displayed on our tails."
Today, my flight's featured creature was "LJ the baby Lynx." Not only was he wrapped around the tail of the plane, but there was a picture of him at the entrance of the plane, and the flight attendant made special mention of him before her standard safety speech. I think it's an interesting differentiator from other airlines and makes me feel a little bit like I'm flying off to have some kind of wild adventure. Or possibly like I'm on an airline owned & operated by National Geographic.
Interestingly, I noticed that the average age of the other passengers (not to mention flight attendants) was pretty old. However, it was skewed by the screaming infant in the seat directly behind me. So we already have first class with their little curtain, so when are we going to get a child class complete with soundproof barrier? I was eventually able to block it out with the help of my iTunes. I slept for pretty much all of the flight back. It's weird to be unconscious for that long between two complete strangers.
It just occurred to me that this review would probably benefit more people if I posted it on Yelp...
1 comment:
remember who was the first person to tell you to blog in Hamburg....Me! congrats on your 300th post... follower and bloger Mack
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