OAJ (Jacksonville, NC), to CLT (Charlotte, NC), to JFK International Airport, (NY, NY) to the Sky
When we travel, I usually keep a handwritten travel
journal. This began when we received a
sweet journal on one of our cruises.
This journal has been beneficial when travelling to repeat places,
whether it be ourselves or others. We
can refer to the journals to remind us of the name of restaurants, travel
companions and places visited. Perhaps,
we want to recommend that restaurant or travel guide and can accurately relay
the information when we cannot remember specific details. With unique trips coming up in our future, we
decided to expand those journals to digital ones and share with you! You can now review our journal for recommendations,
or you can live vicariously through us as we “March Around the Globe”.
Our trip began from our local regional airport, Albert J
Ellis Airport, Onslow County, North Carolina -OAJ. We appreciate the proximity of OAJ to our
home along with the simplicity of flying from a regional. There are drawbacks. One drawback is that there are only two
airlines which fly from OAJ – American Airlines and Delta Airlines. This means that we either fly through
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) or Atlanta-Hartford International
Airport (ATL). When moving to
Jacksonville, NC, in 2016, we knew that it would be best to choose one airline
in order to maximize loyalty points, frequent flyer miles and the such. We chose American Airlines and for the most
part have been extremely happy.
The flight was leaving OAJ at 6:45am. Our wake-up time was 4am to leave the house
by 5am. We would check in at least one
hour in advance of the flight and allowing time to go through Security. TSA takes their job very seriously even
though it is a regional airport. Both of
us have experienced full pat-downs and our carry-on being reviewed during
various trips.
During check-in, we requested to be placed on stand-by for
an earlier flight from CLT to JFK. The
current flight would have us landing at JFK at 6:30pm with 8:45pm departure
from JFK to EZE (Buenos Aires, Argentina).
Plus, we would be spending 10 hours at CLT. We preferred to break up the layover time
between the 2 airports. The ticket agent
placed on stand-by for the 2pm flight to JFK and even let us know which gate it
was scheduled departure. Now we could
head to TSA to process for the OAJ to CLT flight.
This morning, we were excited to see that TSA had recently
installed new state of the art scanners for carry-ons. There were two and look akin to an MRI
scanner. No issues getting through
security plus we were able marvel at this new technology.
Our flight boarded on time however there was a delay in
taking off due to the weather. This did
not stress us because of the 10-hour layover.
Even if we were to make the earlier flight, there was still plenty of
time between the flights. The captain
was accurate, and we left 30 minutes after planned. There was turbulence due to the weather
however the flight crew handled it well, landing the plane safely at CLT. Other passengers were scrambling to make
connections though for once we could leisurely locate the Admiral’s Club Lounge
for American Airlines to relax for the morning.
Our ability to access the Lounge was due to our status with
American Airlines. Others can access
this lounge and a few of the other lounges by purchasing day passes. When you have a long layover, it is a
wonderful benefit with complimentary beverages and snacks along with free
Wi-Fi, lounge seating and some even have showers.
This morning, Avocado Toast was a specialty in the
Lounge. The Lounge was a nice base camp
for us. One of us would go for a walk
within the Airport to stretch our legs and exercise while the other would stay
with the carry-on items and work. We
were making the best use of Wi-Fi while it was accessible.
Close to the time that our stand-by flight was boarding, we
proceeded to that gate with high hopes of making the earlier flight. We had been watching our status in the
American Airlines app. We were numbers 1
and 2 on the Stand-By List. It was like
a lottery – hoping that your number would be called. There was a list of current passengers
waiting for upgrades. We knew that if a
passenger would be upgraded, their seat would open allowing us the possibility
of getting on the flight. Not only that,
it was possible that the person be upgraded would be moved from a nice seat
which also benefit us.
Watching the Stand-by list, one passenger who was lower on
the list received a check – they were given a seat before us. There were several American Airlines crews
who were on stand-by. It is important
for crew to get their appropriate location to work. Watching the app, it showed that Jerry was
assigned a seat, but Virginia had not.
Then our names were called – Yes!
We both received seats on the earlier flight and they were Exit Row
seats. This meant more legroom. We were not sitting next to each other, but
we were on the plane! Virg received a
window seat which she loves – being able to watch the terrain change along with
taking pictures. We were so excited
about getting on the flight that we did not think about our luggage. That should not have been our concern –
airlines staff should have that under control.
Or so we thought.
Our flighted land at JFK at 3pm. There was turbulence again due to the weather
though the flight crew handled it with ease.
Our afternoon was spent in one of the Admiral’s Club Lounges where we
enjoyed the Wi-Fi, snacks, and lounge furniture.
Our daughter, Melanie, was flying from Columbus, Ohio, to
JFK and would be on the same flight to Buenos Aires with us. Her flight arrived without issue at
4:30pm. Excited to be traveling with
both of our daughters. Jenna would be
meeting us in BA. Growing up, we were
intentional with providing them with learning opportunities through
travel. Early vacations would be
centered around trips to and with family in Florida, Hilton Head Island, then
we slowly expanded into cruises with them.
Our first international flight out of the States and the Caribbean was a
London/Paris trip in 2013 to celebrate their graduations from college and high
school. Let’s just say that they have
wander lust like their parents and are always ready for an adventure.
The rest of our time spent at JFK was in the lounge and
having dinner. During this time, we
realized that our luggage had not been on our early flight to JFK – it was
still sitting in CLT. We were not
concerned because there was still our original flight coming to JFK. Our luggage would be on that flight and still
make the connection at JFK. Ideally,
that is what should have happened. That
is what would have happened if the flight from CLT to JFK was not delayed and
would be arriving after our flight was scheduled to leave. We brought this to the attention of American
Airlines Customer Service who told us that there was nothing that they could
do. We would have to work with AA
Customer Service in BA.
The flight from JFK to EZE was 9 hours which stretched to 10
due to turbulent weather. Our seats were
a bit more spacious than some Economy however not much. There was an empty seat in our row which
allowed additional space but not much.
It was difficult to sleep even though the flight left at 8:45pm which
was close to our normal bedtime. We each
slept the best that we could under the circumstances.
For those who may use a CPAP, Jerry uses one and was able to
plug it in while sleeping on the plane.
There were difficulties with the device staying plugged in. Every time the passenger ahead of us moved,
the CPAP would unplug. The device was
also very bulky. Needless to say, Jerry
will be looking into a portable unit before our next trip.
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