US Airways 605: PHX-YYC

This will probably be my last flight on US Airways. Ever. 

Not because US Airways sucks. Not because they;'re a US based carrier, but because they’re merging with US airways and I probably won’t be around to fly them again before the merger, which is seemingly taking forever to complete.

Tail N677AW will be taking me from PHX to YYC today. A 10-year-old A320-200 that started it’s career with the now defunct American West Airlines, transferred to the soon to be defunct US Airways and will eventually end up with American Airlines. Interestingly, upon entering the aircraft, I noticed a decal of the airlines that eventually formed to make US Airways - America West, Pacific Southwest, Piedmonts, and Allegheny.

N677AW was slightly late incoming from it’s previously flight so the pre-flight drink only consisted of water. I’m very pleased with the crew’s handling of the slightly late departure. The crew, very cognizant of the delay, was able to herd passengers on board in the quickly and efficient manner. 

After an efficient boarding process, a short taxi, and then takeoff, first drinks were served alongside warm nuts. Meal options for this flight were a chicken with white sauce and a ravioli dish. I asked for the chicken.

When the meal was served, I though to myself that of course it would come with rice! Although Look at that nice burned crust on top of the rice and see how the sauce browns around the edges? US Airways slash American aren’t winning any aesthetic points here. 

To my surprise, the rice wasn’t too dry or crunchy and actually did not stick the plate. The chicken itself was dry and the beans made were so overbuild that I definitely lost nutrients putting them into my body. 

Although the meal itself was lackluster, the service was stellar and my small breakfast and light lunch I had earlier in the day made it so I was still very hungry after the entree, so in a !!BLOG FIRST!!,  I ordered a second meal.

As I type aboard the flight after the 2nd meal, yes I feel fat. I feel too full, and there is a tinge of regret in my thought process, however, I chose the ravioli as a second meal and it really should have been my first choice. 

The ravioli, more specifically, the artichoke ravioli, was delicious. Nice and cheesy and mouse, with no dry bits. I thoroughly enjoyed every fat increasing bite. Not only did my 2nd meal really satiate my appetite but it also came with a pretzel bun. Yum, I love pretzel buns and not some white bread crap my first tray came with.

Finishing the meal off with a freshly baked cookie :)

A few more notes from the meal:

- The provided vinaigrette, although labeled Balsamic should really be ‘Balsamic’, When you list balsamic ingredient last before xanthan gum, then you’ve really killed the credibility of the dressing.No hints of balsamic were in the dressing. Sorry, but it was more of a sour vinegar ranch dressing. 

- When asking for my second meal, the FA hesitated and made it abundantly clear that one should not expect a second meal, but because J was not full, it would be okay as enough meals were loaded. 

Overall, apart from the bumpy flight, the service was excellent and I enjoyed the flight up to Calgary.

Ciao,  US airways.

US Airways 554: PHX-PVR

Mexico. Vacation. All inclusive. No work. 

Who cares about that? Let’s talk about the food on the flight down to PVR.

My journey began at SFO on an early morning flight in order to connect through PHX to the final destination of PVR. One thing that has struck me about US airways on this journey is their punctuality. Both my flights left and arrived early, unlike Air Canada which always seems to have some excuse for their late departure. Regardless, this journey has been a fresh breath of air in comparison. 

The SFO flight was unremarkable thus no post shall be made about the 1.5 hour journey to the PHX hub of US airways. I had a cup of tea and a few snacks from the snack basket, once again, unremarkable and unworthy of a post. 

On the contrary, the flight down to PVR has a meal service; “Lunch” as it’s listed in the itinerary. No written menu was provided - only a verbal “Spinach Tortellini, or Barbecue Chicken” was given from the stewardess to indicate today’s sustenance options. I chose the “Barbecue Chicken” with a note that the quotations will become clear as you read through the post. 

US Airways is currently in the process of being absorbed into American Airlines. As an elite member of American Airlines, I was able to snag a free upgrade at check-in time, and sitting at the front of the plane was definitely worth the 6 AM wakeup 24 hours prior to my flight. 

Onto the food. To start, I requested a scotch, and it was served alongside some nuts. Not warm nuts, just nuts. I realized how nice warm nuts are after the serving of these nuts which felt like they just came out of a refrigerator.

Soon after, the meal was served and this is where the quotations around barbecue chicken come in. There was no barbecuing in the preparation of this dish. There was no barbecue taste from the dish. There was no barbecue period in the context of this dish, and I’m utterly confused to it’s naming…

That being said, here are some shots. They’ve introduced American Airlines branding to the cutlery wrap as well as the salt and pepper sleeve which was a default meal provision - *cough* Cathay Pacific *cough*.

Frankly just looking at the dish, it’s more reminiscent of turkey and gravy. The gravy was tasty and the flesh of whatever poultry was adequate. 

The salad was fresh and had a nice mango/cucumber/red onion salsa as a topping. The dressing as nice as well, but that’s all I have to say about the dish. The salad was the highlight.

Rice dishes on planes will always receive comments from me about adventures in textures from soft, perfectly cooked grains, to the semi-stuck crunchy outliers in contact with the surface of the dish. 

Here’s to hoping my upgrade clears on my return (it probably won’t).

Postscript: The upgrade cleared!