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Article overview It's the beginning of the air trip from Montreal to Lima for a family of 4, starting on the flight from YUL to ORD on an American Airlines B757. Originally published in November 1998. Re-edited in March 2000.	flight to lima, part 1 by Sergio Ortega remember what it was like to fly once again? ecember 27, 1994, Dorval International Airport (as it was called back then). We just got to the airport and are about to fly to Peru for a 2-week vacation after 5 years of life in Canada. I am happy about the idea of flying again... Well, let me warn you first that the whole trip was changed ENTIRELY. What we expected was not what happened. But anyway, the overall trip was pleasant. The eight suitcases Flight: American AAL565 Equipment: H/B752 Origin/Dest.: CYUL/KORD It all started as the van of one my father's friends picks up at our house in the suburbs of Montreal. The sun hasn't risen yet and it takes the arms of my father and my brother to load the EIGHT heavy suitcases into the van. There is barely enough room for the rest of us inside. At around 5:30AM, we are on our way. My mom wants us to get to the airport at 6:30AM, about an hour and thirty before our first flight, Delta Air Lines 215, non-stop from Montreal to Miami (now discontinued). Since the early nineties, there are no more DIRECT flights from Montreal to Lima, the capital of Peru. Canadian International Airlines used to fly a DC-10 service from Montreal to Toronto, then to Lima and continuing on to Santiago. But the Santiago leg has been left over, and then the Lima leg. Now, the only way to fly to Lima is on a whole day, stopping by at New York, Newark, Houston, Los Angeles or Miami. The latter is a good choice for the variety of flights to Lima. On the road, my mom suddenly tells me: "Oh dear! I forgot your lovely Kangaroo sweater. I wish we could turn around...". But we're at the point of no return now. We are already in the Montreal Island and there's only 10 minutes left to the airport. As we arrive to the terminal, near 6:15AM, still no daylight, and not much activity in the terminal. Itinerary changes My father's friend tells my mom to check at the counter if my sister could be on the same plane than us. She proceeds to the counter with our plane tickets. My parents and me booked our flight since late August and got our plane tickets in October, because my sister was thinking of staying here. But at the last minute, in early December, she booked herself, with another travel agent... and with another itinerary. She would fly instead the Montreal - Boston - Orlando - Miami leg, right before Lima. I sit down and I'm now in charge of keeping an eye on our hand luggage. Instead, I would love to go to that gift shop that has many airplane models from many airlines around the world. But my mom comes thirty minutes later and tells the family: "Okay, the ticket agent told us your sister cannot fly on Delta with us, so he suggested instead that we all fly American Airlines, via Chicago." That would delay our departure time for one hour. But it would have the advantage of keeping us busy once we arrive at Miami. Because, after landing on Delta at 11:15AM, we would have had to wait until 5PM to get busy with the other flight to Lima on Aeroperu. "Something special..."? So, one hour later, we're on our way and the baggage is all transfered on American Airlines flight 565, a Boeing 757 service from Montreal to Chicago, then continuing on to Los Angeles. The service was then operated on an MD-80, or as American calls them, the Super 80. We start getting on the line for the "Passengers only" area and the "U.S. Customs" near 8:30AM. All our hand luggage are X-rayed, and finally we get to the boarding lounges. 15 minutes later, after boarding the "Passengers travelling with young children and Seniors", it's our turn. We board and are greeted by a nice yet a little cold ticket agent from American Airlines and then... ...we board the narrow-body aircraft, which looked like a 767 to me from the restaurant but that sounds clearly as a 757. I sit on the aisle seat, my sister in the row in front of us, and my parents on the left side of me. After a little waiting on the "Four Seasons" of Vivaldi, near 9:30AM, the Boeing 757 takes off from Dorval airport as the sun has fully risen and the sky is semi-clear. No meal service My first thought was: "Will there be any food service"? Obviously I had no idea how long it took flying from Montreal to Chicago. A mere 2 hours. No time for the American Airlines flight attendants to use their carts and serve us a meal tray. Only enough time for a flight attendant to pass and serve a drink to each passenger. Nothing else. Too bad. Finally after one hour of waiting, the flight attendant finally comes and I ask for a glass of water. That's the only edible thing we get on that short flight. And by seeing the young couple sitting next to me taking out their bagels, I suddenly noticed that they knew something I didn't. There is no food service on a Montreal - Chicago flight! After seeing the LAVATORY OCCUPIED sign turn off, I feel like hopping in one of these tiny airplane bathrooms. It's been quite some time. The last time I went in one of these, it sounded huge to me... That's because I was a little 7-year-old kid. But when you're a 12-year-old kid and you've grown up, the lavatories aren't what they used to be. Ha! After leaving the lavatory, I hear the flight attendant announcing we're about to land at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Surprise surprise! My watch indicates 11:15AM and the flight attendant explains that local time at Chicago is 10:15... We're now on Central Standard Time. We approach and I am very excited to the idea of my first landing in such long time. The last time, I remember I had a terrible ear pain and I cried. But things change, you know. Bridge-taxiway As we descend and the engines start to be more and more quiet, I notice downtown Chicago and it looks very nice on this very sunny day. Barely no clouds above Chicago. Then, before I know it, it's touchdown. A few passengers (probably Quebecers!) applaud. It's a very normal landing, I suppose. Totally different from my previous flight when absolutely everybody applauded after landing... or was it because it was an emergency landing THEN? Anyway, there were two things that impressed me a lot when we landed. First, the huge amount of United Express aircraft as we were taxiing. I almost thought it was a United Express-only airport! But the most impressive thing (people of Chicago, Amsterdam, and other airports, you'll find this ridiculous!) is the Boeing 757 passing over a bridge-taxiway with the cars rolling underneath us. That impressed me a lot and I wasn't alone. Many passengers, mostly Quebecers, were impressed too and started looking at the windows with huge eyes and admirative remarks. The aircraft stops finally at what I think was Concourse K. My mother notices the huge terminal at Chicago O'Hare, nice and wide compared to Dorval at the time. We walk in the halls while my mom is filming us with our brand-new camcorder she and my dad bought especially for our trip to Peru. This is the beginning of a big adventure!
	This is part of a series of 5 articles on a trip from Montreal to Lima and back. Click on the numbers below for easy navigation.
	All B757 pictures: by Sergio Ortega, captured and modified from Microsoft Flight Simulator 98. © 1998-2008, airodyssey.net. All rights reserved. Disclaimer, trademarks, privacy policy.		1 2 3 4 5 Next >