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You are here: Articles > Flight stories > Flight to Lima #5
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Article overview Since AeroPeru flight 1602 landed late at Miami, the family missed the connection to Montreal. But not to worry: they stayed at Miami until the next morning, food and hotel rooms paid by the airline. Originally published in March 1999. Re-edited in March 2000. |
 fter landing on AeroPeru flight PL1602, we immediately proceed to the United States customs, and on our way to the baggage caroussels, since AeroPeru doesn't make the baggage transfer. This is the beginning of good luck and bad luck at the same time, you'll see why.
 Waiting by the carousselMiami International Airport, 5:10PM, Eastern Standard Time. The caroussels at Miami are quite a mess. Loads of people, loads of flights all arriving at the same time, and one caroussel per five or six flights. We could only see baggage from other flights, from diverse airlines like Martinair, Virgin, TWA, Lufthansa, American, etc. 15 minutes... No signs of our luggage. 30 minutes, still nothing. My mom gets worried. If it goes on like this, we'll miss our flight leaving for Boston, connecting with Montreal, which leaves at around 6:30PM. 
45 minutes. We're getting desperate. I ask a security agent nearby about the luggage. His immediate answer, which I heard him say to many people before me: "Check on the floor! Check on the floor!". In other words: check if someone else picked up your luggage by mistake. After a quick check, no signs of luggage. 55 minutes, 45 seconds and 2/3 (just kidding!)... Finally! Our first big suitcase emerges from the ceiling sliding trap and falls on the caroussel. Right after that one, the other one, and so on... until our 5 suitcases are there. It's almost 6:10PM. Our flight leaves in 20 minutes. Eeeeek!!!
"Run, run, run..."We immediately run with our cart to the nearest exit. A skycap passes by and notices we're in a hurry. And there is a big distance between Concourse B and Concourse H, on the other side of the airport. He proposes we pass by the parking lot to the Delta Air Lines counter, so we do. After many quick footsteps, we find ourselves at Concourse H. The skycap, who proudly says his work is done, is asking for his tip. "Sorry, Ma'am, this is my job. 20 dollars should do it.", he says to my stoic mom. A quick 20-dollar bill solves the problem. But still, 20 dollars??!?. After more running, we find ourselves at an empty Delta Air Lines counter, and the board saying the Boston flight is delayed of 45 minutes. But the ticket agent says all passengers are already on board and the flight is full... Oh. Great. The Chateaubleau HotelThe one to blame is AeroPeru. The plane landed late, the baggage got to the caroussels late. We're not the only ones. Many other passengers were continuing on to Montreal as well. So, AeroPeru takes an important decision: it will assume all expenses for the passengers stuck in Miami, i.e. hotel room and food. At first we are furious against AeroPeru, but then we realize staying one night at Miami is not so bad.
Now, back to the hotel, the ChateauBleau Hotel  near Miami. A bus shuttle, which took 30 minutes to get to the airport, brought us there. The hotel was very nice. We're in January 1995 and the electronic key system is not yet installed in all the hotels. The ChateauBleau is one of them. After getting in our rooms, we have dinner at the Hotel's restaurant: Italian food! (Since our visit, the restaurant changed name from simply "Italian Restaurant" to "Mylos") For the first time in my life, I try the decadent fettucine a la fiorentina, or fettucine with spinach. In Italian cuisine, the foods a la fiorentina ("from Florence") are with spinach.
Back to Miami InternationalAfter a good night of sleep, which we all needed badly, we take the shuttle back to the airport, very early this time, and quickly get our boarding passes for Delta Air Lines, flight 214, non-stop from Miami to Montreal. Delta Air Lines discontinued this service later in 1995. As we are about to leave, I ask the ticket agent what aircraft we'll be on, in Spanish. She replies: "El Boeing 727". 
As my mom and my sister go shopping for gifts and souvenirs, I ask my father if he can buy me a model "snap" plane. We go to a little shop nearby and he buys me two aircraft, which I still have today. One of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-200, and another of a Canadian Airlines 747-400. Later that day, it's boarding time. We meet my mom (who has the tickets) and my sister and, around 10:45PM we proceed to Concourse H to gate H19. Wow, what a long concourse, with many gates. I remember there was something of gate H1a to gate H1n... Weird!... As we walk, we see many Delta Air Lines aircraft, as well as a TWA L-1011. There! Gate H19.
"Click-click"As I get inside the aircraft, I notice that the cockpit door is open and the Captain is talking with the First Officer. I get closer and the Captain immediately notices me. My sister follows me and I ask the Captain if I can have my picture taken in the cockpit. At first I was thinking he'd only let me stand up near the instruments, but instead, he allows me to sit down in the left seat, hold my hands to the stick and SMILE! As I quickly talk with the Captain, my sister chats with the First Officer. She says she's from Peru, and the F/O says he has been to Cuzco and he liked it... But, as the passengers get to the aircraft slower than usual, we immediately leave, but not without thanking the very kind flight crew we'd have today. As I walk by the asile, I see my boarding pass and notice I'm seat 14C, the aisle seat on the first row of the economy section. And worst: I notice that there is no folding tray... apparently! Knowing there will be food service (quite ridiculous, you'll see later), I ask my father if I can have his seat which is a window seat a little more to the back of the aircraft. He agrees and I go sit down in an "F" seat, I don't remember the row number. We all sit down and patiently wait for departure. I remember I was sitting next to a couple of Quebecers, as they spoke French with this special accent from Quebec. Shadow
At 11:15, the aircraft takes-off, after letting its passengers see an American Eagle ATR-42, and a Continental MD-80 land. It is a very sunny day and the shadow of the aircraft is visible at my right almost for the entire ascent. Immediately after lift-up, I see a couple of 727s bearing... the BRANIFF INTERNATIONAL FLYING COLORS?!! Yes, one was green I think, and the other purple. Since I saw these two planes parked near the hangars immediately at my right, I suppose now I was leaving from runway 9L. As I was saying, for the entire ascent, I see the shadow of the 727. Even as the trees, houses, cars get smaller and smaller, the shadow doesn't change size. This is the first and last time I ever saw such thing. Beautiful!
About 30 to 45 minutes later, the flight attendants pass around the cabin for food service. Instead of the usual trays, the flight attendants pass some rectangular boxes. Later, when the smiling flight attendant and her kart get to my row, I see the meager meal we have: a small sandwich with a thin slice of meat, a bag of frozen carrots, a bag of Fritos and a cookie. It's more of a SNACK actually. I still can't believe that the timetable of Delta Air Lines said it was a DINNER. Warm weather
Later, later and much later, I spend my time watching the clouds as we cross them from time to time. There is no radio, no television screen, only the SKY Magazine to entertain me... and perhaps my Game Boy, but the batteries are almost dead. Soon enough, the Captain announces we start our descent into Montreal. And, surprise, temperature is 10°C. Right after that announcement, I hear almost all passengers talking at the same time, as if they were all surprised and happy. I talk for a while with the couple of Quebecers next to me and ask if I heard that right, if the temperature was really 10°C. The husband acknowledges and says it could be possible. I look outside and find nothing but a white ground (snow) with a few lines. We're most likely flying somewhere over the Canada-USA border.
We start our descent on low visibility. Announcements are made in English and French to fasten our seat belts and return our seats and tray tables to their original upright position. I remember the announcements in French were made by a feminine voice with an European accent. And it sounded more like a pre-recorded message. I look outside one last time and see we on very final approach and flying over the highways by Dorval Airport (now known as Trudeau Airport). I almost see the cars and their drivers, as well as the green signs directing to the airport. We touch the ground, and I feel we are almost undershooting the runway. Quite bumpy. Home, sweet, home!
A few passengers applaud, and we are asked to remain in our seats, plus "the runway is icy, please be patient". A few minutes later, we're at the gate. The NO SMOKING and FASTEN SEAT BELTS sign turn off immediately, but the LIFE VEST UNDER YOUR SEAT remains on. The little music starts to play, the kind of instrumental music you hear in the shopping centers. As we leave the aircraft, we proceed to the Canadian customs and on to the baggage caroussels. This time it is MUCH quicker than on AeroPeru. I remember I was with the ticket agent's son, who is a little younger than me, and as we watched the suitcases fall on the carroussel, we both said "Ouch!" at the same time, every time! Except that when it's our suitcases, instead, we say "Hey!".
Once we're ready with our 5 suitcases and hand luggage, we walk out and are greeted by my other sister, her boyfriend (later, her husband) and many friends. I realized that it was best to arrive NOW than YESTERDAY late at night and find ourselves lonely at the airport. I was happy to see a good friend of mine was there as well, and I talked to him quickly about the exciting trip I had in Peru. We drove back home in the South Shore, and I remember that he quickly left the car first, opened the main door for me and said "Welcome back home, pal!" | ||||||
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This concludes the "Flight to Lima"... or "Vuelo hacia Lima" (in Spanish), if you prefer. Thank you for your attention!
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Baggage with tag: from Stralfors, modified by Sergio Ortega. All B727 pictures: by Sergio Ortega, captured and modified from Microsoft Flight Simulator 98. © 1998-2008, airodyssey.net. All rights reserved. Disclaimer, trademarks, privacy policy. |
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