This past summer, I interned in Dayton, Ohio. The only nonstop flights from PHL to DAY are operated by American, which has a fortress hub in PHL. Since I was being reimbursed by my sponsor, I paid American the extortionate fare for one of its non-stops.
Flight Number: AA5113
Route: Philadelphia (PHL) – Dayton (DAY)
Departure Time: 13:05 Eastern
Arrival Time: 14:48 Eastern
Aircraft: CRJ-200
Class: Economy
Most, if not all, American Eagle flights (i.e. American’s regional flights) in PHL depart from Terminal F. This was my first time visiting this terminal in recent memory, and it looks significantly more modern than Terminal A (which hosts facilities for international flights) and Terminal D (home to United, Air Canada, Alaska, and Delta).
Although I have Global Entry, there was no PreCheck line at the Terminal F checkpoint, so I waited in the regular line. PreCheck members who use the regular TSA lines must remove their laptops, but they can keep their shoes on and use the metal detector. While this isn’t ideal, it’s better than nothing.
After clearing security, I arrived at the gate about 20 minutes prior to boarding. Uniformed police officers were standing nearby. This was highly unusual as the officers appeared to be from the Philadelphia Police Department, as opposed to the TSA.
Boarding began roughly 25 minutes prior to departure. As I quickly learned, this was overkill for a regional jet that could only hold 50 people. There were 2 or 3 elites who boarded in Groups 1-4, and nearly everyone else boarded in Groups 5 or 6. Boarding was complete way ahead of schedule.
A few years ago, I flew a CRJ-200 from Philadelphia to Indianapolis, but I was almost completely ignorant about aviation back then. This time, I felt nervous and excited for the brief trip.
Before the cabin door was closed, two police officers entered the cabin. After speaking with the flight attendant, they walked down the aisle. One officer asked me what seat I was occupying. I replied, and the two of them continued walking down the aisle. Then they spoke briefly with the flight attendant again and left the cabin, after which the flight attendant announced over the PA that the officers simply wanted to “make sure the right number of passengers were on board.” This was met with murmurs of skepticism in the cabin. Personally, I was very confused why the officer had chosen to only question me. The question itself was completely pointless, and I don’t think I would have received Global Entry if I were any kind of threat.
After the doors closed, a man and a woman, who were sitting in the two aisle seats in my row, moved themselves to exit row seats without the permission of the flight attendant. Interestingly, when the flight attendant did a cabin check, she seemed to tolerate the passengers’ self-upgrade.
A quick taxi brought us to a runway, where we waited in the takeoff queue behind two other American Eagle flights, and soon we were in the air. After the seatbelt sign was turned off, each passenger was offered Biscoff’s cookies and a beverage.
American CRJ-200s have neither WiFi nor in-flight entertainment systems, so everyone on the flight passed the time via other means. I cleared my iPhone a few days before the flight, so I spent most of my time peeking out the window at flyover country.
Soon enough, the pre-landing announcement was played on the PA (many announcements on the CRJ are pre-recorded, instead of being actually spoken by the flight attendant). Upon landing, we taxied to a gate in concourse A in minutes. I easily found my way to the baggage claim, and ordered an Uber from there.
On Your Way Now 