Traveling Engineer

After the business trip to Portland, I wanted to come home early and spend more time with kids. So, I started looking at options and saw Alaska Airlines flight from PDX to ORD.

I took this flight because of my needs, but it was not an easy flight.

Don’t get me wrong, Alaska flight attendants are fantastic. The flight was just too short.

• Departure: Sep 4 10:55 PM Pacific Time
• Arrival: Sep 5 5:00 AM Central Time
• Actual Flight Time: 3 hours 20 minutes (As per the flight deck)

One thing I always do before the Red-Eye is a shower. Since I have YMCA membership, I just found nearby YMCA and took a shower, changed the clothes. YMCA offers a nationwide membership.

https://champaignfamilyymca.org/nationwide-membership

There can be differences in size, type of gym, available fitness equipment, but they all do have a locker. Just bring your own soap, shampoo, personal hygiene stuffs, and you are good.

This is more of additional perk. But if you have an elite status with any airlines you fly, it can be helpful.

Thanks to my American Airlines’ status (Only Platinum but helped me this time to get the upgrade.) and One World Alliance, I was able to get a seat in First Class in Alaska Airlines flight. It literally got confirmed like 3 hours before the departure. Obviously, a larger seat, more space,, it was so nice to recline and rest a little bit better.

Anyway, I just started sleeping as soon as I sit because 10:30 pm Pacific is 12:30 am Central. And I knew I would have to wake up at 5 am when it landed or even before the landing. 3 hours 20 minutes flight turned into 3 hours sleeping time because flight attendants turn on all the light to prepare the cabin for landing, roughly 20 minutes prior to the arrival.

I would say, Red-Eye flight from PDX to either Charlotte or Atlanta is definitely worth it and you can rest more, almost 5 hours. But a flight from PDX to ORD is a bit brutal to all passengers because the flight is just too short. (ONLY 3 hours and 20 minutes)

Before you get on any Red-Eye,,,

• Take a shower and change your clothes (if possible.)
• Bring a blanket
• Changed to a sandal or something comfortable
• Brush your teeth before boarding
• Don’t drink too much water

By completing those five above, you can definitely rest better and more than other “unprepared passengers”.

This time, I would like to review the information about Chicago O’hare airport that I use very frequently.

Chicago has two large airports. One is O’hare airport and the other one is Midway airport. O’hare airport is larger than Midway in terms of available flights, operating airlines, and available non-stop destinations both domestic and international.

Here are some cool things about O’hare airport.

• Chicago O’hare Airport
  • Named after Edward O’hare, World War II Medal of Honor recipient and Chicago native.
  • 10000 O’Hare Ave, Chicago, IL 60666
  • The only dual-hub airport in the country.
    • United Airlines and American Airlines.
• IATA code: ORD
• Traffic
  • Second busiest airport for aircraft movements following Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport.
  • 8th busiest airport for passengers.
    • More than 80 million passengers.
• Security Check
  • TSA Pre and General Check
  • No CLEAR at Terminal 3.
• Total gates: 201
  • American Airlines: 71 (Terminal 3)
  • United Airlines: 90 (Terminal 1 and 2)
• Runways: Eight (8)

Now, what is American Airlines’ share at O’hare airport?‘

• American’s 4th largest hub airport.
• Operates 30% of O’hare passenger traffic

Terminal 3 is where the movie, Home Alone was filmed. We may remember the iconic scene that Kevin family all trying to rush to the gate to catch flights.. That was terminal 3.

• Lounge: Two Admirals Club
• Food: McDonald’s, Subway, Mexican food, Italian Food, Starbucks, etc. (It is just typical airport food. Expensive, Salty, Greasy, etc.)
• One World partners also depart at terminal 3 but arrive at terminal 5.
  • British Airways
  • Aer Lingus (It is not One World partner anymore, but they still use Terminal 3 for departure.)
  • Japan Airlines
  • Iberia Airlines (Spain)

Many passengers will park their cars at one of Economy Parking Lots (G, H) which charge $16 per night or Parking Lot F which is $30/night but you don’t have to get shuttle buses to go to Multi-Modal Facility where Shuttle Train depart and arrive.

Or you can park in the short-term parking which charges $42 per night and save a lot of time. But it is too expensive.

O’hare airport is a good airport as long as you don’t transit to another flight. If you are transferring at O’hare, please make sure you have at least 1 hour and 30 minutes between arrival and next flight departure. So, you don’t sprint to your next gate with your carry-ons.

This is a little bit off topic, but if you are flying back from overseas to O’hare directly, then you will arrive at Terminal 5 as this is the only terminal with Immigration Service Capabilities. And they do NOT separate US Citizens and Non US Citizens. Everyone stands in the same line and wait for your turn to pass the immigration.

That being said, get Global Entry when you are coming back from overseas to Chicago. It will save you A LOT OF TIME.

Flying to Charlotte from O’hare is always easy since there are so many flights a day available. As of today, there are 6 non-stop flights a day available from ORD to CLT. The earliest flight departs at 6:03 AM and the last flight departs at 8:34 PM.

Charlotte Douglas airport

• American Airlines’ second largest hub located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The largest hub is Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW).
• American operates approximately 90% of departures at CLT.
• Nonstop air service: 188 destinations around the globe
• Passenger counts reached a record-breaking 58,811,725 in 2024, while aircraft arrivals and departures rose to 596,583.

And there is a project in progress to build another parallel runways to expand the capacity, investing $1 bn and to complete in 2027.

Now, from a passenger perspective, transit is a nightmare if you have a short connection, less than 1 hour.

When I travel through CLT, it is to go to a regional airport that O’hare doesn’t provide a direct flight. American Eagle flights often depart from Terminal E while American Airlines flights arrive at Terminal A, B, C, or D. Because American Eagles typically fly smaller airplanes like CRJ 700, CRJ 900 or E-170/175 that can carry around 80 passengers. But American Airlines operate larger aircrafts like B737, B777, A320/321, B787, etc. In Charlotte, regional airplanes go to Terminal E and larger aircrafts go to remaining terminals.

The worst case is that I have arrive at Terminal B but the next flight departs from Terminal E and I have a short connection. 1 hour may sound adequate but it is not, because of,,

• Landing on time. (Maybe)
• Taxing to the arrival gate: 20 minutes
• Deplaning: 5 – 20 minutes (Depending on your seats and next flight already started boarding by now. Regional jets start boarding 30 minutes prior to the departure.)
• Sprinting to the next gate: 10 minutes
• Next flight is about to complete the boarding or already closed the gate. (So, practice running every day!!)

So, you need to run like Kevin’s family from Home Alone. From Terminal B to Terminal E, that is a solid 10 minutes run. If you have a carry-on, it would be even more challenging.

And there is no sky-train or shuttle bus, whatsoever. There are moving walks but that is all.

In my opinion, all American Airlines hubs are horrible for transit. Starting with O’hare, Dallas, Charlotte, Washington Reagan (DCA) all seemed that they didn’t care about transfer passengers nor foot traffic. On top of that, American Airlines’ lack of capabilities in on-time departure and on-time arrival does not make the travel better or easier. So, the answer is “Do not try short connections when you fly American.”

Advantage of this airport is that there are lots of options in destinations and schedules. And food is decent compared to O’hare terminal 3.

I like Shake Shack and American Express Centurion Lounge. The lounge is always busy and crowded but big enough with good food, it pays off very quick in my opinion. Relax before the flight and enjoy.

Since there are more flight options and flexibilities, I always drive to O’hare from Central Illinois. This time it is just a short, 2 days trip to Atlanta where the company headquarter is located.

Often, flights from O’hare depart on time but this time, I was caught by storm, and lightning. We completed the boarding and pushed back, however, failed to beat the storm. So, 4:30 PM departure turned in to 6:20 PM departure.

This is after we took off during the small departure window.

In downtown, Atlanta, there are many hotels. Depending on which brands you like, either Hilton or Marriott, you can choose good hotels.

For me, I typically stay with Westin in downtown, because of few things.

• Service is always good.
• Late checkout (4 pm) is helpful.
• MARTA is close.
• Gym is great.
• Bedding is awesome.

This is always my go-to place.

And outside, if you want to walk around, there are few things such as a museum of Coca Cola, Children’s museum, Centennial Park.

Only downside is that there are so many homeless people. They are not aggressive typically but once in a while, you run into someone with short tempers.

Once sun is up and shiny, I don’t have to worry about running outside but I wouldn’t run if it is dark.

This week I am in Oregon to visit few sites and take care of prioritized activities.

In Summer, American Airlines fly directly from Chicago to Portland so I took the chance. Non-stop is always the best if not, 1 stop is acceptable. But when you can reduce the stop and travel time, I always take that.

AA 2545 (ORD – PDX)

• Departs: 11:57 AM

• Arrives: 2:12 PM
• Airbus 321

During the flight, I wish I can enjoy movies and other entertainment but that is just a dream.

My reality is, connecting to WIFI (of course, I have to pay using a corporate credit card.) then taking care of emails and other things I have to do.

After 4 hours of flight time, the plane arrived at gate C19, and I picked up my luggage, now, I am ready to pass out.

3 pm Pacific Time = 5 pm Central Time

Since I had to wake up early to drive to Chicago which usually takes 2 hours and 30 mins, and traveling / flight, I am exhausted.

Luckily, I have a favorite hotel right near PDX airport which is Embassy Suite Portland Airport. It is literally within 5 mins of driving from the airport.

Embassy Suite always has water flowing inside the hotel. I think that is a concept of the lobby. When the water is well maintained, it is a good place to spend some time but when the water smells, nah.

The reason I like this hotel is

• Staffs are always nice and friendly.
• Breakfast is good.
  • They make really good omelets.
  • Variety of food is amazing.
• Gym is nice and well maintained.
  • Treadmill
  • Cycle
  • Weights
  • Dumbbells

I forgot to take pictures of the room but it has a small sink, microwave, and refrigerator. Of course, you have a full bathroom and a separate living room which is very spacious.

Every time I come to Portland, this is definitely a go-to place because of all the good stuff I mentioned above.

I will continue the article in Part 2, since I need to start driving to get to a site.

If you are flying once in a while and mostly for vacation, airport is such an exciting place to go through. And every single moment will be fun and memorable.

But if you are flying almost every week like me, then, you may agree with me that the airport is not the best place to stay long and have food.

Food is just very expensive and sucks. And there are so many passengers which just drains my energy.

Some people say,

Just go to the airport early and enjoy!

But that is really hard to achieve. because it is so expensive and sucks!!

My current job has limits in each meal.

• Breakfast: Max. $25.0
• Lunch: Max $25.0
• Dinner: Max. $50.0

At airports, with this money, you cannot have a seat and enjoy nice meal. So, I just get fast food like Starbucks, McDonald’s, Chick-fil-a, whatever is available.

If you need to get something quick during your short connection which is under 1 hour, then fast food is the answer. I am just very sad, that I know every single menu of these three brands because I have been eating from these brands so often.

And the fact that I cannot get away from the fast food makes me sad and gloomy. Maybe, it is time to consider Admiral Club membership, because for Chicago departure flights, at least I would be able to enjoy healthy food options.

But we will see.

Flying is very fun experience for everyone. Especially, for younger ones, it is unforgettable and exciting.

Kids cannot go to sleep starting few days before the departure and wake up very early that day getting on an airplane. Now, not to disappoint your little ones, you cannot miss the airplane. If you miss the airplane, your wife, and kids will look at you so mad and the rest of vacation is not going to well.

If you are traveling very frequently for business, then you already know these tactics and I understand that you don’t want to stay at the airport too long. Food is expensive, and the airport just drains your energy.

Now, how early do I have to be at the airport? Obviously, I don’t want to be there too late and miss the flight, but how early is enough??

It all depends on several factors, but I personally think, whether you have TSA PreCheck or not affects the most.

If you have TSA PreCheck

• For domestic flights,
  • Except Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, if you arrive at the airport 1 hour prior to boarding, you are safe.
    • At Atlanta airport, even TSA PreCheck or Clear takes 20 – 30 mins easy to pass the security check. So, you need to there at least 2 hours prior to boarding if you fly out of Atlanta.
    • Even large airports like Chicago O’hare, Dallas Fort-Worth, 1 hour before the boarding is adequate for check-in and security checks.
  • Check-in is typically closed 45 minutes before the departure.
• For international flights,
  • Assuming you are flying to a country that you don’t need a visa, 2 hours before boarding will be more than adequate. (Again, except Atlanta)
  • Agents at the counter will make sure you are safe to fly to that country. (In case you are on a blacklist or something.)
  • Check-in is typically closed 1 hour before the departure.

If you don’t have TSA PreCheck

For domestic flights, you will have to be at least 2 hours before the boarding to be safe.

And for international flights, arrive 3 hours prior to the boarding will be a safe bet.

Why is TSA PreCheck so important?

It is because TSA PreCheck flyers do not have to take off shoes, belt, and take out electronics out of belongings which streamline the security process and make everything faster.

And instead of a full body scanner like below, PreCheck flyers go through a metal detector.

Metal detector uses electromagnetic field. If any metal passes the field, then this electromagnetic field is disrupted and the machine rings.

Summarizing today’s post,

Arrive early enough and get TSA PreCheck.

Based on your location, and destination, you may experience minimum 1 hour to 10+ hours difference. If you are traveling domestic only, especially mainland, mostly likely you will experience 3 hours difference maximum.

3 hours difference doesn’t sound that bad, but it can make life hard enough.

Going from East to West

It is not bad at all. You will just wake up 3 hours early than Pacific Time. If you typically wake up at 6 am EST, then you will wake up at 3 am PST.

I see this very clearly when I go to Portland for business trip.

When I fly to Portland, I always stay at Embassy Suites Portland Airport on the day of arrival. It is such as a nice hotel, great service and great breakfast.

The next day, I wake up at 3:30 am which is 5:30 am in Central Time and I cannot go back to sleep because of my body rhythm. So, I go down to a fitness center and there are at least 4 or 5 people exercising at 4 am in Pacific Time.

Obviously, you will be tired earlier because you start a day early. But I tried to keep my body in Central Time, so I don’t need to adjust myself again when I go back.

What I do is just sleeping early.

8 pm Pacific Time = 10 pm Central Time

By doing so, my body stays in Central Time even though I am working in Pacific Time. Of course, it is not going to work if I go to Hawaii which as 5 hours difference.

Traveling from West to East

Now, this becomes a lot more challenging.

Most flights from the West Coast depart either late at night around 10 pm or first thing in the morning. If you start flying at 10 pm Pacific Time, you will land around 5 am Eastern Time. (This is called a “Red-Eye Flight”.)

Red-eye will save you a lot of time as you can just start a day as soon as you get off the airplane. It just costs you energy.

You are dead tired that day.

Or, if you fly first thing in the morning, you can save some energy and control your body rhythm, but you are losing time and spending most of working hours in transportation.

So, definitely there are pros and cons.

Personally, I am trying to avoid the Red-Eye flights as much as possible because it was never pleasant for me.

Finding a place to take a shower after the flight is not easy and costly. And I am tired because didn’t take good sleep.

Medication helps.

If you are jet lagged and need a good long night without any interruption, I would recommend Melatonin. Just to make sure you don’t drink too much coffee that day.

Take one pill of Melatonin after dinner and boom! You are already knocked out.

A nightcap doesn’t help.

It varies depending on age, gender, race, and so many factors. It never worked for me.

Alcohol just increases heart rate, and I was never able to sleep before 2 am. For me, a bottle of beer or a cup of cocktail, it doesn’t really matter.

But if this works for you, it can be a good way to fall asleep.

International Trip is a whole different story.

If the time difference is larger than 6 hours, I will try my best to adjust to a new time zone as quick as possible. Either I am there for a vacation or business, in a foreign country, time is money.

You will need to get used to the time zone quickly and go out and have fun or take care of your business.

That is what matters in international trips.