Flight Log of Alaska Airlines Flight 1108 from Los Angeles to Washington Dulles

After spending the weekend in Los Angeles, this was a cross-country flight back to Washington DC.

Joshua Tree National Park

On the morning of May 17, I woke up early at 5am, left the weekend Airbnb room and drove to Los Angeles Airport where I returned the rental car. It was still dark, but the highways near Los Angeles were teeming with traffic, as the metropolis was waking up.

Once I returned my rental car, it’s a packed shuttle ride to the terminal. It’s interesting that before departure, the shuttle driver asked around for everyone’s airlines, determining which terminal to stop at. Halfway through the bus he collected almost all terminals, but he insisted on spending time going through the entire bus before setting off.

Checkin Area

Once at the airport it’s a morning rush scene I hadn’t seen for months. There’s even a line at the elite counters.

Line for Security Checkpoint

To make matters worse, the security line for checkpoint was extending down the stairs to the checkin area.

Despite this ridiculously long line, the TSA guys were hard at work, and I cleared the security checkpoint in a mere 15 minutes.

Alaska Airlines B739 (N472AS)

My plane back to Dulles. This happened to be the same plane that flew me to Los Angeles three days ago.

It’s a pretty full flight, with 151 out of 162 coach seats booked. I didn’t wait long before it’s boarding time.

Ramp

Today’s flight departed from gate 60, which was right after security check point. However, being at the end of the taxiway meant it’s a long wait to a rather long pushback.

The plane spent the previous night at Los Angeles, so in theory it should receive a “deep clean”. I was a bit annoyed and shocked to find its tray table was far from properly cleaned.

Alaska Airlines 1108
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Washington Dulles, VA (DCA)
Boeing 737-900ER (N472AS)
Seat 31A
Scheduled Departure – 7:45am
Actual Departure – 8:13am
Scheduled Arrival – 3:43pm
Actual Arrival – 3:42pm
4 hours and 29 minutes

Here’s GPS tracking:

Takeoff

A month ago when I visited Los Angeles, the southern runway of 25L was closed. Now with increased traffic, it had reopened.

After takeoff, we circled around Long Beach and broke out of the clouds. The clouds covering greater Los Angeles faded away as we crossed San Jacinto Mountains, giving me an aerial tour of Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park, where I visited a month ago.

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San Gorgonio Mountains

Mt San Jacinto

Palm Springs

Desert Hot Springs
Where I stayed a month ago during my visit to Joshua Tree National Park.

San Andreas Fault
Didn’t look as distinctive as I had thought, even from above.

Joshua Tree National Park
Wonderland of Rocks. Hidden Valley and Barker Dam also visible.

Ryan Mountain of Joshua Tree National Park
Which I summitted during my first day of visit, with spectacular views.

Wilson Canyon of Joshua Tree National Park

Twentynine Palms
Gateway town to Joshua Tree National Park

Colorado Desert

After crossing what used to be a mighty Colorado River (that’s affected by this year’s drought), scattered clouds began to dominate the view outside. The clouds grew thicker after the mountain states, so there weren’t many great views to show.

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Lake Havasu City along Colorado River

Lake Havasu City

Colorado River

Bagdad Mine

Red Rocks of Sedona

New Mexico Desert

Wheeler Peak behind Clouds

That is, until right before landing, when I picked up the familiar sight of the winding Shenandoah River.

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Shenandoah River
Rileyville, Virginia

Front Royal, Virginia
Northern gateway to Shenandoah National Park.

Interstate 66 Exit 13
Go-to exit for Shenandoah National Park north.

Blue Ridge Mountain
Which Appalachian Trail passed through.

Northern Virginia Farmland

Northern Virginia Suburb

Northern Virginia Suburb

Arrival

Seated at the back of the plane and after a tram ride between the terminal and baggage claim meant my bag was waiting on the carousel when I showed up, about 21 minutes after our gate arrival. Alaska Airlines had 20-minute baggage guarantee, and they must have loved the layout of Dulles Airport as it took quite some time for people to arrive at the baggage claim.

After that, I headed for the airport garage, and drove my car back home. Evening rush traffic was picking up, but nowhere near the worst I’d seen around I495. In about an hour, I was back home, concluding this trip.
END

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