{"id":9237,"date":"2024-08-11T22:59:09","date_gmt":"2024-08-11T14:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/?p=9237"},"modified":"2024-12-26T09:33:24","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T01:33:24","slug":"20240811detroit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811detroit\/","title":{"rendered":"Flights for a Day Trip to Detroit, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>August 11, 2024. I made a day-trip to the suburbs of Detroit to watch the Junior League World Series. This post would be about the flights back and forth, together with a few photos from the match.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053613.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053613.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Boston Harbor during Takeoff\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Overlooking Boston Harbor during Takeoff<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/splide.min.2.4.21.js\"><\/script>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/splide-skyblue.min.css\">\n<script>\ndocument.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function () {\n\tvar secondarySlider1 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-1', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:75,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:56,height:42,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider1 = new Splide( '#splide-major-1', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider1.sync( secondarySlider1 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider2 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-2', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:74,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:56,height:41,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider2 = new Splide( '#splide-major-2', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider2.sync( secondarySlider2 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider3 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-3', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:75,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:56,height:42,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider3 = new Splide( '#splide-major-3', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider3.sync( secondarySlider3 ).mount();\n\tvar secondarySlider4 = new Splide( '#splide-thumb-4', {\n\t\tfixedWidth:100,height:75,gap:10,\n\t\tfocus:'center',keyboard:'focused',\n\t\tcover:true,isNavigation:true,\n\t\tbreakpoints :{'600':{fixedWidth:56,height:42,pagination:false,arrows:false,gap:5,}},\n\t} ).mount();\n\tvar primarySlider4 = new Splide( '#splide-major-4', {\n\t\ttype:'fade',pagination:false,arrows:false,\n\t} );\n\tprimarySlider4.sync( secondarySlider4 ).mount();\n} );\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Ticketing\">Ticketing<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This day reminded me a lot of my trip to watch the Junior League World Series <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/21\/20220821ua\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">back in 2022<\/a>. However, this time, I had moved from the suburbs of Washington DC to Boston. The match started at noon, so I needed to catch the earliest flight out of Boston. I found an American Airlines itinerary that departed Boston at 5:15 am, with a short 50-minute layover in Chicago, arriving in Detroit at 10:28 am\u2014just in time for the match. This itinerary cost only 7.5k American (or Alaska) miles, which was cheaper and more flexible (with free cancellation) than the direct flights offered by JetBlue or Delta. Plus, I had elite status with American, which could potentially get me complimentary upgrades, so I chose American.<\/p>\n<p>For my return flights, my only direct options were Spirit or Delta. Since it was a Sunday night, all the Delta flights were either expensive or poorly timed. I paid ~90 USD back in May for the Spirit flight departing Detroit at 8pm, which was a bit late for me but acceptable. It turned out that I overpaid for it, in the subsequent weeks that flight dropped to as low as ~55 USD. <span style=\"font-size: small;\">With free changes I should have the difference as a future credit with them, but since I only &#8220;changed&#8221; my flight instead of &#8220;cancel and rebook&#8221;, that didn&#8217;t seem to be the case.<\/span> To make up for it, I placed a low bid of 20 USD for the &#8220;big front seat&#8221; and won, essentially getting a domestic first-class seat comparable to those on the big three US airlines.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"American_Airlines_flight_1509_and_3428_from_Boston_to_Detroit_via_Chicago\">American Airlines flight 1509 and 3428 from Boston to Detroit via Chicago<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The miserable 5:15am departure time meant I had to drag myself out of the bed at 3am. Luckily, there was no difficulty hailing rideshare to the airport. Once I was there, the security line was short.<br \/>\nProbably because it was the first flight of the day, first class cabin was wide open. But somehow most of the upgrades were cleared at the gate (rather than in advance).<br \/>\nWeirdly, the boarding process was unusually long for no appearant reasons, so I sat in my seat and watched the distant horizons light up.<\/p>\n<p>American Airlines 1509<br \/>\nBoston, MA (BOS) &#8211; Chicago O&#8217;Hare, IL (ORD)<br \/>\nBoeing 737-800 (N976AN)<br \/>\nSeat 2A<br \/>\nScheduled Departure &#8211; 5:15am<br \/>\nActual Departure    &#8211; 5:35am<br \/>\nScheduled Arrival   &#8211; 7:10am<br \/>\nActual Arrival \t    &#8211; 6:46am<br \/>\n2 hours and 11 minutes<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s GPS tracking:<\/p>\n<div style=\"width:100%;aspect-ratio:3\/2;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wikiloc.com\/wikiloc\/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&#038;id=195783042&#038;measures=off&#038;title=off&#038;near=off&#038;images=off&#038;maptype=H\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>With the slight delay in boarding, we took off just minutes before sunrise, with the Boston skylight beautifully bathed in the soft colors of twilight. Here&#8217;s a video of the takeoff:<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fdvu5JRtWZk\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-1\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053451.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053451.jpg\" width=\"93.1%\" alt=\"Boston Skyline\" \/><\/a><\/br>Boston Skyline<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Bathed in the morning sun.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053610.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053610.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Boston Harbor during Takeoff\" \/><\/a><\/br>Overlooking Boston Harbor during Takeoff<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053620.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053620.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff\" \/><\/a><\/br>Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053625.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053625.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff\" \/><\/a><\/br>Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_054032.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_054032.jpg\" alt=\"Lowell, Massachusetts\" \/><\/a><\/br>Lowell, Massachusetts<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_055820.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_055820.jpg\" width=\"93.1%\" alt=\"Albany, New York\" \/><\/a><\/br>Albany, New York<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Confluence of Mohawk River and Hudson River.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_071316.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_071316.jpg\" alt=\"Lansing, Michigan\" \/><\/a><\/br>Lansing, Michigan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-1\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_053451.jpg\" alt=\"Boston Skyline\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_053610.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Boston Harbor during Takeoff\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_053620.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_053625.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_054032.jpg\" alt=\"Lowell, Massachusetts\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_055820.jpg\" alt=\"Albany, New York\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_071316.jpg\" alt=\"Lansing, Michigan\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-1, #splide-thumb-1 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos from the flight from Boston to Chicago O&#8217;Hare.<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053451.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053451.jpg\" alt=\"Boston Skyline\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Boston Skyline<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Bathed in the morning sun.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053610.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053610.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Boston Harbor during Takeoff\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Overlooking Boston Harbor during Takeoff<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053620.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053620.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_053625.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_053625.jpg\" alt=\"Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff\" \/><\/a><\/br>Overlooking Charlestown during Takeoff<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_054032.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_054032.jpg\" alt=\"Lowell, Massachusetts\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Lowell, Massachusetts<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_055820.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_055820.jpg\" alt=\"Albany, New York\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Albany, New York<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Confluence of Mohawk River and Hudson River.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_071316.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_071316.jpg\" alt=\"Lansing, Michigan\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Lansing, Michigan<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>The distance between Boston and Chicago O&#8217;Hare was 867 miles, right under American Airlines&#8217; 900-mile threshold for meal services in first class. <span style=\"font-size: small;\">Before the pandemic, meals were offered for certain key routes under 900 miles, including this one. That hadn&#8217;t been brought back.<\/span> As a result, the entire cabin service consisted of little more than a few snacks, which was unremarkable and, frankly, a bit ridiculous (To be fair, they were more appetizing than the Biscoff cookies offered in coach.) But since I had to get up early to catch this flight, I slept through most of it.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to landing, the local time wasn&#8217;t too long after sunrise, and the rising sun still painted most of Chicago&#8217;s skyline in gold.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-2\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074035C5.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074035C5.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/a><\/br>Chicago Skyline<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074115.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074115.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/a><\/br>Chicago Skyline<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074154.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074154.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/a><\/br>Chicago Skyline<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074447.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074447.jpg\" width=\"93.2%\" alt=\"Landing at Chicago Airport\" \/><\/a><\/br>Landing at Chicago Airport<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Air-to-air shot of another United Airlines plane.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074501C7.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074501C7.jpg\" width=\"98%\" alt=\"Air-to-air with Another Landing Plane\" \/><\/a><\/br>Air-to-air with Another Landing Plane<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">This was the best that my phone camera could do.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-2\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_074035C5.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_074115.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_074154.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_074447.jpg\" alt=\"Landing at Chicago Airport\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_074501C7.jpg\" alt=\"Air-to-air with Another Landing Plane\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-2, #splide-thumb-2 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074035C5.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074035C5.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074115.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074115.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/a><\/br><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074154.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074154.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Skyline\" \/><\/a><\/br>Chicago Skyline<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074447.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074447.jpg\" alt=\"Landing at Chicago Airport\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Landing at Chicago Airport<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Air-to-air shot of another United Airlines plane.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_074501C7.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_074501C7.jpg\" alt=\"Air-to-air with Another Landing Plane\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Air-to-air with Another Landing Plane<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">This was the best that my phone camera could do.<\/span><\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>And here&#8217;s a video of the landing:<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1_zFQDvX1pM\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, once on the ground <span style=\"font-size: small;\">(&#8220;Actual Arrival&#8221; time above is based on when the plane leaves the runway)<\/span>, issues with gate availability and coordination with air traffic control forced us to circle the airport. It&#8217;s essentially the equivalent of driving around the block in rush hour in search of a street parking spot. It&#8217;s an additional half an hour before we arrived at the gate, 8 minutes late, so my connection time was cut to 42 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>To make matters worse, my next flight departed from a gate (L26) that was 800m (0.5mi) from my arrival gate (H11A). With American Airlines&#8217; lack of cabin service, I was starving at the moment. Fortunately, I passed a McDonald&#8217;s in the food court and, thanks to their quick service and mobile ordering (since there were lines even for the kiosks), I grabbed my food and dashed across the airport. By the time I reached the gate, boarding was nearly complete. It wasn\u2019t the most graceful entrance to a first-class seat, panting and carrying a bag of McDonald&#8217;s.<br \/>\nBy the way, American Airlines configured its ERJ170 to 65 seats (with 12 domestic first) to meet its regional scope clause. That meant upgrade spaces were widely available on this aircraft type and my upgrade was cleared 3 days in advance.<\/p>\n<p>American Airlines 3428 <span style=\"font-size: small;\">Operated by Envoy Air<\/span><br \/>\nChicago O&#8217;Hare, IL (ORD) &#8211; Detroit, MI (DTW)<br \/>\nEmbraer ERJ170 (N791DK)<br \/>\nSeat 2A<br \/>\nScheduled Departure &#8211; 8:00am<br \/>\nActual Departure    &#8211; 8:12am<br \/>\nScheduled Arrival   &#8211; 10:28am<br \/>\nActual Arrival \t    &#8211; 10:01am<br \/>\n49 minutes<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a video of the takeoff:<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qPV41i16CnQ\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: smaller;text-align: left;line-height: 110%\">Portions of this video after 2:00 are sped up.<\/div>\n<p>Here&#8217;s GPS tracking:<\/p>\n<div style=\"width:100%;aspect-ratio:3\/2;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wikiloc.com\/wikiloc\/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&#038;id=195783106&#038;measures=off&#038;title=off&#038;near=off&#038;images=off&#038;maptype=H\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s a bit unusual that the typical flight path from Chicago to Detroit takes an obvious detour north, beyond Muskegon, MI.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_082402C9.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_082402C9.jpg\" alt=\"Milwaukee, Wisconsin\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Milwaukee, Wisconsin<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Apart from that, there&#8217;s not much worth mentioning for the flight. Here&#8217;s a video of the landing:<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_H3Nl6hQ5po\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: smaller;text-align: left;line-height: 110%\">Portions of this video before 1:00 are sped up.<\/div>\n<h3><span id=\"The_Game\">The Game<\/span><\/h3>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_105848.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_105848.jpg\" alt=\"Self-Serve Table\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Self-Serve Table<\/br><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: smaller;text-align: left\">My flight from Chicago landed about half an hour early. Afterward, I took an Uber and arrived at Heritage Park about an hour before the match started. By then, I was quite hungry since I hadn&#8217;t eaten much in the past several hours. I ordered a hamburger from the concession stand that had just opened, and the lady handed me a bun, a beef patty, and cheese over the counter, directing me to a table where I could add my own vegetables and sauces. It was quite an eye-opening experience.<\/div>\n<p><\/p><\/div>\n<p>A quick rundown of a selection of photos I took during the game. These photos are in the public domain.<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-3\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2228C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2228C11.jpg\" width=\"67%\" alt=\"Starting Pitcher for Asia Pacific Team\" \/><\/a><\/br>Starting Pitcher for Asia Pacific Team<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2237C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2237C11.jpg\" width=\"67%\" alt=\"Starting Pitcher for Michigan Team\" \/><\/a><\/br>Starting Pitcher for Michigan Team<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2262.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2262.jpg\" alt=\"Discussions among Runners\" \/><\/a><\/br>Discussions among Runners<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2290C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2290C11.jpg\" width=\"89%\" alt=\"Relief Pitcher for Michigan Team\" \/><\/a><\/br>Relief Pitcher for Michigan Team<\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2299C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2299C11.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"First Run in the 6-th Inner\" \/><\/a><\/br>First Run in the 6-th Inner<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A throw to base that escaped the catcher, allowing team Asia Pacific to score an additional run.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2310.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2310.jpg\" width=\"92.5%\" alt=\"Audience Cheering for Michigan Team\" \/><\/a><\/br>Audience Cheering for Michigan Team<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Probably the schoolmates of the Michigan team.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2337.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2337.jpg\" alt=\"Post Match Celebration\" \/><\/a><\/br>Post Match Celebration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-3\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_2228C11.jpg\" alt=\"Starting Pitcher for Asia Pacific Team\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_2237C11.jpg\" alt=\"Starting Pitcher for Michigan Team\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_2262.jpg\" alt=\"Discussions among Runners\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_2290C11.jpg\" alt=\"Relief Pitcher for Michigan Team\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_2299C11.jpg\" alt=\"First Run in the 6-th Inner\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_2310.jpg\" alt=\"Audience Cheering for Michigan Team\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/DSC_2337.jpg\" alt=\"Post Match Celebration\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-3, #splide-thumb-3 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2228C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2228C11.jpg\" alt=\"Starting Pitcher for Asia Pacific Team\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Starting Pitcher for Asia Pacific Team<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2237C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2237C11.jpg\" alt=\"Starting Pitcher for Michigan Team\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Starting Pitcher for Michigan Team<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2262.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2262.jpg\" alt=\"Discussions among Runners\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Discussions among Runners<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2290C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2290C11.jpg\" alt=\"Relief Pitcher for Michigan Team\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Relief Pitcher for Michigan Team<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2299C11.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2299C11.jpg\" alt=\"First Run in the 6-th Inner\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>First Run in the 6-th Inner<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A throw to base that escaped the catcher, allowing team Asia Pacific to score an additional run.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2310.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2310.jpg\" alt=\"Audience Cheering for Michigan Team\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Audience Cheering for Michigan Team<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Probably the schoolmates of the Michigan team.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/DSC_2337.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/DSC_2337.jpg\" alt=\"Post Match Celebration\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Post Match Celebration<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Spirit_Airlines_flight_2018_from_Detroit_to_Boston\">Spirit Airlines flight 2018 from Detroit to Boston<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The match ended just before 2pm, leaving me plenty of time before my flight back to Boston at 8pm. I spent part of that time in Lufthansa&#8217;s Detroit Lounge (while getting some work done).<\/p>\n<p>Spirit Airlines 2018<br \/>\nDetroit, MI (DTW) &#8211; Boston, MA (BOS)<br \/>\nAirbus A320 (N647NK)<br \/>\nSeat 1D<br \/>\nScheduled Departure &#8211; 8:01pm<br \/>\nActual Departure    &#8211; 8:17pm<br \/>\nScheduled Arrival   &#8211; 9:58pm<br \/>\nActual Arrival \t    &#8211; 9:35pm<br \/>\n1 hour and 18 minutes<\/p>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-major-4\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_165519.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_165519.jpg\" width=\"93.2%\" alt=\"Food Offering at Lufthansa Detroit Lounge\" \/><\/a><\/br>Food Offering at Lufthansa Detroit Lounge<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Much better than my previous visit, at least things looked edible this time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_192902.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_192902.jpg\" width=\"93.2%\" alt=\"Spirit Airlines A320 (N647NK)\" \/><\/a><\/br>Spirit Airlines A320 (N647NK)<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">My plane back to Boston.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_200148.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_200148.jpg\" alt=\"Spirit Big Front Seat\" \/><\/a><\/br>Spirit Big Front Seat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"splide\" id=\"splide-thumb-4\">\n<div class=\"splide__track\">\n<ul class=\"splide__list\">\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_165519.jpg\" alt=\"Food Offering at Lufthansa Detroit Lounge\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_192902.jpg\" alt=\"Spirit Airlines A320 (N647NK)\" \/><\/li>\n<li class=\"splide__slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails-s\/20240811_200148.jpg\" alt=\"Spirit Big Front Seat\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript><br \/>\nJavascript not enabled, unable to display slideshow.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#splide-major-4, #splide-thumb-4 { display:none; }\n<\/style>\n<details>\n<summary>Click here to display photos of the slideshow<\/summary>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_165519.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_165519.jpg\" alt=\"Food Offering at Lufthansa Detroit Lounge\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Food Offering at Lufthansa Detroit Lounge<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Much better than my previous visit, at least things looked edible this time.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_192902.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_192902.jpg\" alt=\"Spirit Airlines A320 (N647NK)\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Spirit Airlines A320 (N647NK)<\/br><span style=\"font-size: small;\">My plane back to Boston.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><div style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/20240811_200148.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/huangyizhou.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/2024\/08\/11\/thumbnails\/20240811_200148.jpg\" alt=\"Spirit Big Front Seat\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/br>Spirit Big Front Seat<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/details>\n<p><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>With my successful bid for Spirit&#8217;s &#8220;Big Front Seat,&#8221; I experienced three different domestic first-class products in a single day. Personally, I would rank their comfort levels as follows: AA regional >> Spirit Big Front Seat > AA mainline.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The old-school domestic first seats on AA&#8217;s regional were tried and true. I enjoyed sinking into their cushions after rushing through the airport.<\/li>\n<li>Spirit&#8217;s big front seat didn&#8217;t recline, and the cushion was a bit stubborn near my knees, but otherwise they were pretty decent. (The plane I flew on had their old interior.)<\/li>\n<li>I was just speechless about AA&#8217;s mainline domestic first seats. They were too slim and lacked the level of cushion from the previous two. It&#8217;s like they were deliberately designed to inflict suffering while still look good on the surface.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As for the flight itself, the boarding and departure was slightly delayed, but that was more than made up by a strong tailwind, pushing ground speed to over 1000km\/h over upstate New York. A small disappointment was that, Spirit over-pressured the cabin to 1018mBar before landing, and my ears didn&#8217;t like that.<\/p>\n<p>After that, I hailed a rideshare home and called it a day.<br \/>\nEND<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>August 11, 2024. I made a day-trip to the suburbs of Detroit to watch the Junior League World Series. This post would be about the flights back and forth, together with a few photos from the match.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[188,579],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9237"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9237"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9308,"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9237\/revisions\/9308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}