American Airlines, PHL to JAX

I arrived at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) roughly an hour and 30 minutes before my flight, which was scheduled to take off at about 7:45 a.m. After parking and getting through TSA, there was just enough time to grab a bite of breakfast before heading to my gate.

Once we began boarding the plane, my cell phone rang, which was my traveling companion informing me his later flight, also through American Airlines and the same route, with a stopover in Charlotte (CLT), had just been canceled with no explanation. The airline wanted to reroute him through Newark, which would put him in Florida around 9:00 p.m., but after a brief conversation, they found room for him on a flight through Miami, for a 6:00 p.m. arrival.

With that little flight inconvenience taken care of, I sat back in my economy-class seat and waited for takeoff. The flight crew hurried through their safety instructions and we were in the air. With such a short flight, no in-flight meals were offered, just complimentary beverages and a few snacks for purchase. I declined and settled in to watch two episodes of True Blood. American Airlines does offer WiFi service on this route, but I opted to download a few episodes from my Amazon Prime account before my departure.

The flight was incredibly smooth, despite the pilot’s warnings of possible turbulence. We arrived in Jacksonville ahead of schedule and, as I had only brought a carry-on, I was out of the small airport and on my way to my accommodations within minutes.