As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, sometimes works takes me to some pretty incredible places, other times it doesn’t. It’s not that Waterloo, IA is not a wonderful place, but it definitely isn’t as interesting as other cities I’ve visited when traveling for work. Although the city itself isn’t all that interesting the overall trip has been for a few different reasons.
Booking
One of the most interesting parts of this entire trip was simply trying to get to Waterloo. Waterloo Regional Airport (ALO) is currently only serviced by American Airlines. There are two non-stop flights from Chicago to Waterloo daily, that’s all. Similarly, there are only two departing flights, also American, daily.
Work required me to be in Waterloo bright and early for a meeting which meant I would have to fly the night before. Not terrible considering the flight arrives in Waterloo at 9:30PM. As I started to book the flights though I uncovered a problem. Hertz Rental Car is only open until 5pm. I need to rent a car, which meant that instead I’d have to take the 11:30AM departure the day before. Instead of only spending 12 hours in Waterloo, I’d now have to spend over 24 for a quick meeting.
Chicago O’Hare Admirals Club – G Concourse
The best part about flying with American’s regional affiliates is that it gives me an excuse to visit the G Concourse Admirals Club at Chicago O’Hare. Because of the H/K Admirals Club construction and subsequent lounge overflows, American is currently not selling Admirals Club day passes. The news didn’t affect me, but it could affect anyone hoping to gain access via a day pass.
Since I was on the morning flight the Admirals Club featured the standard breakfast items found around the lounge network. I was most surprised by the number of passengers tying one on! It was only 10:30am, but it may as well have been 5PM!
Overall I like the G Concourse Admirals Club. The lounge features nearly all of the food/beverage options offered at larger lounges, but in a smaller, quieter, package. The G Concourse lounge is definitely is not a substitute for a full-service Admirals Club, but will do during a short wait.
Waterloo Regional Airport – Livingston Betsworth Field
After a rather uneventful flight (I slept through the whole thing) we touched down at ALO airport. We arrived at our gate after an extremely short taxi. Luckily for this trip we were slotted at Gate #1 (of 2)! Yes, the airport is TINY. In fact, the entire airport is one large area. The area near the gate entrance is closed off to the public and represents a “secure” area. Basically passengers wait in the general terminal and only clear security to gain access to the gate door. Within the terminal is a “lounge” and “restaurant” both of which were vacant at the time of writing.
One of the coolest features of such a small airport was the ease of getting to my rental car. In fact, I simply presented my Photo ID at the Hertz desk and the customer service representative handed me the keys. I walked out of the main entrance and my car was parked in front of me! Literally the rental car was parked at the door waiting, it was an incredible experience!
Final Thoughts
I don’t always get to go to the most interesting cities in the world for work, but I always enjoy visiting a new destination. Waterloo Airport is one of the smallest airports I’ve even been to and look forward to spending some time there tomorrow before my flight.
The flight to Waterloo was on an American Eagle CRJ-145 aircraft which features a 1-2 configuration. The seats are incredibly small, but the flight was only half full which made it enjoyable. Personally, I love flying on the CRJ-145 aircraft because it feels like a sports car compared to much larger jets.
This trip also gave me a chance to visit the G Concourse Admirals Club which is a nice place to be compared to the currently overcrowded H/K lounge. Lastly, I also got a chance to finally experience American’s improved boarding process. More on that to come.
