This is my first post of this kind as I test out different posting style, which this idea is inspired by the people who post the same in the community.
Departing from a weekend in Kalispell, or Great Falls exploring the landscapes in the area. Glacier National Park is a famous national park in the area, which was breathtaking as well as the vast forests in the area. The weekend in Glacier Park was very peaceful, but I had an event to host and attend at the capital for Independence Day (which went great). This involved my route from Kalispell to Reagan Airport via Chicago. Follow along as I break it all down!
Flight Information:
Airline: American Airlines
Flight Number: N/A
Aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8 / Airbus A319-100
Route: Kalispell Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) - O’Hare International Airport (ORD) - Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA)
Flight Time: 2 hours, 38 mins / 1 hour, 14 mins
Flight Date: July 3, 2026
Seat Class: Economy
Server: Expert
The terminal was nothing special, just your average small town airport terminal. The views of Kootenai National Forest through the glass were amazing.
Departing Kalispell, MT with the views of Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park. This flight wasn’t particularly full as it was a weekday flight. We nearly used the full runway to takeoff, underestimating the short length of the runway.
Departing Kalispell, MT with views of Glacier National Park in the background
Switching to an open seat at cruising altitude, we see Yellowstone National Park at FL360.
A regular American Airlines 737 MAX 8 Collins Aerospace seat. For being 5’10, legroom is not too bad, but it could be better on our 3 hour hop to Chicago. Standard service appeared twice, with a Ginger Ale, pretzels, and Biscoff Cookies both times. Do you prefer seatback screens or personal devices on flights less than 6 hours?
Over an empty seat is midwestern Minnesota. Once again, mostly all farmland in the area. This was right before we descended over southern Wisconsin. Overall, the flight was calm with light tailwinds helping us get to our destination quicker.
Our landing caught by spotting over the Sheraton O’Hare Airport Hotel. 15 knot crosswinds had our plane working. Chicago is nicknamed “The Windy City” for a reason!
Arrived at O’Hare, completing our first leg of the journey. Our second and final leg to Washington, D.C. isn’t too far ahead, nor is the gate. I still have around 45 minutes to explore, but boarding will commence soon. Here is my next outbound to the capital, an American Airlines A319. We should be up and on our way in no time.
A windy departure out of Chicago.
Departed Chicago full throttle to pass storms north of Chicago. Service was the same as my inbound to Chicago, though I didn’t have anything since I ate at the airport, nor did I take much photos since I was asleep.
Woke up on approach to Reagan National following the Potomac River approach to runway 19. Then we landed safely in DC for a special event! Until next time, see you in the skies!
First “blog” style trip report I’ve done after taking 3 days to type all of this up. Please let me know how I did in the comments, and if there’s anything I should add or remove if I do this in the future.
