Saying Goodbye to a friend - Travelling for the wrong reasons.
A United Experience - LHR-ORD-PHL-IAD-LHR
For DW - Have fun up there!
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Previously...
LHR-BRU-LHR ... or "How do you burn a £50 BMI voucher without too much pain?"
MAN-ORD on BMI (29/10 ... or Did Kevin Make it to ORD?)
Kevin goes for a little mileage run on UA - ORD/CMH/IAD/EWR/ORD
ORD-MAN in BMI Premium Economy (with Pictures)
Kevin’s American Adventure – MAN-ORD-SEA-ORD-MAN (4 flights, 2 weeks) in Y..
ORD - MAN in BMI Premium Economy: How hard can a PE product drop? (also random moans)
LHR-PHL-SEA, SEA-PHX-ORD, ORD-PHL-LHR - In Y, Come and be scared with US!
LHR-SFO-LHR - If you're going to San Francisco - SFO MegaDO Trip report
Gold Run - Mr Kevincm goes to Washington with EI and US
Long Haul Commuter Run - LHR-IAD-ORD and back with UA
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What's a matter dear reader? You've forgotten how I write my trip reports? Well I'm going to be cruel this time - no rambling intro on how they are written, the bad humour, and random things in them.
Heck. I just mentioned it. Oh clams - Well the usual rules in effect 
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As usual, the bulk of the photos can be found at http://kevincm.photoblog.com and this trip will be simulacast (ooh new word) at http://www.gettoife.com (my blog)
On a more serious note - you've probably guessed by now that there's slightly different tone in this report...
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Introduction
Most of my travels - lets face it - have been for fun or business. Unfortunately, a series of events has lead me to travel for the first time for reasons I didn't want to travel. One of my friends passed from this world to the next, and as a result, I was asked to accompany another friend to the USA to help out and provide support to them.
Naturally of course - I agreed.
However to get there - I would have to go to the nemesis of an airport I have come to dislike - Philadelphia International Airport!
Why do I have a passionate dislike of PHL? Primarily it seems one has to hike a mile from one gate to another... and the INS people REALLY don't like me when I pass through there (an hour and 15 minutes to get through immigration isn't my exact idea of "fun").
But needs must... and travel must be done.
Booking
Of course, as a Star Alliance flyer it boils down to two choices at such short notice - UA or US. The term I’m looking for here is... "A rock and a hard place".
For US - To be honest, there was one attractive thing about PHL - the Envoy lounge. The rest of the US Airways experience is... umm... I've documented that enough I think
For UA - E+ Seating, IFE, and some okiesh lounges at ORD, IAD and PHL.
Well that's a hard choice!
There was also the small matter of mileage for my friend (who needs a few thousand or so to get to *S, and I need every single mile I can lay my mutts on to retain Gold), so getting a few extra segments in isn't a bad thing.
As this was comparatively short notice, fares were at what I'd call "summer" levels. Thankfully, UA were offering reasonable priced flights and after a bit of confudilation with the United.bomb, I had an itinerary worked out for the two of us that didn't feel like I was being completely taken down the back alley and asked to to enter my PIN number by two burly men.
Your map. (Powered of course by http://gc.kls2.com/) I'll do some detailed ones later on the trip report - but for now, ORD on the far left, IAD the bottom left marker, PHL the crossover point in the middle and of course LHR at the far right. Simples! (You might wish to ask this meerkat about things that are... Simples)
So there it is - no emergency fare, just get there where can and do the support we have to do.
Anyhoo. Forward motion. Lets boogie.