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Old Dec 24, 2012, 12:53 am
  #4  
UAL1200
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CA
Programs: AA-EXP, National Exec. Elite, Hilton Gold, GE
Posts: 323
The 787: The flight

Shortly after takeoff we turned west into the sun, which made for spectacular wing views of the plane.






The dinner service began with a hot towel service with warmed nuts and a beverage, more ginger ale in my case. My seatmate went to sleep and stayed this way for the remainder for the flight. This is where the lie-flat concept has its flaws: if your aisle seatmate is sleeping you need a couple yoga classes to get your window-loving butt out into the rest of the plane. I wanted to wash my hands before dinner, so I skillfully contorted myself around my seatmate’s legs providing much entertainment to the rest of my First Class cabin mates. Afterwards, dinner was served.






The chicken was good and tender, but nothing to write home about and the portions are a bit small for me at least. Having never tried gnocchi before, I was excited to have an opportunity here. The veggies were crisp as was the salad, which came with very tasty ranch dressing. Smoked salmon was smoked salmon. After seeing the FA bring out the cannelloni for the other passengers, I think I should have gotten the pasta option instead. Dinner was followed by a glass of white wine, which I cannot comment on since this was my first taste of it. Much later was an oatmeal raisin cookie fresh from the oven, still piping hot and a bit undercooked (ultra soft).




The IFE system onboard has a wide selection of TV, movies, and documentaries, in addition to video games. There is certainly enough power under the hood since scrolling motions on the touch screen (or remote) are smooth and seamless. However, my particular system did freeze after takeoff and required a reboot. Rather than waste my time watching a movie, I played a few games and enjoy the Dreamliner a bit more.






I spent the rest of the flight walking around the cabin, getting a look at the Economy section, and talking with the crew. The Economy section “sounds” a bit cramped, most airlines chose a 8-across seating arrangement for the back, but United went with 9-across, which makes for a narrow seat. The crew for this flight was their first time on a 787 as well and usually fly South American routes, and like me they were excited to try out the new plane (and the crew rest area). For an ex-Continental crew, they delivered great service with a personal touch. They knew a lot of people onboard were excited about the plane, so they went around helping passengers take photos or answering questions. One FA offered to take a few photos of me in the cabin as well.






The 787 is equipped with LED mood lighting that changes with the time of day, so departure was afternoon sky blue while later after dinner it changed to sunset amber. Another nice touch is that these lights fade to the next color (or off) so that it’s easier on the eyes. Finally, I could not tell the difference in pressurization between the 787 and other planes, but I could tell the higher humidity on this flight. My skin dries easily and I was much more comfortable to that respect on this flight.






And some...extras.


Just before starting our descent into LAX, the crew began a snack basket service in First consisting of Popchips, Cliff bars, and packaged nuts, and bananas. Apparently, the same basket was sitting as a snack bar on the 2L door handle as I was talking to the FA.


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