upfront
Nov 7, 99, 1:50 am
I departed on 8 october on a surprisingly full flight 816 from Sydney to LA.I didn't see any empty J class seats although there still some empty in ecomomy .I sat downstairs as this my preference . I think the seat pitch is bigger here and I prefer the higher ceiling and the roomier overheads.
As usual, the FAs offered orange juice or what UA call champagne.It is Grandin sparkling wine - made in France but not the Champagne Valley! It costs locally around USD5.
Things started a little badly when one of the FAs commented that only half of the wine had been loaded.
Still, once the flight began, I was able to sample Pommery, Deutz and Billecart Salmon. Unfortunately,only a glass each as supplies quickly dwindled of the bubbly.
The seat was comfortable but sadly the individual reading lights were inoperative as was the great map feature on the video.
Dinner arrived and there was a good choice of beef , clam chowder and roast chicken. The filet was great even with the paper salt shaker! There was an excellent Kiona Vineyards Washington State cabinet sauvignon but it was quickly exhausted leaving only the French.
Why can't United get their act in order with wines for their trans pacific services?
There was no desert choice .It was a small and tasteless portion of Pavlova . As always, the Sandemans Port was welcome with the Godiva Chocolates.
Breakfast was good .I'm surprised how they can make the rolls seem so fresh.
Arrival was 10 minutes early. The dedicated UA immigration facility is very convenient.
I continued on to ORD on UA 816 It was an Airbus 320 and sat in Row 1. As I'm nearly 6 foot tall , I remembered why I preferred row 2. There just isn't enough legroom in the front row of UA's narrowbodies. At least, I wasn't trying to sleep! The lunch was a choice of filet mignon and chicken caeser salad . I chose the latter and found it to be a good size and tasty.There was a Columbia Crest Chardonnay and this was good. I'm surprised at the lack of magazines available now in the racks. This applied to all my flights!
I returned ORD-LAX on 12 october . It was a 757 and totally full .ORD was chaos as several flights including UA 841 carrying conx passengers onto NZ had been cancelled and 815 was the only available connection. It seemed all AKL bound pax were accomodated but there were a lot of angry people at the Gate prior to boarding. There were no pre take off drinks but service quick after levelling off. The entree choice was steak, turkey or halibut. The first was excellent washed down by more of the Columbia Crest Chardonnay. I really love the long domestic flights . The Ben and Jerry ice cream is brilliant and the later Mrs fields Cookies worth staying awake for.
Arrival in LAX was on time and I had a chance to check out the RCC. It looks to have a Spanish flair about it now and does appear roomier.
As usual, there was the lack of organization with loading a 747 at 10pm at the same time as 841 was also loading. I don't understand why UA won't load thru 2 doors?
I sat in row 6 downdtairs .Again the reading lights didn't work but service was fast and efficient after take off. After all, most people want a quick snack and off to sleep for 12 hours ( if they're lucky )There was a choice of chicken,pasta or BBQ ribs . The latter were very tasty. The food service was completed within 2.5 hours of take off. I can't comment on the wines as I had to work on arrival in SYD.
We arrived around 5 minutes early but did not have a gate so mobile stairs were quickly wheeled out.
Immigration was busy but efficient and my bags were among the first off. So from leaving the plane to taxi rank was only 15 minutes!! SYD is having a lot of expansion work at the airport in relation to increased Olympic tourism traffic.By January, most will be completed .
Best Wishes
Upfront
m
As usual, the FAs offered orange juice or what UA call champagne.It is Grandin sparkling wine - made in France but not the Champagne Valley! It costs locally around USD5.
Things started a little badly when one of the FAs commented that only half of the wine had been loaded.
Still, once the flight began, I was able to sample Pommery, Deutz and Billecart Salmon. Unfortunately,only a glass each as supplies quickly dwindled of the bubbly.
The seat was comfortable but sadly the individual reading lights were inoperative as was the great map feature on the video.
Dinner arrived and there was a good choice of beef , clam chowder and roast chicken. The filet was great even with the paper salt shaker! There was an excellent Kiona Vineyards Washington State cabinet sauvignon but it was quickly exhausted leaving only the French.
Why can't United get their act in order with wines for their trans pacific services?
There was no desert choice .It was a small and tasteless portion of Pavlova . As always, the Sandemans Port was welcome with the Godiva Chocolates.
Breakfast was good .I'm surprised how they can make the rolls seem so fresh.
Arrival was 10 minutes early. The dedicated UA immigration facility is very convenient.
I continued on to ORD on UA 816 It was an Airbus 320 and sat in Row 1. As I'm nearly 6 foot tall , I remembered why I preferred row 2. There just isn't enough legroom in the front row of UA's narrowbodies. At least, I wasn't trying to sleep! The lunch was a choice of filet mignon and chicken caeser salad . I chose the latter and found it to be a good size and tasty.There was a Columbia Crest Chardonnay and this was good. I'm surprised at the lack of magazines available now in the racks. This applied to all my flights!
I returned ORD-LAX on 12 october . It was a 757 and totally full .ORD was chaos as several flights including UA 841 carrying conx passengers onto NZ had been cancelled and 815 was the only available connection. It seemed all AKL bound pax were accomodated but there were a lot of angry people at the Gate prior to boarding. There were no pre take off drinks but service quick after levelling off. The entree choice was steak, turkey or halibut. The first was excellent washed down by more of the Columbia Crest Chardonnay. I really love the long domestic flights . The Ben and Jerry ice cream is brilliant and the later Mrs fields Cookies worth staying awake for.
Arrival in LAX was on time and I had a chance to check out the RCC. It looks to have a Spanish flair about it now and does appear roomier.
As usual, there was the lack of organization with loading a 747 at 10pm at the same time as 841 was also loading. I don't understand why UA won't load thru 2 doors?
I sat in row 6 downdtairs .Again the reading lights didn't work but service was fast and efficient after take off. After all, most people want a quick snack and off to sleep for 12 hours ( if they're lucky )There was a choice of chicken,pasta or BBQ ribs . The latter were very tasty. The food service was completed within 2.5 hours of take off. I can't comment on the wines as I had to work on arrival in SYD.
We arrived around 5 minutes early but did not have a gate so mobile stairs were quickly wheeled out.
Immigration was busy but efficient and my bags were among the first off. So from leaving the plane to taxi rank was only 15 minutes!! SYD is having a lot of expansion work at the airport in relation to increased Olympic tourism traffic.By January, most will be completed .
Best Wishes
Upfront
m