richard
Feb 11, 00, 9:55 pm
Another 2 day transcon trip! I am doing this each week...
Funny thing happened at ticketing. The ticket agent said, "you've been upgraded on the Shuttle...one cert please" and I gave him one, and he handed me two boarding passes, one for C on the IAD-SFO flight, on for SFO-BUR. But the SFO-BUR, I discovered, was for coach. Yet I was still out one certificate.
I went through the security (had to show them that my Palmpilot was legit and that my cellphone was for real) and on the mobile lounge, on to the C concourse. I phoned United and explained the problem. "THey shouldn't have taken your upgrade certificate," I was told. Yeah, and I should have checked the boarding passes while I was still at the ticket agent.
United was boarding the 767-200 when I got there after the mobile lounge thingy.
The seats were the old ones with the stupid "footrests." An old tired widebody.
We were scheduled to leave at 9:18am but the first officer came on the PA and it wasn't good. "ATC is holding us due to low ceiling in San Francisco." We had to stay on the ground "until 11:20."
I gathered my bags and skipped off the plane, for the gate that I had spotted with a plane destined for SJC. But unfortunately I just missed it, having dilly dallied a few minutes too long, so with my tail between my legs I got back on the grounded 767 and claimed my old seat http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif
At about 10:40 we pushed back.
A breakfast flight in C. No menus but a choice of fruit plate, waffle, or fritatta. Being a protein kind of guy I ordered the eggs. The FA brought the fruit plate ("Oh, I thought you said fruit...") but that was soon corrected.
The service was very good. The fritatta included a few potatoes, excellent fresh fruit, bread which I didn't eat, sausage and a small piece of steak.
Later on we had pastrami or turkey club sandwiches. FAs kept refilling water, offering drinks, I had seconds on the sandwiches, terrific service and a smooth flight.
I did my business in San Francisco and headed back to SFO for the Shuttle to Burbank. Of course my shuttle flight had been cancelled (but United had called me on my cell phone -- just kidding) but I snagged an earlier flight and upgraded to F (bulkhead, less legroom than in coach.)
Avis gave me a GMC Jimmy with 6000 miles on it, a real pleasure (I drive an Acura normally). I stayed at the Hyatt in Westlake Village. Everything was great, except the bed wasn't made up right so it was lumpy and uncomfortable. Nothing worth making a stink about but not great.
Friday I went to LAX, turned the car in and Avis took me to the terminal. I checked in at the RCC and boarded a 757 for Dulles in F.
No laptop power, once again, even in F, the old grey seats.
This time we had menus, choice or pasta, a chicken dish, or Filet Mignon. I had the steak. Appetizer was salmon with capers, onion and olives. The steak had a cabernet sauvignon sauce, lots of pearl oninons and cooked crunchy carrots.
Dessert was Ben and Jerry's coffee and vanilla scoops of ice cream.
I sat next to a guy who designs airports. I enjoyed chatting about airports, airlines and the airline business (did you know that adding a runway costs $100 million dollars? And that the complaint from airlines that ATC is responsible for increased delays is bogus according to him. The airlines don't want to pay for increased airport facilities so they blame ATC for delays...)
Back in Washington I notice most of the snow has melted...
Funny thing happened at ticketing. The ticket agent said, "you've been upgraded on the Shuttle...one cert please" and I gave him one, and he handed me two boarding passes, one for C on the IAD-SFO flight, on for SFO-BUR. But the SFO-BUR, I discovered, was for coach. Yet I was still out one certificate.
I went through the security (had to show them that my Palmpilot was legit and that my cellphone was for real) and on the mobile lounge, on to the C concourse. I phoned United and explained the problem. "THey shouldn't have taken your upgrade certificate," I was told. Yeah, and I should have checked the boarding passes while I was still at the ticket agent.
United was boarding the 767-200 when I got there after the mobile lounge thingy.
The seats were the old ones with the stupid "footrests." An old tired widebody.
We were scheduled to leave at 9:18am but the first officer came on the PA and it wasn't good. "ATC is holding us due to low ceiling in San Francisco." We had to stay on the ground "until 11:20."
I gathered my bags and skipped off the plane, for the gate that I had spotted with a plane destined for SJC. But unfortunately I just missed it, having dilly dallied a few minutes too long, so with my tail between my legs I got back on the grounded 767 and claimed my old seat http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif
At about 10:40 we pushed back.
A breakfast flight in C. No menus but a choice of fruit plate, waffle, or fritatta. Being a protein kind of guy I ordered the eggs. The FA brought the fruit plate ("Oh, I thought you said fruit...") but that was soon corrected.
The service was very good. The fritatta included a few potatoes, excellent fresh fruit, bread which I didn't eat, sausage and a small piece of steak.
Later on we had pastrami or turkey club sandwiches. FAs kept refilling water, offering drinks, I had seconds on the sandwiches, terrific service and a smooth flight.
I did my business in San Francisco and headed back to SFO for the Shuttle to Burbank. Of course my shuttle flight had been cancelled (but United had called me on my cell phone -- just kidding) but I snagged an earlier flight and upgraded to F (bulkhead, less legroom than in coach.)
Avis gave me a GMC Jimmy with 6000 miles on it, a real pleasure (I drive an Acura normally). I stayed at the Hyatt in Westlake Village. Everything was great, except the bed wasn't made up right so it was lumpy and uncomfortable. Nothing worth making a stink about but not great.
Friday I went to LAX, turned the car in and Avis took me to the terminal. I checked in at the RCC and boarded a 757 for Dulles in F.
No laptop power, once again, even in F, the old grey seats.
This time we had menus, choice or pasta, a chicken dish, or Filet Mignon. I had the steak. Appetizer was salmon with capers, onion and olives. The steak had a cabernet sauvignon sauce, lots of pearl oninons and cooked crunchy carrots.
Dessert was Ben and Jerry's coffee and vanilla scoops of ice cream.
I sat next to a guy who designs airports. I enjoyed chatting about airports, airlines and the airline business (did you know that adding a runway costs $100 million dollars? And that the complaint from airlines that ATC is responsible for increased delays is bogus according to him. The airlines don't want to pay for increased airport facilities so they blame ATC for delays...)
Back in Washington I notice most of the snow has melted...