LarryU
Aug 30, 00, 1:22 pm
I had some difficulty posting the entire trip report today, although its actually a little shorter than my typical verbiose commentaries. So, here is part 3.
08/27/2000 UA Flight 844, 11:35 Seat 2A
When I arrived at gate 86, my flight was still listed on time so waited in the proximity of the entrance to await boarding. There was a line of about 20 or so passengers by the counter that did not seem to get any shorter over the next 15 minutes. After a while, the gate agents announced that all of the upgrades looked good for those on the waiting list but passengers should be sure to wait until 10 minutes before departure before boarding the plane. If the waiting list cleared and they were already on the plane, nobody would be sent on board to fetch them. A short while later they announced that the flight was oversold and they would give a $300 voucher and a lunch voucher to anyone who would volunteer to wait until a later flight. It did not seem like there were many takers.
Boarding commenced at about 11:05 and I went on board and found my seat. As I did so, rather than receive an even perfunctory greeting, I listened to the head FA grumble to another FA about the fact that they hadn’t been warned that “they were on the way”. I guess that they have met the enemy and he is us. The first thing I did was check the headphones, which were the wrong type, as expected. When I asked the FA about this, he said that they did not seem to be loading them in SFO any more. The rumor that I had heard previously was that they were having problems with the old ones. How many years do you think it will take for United to come up with replacements? As I pulled out one of my backup headphones, my drink order was taken. Out of the 10 available seats, two remained empty, four were occupied by obvious employees and the remaining four by passengers (I think). Seats 1A and 1B were occupied by FAs who changed into civilian garb once we took off.
Prior to departure, a carnation-adorned concierge entered the plane, thanked my seat mate for his business and told him about the “wonderful” premium transcon lounge. As on my last such flight, not a word was said to me, a full fare paying passenger. Prior to pull back, the assistant FA insisted on stowing my small carryon in the overhead, which, IMHO, is quite ridiculous. Most of the attendants do not seem as anal. Pull back took place just a few minutes late and we took off about 10 minutes later. SFO seemed to be quite functional on this day. I guess it happens once in a while. As I would really hope it to be in this cabin, overall service was fine, although not quite up the professional and cordial level of service that I enjoyed on a similar flight from LAX in early July. The main FA really did not seem to be terribly gracious or attentive. But he wasn’t rude and I was happy that my seat was in perfect working order so no big deal.
By the time drink service began, I could feel another Migraine coming on. Wow, this was going to be beaut. As I drank my G&T, which was fortunately a double, I studied the menu. The appetizer listed chilled artichokes with Parma ham and warm seared sea scallops. Only the scallops were proffered but they were pretty nice. This was followed by vegetable soup and then an arugula salad with lemon dressing. As a palette cleanser, a “raspberry” sorbet was served that was actually lemon. By this point, my double-Migraine had completely vanished! New Migraine miracle cure – Gin!
For the main course, one could choose between sautéed pork loin in port sauce with prunes, chicken chasseur with wild mushroom sauce, salmon in flaky dough with mushroom, shrimp and shallot stuffing and a spicy sautéed shrimp salad. I was not sure which to order so I asked the assistant FA for advice. She said that if I didn’t like what I picked I could always try a different option later but would probably be full anyway. This was actually quite true but nobody bothered asking whether I wanted something else later in the flight. My seat mate opted not to order anything at all, not even so much as a roll. The FA told him how smart he was.
To accompany my main course, I was also served a plate containing a assortment of spinach, ham and cheese soufflé, mixed vegetable, leeks gratinée and ricotta Gnocchi with red pepper sauce. To wash it all down, I drank a few glasses of 1996 Villa Mt Eden Santa Maria Valley ‘Bien Nacido’ Pinot Noir. The FA did a fairly good job of keeping the wine glass filled.
For desert, I was served a Ben & Jerry’s sundae and a small plate of assorted cheeses and fruit. This was accompanied by a glass of port. With about three hours left to the flight, that was pretty much the last I saw of the FAs, again not quite up to snuff for employee class. Actually, when I say that I didn’t see any FAs, that’s not quite true, the assistant FA spent quite a bit of time attending to her two FA compatriots residing in row one. She stopped by every 20 minutes or so to make sure that their glasses were filled.
For entertainment, I wasn’t much interested in the main film selections so I decided to avail myself of the little VCR device built into the seat. I was presented with a list of about 12 films from which to choose, and I opted for “Cider House Rules” since it was the only one I had heard of and not yet seen. With about a half hour remaining to the flight, I finally managed to catch the attention of the FA as she was heading to check on her friends and snatch a Grande Marnier. As we began our approach into JFK she once again insisted on stowing my carryon, which had been resting quietly by my feet.
The flight arrived on time at about 8:00PM and we pulled into gate 8 in terminal 7. I made my usual pitstop in the RCC, but didn’t recognize anyone there; it is very unusual for me to arrive at JFK on a Sunday night. When I flew in three weeks ago, everything by the bar had been self serve and I was curious as to whether there had been a recent change in policy. That was evidently an aberration because there was certainly a fellow by the bar tending shop this evening. I guess he had been a no show a few weeks ago.
Tel Aviv Car Service car 188 Scheduled 8:20PM Canceled
Tel Aviv Car Service car 395 Scheduled 9:10PM Delayed
I called my ride to let them know that I had arrived and was told to await pickup at the arrivals level in about five minutes. I was also told that it was good that I had reservations; they were completely booked up. As I would come to learn a bit later, perhaps I wasn’t so fortunate. I waited outside in the muggy NY air for about 40 minutes but my pickup never appeared. After two reminder calls, a Tel Aviv car finally pulled up and I clambered on board. As is my hard-earned habit, I reminded the driver that I was paying by credit card and off we went. In fact, this information had been clearly conveyed when I made my reservation the prior week. However, during the next five minutes, the driver asked me on no less that three separate occasions, “Cash, right”, in his heavily Pakistani-influenced accent. Despite all of my assertions to the contrary, he was unwilling to come around to my way of thinking. Since we were still well within the overall JFK domain, I finally told him to bring me back to the **** terminal, where I would try my luck with a more cooperative driver. I sarcastically thanked him for the tour and got back on the horn with a Tel Aviv.
The Tel Aviv operator was very apologetic and said that she would send out another car. She also said that there have been reports of independent drivers cruising for victims by masquerading as Tel Aviv cars. The sign in the car had looked fairly professional to me but what do I know. I remain highly skeptical.
The replacement car also didn’t appear right away either and I was forced to invoke one final reminder call in order to induce its appearance. As I had done earlier in the evening, I told the driver that I was paying by credit card and refused to enter the car until I received an affirmative acknowledgement in English. So off we finally went to join the throngs already enmassed on the Van Wyck, which by this point in the late NY metro Sunday evening was virtually impenetrable. We sat there for quite some time, enjoying the melodious sounds of neighboring infernal combustion engines and breathing in the noxious bouquet that wafted in through my open window. After I had had enough of this, I politely asked the driver to turn on the air conditioner. He feigned lack of comprehension but I was finally accommodated once I opted to escalate my request to a threat. I guess he wanted to save the money that use of the A/C would cost him.
Once we finally crossed the bridge that deposited us within the confines of lower Manhattan, the driver turned to me and asked me a very profound question, “Cash, right?” I cannot remember my precise reply, but its probably just as well. I think you get the idea. My next hurdle was the fact that the driver didn’t really know how to get to the hotel but I was able to navigate there successfully, having been there once before. It was now well after 10:00 and we were finally within site of my destination; there sat the Embassy Suites, only one block away!
However, for some reason we were not moving. “What’s the problem, now,” I asked. “Police!”, he said. So? No answer. And no movement. I have no idea what type of criminals Tel Aviv has been hiring, but the presence of an unoccupied police car harmlessly parked in front of the hotel absolutely filled this fellow with terror. Not wishing to spend the evening in the car, I grabbed my junk, slammed the door and strode off to the hotel.
A few minutes later, I was all checked in and was given a little shopping bag containing toys, some neat plastic sunglasses and a cool disposable camera. I had booked my room on the internet using the “Family Fun Pack” promotion, which saved $100 over their so-called corporate rate.
Well, that’s it. I am now anxiously awaiting the little FT dinner on Wednesday.
[This message has been edited by LarryU (edited 08-30-2000).]
08/27/2000 UA Flight 844, 11:35 Seat 2A
When I arrived at gate 86, my flight was still listed on time so waited in the proximity of the entrance to await boarding. There was a line of about 20 or so passengers by the counter that did not seem to get any shorter over the next 15 minutes. After a while, the gate agents announced that all of the upgrades looked good for those on the waiting list but passengers should be sure to wait until 10 minutes before departure before boarding the plane. If the waiting list cleared and they were already on the plane, nobody would be sent on board to fetch them. A short while later they announced that the flight was oversold and they would give a $300 voucher and a lunch voucher to anyone who would volunteer to wait until a later flight. It did not seem like there were many takers.
Boarding commenced at about 11:05 and I went on board and found my seat. As I did so, rather than receive an even perfunctory greeting, I listened to the head FA grumble to another FA about the fact that they hadn’t been warned that “they were on the way”. I guess that they have met the enemy and he is us. The first thing I did was check the headphones, which were the wrong type, as expected. When I asked the FA about this, he said that they did not seem to be loading them in SFO any more. The rumor that I had heard previously was that they were having problems with the old ones. How many years do you think it will take for United to come up with replacements? As I pulled out one of my backup headphones, my drink order was taken. Out of the 10 available seats, two remained empty, four were occupied by obvious employees and the remaining four by passengers (I think). Seats 1A and 1B were occupied by FAs who changed into civilian garb once we took off.
Prior to departure, a carnation-adorned concierge entered the plane, thanked my seat mate for his business and told him about the “wonderful” premium transcon lounge. As on my last such flight, not a word was said to me, a full fare paying passenger. Prior to pull back, the assistant FA insisted on stowing my small carryon in the overhead, which, IMHO, is quite ridiculous. Most of the attendants do not seem as anal. Pull back took place just a few minutes late and we took off about 10 minutes later. SFO seemed to be quite functional on this day. I guess it happens once in a while. As I would really hope it to be in this cabin, overall service was fine, although not quite up the professional and cordial level of service that I enjoyed on a similar flight from LAX in early July. The main FA really did not seem to be terribly gracious or attentive. But he wasn’t rude and I was happy that my seat was in perfect working order so no big deal.
By the time drink service began, I could feel another Migraine coming on. Wow, this was going to be beaut. As I drank my G&T, which was fortunately a double, I studied the menu. The appetizer listed chilled artichokes with Parma ham and warm seared sea scallops. Only the scallops were proffered but they were pretty nice. This was followed by vegetable soup and then an arugula salad with lemon dressing. As a palette cleanser, a “raspberry” sorbet was served that was actually lemon. By this point, my double-Migraine had completely vanished! New Migraine miracle cure – Gin!
For the main course, one could choose between sautéed pork loin in port sauce with prunes, chicken chasseur with wild mushroom sauce, salmon in flaky dough with mushroom, shrimp and shallot stuffing and a spicy sautéed shrimp salad. I was not sure which to order so I asked the assistant FA for advice. She said that if I didn’t like what I picked I could always try a different option later but would probably be full anyway. This was actually quite true but nobody bothered asking whether I wanted something else later in the flight. My seat mate opted not to order anything at all, not even so much as a roll. The FA told him how smart he was.
To accompany my main course, I was also served a plate containing a assortment of spinach, ham and cheese soufflé, mixed vegetable, leeks gratinée and ricotta Gnocchi with red pepper sauce. To wash it all down, I drank a few glasses of 1996 Villa Mt Eden Santa Maria Valley ‘Bien Nacido’ Pinot Noir. The FA did a fairly good job of keeping the wine glass filled.
For desert, I was served a Ben & Jerry’s sundae and a small plate of assorted cheeses and fruit. This was accompanied by a glass of port. With about three hours left to the flight, that was pretty much the last I saw of the FAs, again not quite up to snuff for employee class. Actually, when I say that I didn’t see any FAs, that’s not quite true, the assistant FA spent quite a bit of time attending to her two FA compatriots residing in row one. She stopped by every 20 minutes or so to make sure that their glasses were filled.
For entertainment, I wasn’t much interested in the main film selections so I decided to avail myself of the little VCR device built into the seat. I was presented with a list of about 12 films from which to choose, and I opted for “Cider House Rules” since it was the only one I had heard of and not yet seen. With about a half hour remaining to the flight, I finally managed to catch the attention of the FA as she was heading to check on her friends and snatch a Grande Marnier. As we began our approach into JFK she once again insisted on stowing my carryon, which had been resting quietly by my feet.
The flight arrived on time at about 8:00PM and we pulled into gate 8 in terminal 7. I made my usual pitstop in the RCC, but didn’t recognize anyone there; it is very unusual for me to arrive at JFK on a Sunday night. When I flew in three weeks ago, everything by the bar had been self serve and I was curious as to whether there had been a recent change in policy. That was evidently an aberration because there was certainly a fellow by the bar tending shop this evening. I guess he had been a no show a few weeks ago.
Tel Aviv Car Service car 188 Scheduled 8:20PM Canceled
Tel Aviv Car Service car 395 Scheduled 9:10PM Delayed
I called my ride to let them know that I had arrived and was told to await pickup at the arrivals level in about five minutes. I was also told that it was good that I had reservations; they were completely booked up. As I would come to learn a bit later, perhaps I wasn’t so fortunate. I waited outside in the muggy NY air for about 40 minutes but my pickup never appeared. After two reminder calls, a Tel Aviv car finally pulled up and I clambered on board. As is my hard-earned habit, I reminded the driver that I was paying by credit card and off we went. In fact, this information had been clearly conveyed when I made my reservation the prior week. However, during the next five minutes, the driver asked me on no less that three separate occasions, “Cash, right”, in his heavily Pakistani-influenced accent. Despite all of my assertions to the contrary, he was unwilling to come around to my way of thinking. Since we were still well within the overall JFK domain, I finally told him to bring me back to the **** terminal, where I would try my luck with a more cooperative driver. I sarcastically thanked him for the tour and got back on the horn with a Tel Aviv.
The Tel Aviv operator was very apologetic and said that she would send out another car. She also said that there have been reports of independent drivers cruising for victims by masquerading as Tel Aviv cars. The sign in the car had looked fairly professional to me but what do I know. I remain highly skeptical.
The replacement car also didn’t appear right away either and I was forced to invoke one final reminder call in order to induce its appearance. As I had done earlier in the evening, I told the driver that I was paying by credit card and refused to enter the car until I received an affirmative acknowledgement in English. So off we finally went to join the throngs already enmassed on the Van Wyck, which by this point in the late NY metro Sunday evening was virtually impenetrable. We sat there for quite some time, enjoying the melodious sounds of neighboring infernal combustion engines and breathing in the noxious bouquet that wafted in through my open window. After I had had enough of this, I politely asked the driver to turn on the air conditioner. He feigned lack of comprehension but I was finally accommodated once I opted to escalate my request to a threat. I guess he wanted to save the money that use of the A/C would cost him.
Once we finally crossed the bridge that deposited us within the confines of lower Manhattan, the driver turned to me and asked me a very profound question, “Cash, right?” I cannot remember my precise reply, but its probably just as well. I think you get the idea. My next hurdle was the fact that the driver didn’t really know how to get to the hotel but I was able to navigate there successfully, having been there once before. It was now well after 10:00 and we were finally within site of my destination; there sat the Embassy Suites, only one block away!
However, for some reason we were not moving. “What’s the problem, now,” I asked. “Police!”, he said. So? No answer. And no movement. I have no idea what type of criminals Tel Aviv has been hiring, but the presence of an unoccupied police car harmlessly parked in front of the hotel absolutely filled this fellow with terror. Not wishing to spend the evening in the car, I grabbed my junk, slammed the door and strode off to the hotel.
A few minutes later, I was all checked in and was given a little shopping bag containing toys, some neat plastic sunglasses and a cool disposable camera. I had booked my room on the internet using the “Family Fun Pack” promotion, which saved $100 over their so-called corporate rate.
Well, that’s it. I am now anxiously awaiting the little FT dinner on Wednesday.
[This message has been edited by LarryU (edited 08-30-2000).]