LarryU
Dec 8, 00, 8:24 pm
To what I am sure is everyone’s delight, I didn’t have time to write a trip report for my recent trip from PDX to MIA. Suffice it to say that there seemed to be a mechanical “issue” on all four of my segments, the longest wait nearly exceeded 1.5 hours as we sat in the plane waiting to depart MIA for IAD. After undergoing a series of six iterations about whether or not we really did have an oil leak, I finally jumped out of my seat and demanded a “recount!” We left shortly thereafter. I don’t remember very much about the actual flights given that I fell asleep after I had a few drinks and then a few more. I snoozed all the way to IAD, napped in the RCC (the tiny one downstairs) and slept most of the way on the five hour flight to PDX. In any case, at least I had a chance to join my family for Thanksgiving and to do a little bass fishing on the golf course at Boca Woods. Final tally: 112 bass (largest was 8 lbs) and 156 golf balls.
After a nice six day respite on the ground, it was time for me to hit the road again and begin my penultimate trip of the year. My plan was to fly to NY on December 6 and just party and hang out for a week. I was not flying in for a specific client so I would just catch up with some friends who I had not seen for a while. To honor the symbolic generosity of the season, I called up WaterGirl and asked her if she wouldn’t mind giving me a lift to PDX at about 6:15AM. She happily agreed so I called up the 1K international desk and inquired about the availability of business seats from PDX to TPE. A short while later, I was 90,000 miles poorer but WaterGirl was in possession of a trip to Taipei to visit her parents on Christmas eve.
I arrived at the PDX RCC at about 7:00AM and was checked in by Angela. Lately, everything always seems to be a case of good news and bad news whenever I am heading to JFK. Flight 2409. my sh*ttle to SFO was listed as on time but the computer would not issue a boarding pass for flight 844 from SFO to JFK. I had already become a tad suspicious of this flight because I had noticed that it had been CANCELED twice in the last two days. This plane actually flies to JFK, then departs for South America, MIA and then a return to SFO. None of these flights had been canceled or delayed. Of additional interest, flight 7, the only 767-300 flying from JFK to SFO had also been canceled two days in a row. The mechanics certainly know how to pick them.
Angela could not understand why she couldn’t issue me a boarding pass because there was no indication that the flight had been canceled. She determined that there had been an equipment change but the replacement also seemed to be a 767, although she wasn’t sure which species. Meanwhile, she issued a new gold boarding pass for the sh*ttle flight and asked me to check back with her when I was ready to depart. She very kindly protected me on the subsequent 12:30ish flight to JFK, just in case UA ultimately decided to cancel the flight. She then asked me whether I was planning to upgrade via an E-Upgrade or certs. I handed over a bunch of 500s.
By 7:30, I decided it was time to head out and wander over to gate E3. I stopped by the front desk and Angela was able to issue me a boarding pass for flight 844. We then tried to figure out the details about the plane. Angela said the capacity had gone up a bit but given that the flight was a 767-300 to begin with, I did not understand how that could be. If it had been downgraded to a 767-200, I would imagine that the capacity would have decreased.
I hung out by the gate for about five minutes before boarding finally began. As I carefully listened to all of the sh*ttle-style boarding announcements, I could discern no mention of the new gold vs blue boarding pass silliness at all. I was soon settled into seat 2D as the other passengers trundled onto the plane. Before long, it was about 8:00AM and our 7:55AM sh*ttle flight was still parked by the gate. “Mechanical Problem”, the pilot announced; I guess I should not have been surprised – that makes five segments in a row for me. As I returned to my reading, an FA walked by and said to me “Its your fault, isn’t it?”
I looked up and it was my friend Cheri, who I think is one of the nicest sh*ttle FAs I have ever met. The pilot then announced that there was a problem with “a gauge” and shortly thereafter, two UA mechanics meandered into the cockpit. After a few minutes, I heard a few seconds of loud banging and the mechanics abruptly exited the plane. Yeah, I guess hitting it did the trick http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
The pilot then declared that the problem was resolved but he needed to fill out some paperwork, which would take about 10 minutes. A half hour went by and he was still dutifully filling out paperwork. The passenger residing in 2A was getting visibly nervous because he had an international connection so Cheri checked with the pilot who said that we would be leaving shortly. I wasn’t terribly concerned but I am always worried that the longer we stay on the ground in PDX, the more it gives SFO an opportunity to change their mind and issue a ground hold. After another 10 minutes elapsed, I arose from the cozy confines of my seat and went over to chat with Cheri in the galley. I told her in a voice loud enough for the pilot to hear that while he is filling out the paperwork, if he was having trouble paying for the repair, UA could use my credit card; it was my personal Christmas gift to UA, since they took such good care of me this year. Besides, I would get extra miles. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
After we stopped laughing, I was shooed back to my seat and we finally left after another 10 minute delay, ultimately departing 50 minutes late. The flight itself was comfortable and pleasant, especially after I downed a few Bloody Mary’s. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif The weather was gorgeous and I enjoyed staring out the window, admiring the magnificent display of snow capped Northwest volcanoes. As we flew south over the Willamette Valley, I could see all the way to Pacific, which, for once, was not engulfed in clouds. I sat there admiring the view until reaching the vicinity of Florence and, one or two huge sand dunes later, ultimately returned to my reading.
The pilot was able to make up some time en route and we wound up on the ground at about 10:00AM, not bad at all. I bid Cheri adieu and emerged by gate 68, to begin the long walk over to the RCC. As is the custom of late, there was not a single seat to be had, so after noshing on a scone for a few minutes, I relocated to the 1K room. Given my concerns about problems with flight 844 over the last THREE days, I decided to ask the 1K concierge what she knew. Not much as it turned out, although I find it interesting that she referred to the problem as “mechanics” and not “mechanical”. I guess its just semantics. In any case, I had now experienced a total of SIX segments in row in which my flights have endured mechanical problems, either real or imagined. At this point, my flight was still listed on time so, with the expectation that it might actually leave as scheduled, I grabbed my carryons and strolled over to gate 82 at a little before 11:00AM.
Imagine my surprise when I was confronted with a 777 resting comfortably by the gate. However, something seemed to be amiss. The gate area seemed to be very crowded with passengers and the board behind the counter listed two separate flights, flight 844 departing at 11:30 for JFK and flight 47, originally scheduled to depart for Maui at 9:25, now listed as “delayed”. I surmised, incorrectly, that due to issues involving the Hawaii flight, perhaps the New Yorkers were commandeering this plane and then began to wonder whether that meant we were being demoted to the 2 class version of the 777. I tried to ascertain additional facts from the gate, RCC and 1K room and swiftly came to the conclusion that pretty much everyone at UA was as much in the dark as I was.
The details of the story kept changing a bit over time. By 11:22, the Hawaii flight was still listed as delayed and the JFK was still listed as an on time departure, eight minutes hence. Then suddenly, the board was changed to list the Maui flight as departing at 11:25 and the JFK flight still at 11:30. That would be a neat trick, I thought to myself.
Back in the 1K room, I asked the concierge how that could be but she didn’t know. Ten minutes later she told me that she thinks the gate had been changed to 87 and made various calls to confirm. Again, all of the information was accompanied by a great deal of uncertainty. I pointed out to her that the backdrop by gate 82 STILL listed the JFK flight, as did all of the monitors, so it might be helpful to the passengers if UA would consider updating these data ASAP.
Gate 87 did indeed list the JFK flight, but so did gate 82. As I arrived by the gate, I was relieved to see a 767-300 welcoming me. But this relief was short lived; almost as if they were reading my mind, the agents announced that this was not our plane and, true to their word, it pulled away in short order. I stood there for another half hour, as I anxiously watched various planes roll by, trying to determine which hardware I would get to enjoy on my flight. Many passengers hung around the immediate gate area tightly clutching their BLUE boarding passes as they peered apprehensively at the unwelcoming jetway. As mentioned on another thread, one could easily discern who was in possession of a blue boarding pass because it seemed all of the gold pass owners kept them comfortably tucked away, whereas all of the blue pass owners held them tightly within their grasp.
Finally, a plane slowly and cautiously approach the gate. As I glanced out of the window, I was happy to discern two adjoining doors situated midway in the cabin so I instantly knew we would be enjoying the 300 series after all. About 10 minutes after disgorging its passengers, the awaiting flight crew enplaned and about 20 minutes after that boarding finally commenced. There was no mention of blue or gold boarding passes at all; it was employee class, followed by business, topped up with the customary row-based priorities.
As I boarded, I mentioned to the greeter how happy I was that the flight had not been canceled, as it had been yesterday and the day before. He said that he was unaware of all of the cancellations. I soon arrived at seat 8A, helped a women in 9B stow her carryon and then settled in. A fellow in the middle section of row 8 brought along a tiny little pup cozily nestled within a special little soft sided carryon. All of the FAs oohed and ahhed over him (the dog, not the man). Soon, my seat mate showed up, but completely ignored my welcoming hello. Oh well, I don’t ALWAYS require a neighbor to harass; I can entertain myself just fine.
I presume that due to the fact that we were already running well over an hour late, there were no pre-departure beverages offered, although UA sometimes omits this service even when there is plenty of time to do so. I listened to the safety announcement with rapt attention, once again noticing the fact that I appeared to be the only one to do so. When the topic of smoke detectors came up, I was a mite surprised to hear the FA warn the passengers not to tamper with a smoke detector or EVEN LOOK AT IT. I know I didn’t imagine this.
Liftoff took place at about 12:50. Channel 9 was turned on as were the laptop power connectors. During the welcoming announcement, an FA pointed out the wonderful noise cancellation headsets to be enjoyed by those passengers populating business and first but, naturally, they did not board the correct ones. I wonder whether anyone else noticed this but I, of course, had brought along a spare pair. At first, it didn’t appear that we would be enjoying menus but these were distributed about 20 minutes into the flight. Shortly thereafter, orders were taken, which appeared to be in status order. I was very pleased to see the rack of lamb on the menu and even mentioned to the FA that I thought it was the best dish served by UA.
Although I didn’t make any small talk with my FA on this trip, she was both efficient and friendly. My drink order was deliver with 2 little gin bottles, a whole can of tonic and a separate glass of ice, just the way I like it. When she came around with seconds, two more gin bottles were presented. I donated my mixed nuts to my neighbor because he looked very hungry, despite the fact that he seemed so unfriendly and unsociable.
The meal service was fine and I entertained myself by watching Toy Story II, which I enjoyed. I then decided not to bother with any of the other in-flight entertainment but instead boot up my laptop, listen to MP3s and experiment with some new Winamp visual plugins that I had recently obtained. In short order, a box of Godiva chocolates was circulated, followed up by hot chocolate chip cookies shortly before landing. I topped it all off with my customary Grand Marnier, brought to me in a tall glass – must have been a double.
As the cabin was being readied for landing, my FA came by with a gift, which she deposited in my lap and then scurried off. It seemed to be the usual napkin ensconced offering, typically a bottle of wine. But the shape appeared very odd. As I looked inside, I was quite surprised to see a huge assortment of little airline bottles all happily nestled within a first class pillow case. It was as if she had raided the entire pantry and wrapped up the collection of Tanqueray and Grand Marnier bottles in a nice sized care package. She even included a can of tonic. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
We had actually made up quite a bit of time due to 100mph tailwinds so we really didn’t land very late at all. As I disembarked, the woman in 9B commented how impressed she was with my screen saver. Gee, I have heard pickup lines before but…” It was too complicated to explain the difference between a visual plugin and a screensaver so I thanked her for the compliment and trotted over to the RCC to chat with my friends and get some status about the condition of my GA. She had just completed foot surgery, which I was happy to hear but was sad to realize that I would not get to see her until sometime next year.
I met my driver at the terminal 7 departures level and he pulled up just as I strode outside. We chatted a while but then I drifted off, happily listening to CDs as we sped north towards my condo in Croton-on-Hudson. When I later checked my voice mail, I found an urgent call from one of my clients who needed me in the city on Monday so I guess it will become a business trip after all. I was also planning to join some friends for dinner on Thursday night, but this was abruptly canceled. One of my friends recently purchased a plane and obtained a pilot’s license and was planning to fly to North Carolina on Friday. I asked him why he didn’t prefer to drink and carouse instead of prepping for his flight but he explained that he needed to be there Friday to pick up a dead deer! I didn’t ask. We are going to try to regroup again on Tuesday night. Maybe its dinner.
[This message has been edited by LarryU (edited 12-09-2000).]
After a nice six day respite on the ground, it was time for me to hit the road again and begin my penultimate trip of the year. My plan was to fly to NY on December 6 and just party and hang out for a week. I was not flying in for a specific client so I would just catch up with some friends who I had not seen for a while. To honor the symbolic generosity of the season, I called up WaterGirl and asked her if she wouldn’t mind giving me a lift to PDX at about 6:15AM. She happily agreed so I called up the 1K international desk and inquired about the availability of business seats from PDX to TPE. A short while later, I was 90,000 miles poorer but WaterGirl was in possession of a trip to Taipei to visit her parents on Christmas eve.
I arrived at the PDX RCC at about 7:00AM and was checked in by Angela. Lately, everything always seems to be a case of good news and bad news whenever I am heading to JFK. Flight 2409. my sh*ttle to SFO was listed as on time but the computer would not issue a boarding pass for flight 844 from SFO to JFK. I had already become a tad suspicious of this flight because I had noticed that it had been CANCELED twice in the last two days. This plane actually flies to JFK, then departs for South America, MIA and then a return to SFO. None of these flights had been canceled or delayed. Of additional interest, flight 7, the only 767-300 flying from JFK to SFO had also been canceled two days in a row. The mechanics certainly know how to pick them.
Angela could not understand why she couldn’t issue me a boarding pass because there was no indication that the flight had been canceled. She determined that there had been an equipment change but the replacement also seemed to be a 767, although she wasn’t sure which species. Meanwhile, she issued a new gold boarding pass for the sh*ttle flight and asked me to check back with her when I was ready to depart. She very kindly protected me on the subsequent 12:30ish flight to JFK, just in case UA ultimately decided to cancel the flight. She then asked me whether I was planning to upgrade via an E-Upgrade or certs. I handed over a bunch of 500s.
By 7:30, I decided it was time to head out and wander over to gate E3. I stopped by the front desk and Angela was able to issue me a boarding pass for flight 844. We then tried to figure out the details about the plane. Angela said the capacity had gone up a bit but given that the flight was a 767-300 to begin with, I did not understand how that could be. If it had been downgraded to a 767-200, I would imagine that the capacity would have decreased.
I hung out by the gate for about five minutes before boarding finally began. As I carefully listened to all of the sh*ttle-style boarding announcements, I could discern no mention of the new gold vs blue boarding pass silliness at all. I was soon settled into seat 2D as the other passengers trundled onto the plane. Before long, it was about 8:00AM and our 7:55AM sh*ttle flight was still parked by the gate. “Mechanical Problem”, the pilot announced; I guess I should not have been surprised – that makes five segments in a row for me. As I returned to my reading, an FA walked by and said to me “Its your fault, isn’t it?”
I looked up and it was my friend Cheri, who I think is one of the nicest sh*ttle FAs I have ever met. The pilot then announced that there was a problem with “a gauge” and shortly thereafter, two UA mechanics meandered into the cockpit. After a few minutes, I heard a few seconds of loud banging and the mechanics abruptly exited the plane. Yeah, I guess hitting it did the trick http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
The pilot then declared that the problem was resolved but he needed to fill out some paperwork, which would take about 10 minutes. A half hour went by and he was still dutifully filling out paperwork. The passenger residing in 2A was getting visibly nervous because he had an international connection so Cheri checked with the pilot who said that we would be leaving shortly. I wasn’t terribly concerned but I am always worried that the longer we stay on the ground in PDX, the more it gives SFO an opportunity to change their mind and issue a ground hold. After another 10 minutes elapsed, I arose from the cozy confines of my seat and went over to chat with Cheri in the galley. I told her in a voice loud enough for the pilot to hear that while he is filling out the paperwork, if he was having trouble paying for the repair, UA could use my credit card; it was my personal Christmas gift to UA, since they took such good care of me this year. Besides, I would get extra miles. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
After we stopped laughing, I was shooed back to my seat and we finally left after another 10 minute delay, ultimately departing 50 minutes late. The flight itself was comfortable and pleasant, especially after I downed a few Bloody Mary’s. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif The weather was gorgeous and I enjoyed staring out the window, admiring the magnificent display of snow capped Northwest volcanoes. As we flew south over the Willamette Valley, I could see all the way to Pacific, which, for once, was not engulfed in clouds. I sat there admiring the view until reaching the vicinity of Florence and, one or two huge sand dunes later, ultimately returned to my reading.
The pilot was able to make up some time en route and we wound up on the ground at about 10:00AM, not bad at all. I bid Cheri adieu and emerged by gate 68, to begin the long walk over to the RCC. As is the custom of late, there was not a single seat to be had, so after noshing on a scone for a few minutes, I relocated to the 1K room. Given my concerns about problems with flight 844 over the last THREE days, I decided to ask the 1K concierge what she knew. Not much as it turned out, although I find it interesting that she referred to the problem as “mechanics” and not “mechanical”. I guess its just semantics. In any case, I had now experienced a total of SIX segments in row in which my flights have endured mechanical problems, either real or imagined. At this point, my flight was still listed on time so, with the expectation that it might actually leave as scheduled, I grabbed my carryons and strolled over to gate 82 at a little before 11:00AM.
Imagine my surprise when I was confronted with a 777 resting comfortably by the gate. However, something seemed to be amiss. The gate area seemed to be very crowded with passengers and the board behind the counter listed two separate flights, flight 844 departing at 11:30 for JFK and flight 47, originally scheduled to depart for Maui at 9:25, now listed as “delayed”. I surmised, incorrectly, that due to issues involving the Hawaii flight, perhaps the New Yorkers were commandeering this plane and then began to wonder whether that meant we were being demoted to the 2 class version of the 777. I tried to ascertain additional facts from the gate, RCC and 1K room and swiftly came to the conclusion that pretty much everyone at UA was as much in the dark as I was.
The details of the story kept changing a bit over time. By 11:22, the Hawaii flight was still listed as delayed and the JFK was still listed as an on time departure, eight minutes hence. Then suddenly, the board was changed to list the Maui flight as departing at 11:25 and the JFK flight still at 11:30. That would be a neat trick, I thought to myself.
Back in the 1K room, I asked the concierge how that could be but she didn’t know. Ten minutes later she told me that she thinks the gate had been changed to 87 and made various calls to confirm. Again, all of the information was accompanied by a great deal of uncertainty. I pointed out to her that the backdrop by gate 82 STILL listed the JFK flight, as did all of the monitors, so it might be helpful to the passengers if UA would consider updating these data ASAP.
Gate 87 did indeed list the JFK flight, but so did gate 82. As I arrived by the gate, I was relieved to see a 767-300 welcoming me. But this relief was short lived; almost as if they were reading my mind, the agents announced that this was not our plane and, true to their word, it pulled away in short order. I stood there for another half hour, as I anxiously watched various planes roll by, trying to determine which hardware I would get to enjoy on my flight. Many passengers hung around the immediate gate area tightly clutching their BLUE boarding passes as they peered apprehensively at the unwelcoming jetway. As mentioned on another thread, one could easily discern who was in possession of a blue boarding pass because it seemed all of the gold pass owners kept them comfortably tucked away, whereas all of the blue pass owners held them tightly within their grasp.
Finally, a plane slowly and cautiously approach the gate. As I glanced out of the window, I was happy to discern two adjoining doors situated midway in the cabin so I instantly knew we would be enjoying the 300 series after all. About 10 minutes after disgorging its passengers, the awaiting flight crew enplaned and about 20 minutes after that boarding finally commenced. There was no mention of blue or gold boarding passes at all; it was employee class, followed by business, topped up with the customary row-based priorities.
As I boarded, I mentioned to the greeter how happy I was that the flight had not been canceled, as it had been yesterday and the day before. He said that he was unaware of all of the cancellations. I soon arrived at seat 8A, helped a women in 9B stow her carryon and then settled in. A fellow in the middle section of row 8 brought along a tiny little pup cozily nestled within a special little soft sided carryon. All of the FAs oohed and ahhed over him (the dog, not the man). Soon, my seat mate showed up, but completely ignored my welcoming hello. Oh well, I don’t ALWAYS require a neighbor to harass; I can entertain myself just fine.
I presume that due to the fact that we were already running well over an hour late, there were no pre-departure beverages offered, although UA sometimes omits this service even when there is plenty of time to do so. I listened to the safety announcement with rapt attention, once again noticing the fact that I appeared to be the only one to do so. When the topic of smoke detectors came up, I was a mite surprised to hear the FA warn the passengers not to tamper with a smoke detector or EVEN LOOK AT IT. I know I didn’t imagine this.
Liftoff took place at about 12:50. Channel 9 was turned on as were the laptop power connectors. During the welcoming announcement, an FA pointed out the wonderful noise cancellation headsets to be enjoyed by those passengers populating business and first but, naturally, they did not board the correct ones. I wonder whether anyone else noticed this but I, of course, had brought along a spare pair. At first, it didn’t appear that we would be enjoying menus but these were distributed about 20 minutes into the flight. Shortly thereafter, orders were taken, which appeared to be in status order. I was very pleased to see the rack of lamb on the menu and even mentioned to the FA that I thought it was the best dish served by UA.
Although I didn’t make any small talk with my FA on this trip, she was both efficient and friendly. My drink order was deliver with 2 little gin bottles, a whole can of tonic and a separate glass of ice, just the way I like it. When she came around with seconds, two more gin bottles were presented. I donated my mixed nuts to my neighbor because he looked very hungry, despite the fact that he seemed so unfriendly and unsociable.
The meal service was fine and I entertained myself by watching Toy Story II, which I enjoyed. I then decided not to bother with any of the other in-flight entertainment but instead boot up my laptop, listen to MP3s and experiment with some new Winamp visual plugins that I had recently obtained. In short order, a box of Godiva chocolates was circulated, followed up by hot chocolate chip cookies shortly before landing. I topped it all off with my customary Grand Marnier, brought to me in a tall glass – must have been a double.
As the cabin was being readied for landing, my FA came by with a gift, which she deposited in my lap and then scurried off. It seemed to be the usual napkin ensconced offering, typically a bottle of wine. But the shape appeared very odd. As I looked inside, I was quite surprised to see a huge assortment of little airline bottles all happily nestled within a first class pillow case. It was as if she had raided the entire pantry and wrapped up the collection of Tanqueray and Grand Marnier bottles in a nice sized care package. She even included a can of tonic. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
We had actually made up quite a bit of time due to 100mph tailwinds so we really didn’t land very late at all. As I disembarked, the woman in 9B commented how impressed she was with my screen saver. Gee, I have heard pickup lines before but…” It was too complicated to explain the difference between a visual plugin and a screensaver so I thanked her for the compliment and trotted over to the RCC to chat with my friends and get some status about the condition of my GA. She had just completed foot surgery, which I was happy to hear but was sad to realize that I would not get to see her until sometime next year.
I met my driver at the terminal 7 departures level and he pulled up just as I strode outside. We chatted a while but then I drifted off, happily listening to CDs as we sped north towards my condo in Croton-on-Hudson. When I later checked my voice mail, I found an urgent call from one of my clients who needed me in the city on Monday so I guess it will become a business trip after all. I was also planning to join some friends for dinner on Thursday night, but this was abruptly canceled. One of my friends recently purchased a plane and obtained a pilot’s license and was planning to fly to North Carolina on Friday. I asked him why he didn’t prefer to drink and carouse instead of prepping for his flight but he explained that he needed to be there Friday to pick up a dead deer! I didn’t ask. We are going to try to regroup again on Tuesday night. Maybe its dinner.
[This message has been edited by LarryU (edited 12-09-2000).]