Eastbay1K
Jan 16, 01, 11:59 am
My day began much too early. The room was bright at 7AM at the Ramada San Juan as the blinds were stuck in the UP position. After unsuccessfully trying to fall back to sleep for a couple hours, I went to get some last minute sun and finish a book that had traveled over 100,000 miles since last March. I was on the 10th floor. Both elevators decided not to work, and while waiting, the maintenance people pried the doors open and all we could see is the top of the elevator, on or near floor 9. So I went down 10 flights of stairs. I finished my book. The elevator once again worked (nervous as I was to get in it). Showered, checked out, taxi to SJU. (All I really feel like saying about that Ramada right now is that it was probably a lovely hotel just about the time I was born.)
UA 1747F- SJU/ORD. Check in was relatively quick but inefficient as the agent didn’t know what to do with the North American Confirmed Upgrade. She handed it back to me. I insisted she keep it, as UA is automatically deducting ecerts if you don’t leave coupons. Confirmed through to SFO in F. She kept the cert. (Last time, another agent didn’t know how to process them either, but before the time of ecertland.
Prior to takeoff, heard the captain tell the flight attendant that he hoped everyone had a good book to read. The AV system kaput. I had just finished the book that it took me 10 months to read a few hours earlier. With a flight time of about 5 hours, AV system is usually a GOOD thing, but … like sands through the hourglass.
The meal seemed to be progressing nicely until, as me and the seatmate were about to be served, I started to shout OWW OWW OWW, not knowing why my right hand was burning, as it was by my side. The burning juices from the chateaubriand were dripping off the plate from the tray in her hand onto my hand and shirt. Fortunately, most of the burn was confined to my middle finger, which was wrapped in ice for awhile, and then I put it in a glass of ice.
Otherwise, the meal was pretty good. Salmon appetizer, microscopic salad, chateaubriand with more juices on me than on the plate (well, at least it was tender enough to cut with a fork with my left hand, as my right hand was working about as well as the AV system at that point), and some sort of caramel custard filled pastry for dessert, with Godiva chocolates. All in all, not bad. Flight attendants were super nice as they felt terrible. Got one super compliment (from the one who burned me) – she felt so bad that she did it to “the best looking guy on the plane” Awwwww.
During the meal, me and the seatmate had a wine toast to “on-time connecting flights.” When I had to go down 10 floors of a hotel in the morning, I should have known it wouldn’t be the case.
Arrived at ORD, in an F gate. I think its part of the new UA exercise program. Departure monitor out. Walked to B. UA 151. Cancelled. A 2 cabin 767. I knew things weren’t looking good. Went to 1K room. Next flight out an A319. Given a window seat in Y, and was 1st on the F list. Took a long walk around, stopped in RCC, stopped back in 1K room (where things were “looking good” for the upgrade). Used the meal voucher on what was a nearly-inedible sandwich from Wolfgang Puck. Threw most of it away. My seat # stayed as the first one on the list of possible upgrades on those new nifty screens. One by one the other 3 disappeared. Finally, just before boarding started, I saw a man pull out vouchers and check in – I then asked the agent if F was full, and as I surrendered a North American cert in SJU and was downgraded, what would they do? She printed out a one segment upgrade cert. Said that’s all she could do.
Well, as the earlier flight was cancelled, and instead of having an F dinner, I had a Y snack on a 9pm flight., in a “window” seat that was missing the window (unless the seat was reclined, which wasn’t much, because the exit row was behind). I’ll spare you the snack description. Most of it remained in the “box”. At least the flight attendants were nice, comping my drinks (and those of my seatmates) when I pulled out the 1K drink coupons. I stood up in the rear galley approximately 2 hours of the 4 hour flight (as I had seen the movie 2x in January already.) I didn’t scrutinize the manifest, but I could see that there were several 1K and a few million mile fliers in Y on this plane, which is what happens when you cancel a 767 to SFO.
Today I woke up, tan, with barely any remaining sensation from the burn.
UA 1747F- SJU/ORD. Check in was relatively quick but inefficient as the agent didn’t know what to do with the North American Confirmed Upgrade. She handed it back to me. I insisted she keep it, as UA is automatically deducting ecerts if you don’t leave coupons. Confirmed through to SFO in F. She kept the cert. (Last time, another agent didn’t know how to process them either, but before the time of ecertland.
Prior to takeoff, heard the captain tell the flight attendant that he hoped everyone had a good book to read. The AV system kaput. I had just finished the book that it took me 10 months to read a few hours earlier. With a flight time of about 5 hours, AV system is usually a GOOD thing, but … like sands through the hourglass.
The meal seemed to be progressing nicely until, as me and the seatmate were about to be served, I started to shout OWW OWW OWW, not knowing why my right hand was burning, as it was by my side. The burning juices from the chateaubriand were dripping off the plate from the tray in her hand onto my hand and shirt. Fortunately, most of the burn was confined to my middle finger, which was wrapped in ice for awhile, and then I put it in a glass of ice.
Otherwise, the meal was pretty good. Salmon appetizer, microscopic salad, chateaubriand with more juices on me than on the plate (well, at least it was tender enough to cut with a fork with my left hand, as my right hand was working about as well as the AV system at that point), and some sort of caramel custard filled pastry for dessert, with Godiva chocolates. All in all, not bad. Flight attendants were super nice as they felt terrible. Got one super compliment (from the one who burned me) – she felt so bad that she did it to “the best looking guy on the plane” Awwwww.
During the meal, me and the seatmate had a wine toast to “on-time connecting flights.” When I had to go down 10 floors of a hotel in the morning, I should have known it wouldn’t be the case.
Arrived at ORD, in an F gate. I think its part of the new UA exercise program. Departure monitor out. Walked to B. UA 151. Cancelled. A 2 cabin 767. I knew things weren’t looking good. Went to 1K room. Next flight out an A319. Given a window seat in Y, and was 1st on the F list. Took a long walk around, stopped in RCC, stopped back in 1K room (where things were “looking good” for the upgrade). Used the meal voucher on what was a nearly-inedible sandwich from Wolfgang Puck. Threw most of it away. My seat # stayed as the first one on the list of possible upgrades on those new nifty screens. One by one the other 3 disappeared. Finally, just before boarding started, I saw a man pull out vouchers and check in – I then asked the agent if F was full, and as I surrendered a North American cert in SJU and was downgraded, what would they do? She printed out a one segment upgrade cert. Said that’s all she could do.
Well, as the earlier flight was cancelled, and instead of having an F dinner, I had a Y snack on a 9pm flight., in a “window” seat that was missing the window (unless the seat was reclined, which wasn’t much, because the exit row was behind). I’ll spare you the snack description. Most of it remained in the “box”. At least the flight attendants were nice, comping my drinks (and those of my seatmates) when I pulled out the 1K drink coupons. I stood up in the rear galley approximately 2 hours of the 4 hour flight (as I had seen the movie 2x in January already.) I didn’t scrutinize the manifest, but I could see that there were several 1K and a few million mile fliers in Y on this plane, which is what happens when you cancel a 767 to SFO.
Today I woke up, tan, with barely any remaining sensation from the burn.