Trip Reports - My bachelor party trip to Las Vegas....

Please forgive me if the post becomes too long. It's only my second post on FT and my first TR on FT.

About nine months ago I got engaged to the love of my life and the first question for one of my best friends (CLTFlyer), "...when are we going to Vegas for your bachelor party?". Ok so it wasn't his first question, but I knew that's what he was thinking! In late April we decided the weekend of July 22-25 would be great time to hit the "strip". Thursday July 22 finally gets here and thus begins my adventure...

FLT 621 UA
DCA-ORD
Seat 9A
3pm departure

FLT 1591 TED
ORD-LAS
Seat 5A
5pm departure


I arrive at the airport around 1:15 and check in my golf clubs and get my boarding passes for this and the connecting flight out of O'Hare. The ticket agent tells me that the flight might be a little late due weather developing Chicago and (I can't remember if she said this or another ticketing agent but something about airspace being closed due to Air Force 1's arrival. I know I didn't catch if it was President Bush arriving or departing Chicago or "dubya" coming back to DC. This was my first warning signal, but I dismissed it. Clear security quickly and head down to the gate. I've got over an hour to kill, so I start calling the other members of my party to see how their travels are coming along and make dinner plans with two of them. It's now 2:30 and I wait for the boarding announcements to begin..... no announcement, I wonder what's wrong with this? I check the monitor behind the podium to see that flight has been changed to a 3:30 departure, no worries we'll make up the lost 1/2 hour enroute and it'll still leave me plenty of to me to reach my connecting flight. At this time an announcement is made that this flight may stay on the tarmac for almost an hour before we get clearance to take off. Now I start to think do I have enough time to make my connection? The gate agent calls for Zone 1 to board I wait patiently, I hear Zone 2 (my zone)and still wait knowing that this flight maybe delayed on the ground why wait in the plane. Finally I decide to board along with Zone 3 passengers. I stowaway my rollerboard and take my seat. Wow, E+ is awesome couldn't believe the leg room, and I'm in E+ from ORD to LAS. The aircraft door shuts and we push back from the gate. We begin our taxi down to runway 1/19 and to the old national airport area. We are placed in a holding pen and the pilot shuts down the engines. It's now 3:30pm. A few minutes later the fa's come by with trays of water, very nice! I'm on my cell phone talking to my fiance to let her now what's going and ask her to check ual.com periodically to see if they have an updates on my connecting flight. The hours start to go by and no word on when our ETD will be. The flight deck makes an annoucement that the weather delay still continues. Also the flight deck announces that crew is close to reaching it's duty time. I think to myself oh boy we're never going to leave DC. The flight deck leaves CH9 on for our pleasure or misery, don't know which. Around 6pm the weather starts to turn in DC and clouds get darker.

My fiance calls to tell me that she's stuck in a downpour just south of Tyson's Corner and it looks like the storm is heading towards DCA. Around this time the pilot emerges from the cockpit to answer a few questions that the passsengers ask. "Do we have enough fuel?", "What about my connecting flight, will I make it?" Now I'm starting to wonder if I'll make it to Vegas on the 22nd of July. Form here on for the next hour or so things get a little fuzzy, and no I didn't have any G&T's though I wish I had! Around 7pm, I thought I heard the pliot say that there's a chance we could be wheels up in the next 6 minutes so he asked fa's to prepare for departure. Now there's a buzz in the aircraft, "hey, we just might get to Chicago tonight". Well 6 minutes goes by, and then another 10 minutes. Finally, the pilot announces over the pa system that he's got some bad news. The crew has gone over their duty time and the extension they asked for and received. He tells us that we're going back to the gate. I was annoyed but I understood; however, there were some passengers who didn't see it that way. They asked why we had not turned around sooner to head back to the gate. I think I may know what the pilot had said if he had heard this question. We were the first aircraft on line to depart for ORD, behind us were 2 other UAL and 2 AA aircrafts all headed to the windy city this afternoon and earky evening. While we waited to taxi back to the gate, I thought I'd be proactive and call United reservations. It's now 7:30pm. After a few minutes a live voice answers my call and I begin to explain my situation. I tell her that I'm on UA 621 and that it's heading back to the gate at DCA b/c the crew went over it's alloted duty time. After a few minutes of checking she says that UA can get me on confirmed seats to Vegas out of ORD on Friday afternoon. Now I'm starting to wonder is it even worth going out to Vegas for my bachelor party. Around 7:45 the pilot fires up the engines on our A319 to head back to the gate. Before we begin to move I ask the reservations agent to check availability on UA out of IAD to SFO, LAX, and DEN. She comes back and says everything is full that evening out of Dulles and that I can get seat out on Friday afternoon. I asked her again politely to check if there's anything to the left coast tonight and then an eary mornig departure to LAS. Lo and behold she found me a seat! It was the last seat available on UA 205 from IAD to SFO that evening and then continuing to LAS on the 6:30 am departure. I said i'll take it. Now the little mouse inside my head starts spinning the wheel faster.. hmm call fiance to see if she can pick me up at DCA and drive me out to IAD.. story to be continued.. Soon to be Mrs. DCAflyerUAUS is calling me to the table for dinner..

So, how was the bachelor party? Hopefully it made up for your flight or non-flight problems.

Part 2

We arrive back at the gate and I deplane around 8 pm. I stand in line at the podium to see if they're any seats available on one the remaining flights to ORD than onto LAS, no luck. I ask the gate agent if she can print my boarding pass for 205 and ask if my one checked bag will be available at baggage claim, she said yes. While running through the terminal on my way to baggage claim I call my fiance to see if she can meet me in arrivals area. She's already on her way from where we live near Old Town Alexandria. It's now 8:15 pm and we are on our way to Dulles for the 9:55 departure to SFO. Well, the boarding pass I received at DCA does not say E+ and it'a a middle seat to boot. We get to Dulles around 8:45 and there's hardly a soul at the UA check in counter. I ask the ticket agent after getting my golf clubs checked in to see if there is an E+ or a window seat available and he says no. Oh well I tried. Clear security and get on one of the moon buggies to concourse D. I've got 45 minutes to departure and start to feel a little light headed. Realizing that my last meal was almost 10 hours ago I search for the first available restaurant that's open. Not being too familiar with IAD, my departure gate was D3 to my left, I headed right. Hooray a Friday's was open! Orders a club sandwich to go and headed back to D3. The gate agent was clearing upgrades, hmm this is my opportunity to maybe get E+ seat. No such luck, but I did get a window seat on a row with an open middle seat. I can't remember when we actually departed but it was after 9:55pm. Our flight path on the IAD-SFO was interesting to say the least. Once again thank you flight deck for leaving CH 9 on! After departure we headed south to Atlanta, then west to Memphis, then northwest to Kansas City, and finally made a bee line to SFO. I was so tired by the this time I completely forgot to call a good friend in SFO to see if I could crash at their place. The fa's on this flight were wonderful too! All of had smiles on their face and were very friendly. I finally got to have the cocktail I so wanted on Flt 621! On a side note, my seat in 16 C had a great story of his own too! He missed his original flight from CDG to SFO and waited two days for a stand by seat. Nothing materialized and the first available confirmed seat for him was in the middle of August. He was on an award ticket. So he bought an AF itcket from CDG to IAD and then continued on his award ticket back to SFO. Rest of the flight is uneventful and we make our approach into SFO and land. My watch says its 3:45 am EST. I've been awake for almost 22 hours.

Upon landing I turn on my cell phone and there are a few messages from friends in Vegas, they sound like they're having a great time. I'm bummed! Once in the terminal I asked the fa's who were on my flight if they knew where the TED gates where. Alas they were an ORD based crew, and they knew that ORD had dedicated TED gates but were not sure about SFO. I walked passed security check point on my left and saw a TED sign. Hmm, I guess I'm headed in the right direction. There are about 20 or so people near gates 74 and 75 and UA employee working behind one pf the podiums. I asked the agent if my bag had made it onto Flt 205 and would it be palced on the morning flight to LAS. He punched a few keys and said that I need to collect my bag and re-check it at SFO. I was shocked and bewildered at his statement but at this point he could have said your in LAX not SFO and I would have believed every word he said. I make way down to baggage claim and all the bags from 205 have been reclaimed or removed from the belt. I'm really confused now and go see a UA agent in baggage claim. A few people in front of me were getting hotel vouchers for the night but had to pay their taxi ride down to a hotel in San Mateo. How far is San Mateo from SFO? Isn't that where Lynn Swan, Barry Bonds, and Tom Brady got high school? Oh well I wait my turn, the next available agent calls me to the counter and I hand him my ticket jacket and explain my situation. Before I could finish, he said your bags are ready to be put on the first flight to LAS, I think FLT 1476 ( not sure). I ask him if he's sure and then tell him what the agent by gate 74 told me. He apologized for the mix up in communication and I thanked him. I didn't know this but the security check area was closed by now and would open again in two hours at 4 am. What to do, where do I go to sleep for a few hours? I walk by the UA ticket counter and the same guy who told me to go baggage looks at me and says,"not you again". I wanted to wring his neck for giving me such bad information and for rude comment. Another ticket agent overheard this and came over, good for me I think. She told me that there was a restaurant in the international terminal that stayed open late and open early, and that I could probably find a cushioned bench to sleep on. She was a godsend, I found the food court aea and the restaurant Lori's diner. Yeah, I can finally take a load off of my feet and take a nap. I don't know controls the air conditioning in this place but it felt like it was 60 degrees in there. I slept for about an hour or so. Around 3am PST I called my fiance to let her know that I arrived safely in SFO. Around 4:00 I had the most expensive plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrown potatoes, and toast. $12 lighter in the wallet but I felt a little better and had some energy now. The last time I was in SFO was 2000 and then only at US Airways gates. I thought I would explore SFO and the train system around the terminals. I think I rode the red line (the one that does not go to rental cars) around the airport for 4 or 5 loops. I felt like I was in the movie "The Terminal" sans CZJ. Around 4:45 am I decided to go through security and go wait by gate 74. Finally 6am came and we began the boarding process. The fa's on this flight knew about the bad weather in the Midwest and East coast.

This is possibly the worst karma I've had in air travel and I was on my first plane when I was 9 months old. Since almost all of the delays were weather related, what more could UA have done? I think the flight crews on 621, and 205 did an excellent job, especially 621. Kudos to the UA employees who worked those flights on July 22!

Vegas was unbelievable, as usual I had a great time. For all you golfers out there, if you haven't played the P.B. Dye courses at Las Vegas Paiute you're missing out. We played Sun Mountain and it worth every dollar and the thirty ride out from the strip.

In part 3 my bad karma from the 22nd gets even better or at least I think.
Hope you're enjoying this.. I sure did enjoy every minute of this adventure!

In my defense, I think the "when's the bachelor party" question might have been the second thing out of my mouth after congratulations. Of course, it could have been the first thing, I've slept since then. :D

Great report so far - and I even know how it ends!

You're in Vegas for a bachelor party and have filed 2 parts of a trip report and have not once mentioned a blackjack or craps table!!

Tell us some stories about the blackjack at the Hard Rock Hotel (the only real hand shuffled black jack left).

Part 3 and the final chapter of this journey...

After a quick shower and shave on Friday morning, I join the other members of my bachelor on the casino floor at TI. For everyone's safety I'll leave out their names. It was great to some faces I've have not seen in years! We start off slowly by hitting the craps table at TI. No major damage done this morning, I lost a few dollars and we decided to grab a bite to eat. The afternoon was spent lounging by the pool at TI, definitely some "eye candy" this afternoon. A few beers in me and the jet lag sets in. A two hour power nap does the trick and I feel great now. After a few trips through the Mirgae buffet line we decide to head over to The Hard Rock Caino. We wandered around the casino just gawking at the hotties. A couple of us find an open $10 craps table while the rest look for a black jack table. Luck starts to turn for me, a few good rolls and I'm back in the black. I should've quit here! But we decide to play for few more minutes. It's getting late and we have 8 am tee time the next morning so we end up back at TI for a night cap. The night cap is followed by a few hands on Pai Gow poker, win a few hands and I feel content to call it a night. Could not sleep, so at 6 am went down to play some craps. Not a good idea, ended losing about $250 in 30 minutes!

Golf was ok, shoulda coulda played a little better, oh well next time. The course was in immaculate condition. We head back to TI and the craps table. My college roommate and I were at the table when the dice came around to me. What happens next has to best damn roll I've ever had, i was on fire! I held on to the dice for almost an 45 minutes... I think I onlyu hit 4 points, but in between the points I was rolling all the field numbers. This is my college roomates first play on a craps table and he's lovin' it. A few others come down and watch but don't join in. I actually told to hold off because I felt like i was due to crap out. And I eventually did roll an unlucky 7. In less than an hours work I was up about $400 with another $100 left on the table. My college roomie finish up almost $300! The others want in on the action and I suggest we go the Mirage and try our luck there. The four of us walk away from the Mirage up $250, $200, $150, and $120. NIce day indeed.

After dinner at Gallaghers steak house in NY NY casino, the food was excellent but the service was similar to casual dining restaurant not a high end steak house. We decide to try our luck at the craps table once again. Aafter a few hours of playing and some breaking even others losing a few dollars we decide to go to the Palms. Now talk about eye candy, the scenery was unbelievable this night. A few more of craps and my buddies realize that you don't always win big. There are few gaps here, but you can figure out what were doing and where we were. It's now 2:30 am and a few of the guys a 6 am flights back home. I say good bye tot hem and look forward to seeing them in a month.

Sunday morning 6:30 am and I can't sleep. I shower, pack up and head down to the casino for a little more gaming. Nothing looks good at TI so I head over the Mirage and find my first $5 craps table of the weekend. I figure at $5 table i can bet double my normal bet and win some serious cash. Was I WRONG. An hour later I walked away with my tail tucked between my legs and down about $500. Befor checking out I see a casino host to see what kind of comps I can get. A room night and some food & beverages picked up by TI. I was walk feeling a little better, but the room charge that was picked up was for Thursday night! Oh well I check out and head to lovely McCarran.

Remembering the lond=g securities of January I tried to get to the airport by 10:30 am for 12:36 departure. I check in with Mr. Easy check-in. What a breeze! Give my golf clubs to the baggage screener and head to the hell that is LAS security clearance. What happened next is still a shock to me, no lines! I was through and on to the tram in 5 minutes and at the departure gate by 10:50 am. What the hell am I supposed to do for an hour and half? My fiance is the only person I know that wins at the slot machines in LAS. Before I left for LAS, she put a roll of quarters and asked me to play for her while waiting for departure. I do as she asks and proceed to lose the $20 in quarters in about 30 minutes. Not my day!

TED flight 1592 is a few mimutes late departing and I begin to wonder if I'll make my connection in Chicago? Here we go again. Don't really remember the flight because I was half asleep, but I do know that the fa's were smiling and friendly when they came by with their fisrt drink service. Oh and I had an E+ seat too! We land at ORD, listening to CH 9 and I hear the call sign "...Speedbird ### heavy, you're clear to land on Rwy #(?)". Love that call sign for BA! As we cross the taxiway between the domestic and international terminal the tower puts us in a penalty box due to a late departing aircraft from our gate. It's now 6:25 and my connecting flight leaves at 7 pm luckily from the same concourse. We're finally at the gat and i deplane around 6:45pm. Before getting to the gate, the fa made an announcement about some connecting flights and their gates. I thought I heard her say B14 for flt 626. I run through the terminal from B21 (?) to B14 and the monitors say Des Moines! I'm sure Des Moines a great place, but i want to go home. I run to the nearest bank of TV monitors and flt 626 says boarding from B14. Oh boy, I've missed my flight. The nice gate ga at B14 tells me that 626 is leaving out of B3. I sprinted as though I was in the Olympic finals for the mens' 100m. While passing b10 I hear those dreaded words form pa sysytem, "..paging UA 626 passenger Mr. DCAlyerUAUS, final boarding call". I'm cooked, no way I'd make it B3 in time. By the grace of god I arrive at B3 out of breath and sweating to see that the door to the airbridge is still open. I hand the ga my boarding pass and run down to the aircraft. The next few minutes reaffirms my faith that UA really does care about it's customers even the non-premiers such as myself. I greeted at the door by lovel fa A. She takes my rollerboard and tags it for DCA, no room in the overhead bins. I ask if I can make a quick oit stop before taking my seat 10A, she says sure thing. After exiting the lav fa A hands me a glass of water and tells me that she has some bad news. Apparently UA gave up E+ window seat to lady who could sit next to her husband in 10B. I'm a little miffed because the only seat available was 9E, a middle seat. As fa A and I walk down the aisle she to ask the lady to return to her assigned seat. The lady stands and asks if I would not mind swapping seats taking her seat so that she could sit with her husband. I guess I could say yes I do mind and i would like my assigned seat. But I say no problem and take 9E. We were cleared for take off as soon as we turned the corner from the TED gates. Once airborn, as fa A makes her way FC cabin she stops by my seat and asks if she could see me in the back galley. I'm like what now, what else can go wrong. I walk back to the galley and fa A and fa C are preparing to begin their inflight service. FA A tells me that she is very sorrry for allowing the lady to take my seat. Apprently the lady was a UA employee flying for free with her husband. I tell her that's not a problem as I'm lucky I was even allowed to board five minutes from departure. The three of us begin to chat and tell of my experience from 7/22 on 621. They can't believe what they're hearing. A few seconds later fa G from FC comes to the rear galley to hear my story. They ask about my wedding, how my fiance and I met, where we're going for our honeymoon. I tell them how my fiance and i am looking forward to taking UA Flt 1 to HNL on 8/30. All three fa's apologize, but it's not UA fault when it comes to weather. The fa'a ask if there is anything I need to make this flight more enjoyable and relaxing. I told them that I want to go home to see my fiance and my dog. They offer a cocktail and I graciously accept a G&T and take my seat. About 20 minutes from DCA, fa G comes and asks for my BP and goes back upt FC galley I think? He returns a few minutes later and thanks me again for flying UA. We land and taxi to the gate, yeah I'm almost home! As I deplane I say good bye to fa's A,C, and G. Three very nice and friendly people who seem to care about their job and the service they provide to UA passengers. The bags from flt 626 slowly begin to emerge. I find my rollerboard and am fairly certain that my golfs club would not be on this flight. A few seconds later and to my surprise out comes my golf bag!

It's now three days later and I'm still telling my friends and family about my expereice on UA flts 621, 205, 1476(?), 1592, and 626.
Kudos to UA, can't wait for the flts Hawaii in a month.
Thank you very much for reading this TR, hope you enjoyed reading it as much I had living it!

OP wrote:

"About 20 minutes from DCA, fa G comes and asks for my BP and goes back upt FC galley I think? He returns a few minutes later and thanks me again for flying UA."

So did you find out why the FA asked for your boarding pass when your flight was almost over?

- RightD