Trip Reports - Was going to be my 1st US flight in 3 years....

I booked SEA-AMS just a few weeks ago with surprisingly BC availability on US uswing US miles. Used SK on the return trip due to better travel times and arrival back into SEA.

8 March was: SEA-PHL-AMS

This was to be my first flight on US in years where I had racked up many miles as a GP with thanks to the unofficial bonus thread. I was looking forward to the new Envoy lounge and terminal in PHL and flying US even with the cutbacks.

Getting to SEA from the Hampton Inn, I went to the US counter, started checking in, and was told my PHL-AMS flight was cancelled due to maintenance. US staff found me a route on UA via IAD but had to call the award desk to rebook me and issue me a paper ticket. Fortunately, UA is right next to US so it took me minutes to get there and recheck.

Unfortunately, the last-minute change flagged me for security. Fortunately, the line wasn't as long as on new year's eve so I had plenty of time to go through that and even use the UA lounge (sad windowless bunker) at the North satellite.

Boarding had already commenced when I got to the gate from the lounge. Noticing my new BPs were in F and C instead of D or whatever award class, I used the Laptop Lane to see if there were any bonuses for flying UA on US (sadly there were none).

Boarding the 762, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a 3 CoS a/c so I got premium FC which is much nicer than domestic FC. Just 6/10 at most in that cabin too. Was seated next to a portly man who worked either for the NOAA or FAA or consulted to them but who had a nasty cough. Service was decent this morning. The FA told some pax how she had to wear a little hat when she first started working for UA. Food was a fruit plate, some hot choice and pastries which is pretty on par with what US has before the cutbacks. Inseat videotapes were offered but I declined. Warm cookies and milk were offered as a prearrival snack.

It was a very windy day at IAD with snow earlier that day but it was sunny when the a/c landed. Nice landing despite high crosswinds. One could feel stationary a/c rock at the gates.

Only had walk from the C side to the D side and there was a RCC lounge right across from the AMS flight gate too. The lounge was a bit crowded and I was cleared out of a section to make way for some unnamed delegation. Drink and $25 off vouchers were offered as compensation. At any rate I only had less than 40 minutes to spend in the lounge vs. the 5+ hours at PHL.

The flight to AMS was on a 3 CoS 763 which proved to be very empty. This was my first ride in UA BC so I had to try out the seats. They're the mechanical ones with controls similar to the old BA Club World cradle seats. Though a bit narrow, I found recline and back rest angle to be very comfortable and better than on US's vaunted Envoy on its 330s among other premium airlines. My seat mate also moved which gave more room.

Menus were distributed as were amenity kits and headphones. I noticed the FA was taking orders according to some FF status. I was only a lowly FFer as I had lost US GP then SP and did not use my OZ *G status. My 1st entree choice (roast pork with spaztle) was out when the FA got to me but fortunately there were extras in FC. The meal service was again on trays with appetiser and salad on the tray. The Reisling on the menu wasn't offered so I took a French white (Chablis?) instead. The meal was o.k. Not outstanding. I was sad to learn that UA has joined BA in the "either cheese or dessert" ranks when it comes to BC service. US, NW and CO offered or at least recently offered both.

A continental breakfast was offered 1:40 before arrival into AMS. The final approach was pretty much due east over southern Ireland and England implying a southerly Atlantic crossing. The yoghurt offered on the menu was missing.

UA used the G(?) gates which appears closer to the AMS Hilton than the main terminal. Long walk which was good and I headed to the KL lounge which admitted me as a PE even with no onwaqrd flight on any airline.

Sure enough, a US 767 was in AMS when I arrived at 0700. The flight from PHL isn't normally due until mid morning and leaves just a few hours later. I wonder if the bad weather and many flight CXLs a few days earlier at AMS had anything to do with it.

I was sad to learn that UA has joined BA in the "either cheese or dessert" ranks when it comes to BC service. US, NW and CO offered or at least recently offered both.
Hmmmm ... 3 weeks ago, BA gave me both cheese and dessert in J.

Charles

Hmmmm ... 3 weeks ago, BA gave me both cheese and dessert in J.


In my experience, the explicit offer/implicit command by the FAs is "EITHER OR". You probably have to ask for both and they might grant you your request if the pax load is light enough. It certainly isn't offered to you upfront like on OZ, NW and CO.

17 March AMS-CPH-SEA

Checking out of the AMS Hilton, I went to the SK checkin for the flight to CPH. Being early with no one else there, my bags were checked in with *G priority tags (not always offered).

Since this flight was within Schengen, there were no immigration checks. As the contracted *A lounge leaves a little to be desired, I used the KL lounge which had better food, drinks and free internet access for KL PEs. The gate was in the C pier and the a/c for today was an M-87.

BC was configured for 3 rows toay with SK blocking out the middle seat on the DEF (or CDE) side. An Economy plus service is offered on this and long-haul SK flights which I believe entitles pax to a special seating area with enhanced snacks and drinks service.

The flight was fairly quick and a meal of salad, fish and some small dessert or chocolate was served with beverages. Based on freshness, the meal was rather good. I guess BC service is still good in Europe for short flights and much better than what one gets on U.S. airlines these days for flights of similar lengths.

Landing was from the east at CPH so one came in over the sea. This flight landed at a non-Schengen gate so for my 3rd flight in 5 within Europe, I had to disembark through the rear when seated right in or near the front (1st time out of the back stair on an M-80 - I thought MD did away with integral rear stairs). The stair to connecting flights was just upstairs and the very nice SK *G lounge was just steps away. Cold cuts, salad and breads are the lounge food offerings with SK (far too full from breakfast at the AMS Hilton and lunch onthis short hop to eat). Free internet access too.

Boarding for the next flight required leaving Schengen and a security point before the gate. CPH is a bit depressing if you are stuck outside the Schengen area as there is strangely no *A lounge within.

17 March CPH - SEA 340-300

Boarding started with a call for BC to preboard(!)

I had checked in with the SK desk at AMS a week earlier to prebook my seat and the only thing available in row 1 was 1B. I wasn't familiar with the SK BC+ seating but hoped I would get it. Alas, the flight was fairly full (probably lots of opups) so row 1 seats couldn't lay flat to sleeper seats.

Plush pillows and blankets were already on the seats. Crew came around with a pre-flight beverage service, seperate food and wine menus, and Sennheiser NR headphones.

Note: Sennheiser NR phones supplied don't cup over your ear. I'm not sure of their affectiveness.

Seats: Seats don't have too much recline but are fairly comfortable. There's a number of electronic controls that work well enough. SK is replacing them with lie-flat sleepers in any case.

After TO, service included drinks and packaged nuts. SK did have all the wines offered in the menu onboard. Started off with champagne.

The meal service started with towels, then linens, then the meal tray which oddly came with the appetiser, salad and cheese plate - all still wrapped in plastic.

SK's meal service philosophy claims that it was launched when SAS launched trans-Atlantic service to rival food service on the pax steamships. With that, the FAs, I think they're still formally called stewards and stewardesses as a result of this philosophy, wear serving jackets much as you would see in fancier restaurants, luxury liners, and what was once seen on NW's WBC int'l flights.

The next course was the preplated main of which I will not mention the shortcomings. Several offerings of bread were offered which included crisp breads. The offering are superior to what U.S. airlines offer in quality.

Since the cheese course (2 slices of good cheese) was already there, more bread and fruit(?) was offered along with port. A sauterne was amazingly offered along with the dessert. I haven't seen that yet in FC on AA, BA, CX and QF.

SK offers pax a buffet in the galley which included chocolates and sandwiches. The espresso machine had an INOP tape across it. So much for that.

I took the chance to visit the SK toilet and was amazed. It's huge! At least for a non-disability toilet, and it came with 2 windows too. Interestingly the windows came with mechanical shades and not the electronic opaquing one found on BA and QF 744s.

A second light meal service was offered prior to landing in Seattle. The flight was pretty uneventful but I was a bit surprised to see that cruise altitude was just 30,000' for about 2/3 of the flight with eventual climbs to 34k, 35k and finally 37k over BC. Routing was up through Norway, over southern Greenland, various Canadian arctic islands and over the NWT/Inuvik into BC (down Howe sound, it seemed) and then SEA.

Also of interest are the look ahead and look down cam channels in the IFE that one can choose to look at inflight. They would have been nice on a clear day over interesting terrain.

Since the flight left CPH slightly late, it seemed unable to make any headway to SEA and ended up landing slightly late even if it was a short taxi to S3.

Fortunately the BA flight from LHR had fully cleared already so no wait for immigration. Bags did come out soon after the 1st bags appeared, but I was nailed for customs search having come from AMS and declaring cheese and coffee.