henchen

SAN-SFO-TPE-HKG-TPE-SFO-SAN: UA C/Y and BR Y

I arrived at Lindbergh Field around 120 minutes before scheduled departure with hopes of getting on the earlier flight to SFO. The UA section, unlike the WN section was extremely quiet. Checked in quickly at the First Class desk and inquired about the possibility of getting on the flight. The agent explained that the aircraft had been downgraded (from an A320 to an A319) so there were not going to be any possibility of standing by for that flight. Since fog would not be an issue today I didn't bother with this anymore. I left the airport to run a few errands and returned about 45 minutes before the flight. I quickly cleared through security without any problems. At around 12:40pm I boarded the plane.

24DEC UA1896 SAN 1105p LHR 1234p 733 ~:5L/:05E
F ~100%, Y ~100%
Seat 6C

The flight was completely full in both classes. I immediately noticed that the cabin looked very dated. The seats and the furnishing had a very old-worn feeling about them. Furthermore, the seats, with a 31’’ pitch and 17’’ width were noticeably less comfortable than the regular economy seats in UAL’s A320s. The extra 1’’ of seat width on the A320 economy seat does seem to make a big difference! We pulled out of the gate at about 11:10am and after a short taxi were off towards SFO. The only service in economy on this flight consisted of a drink and a package of cocktail mix. The FA took orders and then delivered them on a try a la WN instead of using the cart.

After arrival I utilized the shuttle bus connecting SFO’s United Terminal and the SFO International Terminal. This allowed me to get to my connecting flight without clearing security at SFO. The bus leaves the UA terminal about once every ten minutes.

In the international terminal I went to the UA International RCC to meet up with my sister. I was allowed admittance after I showed them by C-class boarding pass. They asked me if I would like an alcoholic beverage, but I declined. I quickly found my sister checking her email. The RCC was pretty empty. It is a nice clean facility overlooking the UA domestic terminal. Food consists of some crackers, cheese, and fruits. There is also a selection of bottled juices and a self-serve soda machine. We sat and relaxed until the 1:10pm boarding time and began the somewhat long walk to Gate 97.

24DEC UA845 SFO 223p TPE 745p 772 ~:00/:20E
F ~40%, C~90%,Y ~100%
Seat 9J

We settled into row 9 and were immediately offered the choice of OJ or champagne. Coats were also taken. Then another FA came through with a cart full of different newspapers. Menus were passed out while still on the ground. Five minutes after the menus were passed out, dinner orders were taken. Orders were taken sequentially based on status, notably, this period of order taking was the only time that an FA addressed me by my name.

Dinner selections were as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appetizer:

Spiced shrimp and Parma ham
Cocktail sauce and fresh lemon

Garden salad
Classic Caesar dressing

Main Course:

Filet mignon with applewood smoked bacon demi-glace
Roasted red potatoes and green beans with yellow pepper

Corianed-crusted halibut with lemon beurre blanc
Chorizo rice, asparagus, and carrot batonnets

Golden sesame chicken with citrus sauce
Egg fried rice and a vegetable medley

Dessert:

International Cheese selection
Camembert and Black Diamond Cheddar cheese

Eli’s Apple Crunch pie
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


After takeoff the FAs came through with hot towel service. Next the FAs offered a beverage along with some nuts. After a short while dinner service began. The FAs laid out a tablecloth and linens. Appetizers and the salad were edible but not spectacular. The main course, Filet Mignon, was average. While the meat was good, the potatoes seemed to be overcooked, and the green beans seemed a bit wilted and unappetizing. For dessert, I opted for the Eli’s Apple Crunch Pie. This was quite tasty. After dinner, the captain turned the cabin lights off and announced that we were on schedule due to more favorable winds than expected, and that we would not have to fly over Russia. Based on observations from the air show, it appears that the headwind had an average speed of about 70 mph throughout the flight.

I dozed off and on and watched the IFE while awake. The movie selections were quite bad. They included Ocean’s Eleven, Lilo and Stitch and a few other unmemorable movies. Mid-flight snacks included a selection of crackers, candy, heated sandwiches, and ramen noodles. I had a warmed turkey sandwich, which was quite tasty.

This flight had pretty good service. Each FA made sure that water glasses were full. Whenever I woke up from one of my short naps I found a full glass of water at my side. I commend each FA for their attentiveness.

As for seat location, I was seated in the 777’s mini business cabin. I think each passenger in this small section may be given better service than those in the rear business cabin. However, one issue with row 9 is that it is directly in front of the C-class galley. As a result, I feel that some people might be bothered by the opening and closing of various storage closets. They seemed to be opened and slammed shut quite frequently throughout the flight.

About an hour before arrival we were offered a second meal service. There was a choice of a smoked beef sandwich with barbeque sauce or a fruit plate with yogurt. I chose the sandwich. The beef sandwich was edible, but not particularly tasty. The French bread sandwich roll, however, seemed to be quite fresh. Since it was about 3am Pacific Time, I was not really in the mood to be eating a sandwich. The FAs also came through several times with a basket of warm breads and croissants. Just before the seat belt sign went on the Purser, a Frenchman, offered us chocolate. This was quite a nice flight, and while I was awake the seatbelt sign was not turned on a single time.

We arrived in TPE a few minutes ahead of schedule and had to walk a long way towards the immigration desk. The immigration line for non-Taiwanese citizens was not long, but the line didn’t move very quickly. The whole process of deplaning and clearing the immigration desk took about twenty minutes. We then went to the baggage claim. As this is not Chep Lap Kok, the bags had not yet arrived at baggage claim. After about 5 minutes the conveyor began to move, and we finally got all of our bags after about 15 minutes after we arrived at the baggage claim. We met our ride and made the 45-minute trip to central Taipei.

27DEC BR0851 TPE 820a HKG 1005a 744-COMBI ~:10L/:10L
C~90%, Y ~100%
Seat 47D

We arrived at CKS Airport 1 hr before the flight. At this early hour the airport was relatively empty. We slowly made our way to the gate, by taking time to look around in the various Duty Free Shops. CKS is different than US airports because security is cleared at the gate rather than at one point for the whole terminal. Security was not particularly tight. The baggage screeners sit at a separate desk where they view their monitors. In one instance I noticed that the baggage screener wanted to stop a particular traveler to take a closer look at his bag, possibly to open it. However, he had already picked up his bag and began to walk to the plane. The screener, seemingly timid, gave up on her attempt to check this gentleman’s bag more closely. Much different than the now tighter TSA screenings or screenings I’ve experienced in previous visits to Taiwan where each carryon bag was opened.

Y was extremely crowded. I was in the left aisle of the middle section. Set width and pitch seemed quite tight. According to some websites I looked at seat pitch is supposed to be 34’’, but it seemed closer to 31’’. Unlike the nearly service-less SAN-SFO flight, the TPE-HKG flight offered a meal service! There was choice with regard to entrée. The only dish available was a rice porridge (congee) with dried meat that could be poured over the rice on the side. This was a pretty simple meal, and would have been very difficult to screw up. As for beverages, there was water on the meal tray, and the FAs came through with tea and coffee. The only in-flight entertainment available was a news broadcast. We arrived at HKG a little bit late. Overall this flight was acceptable, but I wouldn’t want to be stuck in one of these seats with someone next to me for more than two or three hours.

Arrived at HKG and headed towards immigration. According to my sister, a frequent visitor to HKG, it is much faster to take the elevator down to the inter-terminal train rather than the escalators. It seems that she is correct because we arrived down at the train before anyone else from our plane did. When you get down to track level, walk to the opposite end of the room in order to be closest to the elevator at the end of the train ride. Clearing immigration was a snap and we headed straight for the Airport Express. Trip time to Kowloon station was around 25 minutes.

This was the first time I’ve ever visited Hong Kong. It is definitely something to see. Highlights included visiting Victoria Peak. Another great place to go is Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula. Some say this is one of the world’s greatest hotels. Based on the Tea I wouldn’t be surprised. The service and attention to detail was fabulous. Furthermore, the hotel itself looks great.

On Sunday we had to checkout of the HK Sheraton at 12. Not wanting to carry around our bags we brought them to the Airport Express Station to check them in. Check-in was quickly completed without any problems. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city. We took a 6:45pm train from Hong Kong Island to Chep Lap Kok.

At Chep Lap Kok we passed through immigration after a short wait. Hong Kong residents faced no line, but each queue for non-residents was about 10 people deep. After going through security we took the train to our gate. Since there was still about an hour until boarding, we decided to try and get into the UA RCC (my sister has a membership). When we went in to the club, the attendant kindly reminded my sister that international clubs allowed only one guest, but she would make an exception this evening. We were very appreciative of this gesture. The club was rather empty. When we went inside there had to have been fewer than ten guests inside. We chose some seats that overlooked the gate areas and took turns using one of the complimentary high-speed Internet terminals. There are a total of three of these terminals in the RCC. This club, unlike the club in SFO had a selection of self-serve liquor bottles as well as Carlsburg beer machines. Overall I felt this club was quite spacious, well lit, and clean.

When our boarding time arrived we decided to make the short walk to our gate. First, because of the emptiness of the club, my sister decided that it would not be too rude if she asked about the status of the upgrades we requested for our TPE-SFO flights. We spoke with the attendant, Noel Wong, and she said that both of our upgrades had cleared. She then got us seats next to each other. The weird thing about this whole thing is that we checked the upgrade status on UAL’s web page while we were in the RCC, but the message, as it had for many weeks stated: “Upgrade Requested.” Furthermore, neither of us has had any miles deducted from our accounts. Perhaps this will occur in the next few days or weeks. Overall, we were very impressed by the service provided by Ms. Wong. My sister commented that she wished there were more attendants like Noel at SFO.

29DEC BR0858 HKG 905p HKG 1035p 744-COMBI ~:2L/:3L
C~90%, Y ~65%
Seat 36H

This flight was not very crowded so my sister, previously seated in 36G, moved to 36D and I took over 36G while my cousin took 36H. This seating arrangement was much more comfortable than the seating arrangement experienced on the TPE-HKG segment. The flight was very smooth. Service consisted of a meal and some beverages. The one meal offered was some sort of Italian Noodles with a cream sauce. Because I was not hungry, I did not try the meal. However, I looked at it and it did not seem very tasty. My cousin described it as Chinese noodles with an Italian cream sauce. The FAs walked through cabin offering tea, coffee, or wine.

We arrived at the gate a few minutes late and made the long walk to immigration. Immigration lines were shorter than they were on the 25th and I traveled from gate to baggage claim in about 10 minutes. Bags took about 10 more minutes to arrive.

I spent a few more days in Taiwan relaxing. On the 2nd we left Central Taipei at 11and arrived at CKS by 11:30a. Check-in using the business class line took about ten minutes. Notable is that people in Taiwan don’t seem to care which line they are in. I noticed a few non-status Y passengers using the business-class line despite the signs. The ticket agents didn’t seemed to care. We received an invitation to SQ’s Silver Kris Lounge. UA closed its TPE RCC when it moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. After lunch in the food court we quickly cleared immigration and headed for the Silver Kris Lounge.

The Silver Kris Lounge in TPE is quite impressive. There was a good food selection. It included two warm dishes served buffet style: a vermicelli dish and some sort of chicken dish. There were also plates of sushi available as well as different types of desserts in a large refrigerator. There was also a good selection of liquor and beverages. The room was naturally lit with nice earth-toned furnishings. There were three showers available for use as well. It seemed like they kept everything very clean.

About ten minutes after scheduled boarding time we headed over to Gate C6.


2JAN UA844 TPE 905p SFO 805a(-1) 772 ~:1E/~:60E
F~70%, C~90%, Y ~100%
Seat 13A

We boarded the plane and were immediately offered champagne or OJ. We were also offered menus. On this flight, however, no one offered to take our coats, so I brought them over to two FAs who were just hanging around in the galley. Originally we were seated in 11A&B, the bulkhead, but decided to move back to 13A&B. This was a good choice that I will explain later.

About 10 minutes after takeoff the FAs came through to take food orders. I forgot to take the menu, so this will not be as detailed as for the SFO-TPE flight. Choices were filet mignon, fish, and chicken. I once again chose the filet mignon. We were first offered drinks along with a side of nuts. The FAs laid down the tablecloth and linens. We were then served an appetizer that included some smoked salmon and shrimp with cocktail sauce. Next, we were served the entrée, which also included a salad with an Italian dressing. The Filet was topped with some sort of tomato type sauce. This was a good mixture and the beef was pink and quite tasty. There were also some potatoes, which were quite good. I believe they were marinated in olive oil. The green beans looked like they were pretty fresh. For dessert there was a choice of cheese or banana nougat with chocolate cake. I went with the cake. It was quite tasty, not too sweet. After the meal service, the lights were turned off. This plane had the same IFE system as the previous 777. The movies, however, were a little better. They included selections such as The Good Girl, Simone, The Tuxedo, Lilo and Stitch (This must be the fourth month where I’ve encountered this film on a United Flight), among others. I spent much of the flight shuttling between sleeping, watching various IFE movies, and reading various magazines. Mid-flight snacks included warm sandwiches, ramen noodles, and various kinds of candy and crackers. I had a warm sandwich that was quite tasty.

Overall, I’d have to say the service on this flight was worse than the outbound flight. I’d estimate that the FAs did not really come through and refill water glasses for about 3 hours. Furthermore, an annoying occurrence was that my water glass was taken away during one of my sleeping spells. I’m not sure if this was the same flight crew as my outbound flight. I’m guessing it wasn’t, but the purser was definitely the same Frenchman. The purser seemed to be working quite hard, but his co-FAs didn’t seem to be working as hard as they could have. Seat 13A was pretty good, and I’m glad I switched from 11A. It seems like 11A doesn’t have as much legroom and is right by the restroom. Furthermore, the FAs, in their crew rest seats were chatting quite a bit. This may have been an annoyance. Seats in row 9 suffer from some of these same issues, but it seems like service might be better in this small mini-cabin. All of these are issues to consider when choosing a seat.

We hit some turbulence when we were directly north of Honolulu. It was pretty bad, but lasted only about 20 minutes. We were making excellent time with the tailwind. According to Air show we had tailwinds of up to 200mph. About 60 minutes before arrival, we were served a breakfast. Options were a fruit plate with yogurt or a spinach omelet with chicken sausage links and potatoes. I chose the omelet that came with a side of fruit. The omelet was not very good. It seemed kind of runny. The FAs also came through several times with a bread tray, which included various rolls and croissants. I wasn’t very hungry so I only took a few bites of the omelet and had a few glasses of juice.

We arrived one hour early. Our descent provided us with an excellent view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. There was no line at immigration so we cleared quickly. About ten minutes after arriving at the baggage claim, our bags finally arrived. I quickly cleared customs and said goodbye to my sister. I then rechecked my bags for the flight to SAN. I walked over to the UA domestic terminal and cleared security again. I then sat in an empty gate area for the next hour or so before boarding my flight to SAN.

2JAN UA1233 SFO1020a SAN 1143a 320 ~:5L/~:5E
F~100%, Y ~95%
Seat 8C

We got off the ground a few minutes late but the pilot assured us we would arrive on time. Service consisted of drinks and a cocktail snack. My seat, an aisle in economy plus, was much more comfortable than the seats in either the 737-300 or the 747. This flight was short, and I don’t remember much else happening. We landed early, my bags came out after a ten-minute wait, and I was on my way home after a long journey.

Thanks to my sister for upgrading the SFO-TPE segment of my trip. This is definitely one of the best Christmas gifts I have ever received!

gba

Good report. How were the seats themselves on the long-haul segments? Were they hard to sleep in? Any idea how it compare with other business class products?