Euroboy

SEA->ORD->ROC->LGA->IAD->SFO->NRT->TPE->ICN->NRT->CPH->LHR->SFO->SEA (in F, C and Y-class – on UA/TG/SK). Star Alliance RTW.

This whole trip started out as an ‘innocent’ business trip to Taipei and Seoul and ended up being a RTW with a few twists. It also happens to be my first trip report, so be gentle, please… ;-)

28 AUG. UA1236, SEA->ORD, 767-300, Domestic 2-class configuration, F-Class, Seat 4B. Scheduled departure 6:45 AM. Pushback at 6:48 AM. Wheels up at 7:03 AM.

Nothing really eventful about this leg. I’m not very fond of 6:45 AM departures from SEA - the security lines (even the 1K line) can be unpredictable at times…Arrived at the airport 90 minutes before my flight (after a mild panic attack because my driver was 4 minutes late picking me up from home at 4:45 AM ;-)). Stood in the 1K/First Class line to check in (I had luggage to check… ;-)) for almost 15 minutes while the agents kept taking people from the 1P/2P line and ignoring the 1Ks/FC folks. Not a big deal for me (I was still asleep) – but other people seemed to be much worked up about this. After I finally got to the counter the check in was a breeze – 1 minute and I was underway.
I like the 6:45 AM SEA->ORD flight because it is a 767 and it has nice connections to the places I usually go (ROC, LEX, YYZ), etc. Boarding was on time (6:05 AM) and I spent 40 minutes sipping my first Bloody Mary while catching up on mail and waiting for everyone to settle down. The F-cabin was 100% and Y was pretty much 90% full I would say. Pre-departure drinks (OJ and water) was offered. Had to ask for my Bloody Mary (hey – I was hung over from the night before ;-))
Left pretty much on time and departed to the north.
Orders were taken in UGS->1K sequence (I asked since I was the 3rd person the purser came to – and the 1st 1K – I’m not UGS).
Breakfast in F was the usual eggs with some type of unidentifiable meat or fruit-plate. I already had breakfast, so I opted out and just continued with the BMs…;-)
Service throughout this flight was really great – it was almost like flying in C transpac… ;-) Not very chatty FAs – but great service never the less.
It is funny how UAs 767’s feels old and out of style – I really like those planes, but I can’t believe I used to fly CPH->SEA on SAS’s 767’s for years – and it felt like a great plane - no wonder why they feel so familiar ;-) I can’t say what is different on UAs 767’s – but they just feel like an old, tired workhorse…

28 AUG. UA1444, ORD->ROC, 737-500, F-Class, Seat 2B, Scheduled departure 1:30 PM. Pushback at 1:26 PM. Wheels up at 2:09 PM

We got into ORD right on time. Found a RCC and synched up my mail (this is a business trip after all) – I wish they would get the 802.11 wireless installed soon – I always stress out trying to get everything downloaded with short connection times…Got to the gate 20 minutes before departure and took my seat. Pretty light load (70% or so). 3 open seats in F after boarding was ‘complete’ – including the one next to me – one is allowed to dream once and a while ;-). But all were then assigned to non-rev already boarded in Y-section (overheard a conversation with the purser where a non-rev person were complaining we were taking off with empty F seats). I’m not whining - just an observation.
We were early pushing back from the gate, but did not take off until almost 45 minutes after scheduled departure due to all the fun construction & changes in ORD.
No pre-departure drink offered, and we sat on the tarmac for 40 minutes and enjoyed the view…

29 AUG. US3798, ROC->LGA, DHC-8, Y-Class, Seat 4D, Scheduled departure 2:45 PM. Pushback at 2:42 PM. Wheels up at 2:49 PM

It has been a few years since I last flew US Air. Check-in took 60 seconds using their version of Mr. Easy CheckIn. The flight itself was very uneventful. A little over an hour and we touch down in LGA ahead of time. I know I have made (obviously insane ;-)) statements before that I actually don’t dislike CRJ’s for flights around an hour or so, but I must admit that Dash-8’s are just not my cup of tea. The noise-level and feeling of being in a Lear with too many passengers stuffed into it made me feel nauseous. But not anything that could not be cured with alcohol ;-) I’d rate US Express’ service on par with UA Express – the FA was nice, and quick – and even forgot to take my money for the wine!

30 AUG. UA7212, LGA->IAD, CRJ, Y-Class, Seat 8B, Scheduled departure 2:35 PM. Pushback at 2:30 PM. Wheels up at 3:37 PM

A couple of important things to note: 1. Hangovers is a terrible thing – especially when one has to get on a plane and 2. Don’t order a large beer at the pub across from the LGA RCC unless you are *really* thirsty – their ‘small’ beers are 20oz…

Boarding the flight was extremely fast – the load was 41 passengers, but it only took us 5-10 minutes to get settled, and we sat at the gate waiting for fuel and luggage to be loaded. Pushed back from the gate 5 minutes early, taxied out to the runway and then the captain shut down both engines! 2 minutes later he announced that IAD was at a complete ground stop due to weather and we would get an update in 45 minutes…;-) So we sat and waited for almost an hour – hence the wheels-up at 3:37 about an hour late out of LGA.
Service was quick – pretzels and wine… ;-) It was somewhat of a bumpy ride due to the lovely east coast weather, but we made up some good time and arrived into IAD at 4:40 PM.

31 AUG. UA845, IAD->SFO, 767-300ER (Intl. 3 class configuration). F-Class, Seat 2F, Scheduled departure 8:55 AM. Pushback at 8:50 AM. Wheels up at 9:07 AM

After a quick stop in IAD for dinner & drinks with a friend I was ready for my first leg of my IAD->SFO->NRT->TPE journey (I keep doing this to myself).
Needless to say that Saturday night was ‘interesting’. So I did not get to IAD until 75 minutes before my flight was supposed to depart. Remembering how security lines used to be in IAD I feared the worst. But it was a breeze. Check-in took 5 minutes – upgrades cleared all the way to TPE – including the domestic part. I carefully picked this flight (845) because it is one of the rare 3-class 767 trancons routes - and for nostalgic reasons I really wanted to try the old style F-class seats (but would have been happy with C if that did not clear).
Clearing security only took 5 minutes and I was on my way to the C-gates. I did not expect to see any Europe bound flights on the short shuttle-ride from main to C-terminal, but I spotted a BA 777 parked at the outflank of the B concourse. Not sure if it was overnighting in IAD…?

Getting settled in it is clear that the 767 F seat is definitely not as nice as the First Suites, but nice never the less. Pre-departure dinks were served and menus handed out. Typical transcon menu:

Fresh from the bakery
Scrambled eggs with chives in a smoked Gouda cream sauce
Pancakes with a mascarpone cheese and apple filling
Fresh seasonal fruit platter

No clue to how orders were taken in First. Seemed to start from 1A and go from there. Which of course landed me as the last person and they were out of the fruit platters… ;-) Not enough to make a scene out of, so I opted for a Bloody Mary (which I thought would be an excellent way to kick of this 22+ hour trip to Taipei).

My personal video player had an annoying ‘feature’ that caused it to play dead every time I switched between the Map and Video mode. I finally gave up and focused on catching up on work and repairing last night’s escapades… ;-) I recently seem to have run into a lot of very uneventful flights – this one pretty much the same – 5 hours at 10 minutes to SFO with no major fun. I need to find more FTs to travel with! ;-)
In SFO I used the bus between the domestic and intl. terminal for the first time – what a great thing! It took less than 5 minutes to get between terminals and I was on my way to the F-class lounge in the intl. terminal.

31 AUG. UA853, SFO->NRT, 747-400. F-Class, Seat 2A, Scheduled departure 1:55 PM. Pushback at 1:54 PM. Wheels up at 2:17 PM

Fine – if there is one time I cannot miss a plane this would be the one – and of course I get out of the lounge wayyy too late, so I get to the plane as they are closing the doors and I’m probably the last one to board. Nice job, Mr. Nielsen. But I manage to find my seat without embarrassing myself too much and after catching my breath a glass of champagne is served.
I must say I like the 777 First Suite layout much better than the 747. I’m almost inclined to pick the upper deck (15A/B) vs. an upgrade to the First Suite. Especially 1A and 2A feels very tight wrt. Space and very little overhead bin storage…but then again – I’m just whining ;-) since it is always nice to be back on the queen of the skies – albeit bummed the direct SFO->TPE flight is now gone… ;-(

(Warm) nuts and pre-dinner drinks were served quickly after takeoff. The crew were predominantly Japanese & Korean and service was pretty good throughout the flight.
I (once again) skipped dinner – just had the salad – I don’t eat much on planes. The mixed salad was actually really great – and I had the FA doubling the serving since that was all I was having. She was almost offended that I did not want the entire dinner lineup – so she ended up checking in with me every 10 minutes. Nice personalized service ;-)
The highlight of the menu was something like this:

To Begin:

Crab cake with lobster Choron sauce
Or
Prosciutto with mozzarella cheese and cantaloupe

Garden fresh salad

Main course:

Filet mignon with béarnaise sauce and sautéed shrimp with garlic
Grilled lamb chops with cranberry orange demi-glace
Chinese-style duck with honey lemon sauce

Japanese Obento selection

Dessert:

International cheese selection
Ice cream with sundae toppings
Fresh seasonal fruit

Prior to arrival:
Chicken, spinach and ricotta crepes with Hollandaise sauce
Fresh seasonal fruit plate with creamy yogurt


The audio portion of the IFE system was kinda broken – first I thought it was the headset – but channel 1-6 kept breaking up – very annoying as the audio selection actually looked pretty good on this flight. Movie soundtracks were fine, so ended up watching Chicago (again) and got a few hours of sleep before turbulence woke me up.
We touched down in Narita at 4:06 PM


01 SEP. UA853, NRT->TPE, 747-400 (continued service from SFO). F-Class, Seat 2A, Scheduled departure 6:25 PM. Pushback at 6:27 PM. Wheels up at 6:45 PM

After a quick 2 hour layover in NRT and a couple of visits to the Totally Amazing Beer Machine in the 1st Class Lounge I ventured back to the same 747 as we just arrived in from SFO. Too much of a dejavu for me – but fortunately a short flight.
Excellent service - pre-departure drinks were served before I even sat down. A couple of the FAs from the SFO->NRT leg were in 1st class and we had a good chat before taking off.

The menu had a couple of light fares – I opted for the soup and sandwich (which was actually really good!). I never got to write down the menu choices – I was so exhausted that right after dinner I crashed and did not wake up until we were starting our decent into Taipei. We must have had some pretty strong tailwinds going – we arrived almost 35 minutes early - typhoon season, so the landing was quite fun – it was like the 747 were dangling from a rope – swinging to the right and left as we touched down. It will be at least 3 days until I set my feet on a plane again…

04 SEP. TG635, TPE->ICN, 777-300 (Two-class, ‘Domestic’ version). C-Class, Seat 12A, Scheduled departure: 12:50 PM. Pushback at 1.52 PM. Wheels up at 2:06 PM.

Got to TPE a little over 2 hours before my flight to ICN – forgetting that the TG counters won’t open until 2 hours before departure… (what a concept, eh?). Hung around in the departure hall (not the most fun place on the planet) – but I managed to find 4! (yup – 4) WiFi networks – and could successfully connect to 2 of them w/o any sign-up charges. So the 25 minutes I had to wait whisked away surfing the net…;-)
Check in took 2 minutes – and I was off to the TPE Royal Orchid Lounge (which is nothing to write home about, but they had enough ingredients to mix a Bloody Mary! ;-)). The real problem I have with this lounge is that it is located before immigration & security (the lines at the former can be a bit unpredictable at times).
Boarded the TG773 25 minutes before departure. Champagne, OJ and water was offered pre-departure and meal orders were taken.
The menu for this short flight was:

Goose liver Mille-feuille, Marinated Tomato, Cuttlefish Salad

Pork Tenderloin with Pumpkin in Red Curry, Steamed Rice, Salted Egg, Chinese Broccoli

Or

Stir-fried Beef Tenderloin with Broccoli, Chinese Yellow Noodles, Carrot

Assorted Breads, Crackers, Butter, Cheese

Tiramisu Cake
Tea, Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino


Service began right after departure (like 5 minutes into the flight). I had the Goose liver and stir-fried beef which was really good. Nice flavor – and I picked a Riesling to go with it.
This flight was relatively short – 2 hours and 10 minutes. Great service throughout the flight (think of SEA->LAX flight in F which is the same duration) – drinks were offered several times (after we had appetizers, main course and dessert) – and we touched down in ICN 5 minutes ahead of schedule.

06 SEP. UA800, ICN->NRT (with continued services to JFK), 777-300 (3-class intl. version). C-Class, Seat 9A, Scheduled departure: 11:05 AM. Pushback at 11:00 AM. Wheels up at 11:28 AM.

The nice thing about ICN is the Silver Kris lounge – the food selection is quite good and there are plenty of internet terminals and TVs. I got to the airport 2 hours before my flight. Check-in took 3 minutes, but clearing security and immigration was another 20 minutes…
Spent an hour or so hanging out in the Silver Kris lounge before heading to the gate (they have the nicest ice-cream – although a bit weird for 9:30 AM ;-)). I boarded 30 minutes before pushback – and the entire F- and C-cabins (both C-cabins) were almost empty! But about 10 minutes late people pored in – odd….
I’m not sure I like the ‘private’ C-cabin (row 8-9) very much – feels a bit tight – and I don’t like watching the F-cabin when I’m not up there… ;-)
Pre-departure drinks were served – champagne, OJ and water. The crew was a mix of Japanese and Korean FAs.
We pushed back early, but spent almost half an hour taxing to the runway…:-( But finally on our way and the service started with drinks followed by a light snack. The snack was either noodles or a sandwich (the latter was hard to describe).
The first drink was the last one on this (short flight). In all honesty – I know I was in the C-cabin on a 1 hour and 55 minute intra-Asia flight, but c’mon – no drinks served with lunch? (water, wine, etc.) – seems a bit odd to me. I had better service in F from SFO to SEA…(with several bags of Premium Pretzels). But the 4 FAs in C did a good job and when I asked politely for a glass of wine I only got smiles and 2 minutes later a glass of perfectly good Pinot Noir showed up.
Very nice landing in NRT – and I was off for 6 hours of train travel…

12 SEP. SK984, NRT->CPH, 340-300 (SAS 2-class configuration). C-Class, Seat 3D, Scheduled departure: 11:45 AM. Pushback at 11:39 AM. Wheels up at 11:57 AM.

Let’s be very clear on this: I’m a looser and a bad friend. As I write this I’m still embarrassed:
I met a friend for coffee this morning – 7:30 AM at the Starbucks in Shinjuku – just across from the South Entrance to the station. We caught up on everything regarding Life, Universe & Everything She walked me to the train - I had not checked times for the Narita Express (I always go in the afternoon to catch U.S. based flights), and it turns out that the next train is at 9:40 AM which would take me into Narita at 11:00 - 45 minutes before scheduled departure. Not good (In my panic attack it even crossed my mind that I *might* make that – with checked luggage – silly me!). . So I decided to jump into a cab, cutting my coffee session short, I asked the driver to either 1) Get me to Tokyo Station (where there are earlier trains to Narita) or 2) Drive me to Narita (a $250 fare!!!). Time to Tokyo Station according to drive = 30 minutes (and train I *must* catch leaves in 29 minutes). He did not want to do #2. I'm f*'ed. Panic. I tell him that I will triple the fare if he can get me to Tokyo Station in 20 minutes. Bad move. Now I'm suddenly finding myself in the worst 48 Hours San Francisco car chase scene - we are racing through Tokyo - I'm hung over from last night, driver barely speaks English and we are flying through the traffic lights. I'm fearing for my life - seriously. We get to Tokyo Station 9 minutes! before the train departs. It is 8:51 AM. 80+ degrees outside (and inside the Tokyo station). Humid like h... I'm running for the ticket counter. They don't want to sell me a ticket for the 9 AM train because it is too close to departure. 30 seconds of me being *really* angry and a complete a.. Finally got a ticket in my hand. 7 minutes left, and it takes 10 to get to the platform. I'm running through rush-hour at one of the busiest stations in the world (just picture Tokyo or Shinjuku station at close to 9 AM on a Friday morning!). With a 40 lbs suitcase and a backpack I'm hitting people left & right (I'm a bad, bad person!!!). Shouting 'I'm Sorry' in my best Japanese. Stairs up and down and .5 mile later I reach the train - 45 seconds (no kidding) before we depart. I'm sweating like a pig (very disgusting), but I'm there. I feel like I just completed a marathon. The next 60 minutes is spent in the train catching my breath and thinking about how I will *never* let this happen to me again. Story of my life. Now - you can stop laughing - it was *not* funny back then... ;-)
I jump off at Terminal 2 – almost missed that – this is my first SK flight from Tokyo to Copenhagen ever and I usually fly UA from Terminal 1. I locate the ANA/SAS check-in counter. 5 minutes later I have my BP in hand and I’m heading through security & immigration to the ANA lounge. 25 minutes to kill before we board, so I mix myself a BM and synch mail… ;-) The ANA lounge in Terminal 2 is *packed* this morning, but service is great. I just wish they had more phones installed (how about WiFi??? - now *that* would be nice!). I head to the gate 35 minutes before departure. The business class line is almost empty and I board in 2 minutes and take my seat. The C-cabin is full. Pre-departure drinks (water, OJ and (bad) champagne) is served. Needless to mention what I picked… ;-)
It is kinda good to be back on a SAS flight (I’m a Danish transplant living in Seattle), but I’m not fond of the SK Airbus 343 planes, but not much of a choice unless I want to connect through CDG, AMS, FRA or LHR – and I prefer direct flights. SAS’ 2-2-2 configuration in C is not bad, although leg-room is not on par with UA (and I’m only 5’11”).
After departure drinks and snacks were served (the snack was scallop – sushi style) Nice selection of drinks and a very attentive Japanese FA served the left side of the C-cabin. Dinner followed 35 minutes later:

Mixed Salad

Smoked chicken with radish and orange chili sauce (yummy, BTW!)

Beef brisket with mixed root vegetables and Dijon mustard sauch

Or

Sauteed cod with potatoes, carrot batons, grilled tomato and parsley sauce

Or

Roast duck with steamed rice, prawn and miso sauce

Or

Tagliatelle with creamed spinach (vegetarian)


Selection of dessert and cheeses from the trolley (fruit, pecan pie and cheeses)

I had the beef which was actually quite good. SAS’s C-product is IMHO a bit below UA’s and TG’s – and definitely wayyyy below UA’s intl. F service when it comes to meal quality and attention. Perhaps I’m just spoiled. I noticed a significant difference between the service on my side of the plane (left) which was being serviced by Japanese FA’s and the right side (Scandinavian FAs). I had double the attention (and wine re-fills ;-)) vs. my partner to the right (I was in the middle row – 3D).

BTW - I love the little buffet in the galley of SK 343’s – I can help myself to wine, snacks, etc. throughout the flight – very nice feature. No need to press the amazing (does it really work?) FA button. The 2nd nice feature of the SK 343 is the lavatories with two windows! Amazing idea! ;-)

I watched a couple of movies and recharged my laptop and caught up on mail. I tried to get some sleep – but impossible – most of the C-cabin kept their window shades up and refused to sleep throughout this 11 hour flight. Fine – so I helped myself to the Australian red that was really good! ;-)

About 1.5 hours before landing in CPH a light snack was served:

Side Salad

Grilled smoked pork loin with tunip puree, broccoli and veal jus

Or

Tortellini with tomato concasse, grated Gouda cheese and tomato sauce

Fresh Fruit


We touched down in CPH at 4 PM – 11 hours later - and 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

I went to the SAS Scandinavia lounge and showed by BP stub and my UA *G card. I got a 2 minute lecture that the lounge was strictly a departure lounge, but she would make an exception this time – but *only* this time. Too tired to make a fuzz out of this – I got in – which was the important part. Poured myself a Tuborg beer, synch’ed mail and off I went for YAT (Yet Another Train).

18 SEP. SK503, CPH->LHR, MD-82 (SAS ‘2-class’ configuration). C-Class, Seat 4D, Scheduled departure: 12:05 PM. Pushback at 12:02 PM. Wheels up at 12:10 PM.

I stayed at the Hilton across from CPH – which is a nice idea when you are sampling the nightlife of Copenhagen… ;-) I got to the SK check-in counter 75 minutes before my flight. Check-in that the *G line took 3 minutes. The agent could only give me a BP to LHR (I suspect due to the C->F upgrade on my continuing UA flight to SFO). Going through security was a quick 1 minute wait and I was in my favorite airport terminal in the world. After a little bit of shopping and a visit to the Scandinavian Lounge for breakfast and a BM ;-) I headed for the C27 gate for my flight to LHR.
Boarding started at 11:45 AM and everyone was seated at 11:55 AM. Impressive.

Designating any of SAS’s MD-8x/9x as a 2 class aircraft is like selling a F-class seat on a EMB-120… . But I understand the benefits of re-booking flexibility, etc. that the C-product gives (and hence why I booked it)…I just love how they can partition the cabins with the curtain making C larger or smaller depending on the load of the day…
Years ago I used to shuttle back and forth between CPH and FRA on MD-82’s – so this was like meeting an old friend. The ‘C-cabin’ was row 1-4 (which meant 14 seats). Only 5 people up in front, so I had 3 seats at the right side of the aircraft to myself (row 4 is a 2-3 combo).

The seatbelt sign came off 5 minutes into the flight. 7 minutes later drinks were served followed by a hot lunch. Fish or beef. I took a quick look at it and decided to stick to white wine ;-). I honestly had a hard time telling the difference between the two dishes…but then again – this was a quick 1 hour and 35 minute flight crossing the canal, so don’t be picky!
The FAs were very attentive and came by many times to offer more water, wine, tea, coffee, etc. – all in all a very, very pleasant flight – and it reminded me why I enjoy flying SAS for European destinations. Even duty-free was offered on this short hop!

Ooh – BTW – why the $%#*% does SAS not offer to hang your coat on C-class intra Europe flights??? That puzzles me…
We touched down in LHR 5 minutes ahead of schedule and I headed for the RCC to get my BP and to find the UA F lounge…

18 SEP. UA931, LHR->SFO, 777-300 (Intl. 3-class configuration). F-Class, Seat 2A, Scheduled departure: 2:45 PM. Pushback at 5:14 PM. Wheels up at 5:49 PM.

Yeah – finally something went really wrong… ;-) I was waiting for this!

After a quick shopping spree in LHR (boy – this is my first time connecting to the States through LHR from Scandinavia – what a mess – never again! – signage and directions in Terminal 3 is just not what I remember from LHR in the ‘old days’). But I finally found the F lounge and checked in for my flight and went in for a quick drink and a snack before departure.
At 2:10 PM I walked to the gate – 35 minutes before departure – I’m such a good boy . What a mess at the gate. My passport and BP was checked 3 times! Then we waited for 40 minutes and finally an announcement was made that boarding was delayed due to technical problems. Doh! 15 minutes later we were told that the next update would be at 3:30 PM, so I headed back to the F lounge but got stopped by LHR ground personnel who insisted that I could not leave the boarding area. I was pretty tired at that point and gave them the option of 1) Letting me go back to the lounge or 2) Rebooking me on an alternative airline right there and now. Probably not fair, but it was so stupid that I really got upset. C’mon – what was the big deal here? The UA LHR ‘police’ finally let me back into the RCC F-class lounge.
The next 2 hours was spent in the lounge asking the staff for updates and they kept pushing out the departure time every time I asked (lesson learned: Don’t ask – it just delays the flight even further ;-)). Finally at 4:45 PM we were asked to proceed to the gate. BP and passport checked twice (hey – we are getting more and more efficient at LHR these days – only twice this time;-)) – and then standing in line for the C/F jetway just to be told that I must go to the other jetway as F-class passengers must board through the Y-jetway (although several C passengers are boarding through the first jetway – go figure…). I really didn’t care at this point, and boarding took 10 minutes. The FA at the doorway is a bit confused to see a F boarding pass, so I just rush up and find seat 2A.
My coat is being hung in seconds and a glass of champagne offered along with water.
The captain comes on the PA and apologizes for the delay. He also mentions that the FA staff is 4 people short due to the long delay and that the rest of the crew has taken an extension to make this flight to SFO happen. I have only one thing to say to the crew on UA931 on 9/18: GO UNITED!!!
Short and sweet the captain announces that the plane needed to have an electrical generator replaced and that it is better to be ‘happy down here than being up there wishing you would be happy to be down there’ – hard to argue with that.
Then we are pushing back, taxing out we saw two BA Concorde parked at a remote location next to a couple 747’s - nice sighting! We bypassed a bunch of BA flights that were lined up for departure and finally we had wheels up almost 3 hours late…

Pre-dinner drinks offered along with ask for choice of appetizer and main course.

Menu:

Dill marinated salmon with shrimp (fresh lemon and Louis sauce)
Or
Stilton and tomato salsa topped mushroom (Leek and carrot slaw with sesame seeds)

Garden salad with balsamic vinaigrette or ranch dressing and an assortment of specialty breads fresh from the bakery

Main course:

Filet Mignon with béarnaise sauce
Fried onion rings, duchess potatoes and sautéed spinach with garlic

Roasted breast of chicken with Portobello mushroom reduction
Risotto with Parmesan cheese and a vegetable medley

Prawns in curry sauce
Basmati rice and a vegetable masala

Leek and Roquefort cheese manicotti
Your choice of marinara or Alfredo sauce and herb mixed mushrooms

Dessert:

International cheese selection
Shropshire Blue, Cornish yarg and Somerset Camembery cheese
Haagen-Dazs ice cream with sundae toppings
Fresh seasonal fruit

Prior to arrival:

British Tea Service: Lemon chicken salad, cream cheese and chive and tuna with red pepper salad tea sandwiches

Or

Bagel and chilled smoked salmon – cream cheese, sliced red onion and capers.


I had the filet mignon and later the tea sandwiches. The food was pretty good (being airline food) and service throughout the flight was excellent. Despite the shortage of FAs the service was on par with any other UA F-class flight I’ve had in the past. Water was constantly filled and there was no shortage of refills of champagne, wine and scotch… ;-) The FA that was serving the F-cabin was outstanding (it was not the purser as she was helping out in the back). After a few hours of sleep I woke up and within seconds I had a fresh glass of champagne in front of me ;-)
On a side note: No silverware on this flight – none at all! All plastic. Interesting experience trying to eat a very frozen ice cream with a plastic spoon…

Touchdown in SFO at 8:32 PM – almost 3 hours late.


21 SEP. UA794, SFO->SEA, 737-300. F-Class, Seat 2C, Scheduled departure: 12:50 PM. Pushback at 12:45 PM. Wheels up at 12:58 PM.

I got to the airport a little over 2 hours before my flight – I overestimated traffic out of downtown SF when I left the ‘W’, so I was in the terminal exactly 2 hours before scheduled departure. Boy – what a mess. I did not expect any lines or a lot of passengers – but the check-in area was *packed* and lines through security were loooong. Silly me – when I normally fly out of SFO on Sundays it is on the 7:55 PM flight – and not at the time when most European and Asian bound flights are being loaded up…
Check-in took 15 minutes and the wait in the priority security line was really not longer than 10-15 minutes. Pheewww…
This was my last leg of this (too) long trip and I was happy to finally be on my way home. I spent 25 minutes in the RCC caching up on work while sipping a BM (this is getting trivial, I know ;-)) and then headed to gate 71.
They were looking for volunteers to take a bump – offering F-class on SFO->LAX->SEA and a free roundtrip ticket. It was tempting, but I was already in booked F class and I really wanted to get home, so I did not jump on it – I know, I know – I’m not a true FT’er! ;-)

Pre departure drinks were offered and 10 minutes into the flight the FA distributed the mandatory nuts and took orders for drinks.
Being on an old UA 737-300 is almost like being home – and it felt good to finally be on my last leg of the trip.
The service through this 100% full flight was excellent. The purser who worked the F-class cabin also helped out in the back, but she was very attentative and I never had an empty glass throughout the short flight.
We touched down a couple of minutes ahead of schedule. That’s it folks. Over and out. 4+ weeks away from home and too many miles later – I’m signing out – if this trip has taught me anything it would be that it is great to fly United!!!

Nanook

Euroboy, when I saw the subject line I thought perhaps you had done all this in a few days. But it was a lot of flying nevertheless. Great report for your first one.


You didn't take the bump? We'll let it go this time

ual744777sta

Great report, how many miles is that anyway? Well, I can understand why you didn't take the bump, but it was a VERY good deal. Welcome back to the states.

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UNITED will fall, when illegals can get US passports in CA.

Euroboy

It was 26083 miles - a bit on the low side - but more than enough for me (at least it felt like that way when I got into SFO). And shame on me for not taking the bump - but by Sunday afternoon after being on the road for 4 weeks all I wanted was to get back to Sunny Seattle... ;-)
Off for San Diego tonight - one can only hope for an oversold 320... ;-)

olafman

Great report. I love to hear travel reports when things go wrong.

As weird as this will sound, I only fly international FC these days. I'm booked in it, I have a ticket for it, it's just too simple.

Part of me longs for the days of hopeful upgrades and when a middle seat in C was excititng (compared to Y). I loved the flying game.

Now I've even gotten to the airport "after check-in is closed" on a int'l flight, and they STILL give me my original seat!! CX is especially good at this one.

Anyway, I love a good racing to the airport story. I guess that's why I love Amazing Race!

1P

Two minutes' silence for the death of that joke.....

pallensf

Kudos on your first report...well done.

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Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator