UA 882

Time for a Trip Report

This is the first trip report I have ever done – if I do anything wrong, please be nice

SEA_Tigger and many other FTers always bost how great the Seattle based crews are. So, I decided that I would do a massive re-route and find whether this really is true.

My itinerary was as follows:

SYR – ORD – SEA – NRT – SIN

I booked this itinerary with two separate tickets. The first one is from Syracuse to Seattle via Chicago (booked in Economy, upgraded to Business). The second one is from Seattle via Tokyo Narita to Singapore (booked in Business, upgraded to First).

SYR – ORD
United Express Flight 5495
Canadair Regional Jet
Economy Class
Seat 8B

I checked in at the premier line about an hour before departure, only to find that I had forgotten my paper ticket from Seattle to Singapore at home! I started panicking knowing that I would have to pay immense fees to get everything re-issued. This may sound really bad but I thought that SYR employees would issue the ticket even without the paper, especially since no one uses paper tickets nowadays! However, this was impossible and she told me to ask in the lounge in Chicago for help. I was a little nervous thinking that Seattle was going to be the end of the line for me…

The flight was overbooked, but the gate agent (same as check-in!) steered clear of asking me to volunteer with the knowledge that I had to catch a flight to SIN. The lady was very fun and friendly – a definite wake-up call from ACA!

Flight time was a little less than expected – about 1 hour and 22 minutes instead of the 2 hours that were planned (but I guess the schedule includes taxiing). We left about 25 minutes late and arrived 5 minutes early. Drink service was good and efficient, and the F/A kept himself busy throughout the flight cleaning up the cups and serving pretzels numerous times. No coffee or tea was served because the machine was broken – I am not a coffee drinker but I am sure many others were annoyed, especially considering the 6am departure!


Chicago Airport

I love Chicago. At least the airport because that is all I have been to. I immediately went to the First Class Lounge in the C Concourse where I know quite a number of people. I was pleased to see one of my favorite Concierge ladies – there were two behind the counter. I was immediately introduced to the lady I hadn't seen previously and then started telling them about my ticket dilemma. Lets just say this – they took GREAT pity on me! I got my boarding passes all the way to Singapore in First Class, they called the gate from where I was to take the Seattle flight, telling them that I would be late, and then ran to the plane as fast as I could.


ORD – SEA
United Flight 775
Boeing 777
Business Class
8H

I was greeted by the purser in the First Class cabin, and immediately proceded to my seat. The flight was very light in Business Class, but the F cabin was full…with employees Oh well.

This flight was with a Seattle based crew, so I was looking forward to friendly and courteous service. I guess they must have thought differently, because the FA on my side was quite rude and inconsiderate, never once saying “You’re Welcome” to my Thank You’s, and ignoring me whenever I tried to catch her attention… The FA on the other side of the plane seemed very friendly (she was of Asian decent), and frequently smiled at passengers. She was actually the only FA on the flight who seemed to care a little about the passengers – the worst Flight Attendant, however, was in First class: grumpy face and attitude, never smiled, looked as if he was going to throw the food over the next passenger that was going to get in his way.

For meal service we had the choice of either Omelet or mixed fruit plate – I went for the former, which was okay. It came with a side of fruit and a croissant – the FA never came around with second helpings of bread.

The most spectacular part about this flight was the view – when we started approaching Seattle, the pilot told us to look out of the left side of the plane, where we could see Mt. St. Helens and several mountain ranges. I took several pictures (sorry, the scenery was more important than the food!) and hopefully they will come out nice. The city looks very beautiful and I will make sure to visit the next time I come to the US.

Landing was nice and smooth, and taxiing didn’t take long. I waited for the Asian FA (with whom I started speaking) at the gate area, and she handed me her e-mail address to send her the pictures. I found out that she was actually on reserve and not senior enough to fly to Narita.


Seattle Airport

It was much smaller than I had assumed! Not that many international flights – I think one to Copenhagen, London, Frankfurt, Narita, and Vancouver.

I entered the RCC and inquired about a F class only section – I was immediately shown down an alley on the side where a friendly Filipino food service attendant opened the door and welcomed me in. She asked whether I would like to have anything to drink, and brought me some water and milk (the reason is coming!). I went to the snack selection and was quite disappointed. Same as in the RCC – but, there were Oreo Cookies!

In the 1.5 hours I was in the lounge the Concierge (Richard) came up to me and introduced himself. He informed me that he will be bringing me to the plane, and that if I had any questions I should feel free to ask. Now, let me tell you something about Richard – he is very, very funny. I had a blast talking to him about airlines, the airport (Seattle in particular, and I found out that it was extremely expensive to maintain the lounge area as the airport authorities think that they are comparable to Heathrow or Narita – that’s how much they charge!), and the flight attendants.

During the course of my conversation with him, I found out that Iris (UA FTers know who I am talking about ) lives in Seattle but flies out of SFO exclusively. He has seen her on numerous occasions and we had an interesting conversation about the seniority system at UA.

Overall, I had a blast!

When it was time to board, Richard took everyone to the plane – like an army; the 11 of us proceeded to the gate, walking behind each other in a straight line. We cut in front of everyone else at the gate, and were immediately shown to our seats once we boarded the plane. Surprisingly, it was exactly the same plane that I took from Chicago.


SEA – NRT
United Flight 875
Boeing 777
First Class
2J

A Japanese FA, who took my jacket as soon as I arrived at my seat, greeted me. I was offered something to drink and then given the amenity kit and earphones. Thank goodness Channel 9 was available. The Pilot went through the entire Business and First Class cabin and thanked everyone for flying with United. That was a really nice touch. The first officer on this flight was in fact a lady, which was great! While I never actually met her, she sounded very friendly throughout her announcements. 30 minutes after take-off she came on the PA, and informed us that there was a greeting from the Vancouver flight control, congratulating 2 passengers on their honeymoon – I loved it!

Unfortunately I forgot the menu on the plane, but I will try and remember everything as good as possible what the dishes were:




I had the goat cheese, which was okay. The FA refused to serve me two (since I don’t eat anything else) but later ended up throwing away 3 pieces.

The salad followed which was served with pieces of chicken and croutons – I had the choice of Caesars dressing or Vinaigrette – I chose the latter. It tasted fabulous! I love salad!

For main course I chose the Filet Mignon with a Demi-Glace, which was okay – a little too well cooked and the veggies weren’t that nice of a flavor. Bread was served frequently (by a different FA, thank goodness!), and I always asked for the Focaccia and Pretzel Roll – it was very nice!

For desert I had some of Ely’s Ice Cream (I believe), which was quite tasty. (Un)fortunately I have the habit of eating everything and anything that I have on my plate since I really hate wasting food, so I was very, very full at the end of the meal service.

I watched Shark Tale and dozed off about 2 hours into the flight, only to awake 40 minutes prior to arrival. Everyone had already been served breakfast, but the Japanese FA was still willing to give me some fruits before we landed in Tokyo. I enjoyed my meal, and relaxed for the rest of our flight before we had a smooth touchdown at Narita International Airport.

Some additional comments about the flight: The purser was never seen in the First Class cabin, which was quite disappointing. Shortly after take-off she went through the entire F class manifest and identified who had upgraded and who was a full fare paying passenger. While I really don’t care why she did it, I thought that it was weird since upgraded passenger still ‘paid’ for their upgrade one way or another.

The FA took my headphones towards the end of the flight (while I was in the bathroom), even though I wanted to listen to Channel 9. The Japanese FA was very, very reluctant to give me another set, but after I showed her that the passenger in front of me still had his, she gave in and got me another pair, dropping them in my lap on her way past my seat. In addition, the pillows were the same ones the previous passenger used – YUCK!


Narita Airport:

If anyone wondered where the newly painted 777 is – it is at Narita Airport! I immediately went to the First Class lounge and took a shower. I didn’t really eat anything while I was there, and just immediately went to the aircraft, which departed at Gate 44 – it was a gate I had never seen before, right at the end of the terminal!


NRT – SIN
United Flight 837
Boeing 777
First Class
3J

The Asian FA who greeted me was probably the friendliest Flight Attendant I had ever met on a UA flight. She knew my name and used it as frequently as possible throughout the flight, smiled profusely, and seemed more than willing to do whatever possible in order to make this flight the greatest experience possible for the passengers – and the passengers loved it!

For this one, I have the menu!




Surprisingly, there was no Filet Mignon on this route, but plenty of that Asian Vinaigrette that they have had for the past 8 months .

The food was well presented, and I was also given an economy class pasta meal since most of the menu had fish in it and I don’t eat seafood. At First, the Purser was very reluctant and I told him not to worry about giving me the Y class meal. I did have the goulash soup with the sandwich (which was okay), and the great sorbet at the end of my meal. However, they ended up having an extra Pasta dish so I ate that as well.

I slept for about 4 hours and arrived well rested. I found out that the Asian FA was actually Hong Kong based – so who knows, I might have her on my flight in 1 week


Conclusion:

Now, would I do an extra stopover in an already long itinerary just to experience the Seattle based crews? No way. I really enjoyed the personalized service the Concierge offered us – it is something that should be present at all of the international airports where United flies. However, the crew really wasn’t that great from Seattle, and the airport was far too small for my personal taste. I prefer large, bustling airport like Chicago and San Francisco where something is always ‘happening’! But at least now I know…

UA 882

I don't know why this is so late... but I only JUST added the menu for the flight!

Sorry for the delay!

PresRDC

Nice report. I don't know how I missed it the first time.

olafman

Nice Report! I love the UA Concierge escort to the plane. I think the only airline to beat that is LH's drive to the plane in a chauffered car.

SEA_Tigger

Well, every crew has a bad time, I guess.

Richard is awesome. Even though I fly upgraded Business Class on UA875, he always takes care of me. ^

My last run on UA875 in Business was in late January and it was as good as or better then most report in First. By far my best international Business Class experience and right up there with some of the great domestic ones when the cabin is empty and the FAs have all the time in the world to treat you right.

While the "official" Purser worked F, we had an FA with Purser credentials in Business and she set an absolutely fantastic tone for our 50% full cabin (F was at 100% with pax, otherwise Richard would have parked me there as a thank you for changing my seat, but he did make sure my adjacent seat was left empty and that they saved me an obento meal and he came back from F and thanked me for moving. He also loaded me up with RCC drink chits for NRT).

We were served individually (no "from the cart") for drinks, appetizers, and main course. Dessert and aperitifs/coffee/tea was presented on a trolley like the use in First Class and the trolley was decorated with flowers and napkins. We also had flowers in the BC loos.

We never lacked for wine or water, and after three re-fills our glasses were swapped out for fresh (even if continuing to have the same beverage).

Honestly, if I lived in ORD I wouldn't connect in SEA, either (especially now that we are supposedly losing our morning 777 from ORD). But since it is my home port, I fly UA all the time from here all over the world, and I will still put SEA employees up against any other in the system (even JFK and NRT) anytime, anywhere.

ClipperClub

In regards to a few things in the report.....

About the comments on employees in FC.
As a UA employee, I cannot stress enough that the right to sit in FC is appropriate and just. It is often times these experiences as a 'passenger' that reinforce service and courtesy (more on this later....)

SEA is from my very experienced perspective, not exactly the base for courtesy and service. SEA base has experienced some harsh cutbacks that has directly affected the crews based there. The crews are battered and many times miserable from the experience. They average as the most senior....which can be good, and bad. Most never get experience from a passenger perspective on any regular basis....they tend to live/work/d.. in Seattle....no commuters here.

Of course it would be the same 777, as this is the only 777 to transit SEA in a given day.

Taking a headset away is part of our job, and Channel 9 is less of a priority than losing $150,000 a month in unclaimed headsets that are trashed by aircraft (contract) cleaners.

You were treated well by a NRT based flight attendant on your SIN flight, a former base of mine. They are among the best, and work some SFO/LAX-NRT flights as well.

Hope this helps......