Blame (Air) Canada! London to Seattle via Toronto (via Chicago on UA on the return).
Nov 16, 2011, 5:50 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: BRS
Posts: 336
Blame (Air) Canada! London to Seattle via Toronto (via Chicago on UA on the return).
Seattle it was, then. Options included Delta via Detroit and/or Atlanta, which was cheapest at the time of booking, but would require a schlep to and from Terminal Four at Heathrow, which is never a pleasure. I could have flown a two-stopper via Amsterdam there and a single stop via Paris on Air France’s A340 on the return to & from my local airport, but price was prohibitive.
The (affordable, suitably timed) Star Alliance options from Heathrow seemed to all involve Air Canada, which seemed no bad thing at the time. . . .
I ended up fixed with the 12:05 77W service to Toronto which connected onto the single daily Embraer 190 to Seattle. Both flights would be only my second on the respective types. Choices for the return included the puddle-jumper (Dash 8) up to Vancouver and onto an A330, but I found what I believe was a mistake fare with a UA B fare SEA - ORD, moving onto a S fare (on a British Midland codeshare) to Heathrow. I could upgrade my first leg with 5,000 miles and no co-pay, and managed to sneak my way into Economy plus for the London leg thanks to United’s seating engine not knowing how their own planes were laid out.
SEA - ORD was on an A319, and I enjoyed the irony of flying both ways over the ocean in Boeing products, before entering and exiting the (spiritual) home of the company on the competition.
Oh, there was a direct BA flight as well, but it was much more expensive, and I don’t belong to any oneworld programmes.
So what do we want to blame Air Canada for? A couple of very minor things on legs one and three, but it never hurts to have a snappy title, even if it is largely plagiarised.
Taking a look at the seating map about a week ahead of departure, I could see that it was going to be a pretty full flight, but at that point my seat, 51A, still had a free seat next to it. Then on the Thursday came The Call: would I like to transfer to a direct (note: not non-stop) flight leaving at 07:55? Unfortunately this would simply be impossible. Having had seats allocated months before, I thought I’d be pretty safe on 857, but obviously that free seat was going to have disappeared.
Saturday came, and I used my usual combination of First Great Western and RailAir coach to wend my way to Heathrow. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get the WiFi on the coach to perform satisfactorily, although whether this was down to the coach or my newly-configured work laptop I couldn’t say. I’ve never had any problems before, and it worked fine on the return.
I arrived to a very busy Air Canada check-in area, with kiosks roped off to keep them away from the grubby passengers, and tacked myself onto the back of the nearest general check-in queue. I later noticed that there was a separate queue for AC857, which was longer, so I think I dodged a bullet there. There was also someone directing passengers to the relevant queue who had been absent when I joined, so I may have timed things just right(!) When I reached the desk I managed to get my OnePass number added to the reservation, and failed to get my seat on the Seattle leg changed due to a flight that had been ~30% empty last time I’d checked now being fully booked.
Heading up to Security I glanced at my boarding passes and noticed that my seat to Toronto had moved - from 51A to 25K. Still a window seat (yay!), but over the wing on a 77W (boo!). The check-in agent hadn’t mentioned the change. After passing through a pain-free security check (is it just me, or has Heathrow improved in the past few years?) and brunching at Yo! Sushi, I headed over to the gate and saw this:
Not much chance of getting row 51 there.
Flight one (Saturday):
AC857 LHR-YYZ
Boeing 767-300ER C-FMWV
Scheduled departure: 12:05
Scheduled arrival: 14:45
Seat: 25K
So there had been an equipment swap from a 777 to a 767, and my seat had moved from the rear section on the port side, to just behind the wings on starboard. At document check I overheard a woman complaining that she’d been bumped from Executive First to Economy, which put any concerns I might have into perspective.
Boarding was accomplished by zones, and was very well-handled by Air Canada, as I have come to expect from my limited experience flying with the airline. Despite joining in about half-way through the process, I found next to no queue in the jetway, and was able to quickly find my seat & settle in. Legroom was fine, although the view was less than inspiring. Oddly enough the mood lighting I’ve often enjoyed on Air Canada was absent from this flight.
Pushback was pretty much on schedule, but after we’d gone a few metres back we stopped dead. After five or so minutes, one of the pilots came over the intercom to explain that there was a problem with the tow-bar. Another quarter-hour or so and we pushed fully back, and I was rewarded with a view of another four Air Canada craft in a row alongside (1 x 767, 1 x 77W, 2 x A330, including one in Star Alliance colours).
On the long taxi we were given a very full amount of information on the flight ahead, including our takeoff runway (none of which I can now remember). I don’t really remember takeoff either, which I’ll take to be a good sign. I quickly launched into the AVOD, which despite it’s annoying adverts remains amongst the best over the Atlantic.
Perhaps because this is a lunchtime flight, first service was lunch (no preceding snacks), and I plumped for the chicken. This being October, I was a little surprised to see the same main (chicken breast with ginger) as offered to Kevincm in September. The meal was inoffensive enough - perhaps too inoffensive as I couldn’t really taste the ginger - but despite having had a hearty brunch in the terminal, I still was far from stuffed.
Last time I flew LHR-YYZ there was an additional nuts & drink service midway on the flight, but this wasn’t the case today. There were plenty of water runs though, right up to the point where it was time for the snack service.
Once I’d received my hot posh wrap, the FAs came back with the drinks trolley and I asked what beers they had. The lady serving me, who wasn’t in the first flush of youth, asked how old I was, asserting that I looked “about twelve”. Seeing the puzzled look on my face, she volunteered “You’re going to say you’re something like 35 now, aren’t you?” When I told her I was 37, she cracked up laughing at her mistake. Written down it all sounds a bit heavy, it was all very light-hearted. It showed excellent, human, service from Air Canada. It did take her a few minutes to compose herself after the exchange, though, so it took a while before I could take the photo unseen.
I think we made up our lost half-hour during the flight but to be honest, with a 3½ layover in Toronto, I wasn’t really looking at my watch when we landed. Obviously, as there was no time pressure on me, I had my smoothest ever entry into the US (zone), with a negligible wait for my bag, short queues through immigration and security, and the friendliest border officer I’ve ever dealt with (bar the Dutch immigration officer who once greeted me simply “Don’t drink too much”, and sent me on my way).
I walked to either end of the US zone, and sat down for a meal and a drink in the Molson Pub. Eventually it was time to head over to the gate, where I clapped eyes on this:
Flight two (Saturday):
AC541 YYZ-SEA
Embraer E190 C-FHNX
Scheduled departure: 18:20
Scheduled arrival: 20:27
Seat: 20F
Boarding was, as ever, very smoothly handled by row. Why can’t other airlines manage this, or is it down to Canadians being more civil than other nationalities? Legroom was adequate, as can be seen, but I remain unconvinced by the width of the seats on the E-jets. They are factually wider than the seats on the 737, etc., but whilst I can feel by backside sliding about from side to side on these planes, the narrow armrest means I end up feeling more cramped at shoulder height than I’ve ever done on the littler Boeings. I got around this feeling on this flight by reclining a little less than half-way, putting my rowmates shoulders in front of mine.
My long travel day was beginning to catch up with me by now, so there was a mix of snoozing and watching the less-demanding parts of AC’s AVOD. I did stop to read the in-flight magazine, where I learned that AC’s Boeing 777s have ‘racked wings’, which are surely a new development in aerodynamics.
I was on the wrong side of the plane for views on the approach to Seattle, and desperately trying to finish my episode of the Simpsons, so I missed most of the landing. My tiredness really kicking in now, I headed to baggage claim and on to the Link light rail station. I had originally planned to treat myself to a taxi or a shuttle, until I saw that the train was faster to where I wanted to get to.
More to follow...
The (affordable, suitably timed) Star Alliance options from Heathrow seemed to all involve Air Canada, which seemed no bad thing at the time. . . .
I ended up fixed with the 12:05 77W service to Toronto which connected onto the single daily Embraer 190 to Seattle. Both flights would be only my second on the respective types. Choices for the return included the puddle-jumper (Dash 8) up to Vancouver and onto an A330, but I found what I believe was a mistake fare with a UA B fare SEA - ORD, moving onto a S fare (on a British Midland codeshare) to Heathrow. I could upgrade my first leg with 5,000 miles and no co-pay, and managed to sneak my way into Economy plus for the London leg thanks to United’s seating engine not knowing how their own planes were laid out.
SEA - ORD was on an A319, and I enjoyed the irony of flying both ways over the ocean in Boeing products, before entering and exiting the (spiritual) home of the company on the competition.
Oh, there was a direct BA flight as well, but it was much more expensive, and I don’t belong to any oneworld programmes.
So what do we want to blame Air Canada for? A couple of very minor things on legs one and three, but it never hurts to have a snappy title, even if it is largely plagiarised.
Taking a look at the seating map about a week ahead of departure, I could see that it was going to be a pretty full flight, but at that point my seat, 51A, still had a free seat next to it. Then on the Thursday came The Call: would I like to transfer to a direct (note: not non-stop) flight leaving at 07:55? Unfortunately this would simply be impossible. Having had seats allocated months before, I thought I’d be pretty safe on 857, but obviously that free seat was going to have disappeared.
Saturday came, and I used my usual combination of First Great Western and RailAir coach to wend my way to Heathrow. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get the WiFi on the coach to perform satisfactorily, although whether this was down to the coach or my newly-configured work laptop I couldn’t say. I’ve never had any problems before, and it worked fine on the return.
I arrived to a very busy Air Canada check-in area, with kiosks roped off to keep them away from the grubby passengers, and tacked myself onto the back of the nearest general check-in queue. I later noticed that there was a separate queue for AC857, which was longer, so I think I dodged a bullet there. There was also someone directing passengers to the relevant queue who had been absent when I joined, so I may have timed things just right(!) When I reached the desk I managed to get my OnePass number added to the reservation, and failed to get my seat on the Seattle leg changed due to a flight that had been ~30% empty last time I’d checked now being fully booked.
Heading up to Security I glanced at my boarding passes and noticed that my seat to Toronto had moved - from 51A to 25K. Still a window seat (yay!), but over the wing on a 77W (boo!). The check-in agent hadn’t mentioned the change. After passing through a pain-free security check (is it just me, or has Heathrow improved in the past few years?) and brunching at Yo! Sushi, I headed over to the gate and saw this:
Not much chance of getting row 51 there.
Flight one (Saturday):
AC857 LHR-YYZ
Boeing 767-300ER C-FMWV
Scheduled departure: 12:05
Scheduled arrival: 14:45
Seat: 25K
So there had been an equipment swap from a 777 to a 767, and my seat had moved from the rear section on the port side, to just behind the wings on starboard. At document check I overheard a woman complaining that she’d been bumped from Executive First to Economy, which put any concerns I might have into perspective.
Boarding was accomplished by zones, and was very well-handled by Air Canada, as I have come to expect from my limited experience flying with the airline. Despite joining in about half-way through the process, I found next to no queue in the jetway, and was able to quickly find my seat & settle in. Legroom was fine, although the view was less than inspiring. Oddly enough the mood lighting I’ve often enjoyed on Air Canada was absent from this flight.
Pushback was pretty much on schedule, but after we’d gone a few metres back we stopped dead. After five or so minutes, one of the pilots came over the intercom to explain that there was a problem with the tow-bar. Another quarter-hour or so and we pushed fully back, and I was rewarded with a view of another four Air Canada craft in a row alongside (1 x 767, 1 x 77W, 2 x A330, including one in Star Alliance colours).
On the long taxi we were given a very full amount of information on the flight ahead, including our takeoff runway (none of which I can now remember). I don’t really remember takeoff either, which I’ll take to be a good sign. I quickly launched into the AVOD, which despite it’s annoying adverts remains amongst the best over the Atlantic.
Perhaps because this is a lunchtime flight, first service was lunch (no preceding snacks), and I plumped for the chicken. This being October, I was a little surprised to see the same main (chicken breast with ginger) as offered to Kevincm in September. The meal was inoffensive enough - perhaps too inoffensive as I couldn’t really taste the ginger - but despite having had a hearty brunch in the terminal, I still was far from stuffed.
Last time I flew LHR-YYZ there was an additional nuts & drink service midway on the flight, but this wasn’t the case today. There were plenty of water runs though, right up to the point where it was time for the snack service.
Once I’d received my hot posh wrap, the FAs came back with the drinks trolley and I asked what beers they had. The lady serving me, who wasn’t in the first flush of youth, asked how old I was, asserting that I looked “about twelve”. Seeing the puzzled look on my face, she volunteered “You’re going to say you’re something like 35 now, aren’t you?” When I told her I was 37, she cracked up laughing at her mistake. Written down it all sounds a bit heavy, it was all very light-hearted. It showed excellent, human, service from Air Canada. It did take her a few minutes to compose herself after the exchange, though, so it took a while before I could take the photo unseen.
I think we made up our lost half-hour during the flight but to be honest, with a 3½ layover in Toronto, I wasn’t really looking at my watch when we landed. Obviously, as there was no time pressure on me, I had my smoothest ever entry into the US (zone), with a negligible wait for my bag, short queues through immigration and security, and the friendliest border officer I’ve ever dealt with (bar the Dutch immigration officer who once greeted me simply “Don’t drink too much”, and sent me on my way).
I walked to either end of the US zone, and sat down for a meal and a drink in the Molson Pub. Eventually it was time to head over to the gate, where I clapped eyes on this:
Flight two (Saturday):
AC541 YYZ-SEA
Embraer E190 C-FHNX
Scheduled departure: 18:20
Scheduled arrival: 20:27
Seat: 20F
Boarding was, as ever, very smoothly handled by row. Why can’t other airlines manage this, or is it down to Canadians being more civil than other nationalities? Legroom was adequate, as can be seen, but I remain unconvinced by the width of the seats on the E-jets. They are factually wider than the seats on the 737, etc., but whilst I can feel by backside sliding about from side to side on these planes, the narrow armrest means I end up feeling more cramped at shoulder height than I’ve ever done on the littler Boeings. I got around this feeling on this flight by reclining a little less than half-way, putting my rowmates shoulders in front of mine.
My long travel day was beginning to catch up with me by now, so there was a mix of snoozing and watching the less-demanding parts of AC’s AVOD. I did stop to read the in-flight magazine, where I learned that AC’s Boeing 777s have ‘racked wings’, which are surely a new development in aerodynamics.
I was on the wrong side of the plane for views on the approach to Seattle, and desperately trying to finish my episode of the Simpsons, so I missed most of the landing. My tiredness really kicking in now, I headed to baggage claim and on to the Link light rail station. I had originally planned to treat myself to a taxi or a shuttle, until I saw that the train was faster to where I wanted to get to.
More to follow...
Last edited by Weean; Nov 16, 2011 at 5:59 am
Nov 16, 2011, 6:57 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: BRS
Posts: 336
As I mentioned earlier, I was originally scheduled to take an Airbus A319 (UA200) out of Seattle. At some point during August United re-jigged things so I’d be on UA998, to be operated by a Boeing 757. In many ways this announcement came as something of a relief, if you’ll excuse the turn of phrase. Unfortunately when I was re-ticketed, I was done so on BMI. As a result, I was thrown out my first class seat and dumped back in economy (minus!), and given my 5,000 miles back. Of course, by now it costs 10,000 miles to upgrade within the continental US. I foolishly decided to do nothing about this until I got to Seattle.
A couple of days before my return flight I phoned UAs toll-free number to see if there was anything I could do. I originally hit the Indian call centre, but was pretty quickly transferred to a US-based facility because I was on an international itinerary. The agent could see my lost upgrade, but couldn’t do anything because UA wasn’t the ticket issuing carrier. Blame Air Canada was the gist, if not the precise message. I had my suspicions that the fault actually lay with Opodo, from whom I had got my travel booker to get the tickets. The additional layers of bureaucracy, allied to the fact that I was in a hotel which charged for toll-free numbers, meant that I decided to let things lie. I did manage to get moved forward slightly in the cabin whilst retaining a port window though, so it wasn’t an entirely wasted call.
Thursday came, and I took the light rail back to SeaTac airport. The train might be faster than road, but it’s a fair old schlep between the rail station and the terminal itself. thankfully there was fairly clement weather. Check-in was very quiet, but despite the lack of queues (for any carrier that I could see) here, there were long lines at security. If this is what it’s like during quiet periods, I’d hate to try and get through when it’s busy.
I eventually got through, and made my way to Anthony’s Restaurant to get myself some lunch. I sat at the bar, but unfortunately the wrong part in order to see the planes go by. Food was nice, and the beer tasted good, but what’s with the fetish for making American ales as fizzy as a lager? I would have had the legs for a third pint, but I didn't have the stomach, so headed on over to the gate instead.
On the way I had a look at the Information Displays, which interestingly showed two United flights leaving for ORD at 2:27pm. Intrigued, I headed over to gate 11 to see if I could see UA734, but there was no sign of it. Instead I took a photo of my plane, front and back.
Flight one (Thursday):
UA998 SEA-ORD
Boeing 757-200 N567UA
Scheduled departure: 14:27
Scheduled arrival: 20:14
Seat: 30A
Channel 9: Off
Boarding was by zones, as you might expect, but with a very full flight and limited gate seating, it was nowhere near as pretty as ACs attempts. That said, it was handled pretty efficiently. I quickly got to my seat to snap the legroom shot. It felt even more cramped than it looks, and remember, I’m not terribly tall.
I had hoped to get a picture of the Alaska Disney logojet which I had seen parked alongside immediately prior to boarding. Alas, in the time between me joining the queue and getting to my seat, it had pushed back and taxied off for who knows where. In its place I present you with this image of a distant, standard livery, Alaskan 737 and a couple of empty gates.
Prior to take off we were given our safety briefing, which was notable because we told that “All electronic items with a power switch must be turned off. This includes...candles...”. I’m reasonably sure he actually meant to say Kindles, but such was his accent. Conditions were pretty overcast, and there wasn’t much to see out the window for the first hour, until we got a few breaks in the clouds over some mountains. I presume the Rockies?
In-flight entertainment was pretty terrible, compounded by the lack of Channel 9. In place of the Mr Popper’s Penguins I’d been led to expect, we were presented with a chick-flick about a couple of female friends, one of which was cheating with the others fiancé. It sounded like it had the potential to be darker than the average Hollywood fluff, but it squandered the chance, and lost my interest pretty quickly.
Much better was the crew. None of them below their thirties (and only one I’d place any younger than forty), they didn’t do anything exceptional, but seemed to enjoy their job and meeting people, which can count for a lot. I took a Savory (sic) snackbox and a gin & orange, and after caning the tortilla chips, remembered to take a photo:
The Flight Attendant presumed that I had asked for gin and tonic, and affected scepticism of such a choice of drink (to hide poor hearing?). I did my best to reassure her that it tasted nice.
At the merest bump of turbulance all flight crew were required to go back to their jump seats, and stay there for what seemed an age. It did cross my mind that this could have been an elaborate work-avoidance scheme cooked up between the cabin and the flightdeck, but for the fact that they hustled so much once they were allowed back up, with plenty of water runs and visibility. I had forgotten how much US carriers love their seatbelt signs.
Our landing in Chicago was on time and text-book. The pilot floated us over the piano keys, held us (in ground effect?) for several seconds, and merely kissed the tarmac with the main gear. It was such a nice landing that the FA felt it fitting to offer her congratulations to the flightdeck during her safety address, although I’m happy to report that there were no rounds of applause from the passengers.
Although we landed right on time, there was a long taxi, and my 55 five minute connection began to look a little under-generous. As we pulled into the gate 15 I saw a 767 in the gate (11) alongside, and took a snap during the all too long delay in getting the jetway attached. Wouldn’t it be funny, I thought, if that was my plane. But I was pretty sure the FAs had announced on the taxi that the service to Boston (a continuation of UA998) was likely to be at gate 11.
Once boarding time for my connection was well underway, I finally got myself off the plane. Ignorant of the terminal’s layout, I ran towards gate 11 in the mistaken belief that I was also running towards the centre of the terminal in order to maximise my connection chances. Once I reached the FIDS I realised my mistake, but also realised that I had totally lucked out: my flight was leaving from gate 11 (right behind me), and they had just announced my boarding group.
Flight two (Thursday):
UA938 ORD-LHR
Boeing 767-300 N655UA
Scheduled departure: 21:13
Scheduled arrival: 11:15
Seat: 28A
Channel 9: Off
I thought the gate area was pretty quiet, and as the 767 slowly filled up, I discovered that I was right - we were only half full. Despite this, it was as well that I got my legroom shot off quick, as I was to start this flight with company.
Quickly after climbout a snack service was performed. Not just any snack service, but a premier snack service. Still not much of a mix, though, despite updated packaging. You might recognise that gin: since the united economy cup is now so small I was only able to finish half of it on the preceding flight and ordered an orange juice to finish it off with.
Somewhere between snack service and the start of dinner, it was noticed that my row mate’s companion’s (across the aisle) reading light was inoperable. It seemed sensible that I be asked if I could make the switch, and that’s what happened. a rather mature Flight Attendant approached me, explained the situation, and informed me that she had an aisle seat available if I was willing to move. In the end I declined the offer (I like my window seats) and the couple were seated further back in the cabin, but I was allowed to feel comfortable declining, and I was impressed with the Attendants’ trying to find a solution before approaching me. I could tell this was going to be one of United’s better crews.
Dinner appeared shortly after. The salad was every bit as bad as I’ve come to expect from a US carrier, but the dressing meant I could choke it down. The chicken itself was surprisingly succulent, but both it and the pasta accompanying it were rather bland, and the green beans were a little bitter. I can’t comment on the mushroom as I scraped that off straight away. you can read Kevincm’s take on the exact same meal here. We really must stop sharing meals like this!
I burned my last Continental drinks token on a Bailey’s during the post-meal drinks run, and after finishing that and the movie tried to get some sleep. Much to my astonishment, with the aid of economy plus style legroom and having the seat pair to myself, I actually managed a couple of hours!
Not too long after, breakfast was served. As you can see, presentation is all on United!
Mind, once it was opened up and accompanied by drinks it didn’t look too bad, and was an improvement on Continental’s rubber croissants or Air Canada’s cardboard muffins.
It was a cloudy day over the UK, and there was to be no over-London views this morning, but we did peek through the clouds in time for a view of Twickenham (England’s international rugby ground) in the foreground and the Twickenham Stoop (home to Harlequins (rugby) Football club) in the background. Less than 24 hours after this photo was taken, France would knock England out the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
And coincidentally Heathrow had us park up next to an Air New Zealand 77W on our arrival. What I’d never appreciated from photo’s (including this one) is that the colour on the tail is a sort of blue - green fade, which is not unattractive in real life.
A good couple of United flights, then. One choc-full, one lightly loaded. The key in both cases was the quality of the crew. If only channel 9 had been available on either! Particularly bearing in mind the dire state of the IFE.
A combination of a light load and loooong corridors meant that I got myself to immigration ahead of most of my fellow travellers. IRIS wasn’t working *Grrr*, but the automated biometric passport gates were. I can still jump the queues to a certain extent, but there’s an increasing proportion of EU travellers with these eligible passports, and I don’t feel as special as I once did. I only have one more return to LHR before my IRIS registration runs out in January, and the registration offices never seem to be open.
In fact, I only have one more journey at all before year’s end. I was thinking not to bother writing it up as it’s really just a little euro-jaunt, but It’s likely to be the last time I fly in bmi’s glorious livery (on a Brussels Airlines wet lease), and will involve five airports over three legs and some Swiss trains. I’ll probably get back to you.
Thanks for reading,
Weean.
A couple of days before my return flight I phoned UAs toll-free number to see if there was anything I could do. I originally hit the Indian call centre, but was pretty quickly transferred to a US-based facility because I was on an international itinerary. The agent could see my lost upgrade, but couldn’t do anything because UA wasn’t the ticket issuing carrier. Blame Air Canada was the gist, if not the precise message. I had my suspicions that the fault actually lay with Opodo, from whom I had got my travel booker to get the tickets. The additional layers of bureaucracy, allied to the fact that I was in a hotel which charged for toll-free numbers, meant that I decided to let things lie. I did manage to get moved forward slightly in the cabin whilst retaining a port window though, so it wasn’t an entirely wasted call.
Thursday came, and I took the light rail back to SeaTac airport. The train might be faster than road, but it’s a fair old schlep between the rail station and the terminal itself. thankfully there was fairly clement weather. Check-in was very quiet, but despite the lack of queues (for any carrier that I could see) here, there were long lines at security. If this is what it’s like during quiet periods, I’d hate to try and get through when it’s busy.
I eventually got through, and made my way to Anthony’s Restaurant to get myself some lunch. I sat at the bar, but unfortunately the wrong part in order to see the planes go by. Food was nice, and the beer tasted good, but what’s with the fetish for making American ales as fizzy as a lager? I would have had the legs for a third pint, but I didn't have the stomach, so headed on over to the gate instead.
On the way I had a look at the Information Displays, which interestingly showed two United flights leaving for ORD at 2:27pm. Intrigued, I headed over to gate 11 to see if I could see UA734, but there was no sign of it. Instead I took a photo of my plane, front and back.
Flight one (Thursday):
UA998 SEA-ORD
Boeing 757-200 N567UA
Scheduled departure: 14:27
Scheduled arrival: 20:14
Seat: 30A
Channel 9: Off
Boarding was by zones, as you might expect, but with a very full flight and limited gate seating, it was nowhere near as pretty as ACs attempts. That said, it was handled pretty efficiently. I quickly got to my seat to snap the legroom shot. It felt even more cramped than it looks, and remember, I’m not terribly tall.
I had hoped to get a picture of the Alaska Disney logojet which I had seen parked alongside immediately prior to boarding. Alas, in the time between me joining the queue and getting to my seat, it had pushed back and taxied off for who knows where. In its place I present you with this image of a distant, standard livery, Alaskan 737 and a couple of empty gates.
Prior to take off we were given our safety briefing, which was notable because we told that “All electronic items with a power switch must be turned off. This includes...candles...”. I’m reasonably sure he actually meant to say Kindles, but such was his accent. Conditions were pretty overcast, and there wasn’t much to see out the window for the first hour, until we got a few breaks in the clouds over some mountains. I presume the Rockies?
In-flight entertainment was pretty terrible, compounded by the lack of Channel 9. In place of the Mr Popper’s Penguins I’d been led to expect, we were presented with a chick-flick about a couple of female friends, one of which was cheating with the others fiancé. It sounded like it had the potential to be darker than the average Hollywood fluff, but it squandered the chance, and lost my interest pretty quickly.
Much better was the crew. None of them below their thirties (and only one I’d place any younger than forty), they didn’t do anything exceptional, but seemed to enjoy their job and meeting people, which can count for a lot. I took a Savory (sic) snackbox and a gin & orange, and after caning the tortilla chips, remembered to take a photo:
The Flight Attendant presumed that I had asked for gin and tonic, and affected scepticism of such a choice of drink (to hide poor hearing?). I did my best to reassure her that it tasted nice.
At the merest bump of turbulance all flight crew were required to go back to their jump seats, and stay there for what seemed an age. It did cross my mind that this could have been an elaborate work-avoidance scheme cooked up between the cabin and the flightdeck, but for the fact that they hustled so much once they were allowed back up, with plenty of water runs and visibility. I had forgotten how much US carriers love their seatbelt signs.
Our landing in Chicago was on time and text-book. The pilot floated us over the piano keys, held us (in ground effect?) for several seconds, and merely kissed the tarmac with the main gear. It was such a nice landing that the FA felt it fitting to offer her congratulations to the flightdeck during her safety address, although I’m happy to report that there were no rounds of applause from the passengers.
Although we landed right on time, there was a long taxi, and my 55 five minute connection began to look a little under-generous. As we pulled into the gate 15 I saw a 767 in the gate (11) alongside, and took a snap during the all too long delay in getting the jetway attached. Wouldn’t it be funny, I thought, if that was my plane. But I was pretty sure the FAs had announced on the taxi that the service to Boston (a continuation of UA998) was likely to be at gate 11.
Once boarding time for my connection was well underway, I finally got myself off the plane. Ignorant of the terminal’s layout, I ran towards gate 11 in the mistaken belief that I was also running towards the centre of the terminal in order to maximise my connection chances. Once I reached the FIDS I realised my mistake, but also realised that I had totally lucked out: my flight was leaving from gate 11 (right behind me), and they had just announced my boarding group.
Flight two (Thursday):
UA938 ORD-LHR
Boeing 767-300 N655UA
Scheduled departure: 21:13
Scheduled arrival: 11:15
Seat: 28A
Channel 9: Off
I thought the gate area was pretty quiet, and as the 767 slowly filled up, I discovered that I was right - we were only half full. Despite this, it was as well that I got my legroom shot off quick, as I was to start this flight with company.
Quickly after climbout a snack service was performed. Not just any snack service, but a premier snack service. Still not much of a mix, though, despite updated packaging. You might recognise that gin: since the united economy cup is now so small I was only able to finish half of it on the preceding flight and ordered an orange juice to finish it off with.
Somewhere between snack service and the start of dinner, it was noticed that my row mate’s companion’s (across the aisle) reading light was inoperable. It seemed sensible that I be asked if I could make the switch, and that’s what happened. a rather mature Flight Attendant approached me, explained the situation, and informed me that she had an aisle seat available if I was willing to move. In the end I declined the offer (I like my window seats) and the couple were seated further back in the cabin, but I was allowed to feel comfortable declining, and I was impressed with the Attendants’ trying to find a solution before approaching me. I could tell this was going to be one of United’s better crews.
Dinner appeared shortly after. The salad was every bit as bad as I’ve come to expect from a US carrier, but the dressing meant I could choke it down. The chicken itself was surprisingly succulent, but both it and the pasta accompanying it were rather bland, and the green beans were a little bitter. I can’t comment on the mushroom as I scraped that off straight away. you can read Kevincm’s take on the exact same meal here. We really must stop sharing meals like this!
I burned my last Continental drinks token on a Bailey’s during the post-meal drinks run, and after finishing that and the movie tried to get some sleep. Much to my astonishment, with the aid of economy plus style legroom and having the seat pair to myself, I actually managed a couple of hours!
Not too long after, breakfast was served. As you can see, presentation is all on United!
Mind, once it was opened up and accompanied by drinks it didn’t look too bad, and was an improvement on Continental’s rubber croissants or Air Canada’s cardboard muffins.
It was a cloudy day over the UK, and there was to be no over-London views this morning, but we did peek through the clouds in time for a view of Twickenham (England’s international rugby ground) in the foreground and the Twickenham Stoop (home to Harlequins (rugby) Football club) in the background. Less than 24 hours after this photo was taken, France would knock England out the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
And coincidentally Heathrow had us park up next to an Air New Zealand 77W on our arrival. What I’d never appreciated from photo’s (including this one) is that the colour on the tail is a sort of blue - green fade, which is not unattractive in real life.
A good couple of United flights, then. One choc-full, one lightly loaded. The key in both cases was the quality of the crew. If only channel 9 had been available on either! Particularly bearing in mind the dire state of the IFE.
A combination of a light load and loooong corridors meant that I got myself to immigration ahead of most of my fellow travellers. IRIS wasn’t working *Grrr*, but the automated biometric passport gates were. I can still jump the queues to a certain extent, but there’s an increasing proportion of EU travellers with these eligible passports, and I don’t feel as special as I once did. I only have one more return to LHR before my IRIS registration runs out in January, and the registration offices never seem to be open.
In fact, I only have one more journey at all before year’s end. I was thinking not to bother writing it up as it’s really just a little euro-jaunt, but It’s likely to be the last time I fly in bmi’s glorious livery (on a Brussels Airlines wet lease), and will involve five airports over three legs and some Swiss trains. I’ll probably get back to you.
Thanks for reading,
Weean.
Nov 16, 2011, 10:46 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
Nicely written! AC is a pretty decent option across the pond... though I couldn't suppress a shudder at the sight of your Monty's posh wrap - the only one of those I ever ate gave me (and my better half) food poisoning. It hadn't been all that pleasant on the way down, so you can imagine my lack of enthusiasm at meeting it once again in the other direction...
Re AC's E-jets, I find them some of the most comfortable Y seats anywhere - good pitch, and I don't have a problem with the width (though I'm more of the tall but skinny persuasion). Every time I fly one of AC's Embraers it reminds me just how bad the mainline US domestic carriers' Y products are...
Re AC's E-jets, I find them some of the most comfortable Y seats anywhere - good pitch, and I don't have a problem with the width (though I'm more of the tall but skinny persuasion). Every time I fly one of AC's Embraers it reminds me just how bad the mainline US domestic carriers' Y products are...
Nov 16, 2011, 11:32 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
Programs: UA*G, AA Emerald, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt globalist
Posts: 10,276
Thanks for your Y trip report, I always enjoy looking a Y meal photos.
A little correction about raked wingtips, it is not only AC's 777 equipped with that, it is a standard feature on all 777-200LR (77L) and 777-300ER (77W), which are the two 777 models AC have. Raked wingtips also exist on 767-400ER as well.
There are no raked wingtips on any 777-200, 200ER, and 300.
There are no raked wingtips on any 777-200, 200ER, and 300.
Nov 16, 2011, 1:06 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
Thanks for this report! After so many reports describing substandard "service" from US carriers, it's nice to read that some crews still do a nice job. I was surprised to see the gin offered was Bombay Sapphire. Good stuff!
Nov 17, 2011, 1:27 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: BRS
Posts: 336
Nicely written! AC is a pretty decent option across the pond... though I couldn't suppress a shudder at the sight of your Monty's posh wrap - the only one of those I ever ate gave me (and my better half) food poisoning. It hadn't been all that pleasant on the way down, so you can imagine my lack of enthusiasm at meeting it once again in the other direction...
To remind yourself what you no longer have to put up with?
A little correction about raked wingtips, it is not only AC's 777 equipped with that, it is a standard feature on all 777-200LR (77L) and 777-300ER (77W), which are the two 777 models AC have. Raked wingtips also exist on 767-400ER as well.
There are no raked wingtips on any 777-200, 200ER, and 300.
There are no raked wingtips on any 777-200, 200ER, and 300.
Many thanks. Photo's were taken on a very cheap Canon compact which allows very little user input (I can't even tell it to use a fill-in flash!), but gets the basics right.
Nov 18, 2011, 4:50 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
AC lost my luggage and never found it.
Dealing with them was a nightmare. To get full $1,600 compensation allowed by IATA I had to sue them in Small Claims Court.
Good legroom, nice crews but mediocre food; however better than subpar meals on US carriers.
Actually I liked the breakfast muffin.
Dealing with them was a nightmare. To get full $1,600 compensation allowed by IATA I had to sue them in Small Claims Court.
Good legroom, nice crews but mediocre food; however better than subpar meals on US carriers.
Actually I liked the breakfast muffin.
Nov 20, 2011, 1:40 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: BRS
Posts: 336
AC lost my luggage and never found it.
Dealing with them was a nightmare. To get full $1,600 compensation allowed by IATA I had to sue them in Small Claims Court.
Good legroom, nice crews but mediocre food; however better than subpar meals on US carriers.
Actually I liked the breakfast muffin.
Dealing with them was a nightmare. To get full $1,600 compensation allowed by IATA I had to sue them in Small Claims Court.
Good legroom, nice crews but mediocre food; however better than subpar meals on US carriers.
Actually I liked the breakfast muffin.
Wait, you mean the international economy muffin??! Or they have a nice one in domestic first/buy-on-board?