UA 42 HNL DEN 2315 0903 763 2H Ch9^ Empower^

I'd changed from 2J to 2H (the last open seat) at check-in,
because I had picked up a bit of a cold and wanted to stay
hydrated (for a change - I almost never do this). Good
choice - the guy who showed up for 2J was very space-filling
and I'd have had a hard time climbing over or around him.

hot towels, warm nuts

A very nice, very senior crew that kept us well tucked in
and our glasses filled for the whole flight. I recognized
two of these HNL-based FAs (Momi and, no, seriously, Ilsa)
from years past and, and the other, Glenn, might have been
on the famous luau flight in 2002, but I'm not sure.

Snack: fruit and cheese plate or chicken katsu (cold) with
potato salad; Love and Quiches cookies 'n cream brownie.

The katsu was okay if ice-cold (why serve it this way?).
Love and Quiches makes a decent product. It was also cold.

Snoozed.

Continental breakfast: fruit appetizer and a jam Danish.

The fruit were hard and unripe, rather offputting for
something that had supposedly been catered in paradise.
The Danish was weird, and I scraped the unidentifiable
(perhaps "mixed fruit") jam off.

There was a sparkling wine of some kind - "Brut d'Argent" -
I didn't bother. Courvoisier instead.

Landed more or less on time.

UA 422 DEN EWR 1050 1635 752 2A Ch9 Empower

Two misaligned couples, both requesting (and getting)
trades to better seats: 1C, a little old lady, wife of 1A,
switched with 1B, a tall gent, result being little old
lady with the extra legroom, tall gent scrunched awkwardly.

The other couple was in rows 4 and 6, equity requiring that
they both get 6, but reality intervening and giving them 4,
so the good Samaritan got the non-recline seat. These two at
least were thankful and polite.

hot towels, warm nuts

Another perfectly good flight; pokerfaced FAs who did their
job politely, without attitude. One weirdness. No corkscrew
on this flight. The white was a screwtop; the red was not.
The FAs kept going to the back galley for handfuls of
single-serve Kingfish Shiraz, which wasn't substantially
worse than the regular wine, Canyon Road Cabernet. It was
sort of spicy, sort of raisiny, sort of stemmy, not too
sweet. Be that as it may, I switched to Courvoisier after
one experimental hit of the wine.

Meal choice was a chicken salad or a roast beef sandwich
with tomato bisque. I said I didn't care, and, surprising
on a flight from Denver, everyone in earshot (orders were
taken by status) asked for chicken, and this ran out early.

I saw 1B's sandwich - nice pink roast beef! 2B's sandwich -
nice pink roast beef! My sandwich came. The FA must have
thought I really, really didn't care, as I was met with
a blob of dark brown resiliency with a bit of fat and
gristle on the side. 's ok, I don't mind fat and gristle.
Too much bread, which my seatmate solved by making an
open-faced sandwich and covering it with mayonnaise in the
I think Scandinavian style (he spoke with some kind of
East European accent), and I solved by not eating the bread
at all. The soup was fairly good, though it had shards of
not-quite-cooked onion in it, making for an odd texture.

Warm chocolate-chip cookie.

Flight landed about on time. I went off to the club only
to find that my 2h 40 layover had turned into a 3h 40 one
and eventually into a 4 hr one. For those who doubt the
value of club membership, here's a strong case in favor.
All kinds of chocolate snacks, fresh fruit, free wi-fi,
and a quiet place to hang one's hat. It did close at 2000,
though, so I prowled the tiny concourse for nearly an hour.
Got my exercise walking in circles. Loaded up around 2100,
with a vast number of impatient flyers lining up at and
then getting booted off the red carpet. I just put myself
in the regular line, as few were using it. What was that
all about, I thought to myself.

UX7972 EWR IAD 1915 2043 ER4 12C

12C with 12B open is the best seat on the plane, better
than 12A (but you take your chances for a full flight).

A very pretty though altogether too serious FA who was a
stickler for all the little rules. Not a big deal: it's
probably better to have someone who cares about safety
than one who can't give a flyer. Snoozed some more.

We finally arrived, after a most bumpy flight, an hour and
half late. I hustled out of there as fast as my little legs
would take me, just made the mobile lounge, and exited the
exit right opposite the bus stop only to find the bus making
leaving noises and a fence between me and it. Threw my bags
over, crawled through the railings, and made the bus, yay.

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