2/14/09: same day m/r ua6 sfo-jfk/ua863 jfk-sfo confirmed in u/g'd c on both flights

ua6:
sfo departure 7:31 and i arrive at the gate at 6:45 and there is already a pax in line on the red carpet for a 7:01 boarding (n.b. there is a box of godiva chocolates on top of his wheels which keeps falling off)

i go to the podium to tootsie-pop the g/a but she is talking to the pax who is on the red carpet he's chewing her ear off asking as a 1k if they could possibly move him from business to first as first "looks pretty empty". the g/a looks up, sees me and "busts me" as she's a prior "tp victim" and i give her her tootsie-pop. we board and we both take our seats in business (he's in 5b & i'm in 9c). i settle in, tootsie-pop the first f/a i see in c (she now gets to give them to the crew), sign the hemisphere's magazine and wonder who my seat mate will be. the door closes and we're about a minute away from pushback when the victim f/a comes over and says "grab your stuff, we're moving you to first -take any seat other than 2b as it's inop". off i go looking like a geek with my headphones still on my head with the cord hanging down like a tail and trying to lift my briefcase on to my shoulder. i settle in again, sign the hemisphere's in 3b and i look up and see that there are only 3 pax in f-myself and semi-elderly gentleman and mr 1k gate louse (the rest of the flight was full). mid-flight, the captain has to go potty and so does mr1k-gl and he uses the head in business. on his way back he bends down and says to me, "i see your little trick worked also-if i'm out of u/g's, i won't spend my miles and a box of chocolates is my game" i told him that i've been doing my silly way to say thank you for almost 5 years and i don't do it for u/g's or any other special treatment just simply to say thank you. he gave me a puzzled look and then went back to his seat.<grrrrr>

ok that was the bad but the rest was great....
top notch jfk based crew and one of the best i've had. everyone was upbeat, everyone helped everyone, pre-departure beverage (oj or bubbly) coats taken and hung up-you name it and they did it ^. the captain made the announcement that ch9 would be on and also told us that we were going to arrive at jfk almost an hour early (58 minutes at wheels stop) and one of the best landings i've ever had
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ua863
i see the g/a and give him his tootsie-pop and ask if my flight is oversold. it is and i ask the g/a if the option was to go out tonight or on the next day. the g/a says the next day and i had to decline as i am cat sitting at my folks in sfo and the cat has to have his meds every morning so i couldn't do an overnight bump (with t/c's btw). the ga/ says hang on a minute, you still may be able to help me out and he hands me a bp for 2c . (first was not full but y was over and c was full so he was trying to free up seats)

i settle into seat 2c and tootsie-pop the f/c f/a and it turns out there is a retired ua f/a in f so she gets one as well and then the "how many licks does it take to get the center...." comments start so i pull out my cell and play her the video. unbeknownst to me, the captain came out to say thank you and when i turned around, he said "ok, now i've got a picture to show you" and there on his cell is a shot of him and barrack obama taken on the last day obama would fly as a "private citizen" for the next 4 years as he was the captain of the ua charter that flew obama and company to d.c for the inaguration . and it gets better as he noticed my "blue bracelet" and asked if knew about the orange one and i said yes, i've been trying to get one and he offered to mail me one ^

and it just kept getting better as this crew was just as top notch as the earlier one. coats, hung up, pre-departure beverage, hot nutz, water & "other beverage" refills before you even finished the last swallow and seconds on sundaes and chocolate chip cookies

anyway, it's late & my screen is getting fuzzy (typos to be fixed tomorrow ) and a long post for me but i wanted to share.