I had originally planned to stay in China a bit longer but due the tragedy in my mother's family, now both of my parents were in China and my 15 year old sister was back in Austin staying with friends. Now I kinda had to head home. I was not looking forward to the PEK-SFO-LAX-ORD-AUS routing and wanted to simplify it but that would cost $150 to change the ticket. I pretty much spent all of Sunday Aug 9 looking at possible trip combinations since if I was going to pay $150 in change fees, I may as well have some fun with the ticket and optimize it. I then remembered the cousin from Shanghai who I had forgotten about on my previous trip. Determined to find a chance to see her, I decided that I was going to Shanghai, at least for a day, just for the purpose of seeing her and meeting her new husband. I looked at tickets and they were all going at full fare rates of $150 USD each way. An idea popped up in my head, if I'm going to be paying $150 to get down to shanghai, and $150 to get back to Beijing, and $150 to simplify my ticket, why don't I see if I can just leave China from Shanghai and not have to pay $150 to fly back to Beijing? I looked and sure enough, there was award availability for PVG-ORD on Aug 11, but nothing that could get me back to Austin on the 11th, so I opted to retain my ORD-AUS segment from my original itinerary, figuring I could attempt to standby at ORD and if I was successful, go home a day early, if not, spend a day in Chicago. Win Win situation there. I call United over Skype and have my ticket changed to leave on Aug 11 from Shanghai to Chicago and I call my uncle to book me a ticket from PEK to PVG for the 10th. This works out perfectly, I get to leave a day early, and see my cousin. The change fee was a wash since it would've costed me the same to keep my original itinerary but have to fly back to PEK. So, on Aug 10th, one more Air China Domestic Flight:
Air China Flight 934
Airbus A340, PEK-PVG
Seat 31C, Economy Class
There was a bit drama at the airport as they gave me the wrong boarding pass and tagged my bag with the wrong name (another pax had the same last name as me) and I had to spend a few extra minutes at the service counter getting them to correct their mistake. While waiting in line, I ran into a couple who happened to go to UC Berkeley, my alma mater that I had just graduated from this past spring. They were a few rows behind me. The A340 is a four engined intl configured aircraft that had arrived from Paris, France, so we had to do the remote gate bus to the intl jetway since we couldn't access the boarding gate where the aircraft was docked as it was behind emigration control. I chose the A340 because intl configured jets do have some extra legroom in Economy. This was also the first time I've been on an A340 and the first time since 2001 that I've been on a quad-jet (not counting the air force one 707 display at the Reagan library in simi valley). We are served chinese sandwiches for an afternoon snack which was rather bland. Once we arrive in Shanghai, we taxi by an American Airlines 777 serving as flight 288 taking off for Chicago. We park at the remote stand and have to get bussed into the baggage claim area. That's the problem with intl configured jets in China, you almost always have to use remote stands for immigration control purposes. I grab my bags and outside, I am greeted by my cousin (2nd cousin once removed to be exact) and her husband. We stay at a local hotel and we have dinner together, it was great since he was taiwanese, we were able to talk some baseball, a sport we've both played before. After dinner, I go and surf the net a bit and then retire for the night and get ready to leave for Chicago the next day!
Tuesday August 11, 2009
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The trip will come to a close today. I arrived at the airport about an hour before check in for Chicago was to start. They were still checking in the SFO flight and I tried to check in early but they told me that they couldn't because the baggage handlers were not ready to accept checked bags for the Chicago flight. They said if I had only carry ons, they could possibly make an exception. Oh well, didn't hurt to ask. I then decided to walk around the airport terminals to waste some time, which seemed rather drab for an international gateway airport, especially compared to Beijing's Terminal 3. Once the 12:30pm check in time rolled around, I headed to the First Class check in line, which consisted of just me! A few economy passengers came to line up in this line, so I politely pointed out to them that this was the first class line and they should get into their line while it was still short. I figured, they didn't know what each line was for, and it was better to point it out to them so they could get back into the still relatively short economy line rather than wait for the check in agent to send them to the back of the economy line, which will have gotten longer...
I was glad I wasn't in that economy line, which stretched quite far. If I ever fly economy, I'll make dang sure that I'm a 1K before I do it (which would at least entitle me to business class check in, also, not too bad plus lounge access). Actually, the business class person beside me got checked in first, but who's counting? I get checked in quickly and head to emigration, which was fast and painless. Then, the First Class security. No line, no pressure, took my time, it went all easy! Next, time to hunt for the lounge. I somehow ended up in the Cathay Pacific OneWorld Lounge, and they redirected me to the Shanghai Airlines Star Alliance Lounge. I get to the Star Lounge and go in, and am directed to the First Class section, though I did get some strange looks when I said I wanted to take a look at the Business Class side, which they did let me, but I quickly headed for the First Class side after a look. I had a nice brunch and some wine in the lounge and even took a shower, which was extremely refreshing.
Anyways, here's some pics of the Shanghai Airlines Star Alliance First Class Lounge:
Lounge
Buffet
Shower Suite
While eating, I saw the incoming aircraft for my flight landing on the runway. I think it was the first time I've recognized the inbound aircraft for my outgoing flight. Another thing that was interesting was where it was parked, it was in a row with a Continental Airlines 777, a Delta Airlines 777, and an American Airlines 777. Made me forget for a moment that I was still in China.
Boarding is announced for our flight, flight 836 and I start to head down to the gate area, walking around the economy line and using the premium line:
At the gate, there are security personnel who ask us to empty our drinks, saying that those cannot be taken onboard. Not seeing much logic in their request but also not wanting to create a ruckus, I just handed them my unopened diet coke can. Anyways, walking down the jetway, here's our plane:
and I will be sitting in Seat 1A, at the very front of the plane, even further ahead of the pilots!
I board at the door and immediately turn left into the nose of the Boeing 747-400! FIRST CLASS!
Now, this is still the old config, one of four 747s that have yet to be converted but I don't mind, I actually like the old config. I can always fly on the new config in the future.
I head to the flight deck to take a look, and I've also never been to the upper deck of a United 747 before, only been in coach. The pilots ask me where I'm sitting and I told them that I was sitting forward of them in seat 1A downstairs. They let me sit in the captain's chair for a photo:
I wanted to sit a bit longer but there were other people waiting in line so I thanked the pilots, got up, and took a peek at their sleeping bunk, which looked really neat. I then take a quick photo from row 15, the seat that I've been trying really hard to get for 17 years but this time, I overshot it and ended up in First Class.
The FA asked me if I was sitting on the UD and I said that I wished I was since I've been trying to get to the upper deck for years but I ended up in First Class this time. She said I could always trade with someone if I really wanted to but I declined, figuring, not many people get to sit in the nose of the Boeing 747 either. I jokingly told the couple in Row 15 that I've been trying to get those seats for years and almost got it this time but with my luck, got sent to First Class instead.
For the requisite pre-flight drinks, I asked for a champagne, FA was a bit iffy about my age so I just pulled out my passport to prove my age to her, some ppl may get offended by this, it didn't bother me, especially since my passport was in my pocket at the time. I didn't finish it in time for takeoff but oh well. I store my bags in the locker between Seat 1A and 1J. 1J happened to be empty as well so I used the seat as my "extra" seat.
We were soon rolling down the runway and I bid China farewell after 41 good days. About an hour into the flight, the dinner service starts but I wasn't too hungry so I asked the FA to just take my order but to bring it by later after I had had a nap, which she happily obliged. Three hours into the flight, I decide to take my meal and the "personal" service starts:
Mixed Nuts:
Appetizer:
Soup:
Salad:
Main Course:
Tea:
Cheese:
Ice Cream Sundae:
And my dinner Entertainment: King of Queens, just gotta love Jerry Stiller!
And I also have two glasses of white wine and a glass of Port Dessert wine as well. This dinner took well over two hours to eat as it was so much!
Rest of the flight, I do some reading, watch some more King of Queens, chat with the FAs, wander around the plane (yes, walked all the way to the back of coach twice!) and even wandered back up to the upper deck twice.
Prior to landing, we were served lunch, I opted for the pizza and sat in seat 1J for the lunch service:
Soon after we arrived and went through immigration and customs, I try to standby for the flight with the Terminal 5 agents just outside customs but they were of no help, and didn't really understand the Arrivals Lounge Procedure. I then figured that I would have to stay in Chicago for a day but still wanted to go utilize the Arrivals Lounge. I went to Terminal 1 went to the First Class check in line. I explained to the agent that I would like to try to get on the standby list, mostly to get my checked bag checked so that I could go inside and utilize the Arrivals Lounge. She told me that she wasn't supposed to do it but she did sense that I wanted to go to the Arrivals Lounge and so she took my checked bag and told me it was going to Austin that night, regardless if I was on the plane or not, which I said was fine since all there was inside was a pile of dirty clothes. She gave me a Departure Management card which got me through security. I didn't really care about standing by, I just wanted to shower in the arrivals lounge. I go back to the International First Lounge that I had previously visited on the way out and am greeted by the front desk receptionist who already has my info on the list. He invites me to take a shower, which I graciously accept. I head to the shower room and get to have a nice soothing shower!
After the shower, the agent invites me to sit down in the lounge and enjoy some free food while I was waiting for my standby flight. I grab some snacks:
and make a dinner out of it, free dinner on United Airlines!
As my standby flight time comes closer, it looks like I may have a small shot at getting on, but I didn't really want to bother waiting at the gate and a side trip to Chicago sounded awfully appealing so I asked them if I could use their computers to make a hotel reservation. They handed me a weather delay slip and tell me to call the hotel consolidator that they use when they have weather related delays for passengers. I wasn't even delayed and they gave it to me! I used it to book a night at the Hilton Hotel right inside the airport for $119, a bit pricey but awfully convenient!
The IFL agents then offers to confirm me on the 8:40am flight to AUS the next morning but I declined, saying that if I was going to stay a night in Chicago, I may as well go see the city, which I have never been to before despite being born close by Chicago. The IFL agents then make a few suggestions as to what I can do in Chicago and even advise me about the subway train that runs 24/7 into the city from ORD. I couldn't believe it but my wish had come true! Get delayed in ORD so I can go see Chicago!!! I could use one more vacation! I will cover my Chicago mini-vacation in the final part of this trip report.