I flew transpac into SFO yesterday and connected on SFO-ORD. At SFO custom, I was stopped for additional baggage screening for the fifth consecutive times.
The agents there must don't like how I look or don't like my Kirkland Costco bags.
I have never been called out of additional baggage checks at LAX/IAD/MIA/ORD since I first flew internationally 30+ years ago as a young kid.
I had planned to use Arrival-by-United to refresh myself before catching the connecting flight. Naturally I was a little impatient and upset while waiting in line for baggage to be scanned while seeing all the tourists coming/returning from Asia with stuffed bags passing through custom without problems. After For the six consecutive times, the custom agents found nothing except for my books and business documents
, I sprinted down to the Arrival Lounge, took a quick shower, and ran to the gate 87 for my 757 flight, which boarding process had already started. I was tired, still upset with the Custom.
After I presented my boarding pass to the gate agent, who immediately told me I had been reassigned to a different seat in F. I had selected 5K window seat on the 757 so I could store my computer and camera under the seat in front during the flight (I had another 22” roller with me for the overhead bin). After seeing agent had given me a boarding pass showing 1A, I was quite upset (as result of the custom experience, rushing through shower, sprinting down the terminal to gate 87) and told the agent that it was unacceptable to reassign my seat without valid reason and asked him to get my old seat back. The agent was calm and told me that F was full, and there was nothing he could do. I (sorry to say) continue to insist on getting my old seat back while the agent looked puzzled. I complained that I had no place for my computer that I wanted to use during the flight.
The line was long behind me and I did not want to hold anyone from boarding, so I said something like “I will board now, but see what you can do for me.” So, I walked down the jetway thinking it was going to be bad business trip. It seemed nothing had gone right (I had a broken seat/IFE on PEK-NRT, and UD FA who didn’t feel like serving breakfast to passengers on NRT-SFO on the inbound flight).
When I made the turn on the jetway and saw the aircraft door, I thought I was seeing things….that did not look like 757. My mind was still filled with all the frustrations accumulated from earlier in the day that I was really confused for a good ten seconds trying to figure out what exactly was the plane in front of me….. All the sudden, I realized it was a 763. There was an aircraft change from 752 to 763, and I was “upgraded” to the new F suite seat (I had a C ticket). Instead of carrying all the frustrations, I glided onto the plane forgetting what I had troubled me earlier in the day/trip. After I sat down comfortably in 1A, I started feeling embarrassed for my behaviour at the gate, and the horror of seeing the gate agent coming onboard to “downgrade” me to the lie-flat C cabin. Fortunately, the flight was full in all three cabins, and the gate agent saved me from my embarrassment by not “following my order” to reseat me.
The flight was wonderful. Justin, the F cabin purser was outstanding. ^I enjoyed the stunning views of snow covered Utah (from looking out the three windows that come with seat 1A) while having a delicious chicken salad lunch. Then, followed by chocolate chip cookie/milk and viewing of my favorite TV show- Chuck. I had good one hour sleep before landed in ORD.
Life was good again!
