UA 861 BOS IAD 1921 2100 320 3D Ch9
td: Empower^
was CO3275 BOS EWR 1220 1349 Q40 2A
and 3262 EWR IAD 1540 1710 Q40 2A
There was supposed to be this snow, so I rescheduled my
one-stop for the UA nonstop, sacrificing 500 eqm for a
first-class seat and avoiding Newark in a snowstorm. It
turns out that my original flight was cancelled, and I'd
have gotten in really really late.
The pilot announced that Ch9 would be on, and our call sign
would be United 861C ... but though other channels were on,
9 gave only dead air. I told the FA, but nothing happened.
The FA was otherwise perfectly fine. Pop Chips, otherwise
fairly worthy things, don't go with Courvoisier. Toblerones,
however, do. A somewhat bumpy approach followed by a very
smooth landing.
I'd booked a great rate at the Sheraton Dulles Herndon,
which I began to regret as every possible hotel shuttle but
that one went by. The near half-hour wait seemed even longer
owing to the biting wind and subfreezing temperatures.
Eventually the guy came by after all the people I'd started
out waiting with had been picked up. I started to drag my
bag into the passenger compartment, but the driver, perhaps
afraid for his tip (which he would have gotten in any case),
stopped me, saying that there would be others aboard. Which
turned out to be one (1) rather cute UX pilot in from YUL
and her one (1) bag.
Got the biggest room in the joint, which was good. Went
downstairs to the bar for a burger and beer, and, guess
what, nobody there. I poked my nose into the kitchen and
saw a couple guys hanging around not paying much attention.
I guess I could have summoned them, but they didn't appear
to be up to the taxing job of cooking a burger, so I went
upstairs, kiped an Orange Crush from the self-serve cooler
in the so-called club lounge (the elevator lobby, with this
cooler, an espresso machine, and some chairs), and toddled
on to bed, which was superbly comfy. Ah, yeah, unfortunately
I left my glasses on in the shower and saw some signs of
previous human habitation that hadn't been fully housekept.
Wi-fi in the lounge turned out to be the same paid Lodgenet
available throughout the hotel. Later I discovered that the
password for the lobby free wireless worked upstairs as
well, though the duty manager (and weekend handyman and
driver) said that it would have been comped anyhow.