Booked this trip over six weeks ago via UA Connection on the Web with an E-ticket, and also requested an upgrade when the appropriate time period for my status came up. Called UA Premier Reservations on Friday, and of course there was no record of my upgrade request. Fortunately, there was space available in F, so no harm done.
Decided to go right to the gate at LGA since I wasn't checking anything. The sign before security says "ticketed passengers only". When you tell them you are on an E-ticket, they ask "what airline?", and if you answer "United", you get waved through. So what is the point of having the restriction? Anybody could give the same answer. At JFK, at least they used to have a list to check your name off of. Anyway, for some reason the clueless couple ahead of me at the magnetometer had trouble understanding the mono-syllabic grunts from the clueless security geek. (Sorry to harp on this subject in every report. It's nowhere near this bad at foreign airports. Surely the U.S. airline industry can manage this idiotic system better.)
Got my boarding pass at the gate, no credit card asked for, no upgrade coupon either! (Third time this year.) On to UA 1229, in 3B. Only 4 seats out of 12 in F occupied. At least 3 uniformed FA's walked straight through to coach. Matt Wald's letters must be having some effect, after all! Just before departure, 2 uniformed Captains who had been hanging out in the cockpit went to take two of the open FC seats. The head FA suggested they wait to get settled until boarding was over, then a few minutes later, just before door closing, gave them the "all clear".
As we taxied, I found out why the two Captains had been hanging around in the cockpit. This flight had a female Captain. Seats had music, but Ch. 9 turned off.
By the way, it's been a while since I've been on a 727, and it's kind of weird now to see three pilots working in the flight deck. I have little doubt that when I'm 80 there will still be 727's flying. Actually, I have a theory about 727's: I think they have to be the safest aircraft flying because they are so old that anything that was going to break probably has already done so.
I'm guessing that there was some beverage service on this flight, but I slept from taxi at LGA to touchdown at IAD.