Okay...lots of you guys and gals write reports on your global conquests in first class, describing the various wine selections, seat positions, noise cancelling headphones, blah, blah, blah.
This is a trip report from the bottom of the barrel. A trip report from the lowest level of possible luxury. Yes, lower than Aeroflot! The United Shuttle in a middle seat.
My brother and his family live near Phoenix. He has two kids ages 4 and 6. I have a son who will be 3 in a few months. Anyway, my emotional heartstrings got the best of me and felt it was time for the cousins to get together for a weekend of play and getting to know each other. My wife has travelled with our little boy many times and we both have gone many places with him as a family. However, she had too many projects to work on over the weekend and decided this would be the "Boys weekend trip". I decided to try a trip with just the two of us since he has logged about 40,000 in his short life and does well on planes.
1/19/01 SEA-SFO United Shuttle 737-500
Yeah, yeah, I know. I avoid the Shuttle like the plague. But I had a bunch of travel vouchers from being bumped in ORD over Xmas and a free trip on Shuttle is still going to win over a purchased ticket on another carrier.
This flight is going to disappoint all of you Shuttle-haters. What can I say? It left on time and we got the obligatory bag of pretzels and arrived on time. The guy in the row behind us literally screamed at the FA because he wanted a bottle of water. She responded somewhat rudely that they don't give out bottles of water but could have saved herself the grief if she had stated that they don't *have* little bottles of water. Only memorable thought about this flight is my lack of comfort. Partly my own fault as my son was seated by the window in a car seat. The car seat is a plastic equivalent of a big guy hogging the armrest as the seat spills over into the middle seat area. On the other side of me..."Big Momma". Heavy-set older woman was so large that she spent the entire flight with her arms folded across her body as to only take up a third of my sitting area! I spent the flight leaning towards my son. It was okay since we spent the flight time putting stickers into a Blues Clues puzzle book. Greeted by Wanderlust at the SFO arrival gate. He kindly took us to the RCC where we talked over a couple of beers for about 90 minutes while my son built a tower out of complimentary yellow and white Tillamook cheese squares and Pepperidge Farm crackers.
1/19/01 SFO-PHX United Shuttle 737-500
It was getting dark so I wouldn't have the view out of the window to entertain the boy. Of course, middle seat for me again, another bag of pretzels (hey, at least it wasn't that awful snack mix with the little off-colored cheese nuggets). Easy flight as he nodded of for about an hour while I read. Another completely full flight but this time I was wedged next to a thin woman who adored children and even engaged my son in conversation before he dozed. On time departure, on time arrival. Wow!
1/21/01 PHX-LAX United Shuttle 737-300
After a great weekend of fun and family, it was time to head home. Oh joy, another Shuttle flight and another bag of pretzels. Deja vu on this flight as the guy a few rows ahead asked for a complete can of soda and was refused rudely. He backed off but mummbled loudly that UA Shuttle sucked. My seatmate (a younger woman) was also listening and made me chuckle when she said the airline motto should be "United Shuttle: where the answer is always NO!" I got the sense that many travellers would like to see some changes with Shuttle service. I'm speechless as we had a third on time departure and arrival. An unusual deplaning at LAX...flight attendant announced that those in the back half of the plane (that's us of course) could exit via the stairs in the back. So...down the stairs and a walk under the wing...at LAX nonetheless. I've never had this happen with a jet aircraft at LAX and my son got a real kick out of walking so close to the plane. A 737 actually looks really big from ground level. We were connecting to our only non-Shuttle flight and had the longest possible walk between two UA aircraft. From the end of Terminal 8 to the very end of Terminal 6. Up on my shoulders went the boy and I got a terrific aerobic workout. Even though we were getting dinner on the next flight, he was stating a desire for food. Stopped at Ruby's Dinette in Terminal 6 and shared an order of shoestring fries and a chocolate milkshake. My son loved the idea of two straws in one drink...a new concept for him in "sharing management".
1/21/01 LAX-SEA United 757
Our only non-Shuttle flight and the worst of the bunch! Departed about 20 minutes late. Another middle seat for me with a noticeably smaller width! A normal sized guy next to me that I ended up smashing my arm against for the duration of the flight due to the narrow seating. Of course, the teenaged girl in front of me drops her recliner back in one quick swoop, banging me on the head as I was leaning down to the floor to retrieve a toy for my son. Ouch! As I reposition my knees to accomodate her, she actually turns around and complains about being bumped! I tell her that it was rude of her not to recline slowly and I'm getting repositioned and to deal with it! She resoponded with another sarcastic comment. Okay, now it was war! I break out the ammo...my son's Buzz Lightyear toy that makes lots of noise! I turn it on, he squeals with joy and she looks very annoyed! Success! On to meal service...my dinner was gross. Baked cheese ravioli that wasn't as tasty as the stuff in a can from Franco-American. A limp one ounce salad, a breadstick that my son comandeered and a cookie. Yawn...ho hum...blecch! He got the kid's McDonalds meal with a cool airport food truck toy, a cheeseburger, a little bag of baby carrots, about 4 ounces of cut orange slices and canteloupe and a regular sized bag of McDonald's cookies. He got a better meal that I did! Flight landed a few minutes late, mom picked us up and so it goes...I survived a middle seat on four segments with a toddler!
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[This message has been edited by MileageAddict (edited 01-25-2001).]