FlyerTalk Forums - The Penalty Box

I chalk up my positive experiences of US to having extremely low expectations going in. Years of reading horror stories on FT prepared me for onboard Armageddon. It was a relief to get from A to B in a relatively comfy F seat with an endless supply of Pomegranate martinis. I was not spat upon by any US employees, nor did anyone defecate upon the beverage cart. Win. :-:

I had the same (very) low expectations until I heard your semi-positive reports. If my experiences this weekend don't match yours, I suppose I'll just try a few more of the Pomegranate martinis to help forget the experience.

CO 1E

Sep 21, 2009 2:21 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdm1130 (Post 12414746)

I was referring to those of us that have *G status with BD.

Ok - I somehow missed that.

In answer to your question, I plan to keep my P Club membership for the foreseeable future. I also need to find time to do one more Q-up run before mid-November to requalify for BD Gold.

belynch

Sep 21, 2009 2:21 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 12414760)

relatively comfy F seat

Their F seats, if you don't consider pitch, aren't bad at all. They're just (often) very dirty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 12414760)

Pomegranate martinis.

Those are new.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 12414760)

I was not spat upon by any US employees

And you were in Philly. I actually find this mildly surprising.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 12414760)

nor did anyone defecate upon the beverage cart. Win. :-:

Yeah... they phased out the calzones a couple years ago.

Anglo Large Clawed Otter

Sep 21, 2009 2:23 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by belynch (Post 12414774)

Fair enough. Before taking a vacation I budget food into the trip and see it as a necessary expense and a part of experiencing the locale. That's not to say if I'm staying some place for a week I don't buy milk and a box of cereal for breakfast.

That's more a practical thing because I don't eat big breakfasts and charging me $35 for a buffet when all I really need/want is a 50 cent bowl of cereal is just absurd.

You'll never see me cooking pasta or something in a hotel kichenette. If I'm not home -- and especially if I'm on vacation -- I'm out doing. Seeing. Experiencing. (Or sitting on FT, while writing emails and waiting for a colleague.)

I had just finished a degree, was unemployed, and $$$ were tight, but we managed to make a week-long trip to Maui work (and drove from one end of the island to the other). IIRC, our condo (one block from the beach in Kihei) was about $149/night during New Years, was very spacious, and the common areas had outdoor grills (which we took advantage of).

We bought most of our food at the local grocery, and ate out only a few times. I believe the dinner we ate at the Hotel Hana cost more than the combined cost of all our other meals that week. It was delicious, though. :D

ssullivan

Sep 21, 2009 2:24 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 12414768)

DFW Airport. Intro prepaid rates of $63/night. ^

Excellent.

ssullivan

Sep 21, 2009 2:26 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by belynch (Post 12414801)

Their F seats, if you don't consider pitch, aren't bad at all. They're just (often) very dirty.

Their pitch is the suck though. UA E+ has better pitch on many planes than US F does.

Anglo Large Clawed Otter

Sep 21, 2009 2:27 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by belynch (Post 12414801)

Their F seats, if you don't consider pitch, aren't bad at all. They're just (often) very dirty.

I know you and US have irreconcilable differences due to past experiences, but the aircraft I was on (a mix of US and HP birds) were all surprisingly clean. I should note that the 734s I rode on had been refurbed (you could still tell by the lavs that they were ancient, though).

Quote:

Originally Posted by belynch (Post 12414801)

Those are new.

IIRC, US only introduced premium cocktails at the start of September.

ssullivan

Sep 21, 2009 2:27 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 12414760)

I think the Pomegranate martini was key to your experience. They had no such thing when I did a run in US F to keep my UA status last fall.

Anglo Large Clawed Otter

Sep 21, 2009 2:28 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssullivan (Post 12414827)

Their pitch is the suck though. UA E+ has better pitch on many planes than US F does.

True. It had a slightly more claustrophobic feel than what I'm used to in F. However, my knees did not touch the seat-back in front of me, which (for me) satisfied teh :rolleyes: test.

sbm12

Sep 21, 2009 2:30 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by CO 1E (Post 12414799)

In answer to your question, I plan to keep my P Club membership for the foreseeable future. I also need to find time to do one more Q-up run before mid-November to requalify for BD Gold.

I'm strongly considering canceling my AmEx Platinum because of this. I don't fly AA or DL enough to justify it and I can always go back to platinum later. Saving $450/year in the meantime isn't so bad. I'll have to keep some sort of AmEx product so I can meep my 300K MR points active, but not paying for the Plat when the only real benefit is lounge access I'll otherwise have seems to make sense for me.

Oh, and the *A Mega Do flights will be sufficient for me to renew another year of *G (i.e. lounge through 2011), and they come at the very beginning of my program year. The other Q-Ups and whatnot just put me in the race to 55K and beyond.

ConciergeMike

Sep 21, 2009 2:35 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssullivan (Post 12414714)

Down 400 pounds? :eek: How big was she to begin with? :eek::eek::eek:

She started out at almost 720. She is not quite at -400 yet, but she's in that neighborhood. I think she's about 340-ish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbm12 (Post 12414849)

I'm strongly considering canceling my AmEx Platinum because of this.

Downgrade yourself to Green and keep the MR points active at $95/year.

Brituchenite

Sep 21, 2009 2:35 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbm12 (Post 12411382)

Depends on what's at the bar. ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mackieman (Post 12411386)

This is a Penalty Box Approved™ response.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssullivan (Post 12413308)

What kills me is this project started in March. We had questions about time billing back then, that were unresolved into the summer months. However, since July we've had that stuff answered, and she's done a timesheet every week since then. So what's up with the 1,000 word e-mail this morning about it?

And I'm still not sorry she drug herself out of bed so early this morning. I didn't get to bed until 1:00 AM last night because I had to get things done to be ready to walk out the door at 8:00 AM this morning. Then I couldn't sleep thanks to the ridiculously loud rain on the metal roof a few feet above my head. And then I had to get out of bed at 6:30 AM this morning and come to the airport 3.5 hours before my flight so I could hang out in the Sky Club and listen to these stupid calls before boarding my flight. I have no sympathy for her. None.

Oh, and she just sent another e-mail about this, and once again mentioned how she'll be putting in about 80 hours this week to get caught up.

Your Monday does not sound good. I hear 'I don't like Mondays" singing in my head.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMF in NJ (Post 12413347)

You know what grates my cheese is when a restaurant charges for a second glass of soda. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Plus1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fozz (Post 12414469)

I'm going to end up keeping my Pclub membership since I have the PP card. The 25% RDM bonus is enough to keep the PP card for me.

Plus1

Mackieman

Sep 21, 2009 2:35 pm

Got my rejection notice from the interview last week. The :rolleyes: just keeps on coming.

belynch

Sep 21, 2009 2:38 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 12414832)

I know you and US have irreconcilable differences

That is true. I don't hide that fact. And although I wish all their employees well, I want them to go out of business.

Give me a call after they cancel your flight to go to your brother's funeral because they furloughed too many Express pilots and didn't bother to ramp-up staffing for the summer rush. Then, refuse to endorse your ticket over to a real airline and make you pay OOP for a walk-up fare. Then, reinstate the flight, without telling you, thus blocking any attempt to recoup any sort of claim you have against them.

Then, on your flight home, involuntarily downgrade you from F to Y (on a paid F fare) because their computer system was so inept it would issue dupe-seats left and right. Their offer of restitution was an "Air Check Plus" voucher as a make-good (ACP is of variable value. Something like $25 off for every $200 spent) claiming that they didn't know I was going to take the return trip because I didn't take the outbound. Failing to consider they let me check-in without a problem and issued me a seat. And that I didn't take the outbound because they told me it wasn't flying. ARGH.

They're scum. Their management team is inept. Their staying in business defies any sort of business logic.

... and that's just what broke this camel's back.

colpuck

Sep 21, 2009 2:38 pm

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Sheraton spg sale. http://tvly.com/jgpx

books on spg.com as well.

Anyone know how easy it is to get from the Sheraton long island to jfk?

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