IK in Seattle

I hope this is an appropriate forum to post this in, since a lot of mileage runners also like to play the bump game.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/vacat...19-bumping.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/vacat...07-19-free.htm

fly co to see the yanks

i don't know if i would call United's first class lounge "swanky."

fly co to see the yanks

does United serve "the finest of Bordeaux?" that's news to me.

IK in Seattle

Hmmm

Well I guess if you have been sleeping in the terminal the United First Class lounge may seem ‘Swanky’.

IK in Seattle

'Finest Bordeaux' is a bit of a stretch, but it is better that the fermented grape juice in coach. I guess 'Drinkable Bordeaux' would not have made the same point.

fly co to see the yanks

i laughed out loud when i read the USA Today (i.e., "McPaper") article. i mean, c'mon. what exactly is "swanky" about an airport lounge?

TxLobo

I read the article and was very disappointed about the quality of the reporting......

Parsons is not the AUTHORITY on getting bumped...... we have many more specialists here on FT.

BUMPS TO DATE THIS YEAR $5,250

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AA member since 1981

fly co to see the yanks

wow. but, are there really hints per se? i mean, isn't it just luck of the draw? sure, you should check in early and proactively volunteer. but, after that it just boils down whether more people show up than the computer models expect, right?

TxLobo

This was a good thread on this topic

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum71/HTML/009493.html

I always use ITN.net (expert mode) to get an ideal on the flight's capacity status. Or you can check with AA just a few hours before departure. No guarantees because as final numbers depend upon the number of no-shows.

Using ITN.net, I actually called the EXP desk, asked about the status of a Flt, which was confirmed as terribly oversold.

Offered to take an earlier flt, (leaving an hour and a half earlier)

EXP said that they could not guarantee the voucher but would put a notation in the record.

When I got to the MEM airport and inquired about whether they wanted me to fly earlier. The answer was yes and based upon the notation in my file, they gave me a $200 bump voucher.

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AA member since 1981

Plato90s

Does the story sound strange to anyone else? They bumped 2 people from an oversold flight and rebooked them in International First?!

BTW, does UA have a separate FC lounge? I thought it was just the RCC.

tom911

UA does have separate first class lounges at some of their international gateways. SFO and LAX come to mind right off, and I;m sure they have them at ORD and IAD, too. I used the one at SFO when I did award travel to SYD this last November, and it was very nice (and very empty for a late night flight-- maybe 6-8 people there).

fly co to see the yanks

but, was it "swanky?"



[This message has been edited by fly co to see the yanks (edited 07-22-2002).]

BoulderHyattHopper

My dad called me first thing Friday morning to tell me to pick this up in the airport.

My husband has been in the UA International First Class lounge in both SFO and IAD. He says both are amazing. Swanky? It sounds like it from his description. Filet Mignon, great wine, true champagne. My parents have been to the Envoy Lounge in PIT (US International First Class lounge). They had more food there than anywhere...filet, salmon, shrimp...and this was early in the morning. They took an earlier flight just to have some extra time there! I don't know your definition of swanky, but I would say YES!

TxLobo...great stories!

BoulderHyattHopper

Plato...this is my story about that comment. My husband flew International First (paid business, operational? upgrade) back in June through IAD. He and his boss were checking into the lounge, when two kids came to check-in. They were college age-ish. (Maybe younger, maybe older). The girl was dressed in "lounge" wear (GAP Body stuff, that could be pajamas, could be casual clothes, but probably should not be worn outside the house...) Keep in mind that this was International and she knew it would be a long flight where she would be sleeping. The guy had a T-shirt and worn comfy jeans.

Anyhow, the girl checking in my husband stopped the conversation and said to them VERY loud, "You don't belong HERE!"

They were obviously exhausted and tried to tell her that yes, they do.

The nice man working asked to take care of them and checked that yes, they do belong in the lounge.

Later on the nice man went back to the two of them sitting and said, "I am sorry. That is not how we treat people here and I have already talked to the agent."

They went on to explain they had been muliple bumped and finally booked into International First. There luggage was checked and not pulled from the original flight, so these were the only "extra" clothes they had...

Moral of the story...You cannot judge a book by its cover.

satori

My wife and I used the United International First lounges at LAX and IAD this month on our award trip to Amsterdam. Having spent plenty of time in the RCCs of these two airports, I would say the lounges were one of the highlights of First Class travel over international business (Dom Perignon, individual seat VCR, and horizontal seat are also big First Class plusses).

The selection of complimentary quality drinks, the relative few people in the lounges, and the wonderful food were quite a step-up from the RCCs in these locations. For flyers used to the United RCC rooms the First Class International lounge was really nice.

There are wonderful lounges with most of these amenities in other countries, but in the US the RCCs are not that impressive when compared to lounge facilities in other countries. The International First Class lounge is just more in line with the services of regular lounges in other countries.