HHConrad

Intro
On the ground
In the air
Hilton ORD

Intro

My plan was to go over sea and do some business in the Chicago-Detroit area. I was given a ARN-ORD-ARN Economy ticket by my US contractor and an overnight at Hilton ORD (runway view), that’s it. I used the optiontown upgrade service and had the fortune to get new tickets in C T-72 hour takeoff. This was also just weeks after SAS launched the “new deal” service policy SMILES so I was little curious on how the service had changed since my last SAS C trip ARN-ORD-ARN in March 2011.

On the ground

My original booking was:

SERVICE FROM TO DEPART ARRIVE
-------------- ------------------- --------------------- -------- -------
SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES - SK 945
SAT 29OCT STOCKHOLM SE CHICAGO IL 1015 1220
ARLANDA O'HARE INTL
NON STOP TERMINAL 5 TERMINAL 5 DURATION 9:05
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- H ECONOMY
ON BOARD: HOT MEAL/SNACK
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-300
SEAT XXX NO SMOKING CONFIRMED


I had monitored the filling of the C cabin using the fantastic KVA Tool. At T-72 h it looked like:

A B | D E | G H
1 - - + + - -
2 - - - - + -
3 - - - - - -
4 - - + - + -
5 - + + + - -
6 + + + +



For some reason I was no able to pick a seat at www.sas.com once my C ticket was issued. However at Lufthansa there was no problem. I picked 2H.

I arrived at ARN around 0730 on Saturday the 29th of October. This was also the first day of a one week school break so the check in was a madhouse. The queue for Economy SAS was about 200 meter. Someone later said it took 80 min to get to the front!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=fqTvUvFlODo

For some reason the “*A First Class passengers only” counter was free. I wore a suit today, 130 Wool, and my passport put inside a Swiss leather holder. I looked at the agent and he looked at me and accepted what he saw. That and in combo with excellent fast track service (this time it was absolutely fantastic) I was airside in 10 min!

The SAS Business lounge ARN is a sad place but still for me I feel like little privileged. However I rarely find any other SAS passengers in C there. Maybe they all are Gold and are enjoying the Gin and bottled wines in the *A Gold lounge next door. I shot the check in queue above from here, had some tap wine (right temperature on both the red and white compared to the piss(room) warm Merlot in the Gold lounge). Now for the action!

As always the gate was F58. The flight was overbooked and the gate agents looked for one passenger that could think of taking the ARN-CPH-ORD and arrive two hours later and , in addition, be the proud owner of a €600 SAS voucher. I, Mr Slow or Mr Well I Do Not Know, entered the podium FIRST but while I was occupied with one agent discussing seat maps on the CPH-ORD and other conditions there was another C passenger that just walked up and said “I take it” and that was it. Stupid me. Anyway, I had 2H on the A330 going ARN-ORD and that is as good as it can be if you what to show some class in this the country of Sweden. Period!

In the air

My next pax in 2G was an elegant, quiet woman and we did not speak that much on the flight. OJ, water or champagne was offered.







10-12cl of Gin. To much!


Starters


The Hidden Wine. This is not on the meny. They also serve this at Sturehof resturant in DT Stockholm. It is very very nice and they ran out of it fast!


First course: Elk, beetroot, horseradish, chives. Wine (by Oz Clarke): Durvillea, Pinot Noir, Marlborough, 2009.


Main course: Salmon, potatoes, asparagus, hollandaise sauce.


Cheese: From Skärvĺngen dairy farm in Jämtland. Bleu, Caprin, pear marmalade. I wonder if the cheese would have been the same out from CPH if I had been faster and given the ARN-CPH-ORD earlier.


Dessert: Forest berry cake, fresh fruit salad and some 2002 Chateau Romer du Hayot Sauternes, France.


Before landing: Two classic Swedish Sandwiches. Skagen – shrimp and Lamb – potatosalad.


Dessert: Chocolate and vanilla cake


Hilton ORD

The Internet is soooooo BAAAAAD here. Hey Mr Hilton: Fix it! Now!!! or you are going to loose a generation of future business travellers. No Excuses!

Hilton ORD. A room with a runway view 1.


Hilton ORD. A room with a runway view 2.

NYBanker

Wow. I've only flown SK in long haul C once or twice....and both were a few years back. They've really turned up their game on the food at a minimum.

Were the seats angled lie-flats?

HHConrad

O yes angled lie-flat is it. They are bad but the trick is to have jeans so you do not slide.

The food is fine and the wine just right. Blanced is a nice way!!!

Stay tuned. There is more comin'

HHConrad

Continued

Hilton New Soap Stuff. Nice improvement from that Crab... Everlyn whatever.


I had a nice room with a runway view.

Nice left view of the runway.1


Nice right view of the runway.2


I stayed in my room and worked the whole evening with the curtains closed. How does that sound for a plane spotter? It was the only way to get some work done and prepare myself for the business ahead. Lucky for me I had my backup HD with me so I was not dependent on INTERNET, Mr Hilton!!!!

In the morning I used the fast checkout via phone, skipped BF at the hotel and got it later airside as I know there is a famous fast food chain running a BF service at one of the Y-branch locations (the best?)

UNITED AIRLINES - UA 6445
SUN 30OCT CHICAGO IL DETROIT MI 0800 1015
O'HARE INTL DETROIT METRO
NON STOP TERMINAL 2 TERMINAL N DURATION 1:15
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- L ECONOMY
FLIGHT OPERATED BY UNITED EXPRESS/SKYWEST
EQUIPMENT:CANADAIR REGIONAL JET

I did not take any pictures from this flight. However the takeoff and fly over Chicago out over the big lake was nice, miss that picture. We landed on time.

Now for all of you Americans reading it was Sunday moring and boy was the DTW deserted. Here were just a handful of people here and there. I sat down and looked at my travel plan up a head and realized that I needed a car. So off we went to the Car Rental Shuttle bus stop. I decided to jump on the first available and it turn out to be the Dollar. Soon I was on the highway 94 something towards Ann Arbor.


RIP sweet full frame cars. My Mercury Grand Marquis LS. I feel like Cop driving this


Florida plates?


Ann Arbor is about 30 minutes drive east from DTW. I stayed at the Hamton Inn located on Green Road. It is quite a deserted area ever since Pfizer shut down the plant in 2004.
Room was nice. Different hot BF every moring.

Room
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SaZx...eature=related

BF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVyAM...eature=related

A nice gesture from HH was the evening service for HH guests. They gave you two items our from a meny featuring beer/wine/chips/chocolate bars from a wagon and a charming girl that knocked on my door every evening around 6.30pm.

I also had some food from the very nice Applebee property connected with building.

Applebee Burger


Some Chili thing. Hot and tasty


Some lunch DT Ann Arbor. Hot Dog. Can you the the Dog?


BF at Hamton Inn. Now when I think it over I kind of liked every offering that had!


Next: Going home!

aisleorwindow

How much was the Optiontown upgrade?

lisah101

Great pictures!

HHConrad

The upgrade was (and still is) €320 ($420) one way.

econometrics

Elk as a first course? Man, Scandinavians know how to live life! ^

Great TR so far, thanks for sharing!

knoebelsPT

Thanks for the TR, don't see too much about SAS C.

Where did you have breakfast at ORD?

HHConrad

I check location for the ORD BF and get back.

More SAS on my return including DTW LH Business *A Gold Lounge that I entered as *A Silver.

HHConrad

Time to go home

UNITED AIRLINES - UA 5686
THU 03NOV DETROIT MI CHICAGO IL 1016 1030
DETROIT METRO O'HARE INTL
NON STOP TERMINAL N TERMINAL 2 DURATION 1:14
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- T ECONOMY
FLIGHT OPERATED BY UNITED EXPRESS/ATLANTI
EQUIPMENT:CANADAIR REGIONAL JET
SEAT 1D NO SMOKING CONFIRMED


SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES - SK 946
THU 03NOV CHICAGO IL STOCKHOLM SE 1725 0750
O'HARE INTL ARLANDA 04NOV
NON STOP TERMINAL 5 TERMINAL 5 DURATION 8:25
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- C BUSINESS
ON BOARD: HOT MEAL/CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-300
SEAT 1G NO SMOKING CONFIRMED

Got some nice seating there thanks to Optiontown!

Had to leave hotel 0600am. Lot of traffic. I also remembered to fill up the tank before returning the car. Very efficient return, I was in the shuttle less than 5 min after pulling in!
Checkin was ok. I was also told that I as *S could use the LH lounge at DTW. What? Strange. Is it because I am in C on the ORD-ARN leg? I am in T-Economy on the DTW-ORD leg.

The DTW LH Business lounge is very nice.

LH Business Lounge DTW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mGgx...&feature=g-upl

LH models


Excellent Pinot Noir


LH Beer of Choise


Even got two Gin alternatives. Well done!


Here we go


Must be one of the biggest gathering of Railway in the US? Taken during decent to ORD just minutes away




I was airside ORD at 1130am. My departure was not until 5.25pm. Here is Air India


The SAS Lounge open at 2.00pm but the Worldwide Flight Services VIP Lounge was open. Lot of pax going to India there. And the temperature, the hottest lounge I ever been in


They had WiFi but what kind of password are they using? At the SAS Lounge it is only three letters for user and pw, respectively. Guess what?


WFS VIP Lounge walkthrough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrql_...25AUAAAAAAAAAA

Next the SAS SK946.