This was a routine 24 hour trip, with a few entertaining components:

1. There is an angel at the Indianpolis check-in counter who, when I arrived to get borading passes for my return trip, looked at my record, said, "You fly too much," smiled, and then refused to take my certificates for the upgrades on the way home. She just said, "This one's on me." I know who she is, although I wont publish it to keep her from getting in trouble, and on my next Indy trip I will be carrying a bottle of wine.

2. Counterpoint: On the same IND-ORD flight, 2A and 2B were UA pilots, who took up 25% of FC in this 737. My seatmate was waitlisted till the very end because of this, and he was unhappy. He was better off, however, than another guy who, upon entering, said to these pilots, "I am a Premiere Executive, and I am sitting in back, while you are sitting up here. Want to change seats?" They all just sort of smiled at each other, and as soon as the customer was out of earshot, one pilot said quietly to the other, "Sure.... want to change jobs?" I shot them look that dropped the cabin temeperature a few degrees.

3. I can tell it's winter when I start to take weather delays into O'Hare. Missed my connecting flight because of high winds, and they couldnt confirm me in FC on the new flight 90 minutes later, even at the 1K room. An on-the-ball gate agent made it happen for me, though. No harm done, except for a brief delay. And the Pepin meal on this flight was, as previous correspondents have reported, delicious, and two cuts above the standard FC fare.

4. On one of the flights, I was the only 1K, and got one of theose captain's business cards with a note on it. Silly me, I like it.

So, in all, no problems for me. But I truly wonder if United understand how many customers are not just irritated, but actively inflamed by the pilot's contract that kicks the best customers out of FC in favor of employees.