BOS-BWI-
Apr 21, 2000 | 6:18 am
#1
Original Poster
In memoriam
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: IAD, BOS, PVD
Programs: UA, US, AS, Marriott, Radisson, Hilton
Posts: 7,203
BOS-BWI-
Forgive me, but I'm here with friends and the TV is going full blast (kids and AM TV, school's out for Easter vac), and I can't think or converse or anything, so what better than to post the beginnings of a trip report?
First, a question: what happened 2 days ago? Looked like weather in ORD: tons of UA cancellations, which meant that there were precious few gray tubes lurking around Logan.
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I don't care for US Air, and I generally book the outwardly silly BOS-IAD-BWI on UA, wasting an hour and several bucks and having to ride in the dread J-31 (one of the few times I have heard audible praying in the cabin has been on IAD-BWI in a J-31). A plus is 1000 extra MP points and 1000 extra bonus points, plus more if they're running a promo through IAD. Another plus is that (as a supervisor here said, "with your status with us you never have to fly in coach if you don't want to" - only a slight exaggeration). So I book half a dozen such trips a year.
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I had the usual routing, with the usual flights and I hoped some friendly familiar FAs, but UA cancelled me out for lack of equipment and rebooked me on US247, the nonstop I was trying to avoid. It was my first time in a while standing in line to check in. Arrived at 8:25, stayed in line until 9:10, when the checkin counters were in sight (I had to change my UA ticket so figured I couldn't go straight to the gate). Just about then they announced that passengers for BWI should go to the head of the line, so just as an aside I could have cooled my heels at the RCC in terminal C for 45 min and achieved the same result. Ticket man (US has mostly middle-aged men behind the counter) offered me a DCA flight half an hour later for free (subbed in a 733 for the scheduled I think 734 and lost a dozen seats), but I'd already made ground transport arrangements; got 4F, bulkhead. They were still asking for vols at the gate; found them I guess, and we took off on time. Seats were notably uncomfortable but there was great legroom, better than similar UA aircraft. No audio at all, and one drink service. Arrived just a touch late, not enough to get into the statistics. Pretty dull flight; the only interesting thing here that I see is the implicit question, why not just show up late and get called to the front of the checkin line, rather than waiting for up to an hour?
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Cheers
Michael *G
First, a question: what happened 2 days ago? Looked like weather in ORD: tons of UA cancellations, which meant that there were precious few gray tubes lurking around Logan.
-
I don't care for US Air, and I generally book the outwardly silly BOS-IAD-BWI on UA, wasting an hour and several bucks and having to ride in the dread J-31 (one of the few times I have heard audible praying in the cabin has been on IAD-BWI in a J-31). A plus is 1000 extra MP points and 1000 extra bonus points, plus more if they're running a promo through IAD. Another plus is that (as a supervisor here said, "with your status with us you never have to fly in coach if you don't want to" - only a slight exaggeration). So I book half a dozen such trips a year.
-
I had the usual routing, with the usual flights and I hoped some friendly familiar FAs, but UA cancelled me out for lack of equipment and rebooked me on US247, the nonstop I was trying to avoid. It was my first time in a while standing in line to check in. Arrived at 8:25, stayed in line until 9:10, when the checkin counters were in sight (I had to change my UA ticket so figured I couldn't go straight to the gate). Just about then they announced that passengers for BWI should go to the head of the line, so just as an aside I could have cooled my heels at the RCC in terminal C for 45 min and achieved the same result. Ticket man (US has mostly middle-aged men behind the counter) offered me a DCA flight half an hour later for free (subbed in a 733 for the scheduled I think 734 and lost a dozen seats), but I'd already made ground transport arrangements; got 4F, bulkhead. They were still asking for vols at the gate; found them I guess, and we took off on time. Seats were notably uncomfortable but there was great legroom, better than similar UA aircraft. No audio at all, and one drink service. Arrived just a touch late, not enough to get into the statistics. Pretty dull flight; the only interesting thing here that I see is the implicit question, why not just show up late and get called to the front of the checkin line, rather than waiting for up to an hour?
------------------
Cheers
Michael *G
Apr 21, 2000 | 8:29 pm
#2
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, ex-BD Gold, SPG Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 2,041
I agree on the pointlessness of early check-in. After many years of flying US, principally BOS-PIT, I have given up on the old adage of arriving earlier if one must check luggage. The lines are inevitably longer, and they don't want you standing in line when the flight leaves.
This problem is not peculiar to US; UA did the same for several flights (sadly not mine) when I was in line for a ticket change due to cancellation of my BOS-ORD leg a few weeks back. I think they called BOS-IAD-JFK (and yes, the passenger in front of me was going to JFK on that horrid routing) and possibly another, even with 2 separate check-in lines running, one for LAX and one for everywhere else.
This problem is not peculiar to US; UA did the same for several flights (sadly not mine) when I was in line for a ticket change due to cancellation of my BOS-ORD leg a few weeks back. I think they called BOS-IAD-JFK (and yes, the passenger in front of me was going to JFK on that horrid routing) and possibly another, even with 2 separate check-in lines running, one for LAX and one for everywhere else.