A really good day...
Jun 10, 2000 | 11:20 am
#1
Original Poster
In Memoriam, Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 6,879
A really good day...
MSP-ORD - I hope this is a new policy!
I woke up late and hung-over (go figure), checked out of the Embassy Suites and drove about 105 in my lovely Ford Taurus to the Minneapolis airport. I didn't have time to tell off Hertz for giving me a car with Oregon tags and Oregon cities programmed in to the Never-Lost. I ran up to the UA counter where there was a about 75 people in line. I was just going to check the gate number for ORD on the monitors and go to the gate to check in, but on further inspection not a single person was in the First Class/Premier line. I walked right up to the counter and checked in. The people in the coach line were openly hostile to me and yelled to the agents as to why they were helping me and did they see that I just "cut" in line. The nice agent told me to ignore the "masses" and that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Got my boarding passes (no certs collected) and headed to the gate with 15 minutes to spare. I settled into seat 1B. Wow. There standing in the galley was the most attractive UA employee I have ever seen. As I learned later she is 22, just graduated from college in Kansas and is a new FA one week into training. She said UA dropped the foreign language requirement for new FA's and most of the people in her class were just out of college. Please let them all look like her. We landed in ORD about 15 minutes late.
ORD-LAX Employee Class not just for Employees?
I walked up to the gate B17 and boarding for 777 was in the final stages. As I was approaching the gate I heard the agent behind the ticket counter ask a bunch of UA employees "Who wants a First Class seat? They are the new First Suites". A bunch of employees approached the counter. Like a little kid I started jumping up and down saying "Me Me Me I want the First Suite". I handed over my boarding pass and the agent looked at me and said, "You aren't a United employee". Still playing the little kid role I said, Yea but I have neeeeeever been in the First Suite and tried to look really sad and disappointed. Surprisingly. The agent smiled and told me to hold on. The day was getting better and better. 5-10 minutes later all the UA employees had been issued boarding passes and I was all alone at the ticket counter with four agents. Agent one says, "OK, Mr. Auh2o, lets see what we can do for you". All of sudden she shrieks and calls all of the other agents over to the monitor. "Wow Mr. Auh2o, do you know how may miles you have in your UA account?" Then, "wow you are already a 1K by June?" (I did not know that gate agents had access to that info) I just kept smiling. "And you have never been in the First Suite?" Nope, I reply. "Well we will just have to fix that now won't we?" She hands me a boarding pass for row 3. With my face lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree, I take the boarding pass and profusely thank her. Then she points at a print out of the manifest and says "and look who I seated you next to". Kareem Abdual-Jabbar. Yea. I had great trip in the First Suite and landed at LAX right on time.
Encounter(s).
I had 2 hours or so to kill at LAX while waiting for Stimpy to come and pick me up so I went over to Encounter and had a few beers and watched the planes land. I met Stimpy and we headed off to Game 2 of the NBA Finals in his slick red Avis mini-van. Before the game we headed into the Grand Reserve Club and had a few drinks. Our regular bartender Paul was making his normal version of drinks, 3 parts liquor, and 1 part mix. Sitting next to us was Tony Danza and several other actors whom I did not recognize (TV shows I don't watch like Dawson Creek and such). At half time we headed back to the club for a cigar and to refresh our drinks. I mooched a smoke off of Lakers owner Jerry Buss and one of the girls in his entourage did things with Stimpy's cigar that are more appropriate for Ken Starr's report than this board. After the game we hung out again and Phil Jackson and folks were in club. At around 11:30 or so we called it quits and headed home.
All in all, a pretty fun day.
I woke up late and hung-over (go figure), checked out of the Embassy Suites and drove about 105 in my lovely Ford Taurus to the Minneapolis airport. I didn't have time to tell off Hertz for giving me a car with Oregon tags and Oregon cities programmed in to the Never-Lost. I ran up to the UA counter where there was a about 75 people in line. I was just going to check the gate number for ORD on the monitors and go to the gate to check in, but on further inspection not a single person was in the First Class/Premier line. I walked right up to the counter and checked in. The people in the coach line were openly hostile to me and yelled to the agents as to why they were helping me and did they see that I just "cut" in line. The nice agent told me to ignore the "masses" and that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Got my boarding passes (no certs collected) and headed to the gate with 15 minutes to spare. I settled into seat 1B. Wow. There standing in the galley was the most attractive UA employee I have ever seen. As I learned later she is 22, just graduated from college in Kansas and is a new FA one week into training. She said UA dropped the foreign language requirement for new FA's and most of the people in her class were just out of college. Please let them all look like her. We landed in ORD about 15 minutes late.
ORD-LAX Employee Class not just for Employees?
I walked up to the gate B17 and boarding for 777 was in the final stages. As I was approaching the gate I heard the agent behind the ticket counter ask a bunch of UA employees "Who wants a First Class seat? They are the new First Suites". A bunch of employees approached the counter. Like a little kid I started jumping up and down saying "Me Me Me I want the First Suite". I handed over my boarding pass and the agent looked at me and said, "You aren't a United employee". Still playing the little kid role I said, Yea but I have neeeeeever been in the First Suite and tried to look really sad and disappointed. Surprisingly. The agent smiled and told me to hold on. The day was getting better and better. 5-10 minutes later all the UA employees had been issued boarding passes and I was all alone at the ticket counter with four agents. Agent one says, "OK, Mr. Auh2o, lets see what we can do for you". All of sudden she shrieks and calls all of the other agents over to the monitor. "Wow Mr. Auh2o, do you know how may miles you have in your UA account?" Then, "wow you are already a 1K by June?" (I did not know that gate agents had access to that info) I just kept smiling. "And you have never been in the First Suite?" Nope, I reply. "Well we will just have to fix that now won't we?" She hands me a boarding pass for row 3. With my face lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree, I take the boarding pass and profusely thank her. Then she points at a print out of the manifest and says "and look who I seated you next to". Kareem Abdual-Jabbar. Yea. I had great trip in the First Suite and landed at LAX right on time.
Encounter(s).
I had 2 hours or so to kill at LAX while waiting for Stimpy to come and pick me up so I went over to Encounter and had a few beers and watched the planes land. I met Stimpy and we headed off to Game 2 of the NBA Finals in his slick red Avis mini-van. Before the game we headed into the Grand Reserve Club and had a few drinks. Our regular bartender Paul was making his normal version of drinks, 3 parts liquor, and 1 part mix. Sitting next to us was Tony Danza and several other actors whom I did not recognize (TV shows I don't watch like Dawson Creek and such). At half time we headed back to the club for a cigar and to refresh our drinks. I mooched a smoke off of Lakers owner Jerry Buss and one of the girls in his entourage did things with Stimpy's cigar that are more appropriate for Ken Starr's report than this board. After the game we hung out again and Phil Jackson and folks were in club. At around 11:30 or so we called it quits and headed home.
All in all, a pretty fun day.
Jun 12, 2000 | 1:03 pm
#6
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in VIENNA, AUSTRIA!
Posts: 61,929
To all of you who would compare me to AuH2o:
His version of a "good day": See above.
My version of a "good day": As I drive the carpool of five elementary school kids at 7:30 am there are miraculously no punches thrown that draw blood.
At the office, my e-mail actually works!
On my way home, I stop by the store for some baby formula and, lo and behold, there is a shiny quarter on the ground.
Get home and wife is so tired that we both go to sleep at 9pm.
I rest my case
His version of a "good day": See above.
My version of a "good day": As I drive the carpool of five elementary school kids at 7:30 am there are miraculously no punches thrown that draw blood.
At the office, my e-mail actually works!
On my way home, I stop by the store for some baby formula and, lo and behold, there is a shiny quarter on the ground.
Get home and wife is so tired that we both go to sleep at 9pm.
I rest my case
Jun 12, 2000 | 8:37 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,337
I'll bear witness to his encounters. It was a great night and I almost hope the Lakers lose two more at Indy so I'll have two more nights like the last one...if my heart can take it.
I've really got to get to know that cigar-smoking girl better.
I've really got to get to know that cigar-smoking girl better.
