UA 881F ORD-NRT, Seat 2J

After a great stay at the ORD F lounge, I was escorted to gate C10 for departure. Our departure time was delayed 30 minutes due to aircraft maintenance. As I settled in, FA's helped out with jackets and storing bags in the front closet. The Concierge from the lounge stayed in the F cabin and took time to speak with each pax, which I thought was a nice touch. She thanked me for all my business - noting I was a 1K - and gave me an update of the arrival times in NRT and then SIN. She also took care of sending the SIN concierge a message about my checked bag which I had requested in EZE (but somehow they sent on the message to ORD instead of directly to SIN).

The 744 aircraft had relatively new looking suites. During boarding, I had noticed that UA was requesting volunteers to switch to other flights to Tokyo, and the concierge confirmed to me that they were oversold in coach. However, neither C nor F was booked full, so I guess United chose not to upgrade people to fill up the plane to maximum capacity. F had only 6 suites occupied. I wonder if this is a new trend�??

Pre-departure drinks and newspapers came & went. Menus, noise reduction headsets (worked fine) and amenity kits were also passed out. After take-off, warm nuts and drinks - I selected to have some champagne (Veuve, Brut - La Grande Dame). I was a little annoyed to find that it was not chilled properly. Meal choice was taken in random order. Hot towels came before the tables were set.

[to be continued]

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Gaucho100K

I can't imagine that it makes any economical sense not to upgrade. So it's really strange what happened.

... I'm waiting for the next part of your report.

hmmm.. maybe they weren't offering any monetary incentives for people to switch... thus it could be more cost effective for them... who knows...

The menu for the flight was:

To begin:

Warm crab cake with marinara sauce
- garlic and shallot saut�ed spinach [same as ORD-EZE menu]

(or)
Beef carpaccio with red onion brule
- sun dried tomato and Parmesan cheese [same as ORD-EZE menu]

Garden fresh salad with Javanese dressing (?) or creamy Gorgonzola dressing

Main Course:

Grilled veal tenderloin with portobello mushroom reduction [same as ORD-EZE menu]
- cheddar mashed potatoes and vegetable saut�

Salmon and Halibut in a zucchini wrap [same as ORD-EZE menu]
- Israeli couscous and tomato onion stew

Golden sesame chicken with citrus sauce
- fried rice and a vegetable medley

Japanese Obento selection

An appetizer of shrimp with fish roe, zucchini with miso paste
crabmeat roll with vinegar and green tea buckwheat noodles
A main course of steamed white fish with shiitake mushrooms
marinated chicken, stir-fried burdock and steamed rice
Dessert - wagashi served with green tea

The Early Seating meal was not offered.

Dessert:

International cheese sampler
Chaumes, Emmenthal and Bavarian Blue Cheese

Ben&Jerrys ice cream with sundae toppings

Fresh seasonal fruit

Breakfast - prior to arrival

Mid-flight snacks:

Assorted nuts, cookies, cheese and crackers.
Hot noodles and ward sandwiches were also available.

Prior to arrival:

Old fashioned chicken and mashed potato pie
Fresh fruit appetizer

(or)

Fresh seasonal fruit plate with creamy yogurt

Wines:

Brut, Veuve Clicquot - La Grande Dame
Gekkeikan Horin Daiginjo and Gekkeikan White Porcelain Sake

Plus a selection of French and other international premium wines which I didn't take notice of.

As I got ready for the meal to be served, I went for my carry-on to retrieve my digital camera�. Only to remember that I had placed it in my suitcase� (grumble, grumble). I had planned on taking photos of the food and posting them as part of this report. In any event, I will remember to have it with me on the return leg.

I selected to have the 'thick carpaccio' again, which I found better (same lame looks but better taste) than the one I had on the ORD-EZE leg. It still feels very weird to have sole-like carpaccio that is nowhere near raw. The salad was very good, with fresh tasting vegetables and the Javanese dressing was a pleasant surprise. After that, I passed onto the obento meal. The appetizer was good, although the texture of some of the things sort of didn't feel right. Presentation was less than adequate for an intercontinental F flight, plus I did miss a bowl of hot soup, which is always nice with a Japanese meal. I did enjoy the hot sake, though, it was really smooth. The main course was OK, although the chicken had only one shiitake mushroom (I guess I missed the second mushroom that would have made the use of the plural in the menu a reality).

[to be continued]

After the meal service, I arranged the duvet & pillows (both FA's saw me doing this in the process as they passed along the aisles but didn't even try to fake helping out) and settled in to watch a movie using the personal video set.

Initial cruising altitude was 31,000 feet - flying time 12'19''. About half way into the flight, we passed over Anchorage and turned west towards the International Date Line. We were now as 34,000 feet but visibility was still amazing, and the views to the snow & ice-caps simple spectacular. I went back to the galley area where I could see better through the windows on the doors - breathtaking. At that point, I again cursed myself for not having my digital camera with me�

The F cabin had only 6 suites occupied (1 pax was a UA employee travelling without uniform - but with her ID tag around her neck). Service was OK, although I did notice the contrast between the excellent service provided by the ORD F lounge concierge and the in comparison passive attitude of the FA's. While the concierge was very proactive and detail oriented, the FA's just seemed comfortable playing things by the book. It's a real shame that UA cant seem to have its on-board service come close to what always (and IMO still is) one of the best on the ground services in the industry.

I skipped the meal service before landing as I was looking forward to having my customary fried dumplings & Asahi beer snack at Narita. I was very upbeat about Narita as I really enjoy passing through this airport. UA ground staff service is excellent (they are IMO the best in all the system), plus I like the airport shopping as there is always some new gadget that the Japanese have on display that convinces me to part with my money... .

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Gaucho100K

Could be that the flight was weight limited for some reason. I once flew MIA-SCL and there was an 8 row section in coach (right behind the wings) which was cordoned off, due apparently to some extra-heavy freight.



[This message has been edited by Jim_B (edited 12-28-2001).]