The Suite Life of ANA: An Aeroplan Adventure
Jan 12, 2023, 6:48 am
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Equidistant from IAD and DCA
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 129
HAN-ICN
VN 414
Depart: 10:39am
Arrive: 4:24pm (+2)
Duration: 3:25
A350
As soon as boarding was called we made our way to the Business Class line and were among the first on board via door 1L.
Oddly enough the TV was out to start with, even though it must be stowed for takeoff.
Plenty of storage room, but would be weird if you had a neighbor since there is no privacy divider.
Pillow and blanket.
Fairly cheap headphones with the ear piece in the bag.
Old fashioned remote, seat controls, and USB ports.
Amenity kit — excited to add this to my collection.
Plenty of goodies.
Awkward storage space not really big enough to fit anything.
Fun thing to note is there is no center overhead bin in business class, which adds to the intimate feel of the cabin.
About 5 minutes after boarding the FA came through with the PDB of a choice or OJ, lemon juice, or Mignon Champange — which retails for $30-40.
I enjoyed my PDB while watching the weird 20 min boarding video.
At the back of the cabin there were fresh flowers which I found to be a nice touch.
While still on the ground, the crew came through with a hot towel. As we were taxiing the FAs came through with menus and we’re taking orders one-by-one as we were taxiing. It got to the point where we were lined up on the runway and the FAs were still kneeling next to people taking orders. Fight before take off the pilot made a “cabin crew be seated” announcement and as the engines spooled up I could hear the FAs click in to their seats.
About 40 minutes after takeoff lunch began with another towel.
I went with the Korean menu (full menu pics at the end) and thoroughly enjoyed the Amuse. Caviar on a medium-haul flight in J! I had a delicious Saigon cocktail to go with my appetizer.
I used my AirFlys to watch Father of the Bride using my AirPods instead of the provided headphones. The movie selection was small but decent.
Safe to say I had enough silverware!
About an hour after takeoff the first course was served. The shrimp was a little bland but everything was fine.
A bread basket came through with the appetizer and I selected a roll and a piece of garlic bread. The main course was perfectly edible but nothing special. A soup was also brought with the-mains.
After the mains a cheese cart was brought through. Since I avoid dairy I got the lamest cheese plate ever, but it shows the variety they had!
Then a fruit plate was brought through and I selected one of everything. I also had a Red River cocktail (this pic is a little out of order but reordering is a pain from my iPad where I am writing this).
Lastly a selection of desserts were brought through and I selected this mini cake thing.
To cap off the meal I had a Vietnamese style iced coffee.
Once the meal service was complete we were about 2.5 hours in, so I ordered a mint tea and read for a bit.
The FAs came through with Korean immigration cards about 45 min before arrival.
I ordered an espresso, made fresh on board, to cap off a great meal.
Menus:
I stuck to cocktails, but my parents said the wines were excellent.
We landed a little early, but a long taxi put us to the gate right on schedule. Inchoen was not that crowded and the crew held up passengers in economy until everyone in business had deplaned. About 30 min after arrival we were through immigration and customs and ready to get a taxi.
Simply put, Vietnam Airlines medium-haul business class is incredible. It is the flight equivalent of a dinner cruise. You get to sit back and relax for 3 hours while enjoying a meal and movie. The food ranged from okay to good, the drinks were great (wines retailed from $30-40), and the seat is perfectly comfortable for 3hours. The bed is fully flat, but it feels like there is a slight incline on your back. Also the narrow footwell and lack of privacy may be annoying on longer flights.
The crew were very attentive and worked the whole flight, but be warned there is a slight language barrier. I highly recommend paying $150 to upgrade if given the chance. While it is probably not “worth it” per say, if you enjoy premium cabin travel it is a great experience. Flights like this really serve as poignant reminders how meaningless domestic first class is in the US, and don’t get me started on Intra-European!
VN 414
Depart: 10:39am
Arrive: 4:24pm (+2)
Duration: 3:25
A350
As soon as boarding was called we made our way to the Business Class line and were among the first on board via door 1L.
Oddly enough the TV was out to start with, even though it must be stowed for takeoff.
Plenty of storage room, but would be weird if you had a neighbor since there is no privacy divider.
Pillow and blanket.
Fairly cheap headphones with the ear piece in the bag.
Old fashioned remote, seat controls, and USB ports.
Amenity kit — excited to add this to my collection.
Plenty of goodies.
Awkward storage space not really big enough to fit anything.
Fun thing to note is there is no center overhead bin in business class, which adds to the intimate feel of the cabin.
About 5 minutes after boarding the FA came through with the PDB of a choice or OJ, lemon juice, or Mignon Champange — which retails for $30-40.
I enjoyed my PDB while watching the weird 20 min boarding video.
At the back of the cabin there were fresh flowers which I found to be a nice touch.
While still on the ground, the crew came through with a hot towel. As we were taxiing the FAs came through with menus and we’re taking orders one-by-one as we were taxiing. It got to the point where we were lined up on the runway and the FAs were still kneeling next to people taking orders. Fight before take off the pilot made a “cabin crew be seated” announcement and as the engines spooled up I could hear the FAs click in to their seats.
About 40 minutes after takeoff lunch began with another towel.
I went with the Korean menu (full menu pics at the end) and thoroughly enjoyed the Amuse. Caviar on a medium-haul flight in J! I had a delicious Saigon cocktail to go with my appetizer.
I used my AirFlys to watch Father of the Bride using my AirPods instead of the provided headphones. The movie selection was small but decent.
Safe to say I had enough silverware!
About an hour after takeoff the first course was served. The shrimp was a little bland but everything was fine.
A bread basket came through with the appetizer and I selected a roll and a piece of garlic bread. The main course was perfectly edible but nothing special. A soup was also brought with the-mains.
After the mains a cheese cart was brought through. Since I avoid dairy I got the lamest cheese plate ever, but it shows the variety they had!
Then a fruit plate was brought through and I selected one of everything. I also had a Red River cocktail (this pic is a little out of order but reordering is a pain from my iPad where I am writing this).
Lastly a selection of desserts were brought through and I selected this mini cake thing.
To cap off the meal I had a Vietnamese style iced coffee.
Once the meal service was complete we were about 2.5 hours in, so I ordered a mint tea and read for a bit.
The FAs came through with Korean immigration cards about 45 min before arrival.
I ordered an espresso, made fresh on board, to cap off a great meal.
Menus:
I stuck to cocktails, but my parents said the wines were excellent.
We landed a little early, but a long taxi put us to the gate right on schedule. Inchoen was not that crowded and the crew held up passengers in economy until everyone in business had deplaned. About 30 min after arrival we were through immigration and customs and ready to get a taxi.
Simply put, Vietnam Airlines medium-haul business class is incredible. It is the flight equivalent of a dinner cruise. You get to sit back and relax for 3 hours while enjoying a meal and movie. The food ranged from okay to good, the drinks were great (wines retailed from $30-40), and the seat is perfectly comfortable for 3hours. The bed is fully flat, but it feels like there is a slight incline on your back. Also the narrow footwell and lack of privacy may be annoying on longer flights.
The crew were very attentive and worked the whole flight, but be warned there is a slight language barrier. I highly recommend paying $150 to upgrade if given the chance. While it is probably not “worth it” per say, if you enjoy premium cabin travel it is a great experience. Flights like this really serve as poignant reminders how meaningless domestic first class is in the US, and don’t get me started on Intra-European!
Jan 13, 2023, 10:33 am
#17
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: Previously top-tier everything, now a happy free agent
Posts: 1,003
Great to see a report on VN. I'd always wondered about their medium-haul service. The "cheese plate" - hold the cheese - has me chuckling hard.
Minor annoyance of VN is anytime you need a ticket change you have to go to a completely separate ticketing office... we wanted to do a similar upgrade on a trip last year but the check-in line at HAN was massive and we elected not to go through the hassle.
Minor annoyance of VN is anytime you need a ticket change you have to go to a completely separate ticketing office... we wanted to do a similar upgrade on a trip last year but the check-in line at HAN was massive and we elected not to go through the hassle.
Jan 17, 2023, 6:32 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Equidistant from IAD and DCA
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 129
Great to see a report on VN. I'd always wondered about their medium-haul service. The "cheese plate" - hold the cheese - has me chuckling hard.
Minor annoyance of VN is anytime you need a ticket change you have to go to a completely separate ticketing office... we wanted to do a similar upgrade on a trip last year but the check-in line at HAN was massive and we elected not to go through the hassle.
Minor annoyance of VN is anytime you need a ticket change you have to go to a completely separate ticketing office... we wanted to do a similar upgrade on a trip last year but the check-in line at HAN was massive and we elected not to go through the hassle.
Jan 17, 2023, 10:27 pm
#19
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Land of Oz
Posts: 948
For what it's worth, taxi's in Vietnam except for a select few can be bad for drivers trying to con unsuspecting customers.
Grab is the way to go, similar to Uber, can use card or cash, and we've never had an issue with a driver in the many times we have used it, and mostly cheaper than metered taxis.
Grab is the way to go, similar to Uber, can use card or cash, and we've never had an issue with a driver in the many times we have used it, and mostly cheaper than metered taxis.
Jan 18, 2023, 9:26 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Equidistant from IAD and DCA
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 129
Four Points Josun Myeongdong
In Seoul we originally booked Le Meridian but decided to go cheap and book the Four Points for $90ish a night. Of note there are a few Four Points in Seoul so make sure you pick the one you want!
At check in my Gold status was recognized and I was allegedly given a room upgrade, but not sure since I ended up having a standard room on the 17th floor.
All in for a city hotel in Asia the room was comfy and a good size.
We went out for KBBQ in Myeongdong and had a great meal for about $100 for three people.
After dinner wee walked through a night market where I decided I needed to sample the sugar coated strawberries...for science of course.
View from my room the next morning
For breakfast I skipped the $30 hotel buffet and had a strawberry waffle at a cute cafe on the ground floor.
We enjoyed a walk through the Bukchon village.
When you see fresh baked potato chips you really must stop and taste them -- they tasted fine, but not as good as they looked.
Lunch at a local lunch spot
For dinner, we wandered through Gwangjang market
Post dinner cocktail at a cool bar across the street from the hotel.
Finally, we finished the night with a beer and fried chicken at a chain by the hotel. The best part of the meal was the people watching. It was a Thrusdady night in a business district so the restaurant was full of work groups which provided good entertainment.
The next morning we had a bibimbap brunch
For dinner we decided to finish our Seoul food adventure where we started, with KBBQ
Also returned to the night market where I sampled some Mandu this time.
All in our hotel was cheap, centrally located, and clean. The only major issue was how slow the elevators were. It took about 5-10 min to finally get one. For a 23 story hotel 3 elevators is not enough!
The night before my flight to Tokyo I decided to switch from my noon ANA flight to a 8:40am Asiana flight for an additional $60. I was monitoring the LH F availability HND-FRA-IAD (for 121K United MileagePlus miles!!!!) so decided to maximize my time in Tokyo in case I had to leave earlier than planned to fly LH.
I started my day with a 6am taxi to Seoul Station
From there, an easy 25ish min subway to the airport.
The check-in desks were deserted so I dropped my bag off. Funny quirk at Gimpo is you must watch your bag go through via TV before going to the security line. While Check-in was a breeze, security was a nightmare and the line took about an hour. No luonge for me today as I got to the gate right as boarding began.
GMP-HND
OZ 1085
Depart: 8:36am
Arrive: 10:36m
Duration: 2:00
A330
I was among thee first to board with my Star Gold status and settled in to the dated and relatively uncomfortable seat.
About 30 min after takeoff the crew came through with a meal. For a 2 hour flight in economy the food was delicious. I especially loved the brownie. Fresh Salmon being served on Economy in a 2 hour flight....
I also enjoyed the Bibimbap
After a smooth flight we arrived Haneda a few minutes early, and unlike last time immigration was quick. I had my bag and was headed to the monorail 20 min after we touched down.
Stay tuned for Food in Tokyo and how I ended up getting home!
In Seoul we originally booked Le Meridian but decided to go cheap and book the Four Points for $90ish a night. Of note there are a few Four Points in Seoul so make sure you pick the one you want!
At check in my Gold status was recognized and I was allegedly given a room upgrade, but not sure since I ended up having a standard room on the 17th floor.
All in for a city hotel in Asia the room was comfy and a good size.
We went out for KBBQ in Myeongdong and had a great meal for about $100 for three people.
After dinner wee walked through a night market where I decided I needed to sample the sugar coated strawberries...for science of course.
View from my room the next morning
For breakfast I skipped the $30 hotel buffet and had a strawberry waffle at a cute cafe on the ground floor.
We enjoyed a walk through the Bukchon village.
When you see fresh baked potato chips you really must stop and taste them -- they tasted fine, but not as good as they looked.
Lunch at a local lunch spot
For dinner, we wandered through Gwangjang market
Post dinner cocktail at a cool bar across the street from the hotel.
Finally, we finished the night with a beer and fried chicken at a chain by the hotel. The best part of the meal was the people watching. It was a Thrusdady night in a business district so the restaurant was full of work groups which provided good entertainment.
The next morning we had a bibimbap brunch
For dinner we decided to finish our Seoul food adventure where we started, with KBBQ
Also returned to the night market where I sampled some Mandu this time.
All in our hotel was cheap, centrally located, and clean. The only major issue was how slow the elevators were. It took about 5-10 min to finally get one. For a 23 story hotel 3 elevators is not enough!
The night before my flight to Tokyo I decided to switch from my noon ANA flight to a 8:40am Asiana flight for an additional $60. I was monitoring the LH F availability HND-FRA-IAD (for 121K United MileagePlus miles!!!!) so decided to maximize my time in Tokyo in case I had to leave earlier than planned to fly LH.
I started my day with a 6am taxi to Seoul Station
From there, an easy 25ish min subway to the airport.
The check-in desks were deserted so I dropped my bag off. Funny quirk at Gimpo is you must watch your bag go through via TV before going to the security line. While Check-in was a breeze, security was a nightmare and the line took about an hour. No luonge for me today as I got to the gate right as boarding began.
GMP-HND
OZ 1085
Depart: 8:36am
Arrive: 10:36m
Duration: 2:00
A330
I was among thee first to board with my Star Gold status and settled in to the dated and relatively uncomfortable seat.
About 30 min after takeoff the crew came through with a meal. For a 2 hour flight in economy the food was delicious. I especially loved the brownie. Fresh Salmon being served on Economy in a 2 hour flight....
I also enjoyed the Bibimbap
After a smooth flight we arrived Haneda a few minutes early, and unlike last time immigration was quick. I had my bag and was headed to the monorail 20 min after we touched down.
Stay tuned for Food in Tokyo and how I ended up getting home!
Last edited by jbar91; Jan 18, 2023 at 9:37 pm
Jan 19, 2023, 9:00 pm
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Equidistant from IAD and DCA
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 129
The monorail started a much better Tokyo transit experience, with a smooth 45 min train ride via the Monorail and Oedo line to Roppongi.
Hotel Mystays Akasaka
i paid $80 a night for my room at the Mystays, but initially was pleasantly surprised by how nice the lobby is. During check-in I was told I had booked the "eco rate" which did not include a room cleaning so I elected to purchase a cleaning the next day for ¥ 500.
Small but comfy enough room, once I figured out how to turn the heat off.
Perfectly fine bathroom, just not on par with other Tokyo hotels.
Tokyo food Tour
As I was exploring leaving the next day on Lufthansa in F I decided to hit all of my Tokyo favorites and eat way to much food. To start with, fried chicken from my favorite Tokyo Midtown store.
Then tonkatsu from Butagami. Side note: I highly recommend people use Bento.com to find restaurants when in Tokyo!
Next, a sushi appetizer at Sushi Zanmai in Akasaka.
Then some abura-soba at Menchin.
Followed by Savoy, simply the best pizza place in the world. When in Tokyo you simply must sample Savoy in azabu-juban.
Night cap at Hiroos Bar in Roppongi.
Followed the next morning by the breakfast of champions. Unfortunately realized my LH F dreams wouldn't come true so decided to book a United Itinerary of NRT-IAH in Polaris and IAH-IAD in Y for 72.5k MileagePlus miles.
Followed up my breakfast with a sensational coffee at Glitch Coffee
Then an afternoon walk through the imperial gardens.
Followed up by a tempura set lunch
And another coffee from a shop attached to the Roppongi Mercedes dealership
Then an Ippudo ramen set for dinner
Followed by Gonpachi for some Sake and snacks
One last breakfast of champions before heading to an early lunch then NRT
Used Bento to find Takeda which allegedly was once mentioned in the Michilen Guide. I waited in a line in the rain for an hour but the tonkatsu was worth it
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and it was time to head to NRT. I decided to take a ¥2000 taxi to Tokyo station before taking NEX.
All in a comfortable seat for the hour journey to Narita.
There were no lines so in a out 15 minutes I was at the Terminal 1 ANA lounge. They tried to convince me to go the United club but I responded in broken Japanese saying the food at ANA was better. I enjoyed a beer and lunch number two.
Then a whisky and lunch number three
About 45 minutes before my scheduled boarding time I headed over to the United Club which was next to my gate.
I stopped at 7-11 for some last minute snacks to bring home, then sampled the desserts from the United Clubs limited selection.
Lastly, to cap off a busy morning I took a shower using the fairly nice United Club showers.
Just like that, it was time to head over to the gate to board.
To be continued....
Hotel Mystays Akasaka
i paid $80 a night for my room at the Mystays, but initially was pleasantly surprised by how nice the lobby is. During check-in I was told I had booked the "eco rate" which did not include a room cleaning so I elected to purchase a cleaning the next day for ¥ 500.
Small but comfy enough room, once I figured out how to turn the heat off.
Perfectly fine bathroom, just not on par with other Tokyo hotels.
Tokyo food Tour
As I was exploring leaving the next day on Lufthansa in F I decided to hit all of my Tokyo favorites and eat way to much food. To start with, fried chicken from my favorite Tokyo Midtown store.
Then tonkatsu from Butagami. Side note: I highly recommend people use Bento.com to find restaurants when in Tokyo!
Next, a sushi appetizer at Sushi Zanmai in Akasaka.
Then some abura-soba at Menchin.
Followed by Savoy, simply the best pizza place in the world. When in Tokyo you simply must sample Savoy in azabu-juban.
Night cap at Hiroos Bar in Roppongi.
Followed the next morning by the breakfast of champions. Unfortunately realized my LH F dreams wouldn't come true so decided to book a United Itinerary of NRT-IAH in Polaris and IAH-IAD in Y for 72.5k MileagePlus miles.
Followed up my breakfast with a sensational coffee at Glitch Coffee
Then an afternoon walk through the imperial gardens.
Followed up by a tempura set lunch
And another coffee from a shop attached to the Roppongi Mercedes dealership
Then an Ippudo ramen set for dinner
Followed by Gonpachi for some Sake and snacks
One last breakfast of champions before heading to an early lunch then NRT
Used Bento to find Takeda which allegedly was once mentioned in the Michilen Guide. I waited in a line in the rain for an hour but the tonkatsu was worth it
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and it was time to head to NRT. I decided to take a ¥2000 taxi to Tokyo station before taking NEX.
All in a comfortable seat for the hour journey to Narita.
There were no lines so in a out 15 minutes I was at the Terminal 1 ANA lounge. They tried to convince me to go the United club but I responded in broken Japanese saying the food at ANA was better. I enjoyed a beer and lunch number two.
Then a whisky and lunch number three
About 45 minutes before my scheduled boarding time I headed over to the United Club which was next to my gate.
I stopped at 7-11 for some last minute snacks to bring home, then sampled the desserts from the United Clubs limited selection.
Lastly, to cap off a busy morning I took a shower using the fairly nice United Club showers.
Just like that, it was time to head over to the gate to board.
To be continued....
Jan 22, 2023, 5:03 pm
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Equidistant from IAD and DCA
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 129
NRT-IAH
UA 6
Depart: 6:01pm
Arrive: 2:14pm(-15hrs)
Duration: 11:13
B777-200
Boarding in Narita was uncharacteristically chaotic but I eventually made it on during the tail end of 1K Boarding. Classic Polaris setup.
Menu for exNRT
While on the ground, the friendly FA came by and introduced herself and the crew by name before taking orders. We had a 30min delay as they sorted out a wait and balance issue. The FAs came through and distributed pajamas which were leftover from the IAH-NRT leg, but I was glad to add more Polaris pajamas to my collection. Worth noting even with the delay there wasn't a PDB.
On the 777-200 the overhead bins are smaller than other planes, so I had to stuff all my Polaris goodies here for takeoff
As soon as the crew stood up after takeoff they came through with a refreshing towel.
Then they set the table.
When unwrapping my blankets I noticed slippers, which were comfy.
Showing off the Amenity kit while enjoying an Asahi. IMO the kit is a great bag to store things in when traveling! 30 min after takeoff I had my beer and the first round of warm nuts.
No Sake, and the Asahi was the only "Japanese" drink they had
About an hour after takeoff I was served my tray and offered another round of drinks. I always think the caliber of a United crew is indicated by the amount of refills offered. This crew was excellent, offering refills and another drink with each course. If I paid $8k for a paid J ticket and was served this all at once on a 12hr non-redeye I would be annoyed. This service flow is great for TATL but way too fast for longer routes.
The meat was really good and well cooked!
I skipped the preplated sundae and had a tremendous port with the so-so green tea cake.
Then a tea to wind down before a nap.
Not quite ANA but I made my own bed and set a timer for 3 hours to help adjust to US time.
I slept well, the Polaris bed is a great business class offering, especially if you are able to get a mattress pad. When I woke up I raided the galley snack selection.
Before I knew it we were preparing to land and out pre-arrival meal was served. It was fine, but again not veery elegant and served on one tray.
Texas in sight!
After landing, I grabbed my bag and went to the transfer desk to switch to an earlier IAD flight. It wasn't looking good, but at the last minute the agent asked what my status was and when I said 1K she confirmed me an Economy Plus aisle on the flight I wanted. Then, I checked my bag and went through transfer security which didn't have TSA Pre and had a 20 min line. Once I cleared and was en route to the Polaris lounge something weird happened: I got a text saying my upgrade to United First was confirmed, puzzling since I wasn't on the Upgrade list (there were about 20 people on it) and had booked a mixed cabin award. Not worth complaining about but I found it interesting.
IAH Polaris Lounge
I only had about two hours in thee lounge, so decided to put my name down for a shower and have a snack while waiting.
Delicious Whiskiuri cocktail
Tasty Octopus salad. Really incredible how good Polaris Lounge food tends to be.
After my snack I took airport shower #2 of the last 24 hours. The Saks towel was great and handed to me warmed.
My only complaint is a real divided between toilet and shower would be nicer than just a curtain.
With only about 30 min left until my flight boarded I had a quick dinner of PeriPeri Chicken and a cookie. Of course, another cocktail to wash it down!
IAH-IAD
UA1370
Depart: 4:54pm
Arrive: 8:35pm (+1 hr)
Duration: 2:41
A319
By the time I made it to the gate 1K boarding had ended and I was at the tail end of Group 1. All FC bin space was taken, so I ended up gate checking my bag, annoying but no impact since I already had one checked bag. No PDB (0/2 ouch) and about 1hour after takeoff I was given my first choice of the noodle dish. The side salad was edible, but the main was gross. The highlight was the mini cookie
Before I knew it, I was back to IAD. I like IAD but it drives me crazy you need to walk 15 min to get to the train station to go to the main terminal!
Thanks for following along. I have a quick weekend adventure in Polaris to Brussels coming up in early March, so until then cheers!
UA 6
Depart: 6:01pm
Arrive: 2:14pm(-15hrs)
Duration: 11:13
B777-200
Boarding in Narita was uncharacteristically chaotic but I eventually made it on during the tail end of 1K Boarding. Classic Polaris setup.
Menu for exNRT
While on the ground, the friendly FA came by and introduced herself and the crew by name before taking orders. We had a 30min delay as they sorted out a wait and balance issue. The FAs came through and distributed pajamas which were leftover from the IAH-NRT leg, but I was glad to add more Polaris pajamas to my collection. Worth noting even with the delay there wasn't a PDB.
On the 777-200 the overhead bins are smaller than other planes, so I had to stuff all my Polaris goodies here for takeoff
As soon as the crew stood up after takeoff they came through with a refreshing towel.
Then they set the table.
When unwrapping my blankets I noticed slippers, which were comfy.
Showing off the Amenity kit while enjoying an Asahi. IMO the kit is a great bag to store things in when traveling! 30 min after takeoff I had my beer and the first round of warm nuts.
No Sake, and the Asahi was the only "Japanese" drink they had
About an hour after takeoff I was served my tray and offered another round of drinks. I always think the caliber of a United crew is indicated by the amount of refills offered. This crew was excellent, offering refills and another drink with each course. If I paid $8k for a paid J ticket and was served this all at once on a 12hr non-redeye I would be annoyed. This service flow is great for TATL but way too fast for longer routes.
The meat was really good and well cooked!
I skipped the preplated sundae and had a tremendous port with the so-so green tea cake.
Then a tea to wind down before a nap.
Not quite ANA but I made my own bed and set a timer for 3 hours to help adjust to US time.
I slept well, the Polaris bed is a great business class offering, especially if you are able to get a mattress pad. When I woke up I raided the galley snack selection.
Before I knew it we were preparing to land and out pre-arrival meal was served. It was fine, but again not veery elegant and served on one tray.
Texas in sight!
After landing, I grabbed my bag and went to the transfer desk to switch to an earlier IAD flight. It wasn't looking good, but at the last minute the agent asked what my status was and when I said 1K she confirmed me an Economy Plus aisle on the flight I wanted. Then, I checked my bag and went through transfer security which didn't have TSA Pre and had a 20 min line. Once I cleared and was en route to the Polaris lounge something weird happened: I got a text saying my upgrade to United First was confirmed, puzzling since I wasn't on the Upgrade list (there were about 20 people on it) and had booked a mixed cabin award. Not worth complaining about but I found it interesting.
IAH Polaris Lounge
I only had about two hours in thee lounge, so decided to put my name down for a shower and have a snack while waiting.
Delicious Whiskiuri cocktail
Tasty Octopus salad. Really incredible how good Polaris Lounge food tends to be.
After my snack I took airport shower #2 of the last 24 hours. The Saks towel was great and handed to me warmed.
My only complaint is a real divided between toilet and shower would be nicer than just a curtain.
With only about 30 min left until my flight boarded I had a quick dinner of PeriPeri Chicken and a cookie. Of course, another cocktail to wash it down!
IAH-IAD
UA1370
Depart: 4:54pm
Arrive: 8:35pm (+1 hr)
Duration: 2:41
A319
By the time I made it to the gate 1K boarding had ended and I was at the tail end of Group 1. All FC bin space was taken, so I ended up gate checking my bag, annoying but no impact since I already had one checked bag. No PDB (0/2 ouch) and about 1hour after takeoff I was given my first choice of the noodle dish. The side salad was edible, but the main was gross. The highlight was the mini cookie
Before I knew it, I was back to IAD. I like IAD but it drives me crazy you need to walk 15 min to get to the train station to go to the main terminal!
Thanks for following along. I have a quick weekend adventure in Polaris to Brussels coming up in early March, so until then cheers!