QuantumMeruit

This is a travel report for my first "true" mileage run -- a segment run on UA. (I did a there-and-back trip with no layover earlier this year to take advantage of fly3.)

I am a longtime flyertalk lurker, and this is my first attempt at a trip report. I'd really appreciate any feedback, both on the trip itself (planning, travel practices, etc.) or on my report.

Background / The Plan

I started a new job last year that increased my travel into frequent flier status, and a co-worker gifted me 3P on UA late last year. I made 2P on my own towards the middle of the year. Being based in Chicago, most of my travel has been short hops to the east coast, although I have had a few west coast trips and trips down to Texas. Looking at my travel schedule, I realized that I was within striking distance of making 1P by the end of the year if I took some "creative" routings on planned trips. (Thus, for a trip in December to DFW, I'm flying ORD-DFW-DEN-MSP-ORD; for a trip to LAS, I've booked ORD-DEN-LAX-LAS-DEN-ORD.) Even with this creative routing, I was still short four segments.

With some research on FT, I determined that the most cost-effective solution was a segment run on mixed UA and US metal. Using ITA, I was able to marry a planned trip to MSP to a segment run, ORD-PHL-BOS-PIT. I would then fly PIT-ORD-MSP for my meeting, and return direct MSP-ORD. So on the outbound flight, I would do 5 segments in one day (and get the 4 I needed for 1P). The beauty was that the one-way ticket from ORD-PIT was $73! (The marginal increased cost of PIT-ORD-MSP versus ORD-MSP direct was about $20.) So I would be out-of-pocket $22 per segment.

The best laid plans...

My boss, who will be 15k short of making 1k (and does not intend to do anything about it), thought I was nuts, but nodded and figured it was my time. (We have a nicely flexible work arrangement.) He thought I was especially nuts for booking the run in early November, since he was fairly sure that extra travel opportunities would show up. He was right. Last week I needed an extra trip to AUS, and, with a "quick" diversion through IAD on my return flight, I would be 3 segments over my target goal.

But conversely, my meeting at MSP was very unexpectedly canceled last week, too! Without going into what I do or why I was heading to MSP, this was very unexpected -- it was pretty much a "sure thing" before. From a personal standpoint, this was very good news, since I was looking at potential addition trips to MSP in winter 2008. But now I had a problem. My PIT-ORD-MSP-ORD run could be canceled on the client's dime, but then I'd have no way to make it back home! If I nixed the entire run, I would be out my personal ticket, but I would still be a very annoying 1 segment short of 1P.

Although there was still an outside chance that I would be summoned by a client to a meeting someplace within the next two months, I decided to bite the bullet and stick with the run. I figured I would rather pay the extra money out-of-pocket for a return from PIT, and then take "saner" routings for my later trips to LAS or DFW. That's the plan and I'm sticking to it (or at least until something else comes up).

$130 charged to my UA MP Visa, and I had another ticket from PIT-IAD-ORD. Total airfare of $205 for 5 segments, or $41 per segment. Ick. Clearly suboptimal, but I guess that's what happens when you have plans changed and have to book at the last minute. (I could've gotten a lower fare class if I decided earlier; the same itinerary was pricing out at $95 a few days ago.)

The loadout

Single bag. Dell laptop (D630) in Dell case. Extended battery in the CD bay, plus an extra extended battery in the bag. This gets me 8-ish hours of battery life (less when watching video), so I threw the AC adpter in the bag, too. A work-related softcover book for reading during taxiing. Assorted work papers in the file, and a change of underwear. Sprint broadband card. JVC noise canceling headphones.

BPs, printouts of alternate routings and returns.

Two boxes of candy and a tin of mints that I forgot to take out (after traveling with the wife and kids to BDL this past weekend).

I feel like I've overpacked but other than the AC adapter and candy I can't think of anything I'd want to do without. I suppose I could have left the third battery.

Onward!

"You're going where tomorrow???!!" Had that interesting conversation with the wife over dinner. Not sure she gets it (and I'm not convinced this is wholly rational myself)

Whacked the snooze button one time too many and probably took too much time in the shower. Bottom line was that I pulled out of my driveway in the west suburbs of Chicago at 5:45 am -- which, for a 7:35 departure, was cutting things very close. Pretty much any bad traffic on the highway would cause me to be late. Fortunately, the mileage running deities were smiling on me and I turned into the ORD lot at 6:45. This was about as good as I'd ever done that drive at that time of the day.

The parking deck was full (which seems odd for this time of day / week) so I was stuck with outside parking. Fortunately, there is still parking outside. Since I'm wholly on my own dime I suppose it would have been better for me to park someplace besides the $28 a day ORD lot, but that would have involved getting up even earlier, so....

It is a cold walk to T1 at ORD. The premier line moves quickly -- the TSA rep did not linger over checking anyone's ID, and I was through security by 7:05 am. I take a leisurely stroll to the far end of B concourse, and arrive at gate B-20 just as seating area 1 was finishing boading.

Flight 1: UA 458 (A320) ORD-PHL (7:35 CT – 10:39 ET)

A pleasant flight, but no Channel 9. The flight left on-time (7:35 CT) and arrived about ten minutes early (scheduled arrival time, 10:39 ET). I was in seat 8D, and the middle seat was empty. Looking around, most middle seats are empty (2 occupied in E+ and a smattering taken in E-). A higher concentration of laptops in E+ than I've seen on other flights.

Flight 2: US 1562 (E190) PHL-BOS (12:15 – 1:34)

I wandered off of my arriving flight in D concourse and began making my way to the US Airways concourse. In between the concourses there’s a whole bunch of shops and I was able to sit in a rocking chair and plug in my laptop. The chairs reminded me a lot of the setup in CLT. I fired up my broadband card and for the next 75 minutes fired off 24 emails.

I walked down to the gate and picked up a $6 hamburger that was tasty enough. Ate it at the gate instead of on the plane, and I was one of the last ones to board. I was assigned to seat 6A, but there was someone in my seat. Since I didn’t really care whether I was in an aisle seat or window seat, I took the seat next to him, 6C. PHL did not seem to be very busy when we took off; it seemed like from the time the flight pulled away from the gate to the time we took off, it was very short. Perhaps I’m just used to ORD.

I’m pretty sure there was no beverage service on this flight, although I may have missed it from dozing off. (Never even pulled my laptop out of my bag.) The climb was a little bit rough, but I didn’t notice much else.

Flight 3: US 1559 (A319) BOS-PIT (3:30-5:18)

I had a 2-hour layover until my next segment left. The gates at BOS were very close to each other so I plopped down and did work. Saw a chickadee or two flying around inside the gate area.

Ate a bowl of clam chowder at the “Legal Seafood” restaurant next to the US gate. Tasty, but not rally worth the price.

I had checked in online the night before, and .bomb printed out a boarding pass showing seating area 6 and seat 21A. (I was unable to select seats for the US flights on .bomb, and did not feel like fighting with it.) Last seating area, and the second-to-last row of seats on an A319. This is how US treats Star Alliance Silver / UA 2P? Wow, I really felt like a lowly 2P as I watched most of the plane board.

Took a call from the office 2 minutes before the door closed. My coworker said, “If you’re not on a TSA watch list yet, the next time we travel together I’m reporting you.” Looks like this insanity is building my reputation!

The flight was full. The passenger in front of me reclined the seat, which made work on the laptop frustratingly difficult.

Flight 4: UA 7249 (Mesa CRJ) PIT-IAD (7:10-8:14)

Checked email as the plane was unloading and saw something urgent. I ducked off of the plane and into an empty gate area and started working the cell phone. I have not charged my laptop since PHL, and I have 1:52 of battery life left (according to the meter). Plus a fully charged spare in the bag. Doesn’t look like there’s an open power outlet nearby, but that doesn’t look like it will be a problem.

I resolve to find some food during this layover. It’s been about a decade since I’ve traveled through PIT and it seems a lot spiffier than I remember. The cluster of mall-like shops in the center is impressive, although for the life of me I can’t imagine that the Victoria’s Secret store does a lot of business.

I order some fast food Chinese, eat in the food court and head to the gate. The aircraft is a Mesa-operated CRJ (ick) and there is no jetway (double ick). It is a very cold jog out to the RJ, which, unfortunately, is full. I am in seat 4A, and there is no E+ on this flight. Triple ick.

The flight pulls away from the gate early (!) but then sits on the runway. Seems like we are de-iced twice; I pine for Channel 9 to hear the inside scoop. We are wheels up at 7:35, and land more or less on time. Slight delay at the gate to pull in. The jog away from the RJ is not unpleasant; it’s a lot warmer in IAD.

Flight 5: UA 363 (737) IAD-ORD (9:45 ET-10:49 CT)

Ahh, IAD. This is the second time in two weeks I’ve been on this flight. The bus ride between terminal A and terminal D is more crowded than last week but it’s not cramped by any stretch of the imagination. People by the gate are clustered by the AC outlets, so I head down to the AA gate. No one there, open outlet. Crap, no juice flowing from the outlet. I remember I’m carrying a spare battery and swap out, and realize I should have enough to make it back to ORD on full power. Yay!

E+ is not crowded at all; there are a few people with rows all to themselves. I’m in 4C and the woman in 4A boarded late. Disappointing but this is by far the most comfortable on an airplane I’ve been all day.

Channel 9 is on; it’s my first taste of ATC this entire day. The first officer’s voice sounds familiar; I contemplate asking if this crew was on this same route last week but I never get a chance. Flight lands early; the chatter between a Continental plane and the tower is a lot looser at this time of night than during rush hour. We’re wheels down at 10:30 but taxi around for over 10 minutes (still arrive early).

I’m in my car pretty quickly – It’s cold out there! I hit the road and am home by 11:45. My wife is at the computer and I ask her, “Honey, do you ever get the feeling that you’re just wandering aimlessly through life, never going anywhere?” I’m in bed just after midnight.

Closing thoughts

I’m not sure if it was all worth it for 1P. The mainline flights were by far the most comfortable – a combination of passenger load and E+ seating. Oddly, my most unpleasant experience was being in the back of the bus on the US A319 from BOS-PIT.

Total out of pocket (parking and airfare only, does not including meals): $229.01.
Cost per segment: $45
Total RDM (including 2P bonus, not including MP Visa): 3,458 (I think)
Cost per RDM: $0.066

(With my previous plan, going from PIT-ORD-MSP, I would have been at $29.80 per segment, using these calculations.)

Work-wise, a reasonably productive day. I would be reluctant to book some of the 7- or 8- segment runs I’ve seen discussed, primarily because my most productive time was during my layovers. Part of the problem is that it’s really hard for me to be productive \working on an RJ or in the back of the bus with a seat reclined into my lap. Also, on a segment run, it seems that there’s a lot of laptop-less time while taxiing and during takeoff and landing. (I never wound up touching my paper files.)

If I had to do it all over again, I think I would pay a slight price premium for more mainline flights and fewer US/RJ segments. I’m not sure that this is a do-able task for segment running, though.

ak333

Nice TR. In pre 9/11 days non-travelers would actually go to PIT to shop; the original plan was that all of the shops would be regular pricing not airport pricing. So I'm sure that at one time the Victoria's Secret was busy.

I haven't been through PIT in ages either, and with more US cutbacks it looks like it still won't be anytime soon.

ElmhurstNick

Very nice - I've looked into a similar 5-segment run before on an ORD-PIT fare, but I can only do it on Saturdays when the evening flight selection is stripped down.

I just pretend that my non-Shuttle US Airways flights are Mesa, then I'm less disappointed. Next time, look for ORD-LGA-DCA-PIT or ORD-LGA-BOS-PIT as one of your routings, as the Shuttle planes are actually not that bad.

QuantumMeruit

Actually, there are still signs up in PIT that the prices in the stores were all
"mall" prices. PHL had something similar, too.

ElmhurstNick

PIT is operated by BAA, and that's their general marketing campaign - that they'll provide services and food at similar prices to the city.