To Boston and Back Again on UA
Apr 17, 2009 | 6:19 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SFO, LAX
Programs: AA (ExecPlat.), UA, DL, Hertz (Club Gold), Avis, Hilton (Diamond VIP), Starwood, Marriott
Posts: 374
To Boston and Back Again on UA
Off to Boston again -- the subject of my first trip report of the year. I love reading other travelers’ reports, so I’m hoping to post some of my own. Unfortunately, it has been a quiet year for me in the travel department. Prior to this trip, I had only 10K EQM on UA. Luckily, I have many trips planned for 2Q and 3Q, and should (thanks to DEQM on UA) hit 100K in late July or early August.
No matter how many times I do it, I still love to fly. I’ve been fascinated with airplanes and airports since I was a small child, so despite the many aggravations of air travel today, I still get excited when I head to the airport.
For the past 7 years, most of my air travel has been with United or one of its Star Alliance partners. There are many reasons why I remain loyal to UA. First, they fly nonstop from San Francisco to most of the places I need to go. Second, I generally receive good service. This was the case even before I achieved 1K status. Third, I am addicted to Channel 9. If I had the time and better eyesight, I would get my pilot’s license. I am especially fascinated by navigation. You’ll note in my reports that I provide a lot of navigation notes. Very geeky, but I find it cool. I hope you do too. Happy reading.
Monday, April 13, 2009: I bounced out of bed at 3:45 am (PDT). I decided at the last minute to reserve a car to take me from my home in Marin County to SFO. My other half is picking me up on Thursday night, so I was very happy not to drive to the airport, and I really didn’t want to take the Marin Airporter bus service. The car picked me up at 4:00 am and (after a nice in transit nap) I arrived at SFO at 4:40 am for a scheduled 6:00 am departure.
My upgraded cleared a few days earlier and I checked in online the day before -- Seat 1A on UA 156 -- an A320. I checked my bag at the United Premier Desk and five minutes later I was through security and making my way to the RCC. At 5:20 am, I headed to Gate 74 and was the first person on the red carpet when boarding started. Unfortunately, when I scanned my boarding pass I heard the dreadful beep that told me something was wrong. The gate agent told me that overnight there was a plane change to an A319 and then a switch back to an A320. In the shuffle, I was moved from seat 1A to seat 3B. Happy that I did not lose my upgrade, I proceeded down the jetway and boarded the plane where the three grouchy FAs greeted me with half-hearted smiles. I switched seats with the person in seat 3A so I could have the window seat and settled in for the long flight across the country.
At 5:55 am, the pilot announced that we had a mechanical problem with the navigational equipment and that our departure would be delayed until 6:30 am. Luckily, I had some flexibility in my schedule and did not panic. During the delay, the FAs kept the coffee, water and juice flowing, and did their best to force a smile. Luckily at 6:35 am, the problem was fixed and we were ready to go. The cabin door closed at 6:37 am and we pushed back from the gate at 6:49 am. We made our way to Runway 1R via taxiway Alpha and our wheels came up at 7:03 am. We immediately made a right turn to 030 degrees and proceeded over OAK toward the Linden intersection. Later we received direct clearance to the Delta intersection (Utah) and then to the Meeker intersection (Colorado). Yes -- Channel 9 was on, although I turned it off to watch an episode of The Big Bang Theory (very funny) and the movie, Marley and Me (bring a tissue.) When I turned it back on we were in communication with Chicago Center.
For breakfast, I opted for the scrambled eggs with cheese, hash browns, Canadian bacon and sausage -- topped off by a micro waved croissant. Not the greatest meal, but I was hungry and Boston was still a long way away.
Cleveland Center handed us off to Boston Center at 2:27 pm (EDT) and a few minutes later we began our descent into BOS, via the Gardner 3 arrival and the visual approach to Runway 27. We landed at 3:12 pm -- after 5 hours and 9 minutes in the air. We taxied via Kilo and Bravo to Gate 21. By 3:35 pm, my bag was in hand and I was enroute via taxi to the Hilton Financial Center on Broad Street.
Check in at the Hilton was swift -- no lines (a sign of the times???) My room was comfortable. Nothing special -- the bed was soft, the pillows were fluffy, the bathroom was clean and the wireless access was free. I wasn’t in Boston for pleasure, so it suited my needs just fine and was a short walk to my Boston office.
Thursday, April 16, 2009: I have taken UA 179 from BOS to SFO at least 10 times. It is a killer flight because it just never seems to end, and I am always anxious to get home. Because of the head winds, there have been times when this flight has lasted almost 7 hours. I checked in that morning -- Seat 1D on a 757-200. My meetings lasted to 4:00 pm (EDT) and I was in a cab on my way BOS at 4:15 pm. I again checked my bag at the Premier Desk and proceeded through the unusually short line at security. Unfortunately, my plane, which was coming from SFO, was 45 minutes late. The usual tail winds that favor flights from the west to the east were not cooperating. As a result, my 6:05 pm scheduled departure was delayed to 6:25 pm. With the extra time, I went to the RCC, but it was too crowded for me, so I found a quiet spot in the terminal to make some phone calls.
At 5:30 pm, I made my way to Gate 18 to check out the preflight action. My gray and battered 757 finally arrived at 5:40 pm. I was very impressed with how quickly the ground crew turned the aircraft. Moreover, I appreciated the gate agents’ efforts to urge people to gate check their large carry-on items in an effort to speed up the boarding process. Boarding began at 6:15 pm and, given that it was a full flight, proceeded rather smoothly. The FAs on this flight were extremely hospitable and helpful. They provided excellent service without being intrusive. Preflight drinks were promptly offered.
We pushed back from the gate at 6:41 pm and taxied via Bravo to Runway 4R. During our taxi, the pilot told us that because of the lack of head winds, we would make up most of our delay in the air (he was right!!!) We were number one for departure and had to wait for only one arrival on the cross runway before our wheels came up at 6:52 pm. Although Channel 9 was not on, we followed the Logan 4 departure, which had us turning to a due east heading (090 degrees) before turning back toward Manchester, NH. We had clear skies for the first 1/3 of our journey, with excellent views of Lake Ontario, Toronto, the southern portion of Lake Huron, all of central Michigan, Lake Michigan, Oshkosh, WI, Lake Winnebago, and La Crosse, WI. Over southern Minnesota, we picked up cloud cover and light chop, and the ride remained bumpy until we were just south of Salt Lake City. By that time, the sun was down leaving a beautiful reddish/orange glow across the western horizon.
Shortly after takeoff, drinks were served along with a cup of cold nuts -- I prefer mine warm. (I know most of you are thinking nasty thoughts, but there was no better way to say what I meant.) Also, the nuts were served in a disposable aluminum cup, not the usual small bowl -- very strange. Dinner was quite lousy -- dried chicken with some sort of potato (or was it overcooked polenta), a wilted salad and a dry piece of carrot cake. The only redeeming part of dinner was the hot roll. And of course, the warm chocolate chip cookie served about 90 minutes before arrival was a welcome treat.
I watched Frost/Nixon while doing some work on my laptop.
As usual, we approached San Francisco from the Lake Mono area and flew over the Sierras and Modesto before landing at 9:29 pm (PDT) via the visual approach to Runway 28L. Flying time = 5 hours and 37 minutes. We taxied via Quebec and Bravo 2 to Gate 90. Despite the departure delay, we arrived at the gate three minutes before our scheduled arrival time of 9:36 pm. I was off the plane at 9:41 p.m. Unfortunately, UA’s baggage claim service at SFO is one of the worst in its system and my bag didn’t appear until 10:05 pm.
All in all a long day, but I was happy to be home and sleep in my own bed.
Next trip: SFO-JFK-SFO in two weeks.
No matter how many times I do it, I still love to fly. I’ve been fascinated with airplanes and airports since I was a small child, so despite the many aggravations of air travel today, I still get excited when I head to the airport.
For the past 7 years, most of my air travel has been with United or one of its Star Alliance partners. There are many reasons why I remain loyal to UA. First, they fly nonstop from San Francisco to most of the places I need to go. Second, I generally receive good service. This was the case even before I achieved 1K status. Third, I am addicted to Channel 9. If I had the time and better eyesight, I would get my pilot’s license. I am especially fascinated by navigation. You’ll note in my reports that I provide a lot of navigation notes. Very geeky, but I find it cool. I hope you do too. Happy reading.
Monday, April 13, 2009: I bounced out of bed at 3:45 am (PDT). I decided at the last minute to reserve a car to take me from my home in Marin County to SFO. My other half is picking me up on Thursday night, so I was very happy not to drive to the airport, and I really didn’t want to take the Marin Airporter bus service. The car picked me up at 4:00 am and (after a nice in transit nap) I arrived at SFO at 4:40 am for a scheduled 6:00 am departure.
My upgraded cleared a few days earlier and I checked in online the day before -- Seat 1A on UA 156 -- an A320. I checked my bag at the United Premier Desk and five minutes later I was through security and making my way to the RCC. At 5:20 am, I headed to Gate 74 and was the first person on the red carpet when boarding started. Unfortunately, when I scanned my boarding pass I heard the dreadful beep that told me something was wrong. The gate agent told me that overnight there was a plane change to an A319 and then a switch back to an A320. In the shuffle, I was moved from seat 1A to seat 3B. Happy that I did not lose my upgrade, I proceeded down the jetway and boarded the plane where the three grouchy FAs greeted me with half-hearted smiles. I switched seats with the person in seat 3A so I could have the window seat and settled in for the long flight across the country.
At 5:55 am, the pilot announced that we had a mechanical problem with the navigational equipment and that our departure would be delayed until 6:30 am. Luckily, I had some flexibility in my schedule and did not panic. During the delay, the FAs kept the coffee, water and juice flowing, and did their best to force a smile. Luckily at 6:35 am, the problem was fixed and we were ready to go. The cabin door closed at 6:37 am and we pushed back from the gate at 6:49 am. We made our way to Runway 1R via taxiway Alpha and our wheels came up at 7:03 am. We immediately made a right turn to 030 degrees and proceeded over OAK toward the Linden intersection. Later we received direct clearance to the Delta intersection (Utah) and then to the Meeker intersection (Colorado). Yes -- Channel 9 was on, although I turned it off to watch an episode of The Big Bang Theory (very funny) and the movie, Marley and Me (bring a tissue.) When I turned it back on we were in communication with Chicago Center.
For breakfast, I opted for the scrambled eggs with cheese, hash browns, Canadian bacon and sausage -- topped off by a micro waved croissant. Not the greatest meal, but I was hungry and Boston was still a long way away.
Cleveland Center handed us off to Boston Center at 2:27 pm (EDT) and a few minutes later we began our descent into BOS, via the Gardner 3 arrival and the visual approach to Runway 27. We landed at 3:12 pm -- after 5 hours and 9 minutes in the air. We taxied via Kilo and Bravo to Gate 21. By 3:35 pm, my bag was in hand and I was enroute via taxi to the Hilton Financial Center on Broad Street.
Check in at the Hilton was swift -- no lines (a sign of the times???) My room was comfortable. Nothing special -- the bed was soft, the pillows were fluffy, the bathroom was clean and the wireless access was free. I wasn’t in Boston for pleasure, so it suited my needs just fine and was a short walk to my Boston office.
Thursday, April 16, 2009: I have taken UA 179 from BOS to SFO at least 10 times. It is a killer flight because it just never seems to end, and I am always anxious to get home. Because of the head winds, there have been times when this flight has lasted almost 7 hours. I checked in that morning -- Seat 1D on a 757-200. My meetings lasted to 4:00 pm (EDT) and I was in a cab on my way BOS at 4:15 pm. I again checked my bag at the Premier Desk and proceeded through the unusually short line at security. Unfortunately, my plane, which was coming from SFO, was 45 minutes late. The usual tail winds that favor flights from the west to the east were not cooperating. As a result, my 6:05 pm scheduled departure was delayed to 6:25 pm. With the extra time, I went to the RCC, but it was too crowded for me, so I found a quiet spot in the terminal to make some phone calls.
At 5:30 pm, I made my way to Gate 18 to check out the preflight action. My gray and battered 757 finally arrived at 5:40 pm. I was very impressed with how quickly the ground crew turned the aircraft. Moreover, I appreciated the gate agents’ efforts to urge people to gate check their large carry-on items in an effort to speed up the boarding process. Boarding began at 6:15 pm and, given that it was a full flight, proceeded rather smoothly. The FAs on this flight were extremely hospitable and helpful. They provided excellent service without being intrusive. Preflight drinks were promptly offered.
We pushed back from the gate at 6:41 pm and taxied via Bravo to Runway 4R. During our taxi, the pilot told us that because of the lack of head winds, we would make up most of our delay in the air (he was right!!!) We were number one for departure and had to wait for only one arrival on the cross runway before our wheels came up at 6:52 pm. Although Channel 9 was not on, we followed the Logan 4 departure, which had us turning to a due east heading (090 degrees) before turning back toward Manchester, NH. We had clear skies for the first 1/3 of our journey, with excellent views of Lake Ontario, Toronto, the southern portion of Lake Huron, all of central Michigan, Lake Michigan, Oshkosh, WI, Lake Winnebago, and La Crosse, WI. Over southern Minnesota, we picked up cloud cover and light chop, and the ride remained bumpy until we were just south of Salt Lake City. By that time, the sun was down leaving a beautiful reddish/orange glow across the western horizon.
Shortly after takeoff, drinks were served along with a cup of cold nuts -- I prefer mine warm. (I know most of you are thinking nasty thoughts, but there was no better way to say what I meant.) Also, the nuts were served in a disposable aluminum cup, not the usual small bowl -- very strange. Dinner was quite lousy -- dried chicken with some sort of potato (or was it overcooked polenta), a wilted salad and a dry piece of carrot cake. The only redeeming part of dinner was the hot roll. And of course, the warm chocolate chip cookie served about 90 minutes before arrival was a welcome treat.
I watched Frost/Nixon while doing some work on my laptop.
As usual, we approached San Francisco from the Lake Mono area and flew over the Sierras and Modesto before landing at 9:29 pm (PDT) via the visual approach to Runway 28L. Flying time = 5 hours and 37 minutes. We taxied via Quebec and Bravo 2 to Gate 90. Despite the departure delay, we arrived at the gate three minutes before our scheduled arrival time of 9:36 pm. I was off the plane at 9:41 p.m. Unfortunately, UA’s baggage claim service at SFO is one of the worst in its system and my bag didn’t appear until 10:05 pm.
All in all a long day, but I was happy to be home and sleep in my own bed.
Next trip: SFO-JFK-SFO in two weeks.
Last edited by thumbun; Apr 20, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Apr 18, 2009 | 3:11 pm
#4
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Programs: AA, UA, WN, HH, Marriott
Posts: 7,293
I really enjoyed your report, especially the part about the Gardner 3 arrival into BOS. I used to live in Albany, and listening to a scanner, just about all the traffic into BOS from the west came over ALB cleared direct Gardner and the Gardner arrival. I'll be making the trip, at least the return portion, in June.
I think you have 1 small typo - your departure from SFO was most likely on
1R rarher than 10R in order to make a right turn to 030. Thanks for the ALB memory.
I think you have 1 small typo - your departure from SFO was most likely on
1R rarher than 10R in order to make a right turn to 030. Thanks for the ALB memory.
Apr 18, 2009 | 7:39 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: DFW, 3.5 MM, AA EXP, LIFETIME PLATINUM, MARRIOTT LIFETIME PLATINUM, STARWOOD AMBASSADOR 223 NIGHTS, AND LIFETIME GOLD, HILTON DIAMOND, NATIONAL EXECUTIVE ELITE
Posts: 5,847
what a pathetic First Class "dinner" for BOS-SFO....
like on a 6 hour flight they don't have time to heat up the nuts - give me a break. that is just pure laziness....?
thanks for the report - well written.
like on a 6 hour flight they don't have time to heat up the nuts - give me a break. that is just pure laziness....?
thanks for the report - well written.
Apr 26, 2009 | 9:49 am
#10
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: MA
Programs: DL
Posts: 1,559
Great trip report. I love when taxiing out of BOS Terminal A, on the left side of the plane for a 4R takeoff, and see all of the airport. That is the best part before takeoff. I haven't had that since late August 2008 (as my other trip in February was a 9 takeoff). But thanks for the great trip report and have a nice trip to JFK!