ua1flyer - A "Real" Up-In-The-Air GS
Apr 21, 2022, 5:28 pm
#1921
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: ord,ewr
Programs: Lifetime UA GS 22 million,AA 1m ,Hilton Li fetime diamond,marriott lifetime platinum hyatt diamond
Posts: 1,000
For either the "numbers" chapter or the "interview" chapter, I'd suggest that many readers would want to know a distant-vision fact that has qualitative as well as quantitative elements: "Is there any typical profile to your many trips?" Length of days traveling? number of stops? Regions/continents visited? Purposes?
In other words, is your typical trip three days, out-and-back from U.S. to one destination or 10 days of stopovers to three, four, or more destinations? Or is there no such meaningful thing as an "average" or "typical" trip - because trips vary so much from each other in length, stops, distances traveled, purpose(s), etc.
In other words, is your typical trip three days, out-and-back from U.S. to one destination or 10 days of stopovers to three, four, or more destinations? Or is there no such meaningful thing as an "average" or "typical" trip - because trips vary so much from each other in length, stops, distances traveled, purpose(s), etc.
Tom:
I was on a reoccurring flight pattern at least twice a month flight from SFO to Newark in the 1990s. Because of the frequency of the exact same route, I got to the point where I could tell the 757s that I was flying apart. For example, there was one 757 that had a coffee stain on the bulkhead in front of my normal seat that was roughly the shape of Texas. So that plane became Texas.
Have you had a similar experience - perhaps on the 747s you flew back and forth to Australia? I guess I could have paid more attention, but I was focused on the familiarity of the crew . I Loved flying with crews I knew,and I knew them all so well! Loved those 747 flights to Australia. ( more about that in the book as well.Safe travels!
MRY Flyer
I was on a reoccurring flight pattern at least twice a month flight from SFO to Newark in the 1990s. Because of the frequency of the exact same route, I got to the point where I could tell the 757s that I was flying apart. For example, there was one 757 that had a coffee stain on the bulkhead in front of my normal seat that was roughly the shape of Texas. So that plane became Texas.
Have you had a similar experience - perhaps on the 747s you flew back and forth to Australia? I guess I could have paid more attention, but I was focused on the familiarity of the crew . I Loved flying with crews I knew,and I knew them all so well! Loved those 747 flights to Australia. ( more about that in the book as well.Safe travels!
MRY Flyer
- What was your experience like when you first started traveling in earnest? That means not your first flight, but the point when you were effectively traveling for business regularly, i.e., for a reason other than vacation/family.
- Compare technology then and now. I remember in my early days of business travel in the 80's running off the plane to the nearest payphone to check my voice mail. First computer on a plane? Mine was a small suitcase-sized clunker with a small green screen and Lotus 123
- First in-flight entertainment. Single screen movie with hollow-tube headphones? Channel 9? Your own Sony Walkman cassette player with cheap wired headphones?
- If you were offered the chance to do the pre-takeoff flight safety announcement from memory, could you?
- What still excites you about flying? (E.g,, seeing a full moon out the window at night, landing at an airport you've never been to before, etc.)
Some random thoughts I'd be interested in seeing.
# times united had to rebook you on a different (non *A) partner
# times you've booked a trip and flown the same day
# unique airports
- What actual Gate (airport and gate) have you flown out of the most? Is there any one that comes to mind? If it's a local/regional airport, is there any gate that just sticks out to you outside of that? (I've always thought gate E1 was unique at ORD, it's located off to the side of the connector between the B and E gates, and hidden next to a restaurant)
# times you've slept in an airport
# times you've asked/questioned yourself on what you're doing/this lifestyle mid-flight?
# times united had to rebook you on a different (non *A) partner
# times you've booked a trip and flown the same day
# unique airports
- What actual Gate (airport and gate) have you flown out of the most? Is there any one that comes to mind? If it's a local/regional airport, is there any gate that just sticks out to you outside of that? (I've always thought gate E1 was unique at ORD, it's located off to the side of the connector between the B and E gates, and hidden next to a restaurant)
# times you've slept in an airport
# times you've asked/questioned yourself on what you're doing/this lifestyle mid-flight?
Book questions for Tom
# Comparison of your flight miles vs typical pilot in a year.
# Comparison of your flight miles vs typical flight attendant in a year.
# How many times have you lost your passport or visa cards.
# Your lifetime miles on all other airlines -- even if its just been one flight.
# Average weight of carry-on/luggage.
# Number of diverted flights.
# Number of celebrity sightings -- even better would be number of celebrity seatmates.
# Number of countries visited. Perhaps a ranking of these.
Thank you Tom for allowing us to help and be a part of the book writing process. We all cannot wait to read it. Best of luck and safe travels.
-Moises 'GDL'
# Comparison of your flight miles vs typical pilot in a year.
# Comparison of your flight miles vs typical flight attendant in a year.
# How many times have you lost your passport or visa cards.
# Your lifetime miles on all other airlines -- even if its just been one flight.
# Average weight of carry-on/luggage.
# Number of diverted flights.
# Number of celebrity sightings -- even better would be number of celebrity seatmates.
# Number of countries visited. Perhaps a ranking of these.
Thank you Tom for allowing us to help and be a part of the book writing process. We all cannot wait to read it. Best of luck and safe travels.
-Moises 'GDL'
probably get someone mad here, but the guy that said if you don’t miss 10% of your flights you are spending too much time at an airport is SO wrong. He is disorganized, ill prepared m irresponsible, and probably unemployed, divorced and in rehab! Just sayin
Numbers I'd like to see --
o How many hours each day do you spend on a plane, averaged over a typical year?
o How many hours do you spend at each destination (not transiting stopover, unless you leave the airport to conduct business), on average?
o How many days in advance do you know your travel schedule?
o How many destinations do you typically stop at between stays at your home base?
o How many times (if any!) have you flown in the jump seat?
o How many times have you (voluntarily) walked off a plane before departure because of a change in your schedule?
o How many CEOs of United have you met?
o We have an idea of how many miles you typically fly in a year; how many do you drive?
o How many times have you forgotten or lost something important on a plane?
o Number of bottles of mini liquor consumed in the air?
o Number of touch-and-goes?
o Number of aborted landings without touching down?
o Number of near misses?
o Longest a plane was held for you?
o Shortest time between stepping in the door at an airport and takeoff at a hub? At an outstation?
o Number of in-flight births on your travels?
o Number of times you've been paged on airport PA?
o Number of times you've been mistaken for someone else on a plane?
o Typical lifetime of your laptops?
o Number of in-flight movies seen?
o Number of passports filled up with stamps / visas?
o My old boss used to say, "if you don't miss 10% of your flights, you're spending too much time at the airport." What fraction of originating flights do you miss?
Questions ---
o Travel often brings with it challenges to the immune system both from contact with people and from the food one eats. What are your strategies to deal with those stresses?
o For the infrequent flyer, what's the single bit of advice you would give to smooth the travel experience?
o For the frequent flyer, what unexpected bit of advice might you give that you realized only after millions of miles of travel?
o What do you typically carry on to a plane (e.g., both briefcase and rollaboard, only a backpack, just a clutch, etc.)?
o What's in them?
o Who is on your speed dial?
o Most interesting seat mates?
o Given that you are on the road so many days of the year, how do you and your spouse maintain a positive relationship?
o Here's a sort of silly one: some of the most charismatic people I've know have worn unusual socks. Do you wear unusual socks?
o Having logged tens of millions of miles in the air means making compromises. Which compromises have been worth it, and which ones might you reconsider if you went back to a mere couple of million BIS?
o At what point did your spouse say, "stop bringing me presents from the road, I've got enough stuff"?
o Person you'd most like to have as a seat mate that you have not yet met? What would you say to them?
Looking forward to your book!
o How many hours each day do you spend on a plane, averaged over a typical year?
o How many hours do you spend at each destination (not transiting stopover, unless you leave the airport to conduct business), on average?
o How many days in advance do you know your travel schedule?
o How many destinations do you typically stop at between stays at your home base?
o How many times (if any!) have you flown in the jump seat?
o How many times have you (voluntarily) walked off a plane before departure because of a change in your schedule?
o How many CEOs of United have you met?
o We have an idea of how many miles you typically fly in a year; how many do you drive?
o How many times have you forgotten or lost something important on a plane?
o Number of bottles of mini liquor consumed in the air?
o Number of touch-and-goes?
o Number of aborted landings without touching down?
o Number of near misses?
o Longest a plane was held for you?
o Shortest time between stepping in the door at an airport and takeoff at a hub? At an outstation?
o Number of in-flight births on your travels?
o Number of times you've been paged on airport PA?
o Number of times you've been mistaken for someone else on a plane?
o Typical lifetime of your laptops?
o Number of in-flight movies seen?
o Number of passports filled up with stamps / visas?
o My old boss used to say, "if you don't miss 10% of your flights, you're spending too much time at the airport." What fraction of originating flights do you miss?
Questions ---
o Travel often brings with it challenges to the immune system both from contact with people and from the food one eats. What are your strategies to deal with those stresses?
o For the infrequent flyer, what's the single bit of advice you would give to smooth the travel experience?
o For the frequent flyer, what unexpected bit of advice might you give that you realized only after millions of miles of travel?
o What do you typically carry on to a plane (e.g., both briefcase and rollaboard, only a backpack, just a clutch, etc.)?
o What's in them?
o Who is on your speed dial?
o Most interesting seat mates?
o Given that you are on the road so many days of the year, how do you and your spouse maintain a positive relationship?
o Here's a sort of silly one: some of the most charismatic people I've know have worn unusual socks. Do you wear unusual socks?
o Having logged tens of millions of miles in the air means making compromises. Which compromises have been worth it, and which ones might you reconsider if you went back to a mere couple of million BIS?
o At what point did your spouse say, "stop bringing me presents from the road, I've got enough stuff"?
o Person you'd most like to have as a seat mate that you have not yet met? What would you say to them?
Looking forward to your book!
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 22, 2022 at 1:01 pm Reason: merged consecutive posts by same member
Apr 22, 2022, 2:28 am
#1922
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: UA*Lifetime GS, Hyatt* Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 12,331
Facinating stories, and I cannot wait for the book to come out.
Tom,
My quesitons are:
1. How did you decide on joining Flyertalk? You started long before Flyertalk was onlne, but you did not become active on Flyertalk until about 10 to 12 years ago.
2. If I remember correctly, there was a Team (of 4) competition organized by United a few years back, and how did you strategize to win the competition? The winning team was based on "Incremental" miles flown from the previous year, and I note you won by flying close to 1.4 million incremenal BIS miles.
3. How did you spend the winning million miles from the Team competition 12 years ago. Miles were more valubale back then.
Tom,
My quesitons are:
1. How did you decide on joining Flyertalk? You started long before Flyertalk was onlne, but you did not become active on Flyertalk until about 10 to 12 years ago.
2. If I remember correctly, there was a Team (of 4) competition organized by United a few years back, and how did you strategize to win the competition? The winning team was based on "Incremental" miles flown from the previous year, and I note you won by flying close to 1.4 million incremenal BIS miles.
3. How did you spend the winning million miles from the Team competition 12 years ago. Miles were more valubale back then.
Apr 22, 2022, 2:48 am
#1923
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: ord,ewr
Programs: Lifetime UA GS 22 million,AA 1m ,Hilton Li fetime diamond,marriott lifetime platinum hyatt diamond
Posts: 1,000
Facinating stories, and I cannot wait for the book to come out.
Tom,
My quesitons are:
1. How did you decide on joining Flyertalk? You started long before Flyertalk was onlne, but you did not become active on Flyertalk until about 10 to 12 years ago.
2. If I remember correctly, there was a Team (of 4) competition organized by United a few years back, and how did you strategize to win the competition? The winning team was based on "Incremental" miles flown from the previous year, and I note you won by flying close to 1.4 million incremenal BIS miles.
3. How did you spend the winning million miles from the Team competition 12 years ago. Miles were more valubale back then.
Tom,
My quesitons are:
1. How did you decide on joining Flyertalk? You started long before Flyertalk was onlne, but you did not become active on Flyertalk until about 10 to 12 years ago.
2. If I remember correctly, there was a Team (of 4) competition organized by United a few years back, and how did you strategize to win the competition? The winning team was based on "Incremental" miles flown from the previous year, and I note you won by flying close to 1.4 million incremenal BIS miles.
3. How did you spend the winning million miles from the Team competition 12 years ago. Miles were more valubale back then.
Apr 22, 2022, 3:50 am
#1924
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 2,345
Do you mostly fly revenue tickets, or do you use your miles for a lot of award tickets as well?
Asking because I know BIS miles only count revenue tickets, so wondering if you use your miles to upgrade your ticket instead of buying an award flight outright - in order to get those elite miles!
Asking because I know BIS miles only count revenue tickets, so wondering if you use your miles to upgrade your ticket instead of buying an award flight outright - in order to get those elite miles!
Apr 22, 2022, 5:50 am
#1925
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 690
Hi Tom, I'm glad you like my suggestions! Sorry if you thought my question about maintaining a relationship in the face of so much separation was sad; it seemed like an important one, especially since you appear to do so well at it!
It's an aviation term meaning the plane's wheels touch the ground, but the landing is aborted. The pilot applies full throttle and takes off. It can happen when there is an unanticipated runway incursion of some sort (animal, plane, truck, etc.), but can also be from an unexpected crosswind. Usually it results in a go-around and the landing re-attempted after the runway has been cleared.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch-and-go_landing
It is also the maneuver executed when a navy pilot misses the arresting wire during a landing attempt. Again, full throttle is applied and the aircraft takes off.
I've flown a little over 1/20th as much as you, and I've only had one touch-and-go during a commercial flight, from unexpected crosswind. It was a short flight, so the pilot opted to return to our origin.
It's an aviation term meaning the plane's wheels touch the ground, but the landing is aborted. The pilot applies full throttle and takes off. It can happen when there is an unanticipated runway incursion of some sort (animal, plane, truck, etc.), but can also be from an unexpected crosswind. Usually it results in a go-around and the landing re-attempted after the runway has been cleared.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch-and-go_landing
It is also the maneuver executed when a navy pilot misses the arresting wire during a landing attempt. Again, full throttle is applied and the aircraft takes off.
I've flown a little over 1/20th as much as you, and I've only had one touch-and-go during a commercial flight, from unexpected crosswind. It was a short flight, so the pilot opted to return to our origin.
Apr 22, 2022, 6:23 am
#1926
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
I've never missed one flight in 35+ years of flying. Of course, I've had misconnects due to late flights, etc. but not that many, and I strive for tight connections so as to minimize total transit time.
Apr 22, 2022, 7:51 am
#1927
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 690
Actually, at the time of the statement, he was a full professor at MIT (now emeritus), and pretty successful at what he did, too. A number of key ideas in modern computing can be traced back to his laboratory, and students who came out of his lab went on to change the world. He has a beautiful, charming wife and a couple of smart kids (probably grandchildren as well by this point, but I've lost touch). But, back to the 10% thing: the full context of his statement is that it was made during the time when the Eastern Shuttle was operating, and they would roll out another plane if there were more passengers. Much of his travel was Boston to Washington on the Shuttle. And he really didn't like spending time at the airport.
Apr 22, 2022, 8:02 am
#1928
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,418
Do you mostly fly revenue tickets, or do you use your miles for a lot of award tickets as well?
Asking because I know BIS miles only count revenue tickets, so wondering if you use your miles to upgrade your ticket instead of buying an award flight outright - in order to get those elite miles!
Asking because I know BIS miles only count revenue tickets, so wondering if you use your miles to upgrade your ticket instead of buying an award flight outright - in order to get those elite miles!
Just highlights that UA should at least count award flights towards MM status . ..
Apr 22, 2022, 12:56 pm
#1929
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: ord,ewr
Programs: Lifetime UA GS 22 million,AA 1m ,Hilton Li fetime diamond,marriott lifetime platinum hyatt diamond
Posts: 1,000
Do you mostly fly revenue tickets, or do you use your miles for a lot of award tickets as well?
Asking because I know BIS miles only count revenue tickets, so wondering if you use your miles to upgrade your ticket instead of buying an award flight outright - in order to get those elite miles!
Asking because I know BIS miles only count revenue tickets, so wondering if you use your miles to upgrade your ticket instead of buying an award flight outright - in order to get those elite miles!
Actually, at the time of the statement, he was a full professor at MIT (now emeritus), and pretty successful at what he did, too. A number of key ideas in modern computing can be traced back to his laboratory, and students who came out of his lab went on to change the world. He has a beautiful, charming wife and a couple of smart kids (probably grandchildren as well by this point, but I've lost touch). But, back to the 10% thing: the full context of his statement is that it was made during the time when the Eastern Shuttle was operating, and they would roll out another plane if there were more passengers. Much of his travel was Boston to Washington on the Shuttle. And he really didn't like spending time at the airport.
Hi Tom, I'm glad you like my suggestions! Sorry if you thought my question about maintaining a relationship in the face of so much separation was sad; it seemed like an important one, especially since you appear to do so well at it!
It's an aviation term meaning the plane's wheels touch the ground, but the landing is aborted. The pilot applies full throttle and takes off. It can happen when there is an unanticipated runway incursion of some sort (animal, plane, truck, etc.), but can also be from an unexpected crosswind. Usually it results in a go-around and the landing re-attempted after the runway has been cleared.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch-and-go_landing
It is also the maneuver executed when a navy pilot misses the arresting wire during a landing attempt. Again, full throttle is applied and the aircraft takes off.
I've flown a little over 1/20th as much as you, and I've only had one touch-and-go during a commercial flight, from unexpected crosswind. It was a short flight, so the pilot opted to return to our origin.
It's an aviation term meaning the plane's wheels touch the ground, but the landing is aborted. The pilot applies full throttle and takes off. It can happen when there is an unanticipated runway incursion of some sort (animal, plane, truck, etc.), but can also be from an unexpected crosswind. Usually it results in a go-around and the landing re-attempted after the runway has been cleared.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch-and-go_landing
It is also the maneuver executed when a navy pilot misses the arresting wire during a landing attempt. Again, full throttle is applied and the aircraft takes off.
I've flown a little over 1/20th as much as you, and I've only had one touch-and-go during a commercial flight, from unexpected crosswind. It was a short flight, so the pilot opted to return to our origin.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 22, 2022 at 4:40 pm Reason: merged consecutive posts by same member
Apr 22, 2022, 10:47 pm
#1930
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: PHL, EWR
Programs: UA Gold; AA; Amtrak Select Plus;HH Diamond;Hyatt Disc;Hertz PC; Total Wine Grand Reserve!
Posts: 2,401
I would love to hear any great turbulence stories! Here's mine: heading east from LAX in an A319. I'm in seat 2F. We are near the backside of the Rockies. I need to use the restroom. Either the pilot or copilot is using the one in the the front, so I go to the rear. When coming back to the front we hit major turbulence. The plane dropped enough that I went airborne and hit my head on the ceiling and my sandals flew off my feet! I crawled the rest of the way back up front! lol
Apr 23, 2022, 3:19 am
#1931
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: ord,ewr
Programs: Lifetime UA GS 22 million,AA 1m ,Hilton Li fetime diamond,marriott lifetime platinum hyatt diamond
Posts: 1,000
I would love to hear any great turbulence stories! Here's mine: heading east from LAX in an A319. I'm in seat 2F. We are near the backside of the Rockies. I need to use the restroom. Either the pilot or copilot is using the one in the the front, so I go to the rear. When coming back to the front we hit major turbulence. The plane dropped enough that I went airborne and hit my head on the ceiling and my sandals flew off my feet! I crawled the rest of the way back up front! lol
Apr 23, 2022, 9:11 am
#1932
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: PHL, EWR
Programs: UA Gold; AA; Amtrak Select Plus;HH Diamond;Hyatt Disc;Hertz PC; Total Wine Grand Reserve!
Posts: 2,401
in over 12,000 flights, I have yet to be on a flight where the oxygen masks come down and have never been on a flight where someone was injured due to turbulence. Most of my most turbulent flights seemed to be in the 70's and 80's. That could be a coincidence, or a combination of my early years fear of flying or maybe over the years technology has improved in the pilot's ability to avoid it. I don't freak out about turbulence the way I used to. First of all, as most everyone knows on flyer talk, planes are built to withstand it and second I have faith in the pilots ability to keep us out of harms way.
Once I got back to 2F and things smoothed out, I did ring the call button for a stiff cocktail! lol
Apr 24, 2022, 10:36 am
#1933
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Morris County, NJ
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Avis Pres, Marriott Plat
Posts: 2,305
This is a man who has absolutely MASTERED the art of marriage. I thought I was pretty good at it, but then you drop a line like that, and I realize I'm just a grasshopper.
Well done Sensei!
Apr 25, 2022, 6:49 am
#1934
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: AUS, ORD, SFO, SIN
Programs: United 1K 2MM, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 50
business trips would be 1to 12 days. Rarely ever not home for the weekend! That was important! The 4 million miles I’ve flown with my wife 3 days to 15 days. ( she likes to come home , repack and recharge before heading back out. I have done a couple hundred mileage runs, just to rack up miles( explained in detail in the book. Longest run was over 100,000 BIS Jan 1-10th or 12th ( I’ll check before I put that in the book)
Jun 22, 2022, 2:46 pm
#1935
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: ord,ewr
Programs: Lifetime UA GS 22 million,AA 1m ,Hilton Li fetime diamond,marriott lifetime platinum hyatt diamond
Posts: 1,000
I’m currently at about 22;770,000, about 230,000 to go until 23. Should hit it late sept or early October. I should have it narrowed down to a 2 week window by sometime in August when we hit 22.9 . Any suggestions on which flight (city pairs) I should do it on ? My buddy was the million miler that did it on a flight with a guy passing 4 million at the same time. Anybody else want to cross a milestone at the same time. ( don’t want to steal anyone’s thunder though)