P.S. C morphs to PS First (finally, after 3 years in the back).
Jul 29, 2008, 6:31 pm
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: UA Million Miler (lite). NY Metro area.
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P.S. C morphs to PS First (finally, after 3 years in the back).
Last week, I used my e-500's to confirm a C seat JFK/LAX/OAK. I'm 1p. 
I was outbound on the first flight. Tickets on the non-stop JFK/SFO were $200 higher than JFK/LAX/OAK. Not to mention that BART is a couple of bucks cheaper from OAK than SFO.
Due to weather IR-ROPS the evening before, JFK was a zoo at 0520. My initial plan was to head to the SFO gate to see if I could fly on the non-stop. Didn't hurt to ask since I wasn't going to lose any major amount of miles (due to the going away of the 500 mile minimum).
The 25 minute security line (I always breeze through at this hour) got me to the gate at 5:55. That was 5 minutes before push on the non-stop. I was surprised the door wasn't already closed. There were about 5 - 6 people still hanging around the gate area. It seems that many of the flights that still showed availability the night before, were now all sold out due to weather.
So I go to the gate and ask if I could fly on the non-stop. Agent looks at my boarding pass and tells me the LAX gate is over there < points>.
I asked if I could take the SFO flight, if there was an available seat in C.
This is where it gets interesting. The gate agent must have been waiting for the last passenger to board the flight. He was in 1C.
At this point, she's really feeling the pressure. She uses her walking talking as she runs and tells me to follow her onboard, all the way asking if there was still one empty seat. All I keep hearing is 1C 1C 1C.
I've been flying P.S, since service began. Most times sitting in row 8.
When the agent kept saying 1C, the first thing was woohoo, I'm finally going to check out P.S. First. The next thing I thought was they traded out the plane for a regular 75. 
I board though the front door and realize I'm flying P.S.
As I boarded, the agent took my boarding pass, so I didn't have any documentation. Later on in the flight, I asked the purser who they had listed in 1C, and it wasn't me.
At 5:55, there was no time to update the manifest.
It never dawned on me, until I received the UA e mail for OLCI, that my return flight might have been cancelled if I was a no-show on the outbound. Since I was at a public computer at a trade show, I decided not to do OLCI for my return.
When I checked in at OAK, Mr. Chicken was giving this UA booster a hard time checking in. The agent told me that I was off-loaded on my outbound, but processed incorectly. It was quickly rectified.
I was convinced that the JFK agent boarded me JFK/SFO because they needed the seat for JFK/LAX. Can you say double upgrade/Op-up?
Moral of the story, always go to the gate to see if you'll get lucky.
This was the fastest flight ever JFK/SFO.
Whoever said that the C seat is better than the First seat was wrong.
I'll end my story here.
I was outbound on the first flight. Tickets on the non-stop JFK/SFO were $200 higher than JFK/LAX/OAK. Not to mention that BART is a couple of bucks cheaper from OAK than SFO.
Due to weather IR-ROPS the evening before, JFK was a zoo at 0520. My initial plan was to head to the SFO gate to see if I could fly on the non-stop. Didn't hurt to ask since I wasn't going to lose any major amount of miles (due to the going away of the 500 mile minimum).
The 25 minute security line (I always breeze through at this hour) got me to the gate at 5:55. That was 5 minutes before push on the non-stop. I was surprised the door wasn't already closed. There were about 5 - 6 people still hanging around the gate area. It seems that many of the flights that still showed availability the night before, were now all sold out due to weather.
So I go to the gate and ask if I could fly on the non-stop. Agent looks at my boarding pass and tells me the LAX gate is over there < points>.
I asked if I could take the SFO flight, if there was an available seat in C.
This is where it gets interesting. The gate agent must have been waiting for the last passenger to board the flight. He was in 1C.
At this point, she's really feeling the pressure. She uses her walking talking as she runs and tells me to follow her onboard, all the way asking if there was still one empty seat. All I keep hearing is 1C 1C 1C.
I've been flying P.S, since service began. Most times sitting in row 8.
When the agent kept saying 1C, the first thing was woohoo, I'm finally going to check out P.S. First. The next thing I thought was they traded out the plane for a regular 75. I board though the front door and realize I'm flying P.S.
As I boarded, the agent took my boarding pass, so I didn't have any documentation. Later on in the flight, I asked the purser who they had listed in 1C, and it wasn't me.
At 5:55, there was no time to update the manifest.
It never dawned on me, until I received the UA e mail for OLCI, that my return flight might have been cancelled if I was a no-show on the outbound. Since I was at a public computer at a trade show, I decided not to do OLCI for my return.
When I checked in at OAK, Mr. Chicken was giving this UA booster a hard time checking in.
The agent told me that I was off-loaded on my outbound, but processed incorectly. It was quickly rectified.I was convinced that the JFK agent boarded me JFK/SFO because they needed the seat for JFK/LAX. Can you say double upgrade/Op-up?
Moral of the story, always go to the gate to see if you'll get lucky.
This was the fastest flight ever JFK/SFO.
Whoever said that the C seat is better than the First seat was wrong.
I'll end my story here.
Jul 29, 2008, 6:44 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SF (Bernal Heights)
Programs: UA GS 2 MM; , SPG Plat Amb/LTP, Marriott Gold, HH, Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 172
congratulations!
congrats on whatever type of upgrade you got - I'm sure it was nice. P.S. F seat got a really nice plug in the WSJ today as well.
Jul 29, 2008, 7:03 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: The World! Home Base = DCA/IAD
Programs: HHonors, Hyatt GP, Marriott, Varying Levels w/ UA /AF /DL /SQ /AA
Posts: 2,666
dhammer, normally I really enjoy reading your posts, but the emphasis on seemingly unrelated words got me all confused this time, so I may have to come back and re-read this later. I think you got an upgrade, though, so that's always a good thing and I'm happy for you.
I'll never experience PS living in DC...
Will
I'll never experience PS living in DC...
Will
Jul 29, 2008, 7:06 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Raleigh
Programs: United GS 2MM,, Marriott/Starwood Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 754
I agree that the F seat in ps is better than the C seat (once you master the F seat controls).
However I prefer the C cabin (row 9 window especially) to the F cabin for the sense of space, light, and general people watching. The F cabin seems extremely private and quiet to me, which isn't what I'm typically looking for on a daytime flight.
And of course the difference between the cabins in service (and catering) is pretty minor, in my opinion.
Jul 29, 2008, 8:02 pm
#7
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
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well done ^ and there's another tootsie-pop in it for you but i have a question....
was the g/a a shorter woman maybe in her 50's with blondish-brownish hair? if so, she is awesome! she works the early mornings and i've seen her work magic in clearing u/g's, stby's & misconnects (and even on an sfo and lax flight at the same time at "next to each other gates" as "someone had called in sick" [& both birds left on time]) if it was her, pm me for her name (f/t no-no to post it as we all know) so you can tell her "david the tootsie-pop guy says hey". now of course if it was not her, just send me off to the penalty box
but i have a question....was the g/a a shorter woman maybe in her 50's with blondish-brownish hair? if so, she is awesome! she works the early mornings and i've seen her work magic in clearing u/g's, stby's & misconnects (and even on an sfo and lax flight at the same time at "next to each other gates" as "someone had called in sick" [& both birds left on time]) if it was her, pm me for her name (f/t no-no to post it as we all know
) so you can tell her "david the tootsie-pop guy says hey". now of course if it was not her, just send me off to the penalty box