I flew United Airlines from Burbank to San Francisco yesterday morning aboard the usual Skywest-operated CRJ-200. The flight was zeroed out in availability for a couple of days, and the seat map had only two seats left to assign (exit rows), so it indeed was looking full and perhaps in an oversell situation. While I…
My travels/observations
Category Archives for My travels/observations.
Denver mileage discrepancies between United Airlines & Continental Airlines
Many mileage and points addicts who travel frequently have some sort of spreadsheet or subscribe to a service to track and monitor their airline, hotel & car loyalty accounts. I pride myself on my spreadsheet, and although basic without much aesthetic beauty, it calculates everything I care about and is my tool for determining where…
Compensation for service failures at the new United Airlines
When things go wrong onboard United Airlines, the pursers are armed with handy “Please accept our apology†cards, previously known as Skykits. They allow you to log onto United’s website, punch in the nature of the problem along with the unique serial number from the card, and you are presented with a few options to…
Review of Room 77: a new hotel search engine featuring floor plans & room views
A new and ingenious hotel search engine has entered the market of travel websites. Named Room 77, it allows you to search for a specific hotel, enter your room type preferences including bed type, floor level & distance from the elevator, and then displays a list of top-matching rooms at that hotel, as well as…
Halfway to United Airlines 1K status & revisiting the Systemwide Upgrade timeline
My latest trip pushed me over the halfway point to requalifying for 1K status for 2012, and I’m thinking now that I need to retract a statement I made back in November. United Airlines announced a variety of changes to the Mileage Plus program at that time, including the deposit schedule for systemwide upgrades (SWUs).…
Looking out the window through the eyes of a first time flyer
I’ve mentioned several times already how much I like to gaze out the windows when I fly. The views can be spectacular and there is always something new or different to look at no matter how much you fly. One reporter recently flew on a domestic flight within Vietnam and captured the experience of a…
A few words on Continental Airlines vs. United Airlines domestically
Now that I have several Continental Airlines flights in both first class & coach under my belt, I’ve developed a list of service-related items I’d like to see in the combined carrier. These are in no particular order and are only comparing Continental and United Airlines on domestic flights. Boarding Process: United. Continental’s procedure offers…
Downtown Chicago & Detroit from 37,000 feet… plus Cleveland
I was off on yet another mileage run yesterday and snapped the following pictures from 37,000 feet of Chicago and Detroit. Given my displeasure of being “trapped” in a window seat on longer flights in coach, I had reserved the exit row aisle on this Continental Airlines flight. It was lightly booked, though, and I…
Video trip report from Zurich to Geneva to Washington Dulles Airport
It took me a while, but here is the conclusion to my Switzerland trip in December 2010. I take you on a mini-tour of Zurich Airport & the city center, followed by a 180-mile train trip skirting the Alps on my way to Geneva. I visit two Star Alliance lounges & fly back to Washington…
The NEW United Airlines identity, livery, color scheme, paint job, etc.
I flew through Denver yesterday and was able to see with my own eyes for the first time a couple of United Airlines aircraft painted in the new colors. I’m not talking about Continental airplanes pulled into the shop, stripped of the Continental name and repainted in the UNITED font, but rather genuine United registered…