My day started off with a few errands and a quick trip to the gym. I met up with my brother in law and he told me he was going to LHR for a quick trip, he is a 777 pilot with UAL. He asked if I had some time off and if I would ever be interested in going with him, we get along real well, so I said sure I would love to. With one days notice I was off to LHR for a quick turn back to the states.

I woke early on the 5th of Feb. To a blanket of snow, instantly I thought of the wonderful performance of the CRJ that was to take me to ORD for my 915pm departure to LHR. I called the airport to see if these little lawn darts were leaving on time and/or weight restricted. So my brother in law dressed for work arrived at my house around noon and that is when the news was given to him of the flights in and out of COS. We decided on our way to the airport that we would give the extremely unreliable plane a chance, for he had to be in ORD and report by 2000, I knew we could make it, he was on pins and needles until we arrived into the windy city and before the 2000 report time.

We got to the airport and yes, the CRJ's were weight restricted, holds 50 and could only take 24(what a joke) so off we went on a dash 8 to DEN to hood up with a A319 that had about 40 open seats on it. We arrived in DEN about 25 minutes before the A319 was to depart(The DASH was late) got my seat and requested to be in the rear of the plane, I knew it has 30 or 40 open seats and EVERYBODY tries to cram into the front of the coach section. We took off 6 minutes early on our way to O'HARE, that has to be my most favorite airport in the whole world, very nice.

Touchdown into ORD was around 6pm, a quick smile greeted by a sigh of relief on my brother in laws face, we were here. We got into the concourse and headed for the C concourse, under the stairs is the operations are, we waited there for about 30 minutes getting all of our facts and trip in order. We already had a plan if we were to get separated in LHR and I couldn't catch the crew bus to the hotel with them. I had a print out of his I.D. and I knew what hotel and the phone number in case we got separated. I was told one in LHR and cleared customs, I had to run outside to wait for the crew bus. He told me that they don't go through the normal customs line, they get checked on the plane and leave ground level to the hotel. The captain was a very nice guy and along with the F/O they decided they would return to the bus area to pick me up.

Now back to the flight. We left the gate early and was scheduled for a 7 hour and 40 minute flight, to say the least we arrived 32 minutes early. I got my seat from the agent and was surprised I got FIRST, I got 1A. After taking my seat I got familiar with the seat,controls,settings, a small drink before departure, I was set to enjoy my first tip to LHR in almost 2 years. Once airborne I settled into a good movie with a choice of 6 I chose "Master and Commander" with Russell crow. Next the flight attendant brought out a tray with additional movies(first suites have there own VCR'S) So I got "Pirates of the Caribbean"

Now the meals were making their way out of the galleys I got a choice of a starter, the portion in my opinion was like a main coarse, later came the wine and mind coarse, very good food, and the flight attendants were awesome. When I hear comments about our US carriers and how they(F/A's) are so unprofessional or they lack the talent or service that Asian or European carriers have then they haven't flown First on UNITED, and after the service I received was done I was in awe, I had one of the best flights ever on UAL.

We arrived in LHR and I was listening to my brother in law on CHAN.9, that was weird but it was cool. We got into the LHR area so early that they made us hold over okum to kill some time. We would have arrived 50 minutes early, we held with IBERIA and I believe it was AA for awhile, they we were approved for landing, and what a nice landing it was.

The weather was overcast and drizzle greeted us in London, that is my favorite kind of weather so I was having a blast.

I will skip what I did in London and start with my return.

United has 2 flights leaving LHR only 10 minutes apart, the first was full and the one I was on had breathing room. I didn't get first class, but received my business class seat with a smile and a thank you. I boarded the plane and got comfy, I was given 14B but chose to move to 14E once the plane closed the door(nobody in 14D or 14F) had the whole middle section to myself.
The flight attendant was a little pudgy old lady and she didn't belong in the business, she was maybe of French descent and very mean(maybe she knew I was nonrev) so the guy on the other aisle took care of me, I watched her spill wine and water on 2 different passengers, she was an embarrassment to the profession, and sadly United had her. We talked afterwards myself and the captain and he has had her before and they get a lot of complaints, she is LHR based and a mean person. Other than that I had a great trip, I didn't like the movie selection returning so I watched my DVD player, I had 4 seasons of "FRIENDS" so I was occupied. We were told that we would land in ORD by 1920 and I had a 1955 flight to COS, I knew in my heart that they wouldn't operate ontime, AWAC ops in ORD is a nightmare. I arrived into ORD and waited 25 minutes longer at our customs than I did at my 5 minute wait in LHR.

Now I take off running for a departure monitor to see if my flight into COS was ontime? NO, IT WAS 2 HOURS LATE!!!! I knew it, I laughed and headed over to T2 and ate at CHILES with my brother in law, we finally got home at 2245 and all I spent on this trip was 40 pounds on gifts for my wife and son. I used my Thank you passes from UAL so my ORD-LHR trip cost $0.00 and my hotel cost $0.00 I shared with my brother in law and last my flights from COS-ORD RT cost$0.00 it was bp10 and UAX is free for us UAL employees. I Spent more money on Pints of ALE than I did flights to the United Kingdom.
3 perfect days, almost less than $30.00 dollars.

Service on UAL international was 5 star, the return was a good trip even though that flight attendant should never have been in a premium cabin.

UAL 777 CONTRAIL