First trip report…

Had to go to Virginia for a week of training and decided to use some mileage to upgrade to First Class because of the length of the flight. Booked the flight via my company’s travel website for a dirt cheap $268 (could have been $40 cheaper if I was willing to go on the early flight) in economy and then upgraded.

Originally scheduled as an A319, I was surprised at check-in to see that there were 3 first class rows. Figured they swapped it out for a A320 and I was right. Originally booked in 2C, I moved to 1C at check-in (row was wide open when I checked in) only to check Seatguru and saw negative comments, so I did a last minute swap to 3B. Despite the Guru’s comments, I had plenty of reclining space there. Guru was right about 1st row though…not much leg room; at least two of the people had their feet pressed up against the bulkhead most of the flight.

Approaching the gate, I was very perplexed to see Ted at gate 70A. Knowing that Ted was economy only, I did a quick Google check on the plane registration (N401UA) and saw a few pics in standard UA colors. Upon boarding, we learned that this 320 is moving from United to Ted; it had been repainted, but the interior had not yet been reconfigured. Not much to brag about, but I guess I can say I’m one of the very few that will ever fly first class on Ted  

First class was full, but the overall load was extremely light. Probably 50 people total. Upon getting seated, we were asked for drinks and I went with the Merlot, which was decent. During the economy boarding, I noticed the Pilot and FA talking about lunch. Apparently the pilot wasn’t happy with his food situation the day before and made sure he got what he wanted. When the doors were locked, the Pilot came out to the first class cabin and used the FA microphone to say hello. Hadn’t seen that before, but maybe it’s because I usually ride in the back.

Frank T (Captain) and Steve J were at the helm. Steve was doing the flying on this leg and by the sound of it, he’s somewhat new. Frank told us about the Ted livery and spent a couple of minutes talking about various things. He told us if we were good that we would each get United plane card (each detailing the various planes they use) with his signature on it at the end of the flight. Talked about Channel 9 for those who weren’t aware, however none of the channels (at least on my seat) were operational during takeoff. He mentioned that we were going by United 8123 despite our flight being United 924. Anybody know why? Perhaps the Ted livery. Overall, a nice touch of humor and personality.

Upon takeoff, we were served a small bowl (slightly larger than a sake cup) of warm nuts. Who doesn’t like warm nuts…anytime I have them I question the rational of cold nuts. Soon afterwards, the FA came by for our lunch selection. Being in the last row of first class, the chicken was sold out by the time it got to us. My choice consisted of ravioli or ravioli. I showed a bit of unhappiness at this (I like chicken) and she tried to make excuses including some mention of the fact that I upgraded, which I thought was somewhat rude. It didn’t annoy me that much, but had I seen the FA’s eating chicken it would have. Lunch consisted of a small salad with corn, cheese ravioli with red sauce and parmesan cheese and bread. Salad was very good; ravioli tasted like pasta that had been cooked 5 hours prior and then warmed up 5 minutes before served…too chewy and basically something that resembled a microwave dinner. Bread selection was pretty thin by the time it got to me as well; went with a wheat slice that wasn’t warm at all, but maybe that wasn’t their intent.

Wine/drinks were served consistently throughout the flight. Never had an empty glass for more than a couple of minutes when I was drinking. At one point, 2 FA’s were attending to first class.

After dinner, dessert was served consisting of one scoop each of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, with optional whipped cream. Not-so-hot fudge was also in there. There was also one of those rolled up cookies (blanking on the name) that added a nice touch. Various liquors were served along side. I went with the Courvoisier, which basically put me to sleep for about 60 minutes.

Movie was Fantastic Four. Not very good, but what airline movie is. I tend to like dumb movies, but I think all the Marvel movies have had really stupid story lines. How so many people liked Spiderman and its sequel is beyond me. I guess you need to be more of a comic book fan.

We landed on-time and upon departure the pilot was at the front to hand out the promised plane cards with his signature. I asked for a 777 (my favorite plane) and he had one for me. Haven’t been to Dulles in years, but man was that a long walk to the shuttle; we must have parked at the end of the terminal because it felt like it was a half mile walk.

Overall, a very enjoyable flight with decent service and okay food. What a difference those extra inches of incline and seat width make when you fly for 5+ hours. The free-flowing booze doesn’t hurt either. Although I really dislike United for short trips where they use SkyWest(?), I like them for longer trips like this.

Only other thing worth mentioning was what the crew did when the pilots went to the bathroom halfway through the flight. FA blocked the aisle at the front with the drink cart as if she was guarding the front of the plane. Didn’t move until both of them had done their business and were locked in again. This 110 lb woman wouldn’t be much of a barrier, but it was nice to see her standing guard.

On the way back, I originally had a First Class upgrade booked, but I had to switch flights and wound up in the back of a A320 with a terrible picture screen. The one nice thing that did happen on that flight was after I paid $5 for a glass of wine. After paying with newly printed dollar bills, the FA returned a few minutes later and told me I accidentally gave $6, so she gave me a buck back. That was somewhat impressive.

I’ll post a picture of the 777 card when I find where I put my digital camera.