I fly on a weekly basis, usually in premium cabins, but it is not often that I find myself in tri-cabin first class. Thanks to a bump this morning in Philadelphia, I landed myself in first class on UA967,...
Captain Denny Flanagan, a Bump, and Tri-Cabin First Class
It’s Easter weekend and we are at the height of the spring travel season–and I’m loving it! This morning I show up at the gate for my Philadelphia-Los Angeles flight and lo behold, Captain Denny Flanagan is there doing...
The United Upgrade Gamble
Friday will be another travel day for me as I return to Los Angeles for the Easter holiday. My United flight back to LAX, operated by a 757-200 with 24 first class seats, has been zeroed out for about...
Rage Comic on United-Continental Integration
To be honest, I did not even know what a rage comic was until I looked it up this evening, but I sure got a kick out of this (click on it): The funny thing is, the comic is...
United Airlines Reflects on Progress
I received the following e-mail this afternoon from United Airlines reflecting on its progress since 03 March in making Continental and United a single airline: As a Premier 1K member, you have come to deserve and expect a dependable,...
Double Check Your United Award Itineraries Now…for Missing Segments!
I received an e-mail this evening from a client whom I had assisted with an award reservation to South Africa on Swiss (San Francisco- Zurich-Johannesburg) using United miles. Tickets had been issued last October and were in economy class....
Was it the Way I Looked? Part II
Read Part I here As I mentioned in Part I, when I reached SFO Saturday morning to check in for my trip to Philadelphia via Chicago, the agent could not find my ticket. I had been re-booked by a...
Phantom Lufthansa First Class Award Space on StarNet
I became excited today while working on a client award request when some first class availability popped up on Lufthansa–it has been very rare lately, especially more than a few days before travel. One client was using Air Canada...
Was it the Way I Looked? Part I
The rain and fog was bad in SFO yesterday, delaying my US Airways flight from Charlotte for over three hours and causing a misconnect on my way back to PHL. I knew I would miss my connecting flight while...
Picture: A Unique Moment in United Airlines History
As United Airlines works to repaint all of its aircraft with the Continental globe livery, there are still a number of variations out there. United never got around to updating its gray livery on many aircraft when it introduced...
One Upside to the United Merger: Elite-Only Saver Awards in Business and First Class
With the exception of the expanded route network and ability to search for Star Alliance partner awards online (which actually hurts my award consulting business), I cannot point to many changes I like in the new world of Continental...
Travel Vexations on United Airlines: Give Yourself Plenty of Time This Week
I had my first post-SHARES travel experience today on United, and it was not pretty—though it ended well. In what has become a routine for me of late, I was scheduled to fly from Columbia, SC to Philadelphia via...
How Did the United Airlines IT Transition Go For You?
I’ve been dealing with a number of family issues over the last week, so I apologize for the brevity of recent posts and the noticeable gaps between them. Just to warn my six readers, the next couple weeks don’t...
United is Dead, Long Live UNITED
United.com has just been switched off. Continental.com is now off as well. All phones lines this hour connect to a pre-recorded message welcoming customers to the “the new United” but stating that systems are down and agents are unable...
Armageddon for United/Continental Passengers on 03 March?
At 0100 Central Time on Saturday, 03 March, United Airlines will flip the switch, transitioning from its Apollo Reservation System it has used for the last four decades to Continental’s in-house SHARES system. Will the transition be smooth? History...
United’s Post-Merger Flight Status Screens a Step Backwards
As the 03 March 2012 Continental-United integration date moves closer, we are already seeing what the new “United” will look like in some stations. Philadelphia, for example, rolled out the new Continental-esque flight display screens for United flights last...
When it Pays to Have Frequent Flyer Status
I had a tight connection in Washington Dulles that involved a terminal change and actually missed my connecting flight yesterday. All flights to Philadelphia were zeroed out, but I was put on the standby waitlist for the next flight...
United Express Drama and VDBs at Washington Dulles
Last night was quite a spectacle at the United Express gates in Terminal A at Washington Dulles. I’ve found over the years that United chronically overbooks these regional jet flights and have had the good fortune of getting bumped...
United Airlines Sells Waikiki Seaside Hotel
A story about United Airlines selling its dated but centrally-located Waikiki hotel brought to mind a very fond memory that helped solidify my loyalty to United. In 2009, I took advantage of a LAX-HNL-SFO-SYD-SFO-HNL-LAX fare for $ 550. It...
A Perfectly "Blah" Day of Flying on United Airlines
For those who adore being in airplanes, do you ever have those days when you just want to get to your destination and skip the flying? I occasionally do and had one of those days yesterday. I was back...
