United and Continental have made changes to their standby and same-day confirmed flight change policy that bring the two carriers closer to alignment. Good news for Premier Executives–standby and even confirmed same-day changes are now free on United and Continental....
I Gave Up Three Upgrades to Get Back to Frankfurt Two Hours Early
If my colleagues at Star are reading this: take note! I care about getting to work on time. It has been a draining three days, but my mileage run around the world is near completion: one flight remains. This morning I arrived in...
Taking Advantage of Continental’s Last Day at Washington Dulles
Starting tomorrow, Continental will move to the D-gates and Continental Express to the lower A-gates at Washington Dulles. Up this point, CO has operated at the far A-gates right about where the B-gates start as a separate entity from...
Silent Treatment from the Purser
Yesterday afternoon I flew from San Francisco to Kona on United and as my seatmate and I were getting settled in our seats, the purser walks by and places a sheet of paper down between us. He says nothing but is...
Reciprocal Seat Assignments Now Availabile Online with Continental/United
For months, seat assignments have been a major annoyance on mixed Continental/United itineraries. A CO-operated UA codeshare booked on united.com required that you copy the reservation reference number and proceed to continental.com to assign seats. The same was true...
United Purser Packs Picnic Lunch For Me
The plan was to fly from Boston to San Francisco this afternoon on United, but I opted to standby for a morning transcon so I could have dinner with family this evening. The flight was zeroed out and although...
United Changes Boarding Procedures to Align with Continental
Yesterday I was surprised when my Honolulu – Los Angeles flight boarded economy class passengers by row rather than by zone, starting with the back of the plane and moving forward. I assumed it was a HNL quirk and...
Op-Up to Asiana First Class from Seoul to Tokyo
Hello from Honolulu. I’ve missed blogging the last week, but the time off has been refreshing. Both Tokyo and Seoul were great cities and I look forward to returning to both places, though especially Seoul so that I can...
The Bully Got His Way
Don’t you just hate it when bullies get their way? I flew from Denver to Boston on United today and one of the passengers was quite a character. He was an older man, about 70, with a tacky plaid...
Watch Those United Upgrades on Continental Codeshares!
While the Continental/United integration process remains a work in progress, one benefit that we saw almost immediately after the merger was reciprocal upgrades on the two carriers. But based on what happened to me today, this technology has not...
From First Class to Economy: My 58K Mile Journey Begins
There is never an ideal time to take time off from a busy job, but with my brother graduating from university next week, I constructed my trip to Japan and South Korea as well as my mileage run from...
Washington Dulles to Frankfurt in United Airlines First Class
Although I have traveled all over the world in international first class, I had never tried out United’s first class longhaul product…until last week. UA’s international first class service is often criticized, especially when compared to its competitors, but I...
United International First Class Lounge at Washington Dulles
As I mentioned a few days ago, I somehow wound up in first class on my Washington, DC to Frankfurt United flight last week. An international first class boarding pass granted me access to UA’s International First Class Lounge, located near the...
When it Rains, it Pours…
The storm system that battered the Midwest has finally reached Washington Dulles, precisely at the time my flight to Frankfurt was scheduled to board this evening. Visibility is extremely poor and the rain is coming down so hard I...
United/Continental Strand Me in Washington, DC!
(and without question, I am partially to blame…) Hardened by years of travel as a quasi-road warrior, I thought I was ready for anything. Yesterday proved to be one of my biggest challenges yet. If you are not focused now, you...
Captain Raul Boerner on United
Have any of you ever flown with Captain Raul Boerner? He piloted my Denver to San Francisco United Airlines flight on Friday and was a class act. Prior to departure, he walked out of the flight deck and into...
Consecutive Flights with the Star of United’s Safety Videos
I had the pleasure today of flying on consecutive flights with Charles, one of the stars of United’s safety videos (pictured below). Apparently Charles has a reputation on Flyertalk, and not a great one, so when I walked onto...
United Eliminates Special Meals on Many Routes
United’s standard meal offerings (notwithstanding my overcooked steak last night) have improved quite a bit over the last year. Nevertheless, I still find myself ordering special meals quite often because UA offers very nice Hindu and Moslem meals. Here’s...
Long Weekend in Los Angeles
Even with my little getaway to Eastern Europe last weekend, work has kept me very busy over the last few weeks. This is a good thing, but 10-12 hour days in the office begin to take their toll after...
Award Ticket Fee Changes on United Airlines – You Win Some, You Lose Some
I credited United for taking a step in the right direction when they eliminated close-in "processing fees" for award tickets in 2009. These fees, charged simply for the convenience of booking an award ticket within 21 days of travel,...
