Flying on UA & ANA: LAX-SFO-NRT-FUK

May 30 – May 31, 2012

United 788

Los Angeles (LAX) – San Francisco (SFO)

Airbus A319

Window Seat, 10A, Economy

All Nippon Airways 7

San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo Narita (NRT)

Boeing 777-300ER

Middle Seat, 20F, Economy Class

All Nippon Airways 2143

Boeing 737

Tokyo Narita (NRT) – Fukuoka (FUK)

Window Seat, 21F, Economy Class

 

The day before I was supposed to fly from LAX-HNL, I received an email confirming my upgrade which was going to be on a 767. However, that flight was cancelled and I had to make some decisions on new routes to get back to Japan. One of the options was to fly from LAX to Narita and then to Guam, fly to Sapporo and end up in Fukuoka. The problem with that route was that the flight from Narita arrived into Guam at 0200am and left Guam at 0700am. Even though I knew this route would have accumulated more miles than I originally expected, I knew that this would have been mentally and physically exhausting. I ended up with the LAX-SFO-NRT-FUK route.

I was really disappointed and frustrated since I was looking forward to the trip to Guam. I think I was more disappointed about the miles. However, if there was any good that came out of this, it was being able to travel with my Dad and experiencing an international flight on ANA for the first time since 2008. To make up for the lost miles, I book a short mileage run to Boston in July.

After dropping off the rental car, I arrived at LAX about three hours before departure and used the premier access terminal for United Airlines. After a quick breakfast, our full flight to San Francisco was on its way.

Flight to SFO

As soon as I arrived at SFO, I went straight to the ANA counter to change my and my father’s seats so we could sit together. Since we both originally had aisle seats, it was easy for the agent to switch seats around. The only catch was that one of us had to sit in the inside in the four person row which wasn’t a problem at all. The seating configuration on this plane was interesting as it was a 2-4-3, something I’ve only seen on ANA. We ended up sitting in the bulkhead row right behind business class. I was a little apprehensive since smaller children are normally booked at the bulkhead but we sat by an older couple.

The bulkhead row provided extra room to stretch out although we weren’t allowed to keep our small carry-on baggage in front of us. I found it annoying having to pull out the tray table and personal TV multiple times, but the extra leg room made up for it. I took a look around and noticed that the regular economy seats barely had any legroom.

Bulkhead row

ANA’s seats did not recline back like a traditional seat but rather it went back but pushed you forward. I didn’t find this too comfortable and a little awkward.

Compared to US airlines, the food and service was overwhelmingly better. The flight attendants were much nicer and seemed more upbeat than what I was used to seeing with other flight attendants. I remember seeing attendants going through the aisles multiple times with water, coffee, tea, and even lemonade throughout our flight. I also enjoyed the ice cream for dessert.

Lunch

I thoroughly enjoyed the personal TV screen since it made the hours pass by quickly. The multiple maps, games, and selection of movies and shows were much better than what I was used to. Since ANA is a Japanese airline, there aren’t as many English movies and shows as opposed to United’s new entertainment system on their newly configured 777s.

On-board entertainment

Flying from the west coast was nice since I usually fly out of Dulles or Chicago to get to Japan. The flight took less than 10 hours and we arrived to Narita on time. By the time I was on the Fukuoka flight, I was knocked out and didn’t have any time or energy to take pictures.

As nice as it would have been to have taken the long route to Japan, flying ANA and experiencing quality service was semi-worth it. If it wasn’t for the whole mileage thing, I would definitely prefer ANA over United.

The long way to California on US & UA: DCA-BOS-IAH-SFO-SNA

May 23, 2012

US Airways 2020

Washington Reagan (DCA) – Boston (BOS)

Airbus 319 EOW

Aisle Seat, 6C, Economy

United Airlines 1260

Boston (BOS) – Houston (IAH)

Boeing 737 – 800/900

Aisle Seat, 10D, Economy Class

United Airlines 1267 

Houston (IAH) – San Francisco (SFO)

Boeing 737 – 800/900

Aisle Seat, 20C, Economy Class

United Airlines 698

San Francisco (SFO) – Santa Ana (SNA)

Airbus 319 or Airbus 320?

Window Seat, 8F, Economy Class

Plane to Boston

*Sorry for not posting in a while. Things have been hectic and crazy for the past few weeks and I’ve finally found some down time to write up a few trip reports.

Flying from the east coast to west coast is pretty straightforward. You can take a non-stop flight from DC to LAX in about five hours with the whole day to spare or a quick, one-stop connection through Chicago or Denver and still have plenty of daylight left. On the other hand, you could take the long way to maximize the amount of miles you can accrue to the west coast literally eating up an entire day. Let me explain.

DCA-BOS

The day started quite early at 200am. My father and I woke up to get ready for our Super Shuttle pick up at 308am. Unfortunately it was raining and getting all the bags and waiting outside for the shuttle was miserable. I was little apprehensive about getting a shared van because of its inconveniences but thankfully we only had to pick up two other passengers. We arrived at Reagan National airport early, at around 400am. Since our itinerary was kind of complex the agent had to manually write in our destinations on our bag tags (never seen that before).

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Reagan National, it’s the long lines for security. I’ve been to this airport several times and each time I always see depressingly long lines for security.

The route between DCA and BOS is branded as US Airways Shuttle since its targeted toward frequent fliers between the two cities (as well as LGA). It boasts quick boarding and deplaning and offers complimentary newspapers. The departure area in Boston comes with a few desks to allow business travelers to get some work done before flying.

The flight to BOS was boarded not by zones but by rows. Boarding this way felt faster and before long we were taxing to the runway for our on-time departure. The flight was quick, taking about an hour and fifteen minutes. Since we were flying on US Airways and were connecting to United, we had to exit the secure area, walk to the other terminal and go through security all over again.

Our flight to Houston technically didn’t have economy plus seats as you can see in the pictures. I believe this was a former Continental plane with an old configuration (not sure if they’ll install E+ or not).

Aisle seat legroom is kind of cramped on BOS-IAH

Our flight from Houston to SFO came equipped with Direct TV which was complimentary before takeoff. For $8, I thought it was an alright deal but I decided not to purchase it (maybe next time).

Gate at Houston

Plenty of legroom but limited recline on IAH-SFO

Direct TV

By this time it was already 600pm pacific time, meaning it was already 19 hours since we woke up for our day of traveling. Our flight to SNA was on time, but for some reason TSA agents were posted at our gate and as were boarding, they had to check our IDs  (not sure why or what it did to enhance security).

Plane to SNA

By 1100pm we arrived at SNA, a full 24 hours after we woke up in DC to start our trip to the west coast.

In total, I racked up 4,232 miles as opposed to a mere 2253 miles if I flew straight from DC to LAX. I found this trip using ITA Software since it effectively searched for the specific routes and times that I wanted. Flying to trip was risky as one single delay or cancellation would have caused major headaches and disruptions to this complex itinerary. Despite this, I plan on doing this all over again when I go back to DC in July.

Trip to St. Louis Part 2 – Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch & STL – ORD – ROA

May 16, 2012

American Airlines 889

St. Louis (STL) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

Boeing 757

Window Seat, 21F, Economy

United Airlines 5730

Chicago O’Hare (ORD) – Roanoke (ROA)

Canadair Regional Jet 200

Window Seat, 2A, Economy Class

View from the hotel room

For some reason all of my Hyatt stays were not credited to my account so I wasn’t recognized as a Platinum member when I checked in. The hotel is located right across the street from the arch and not too far from the stadium which made sightseeing really convenient.

Room

Extremely comfortable bed

The hotel lobby was huge with a small shop, an actual starbucks, three restaurants/lounges, a concierge desk, and a bare bones front desk. I was checked in quickly and was given a room on the 15th floor with an awesome view as you can see above. The room itself was small but the view made up for all the negatives.

Bathroom

Shower

I decided to get dinner downstairs choosing the lounge with italian food. I was tempted to eat at Chris Ruth’s but I realized I wasn’t in the mood for some steaks. You have plenty of options of dining at the hotel which I liked since I didn’t feel like doing too much exploring around St. Louis (maybe next time).

Even though the arch was right there in front me from my room, I decided to pay a short visit and take some pictures.

Courthouse

View of the hotel

My original flight back to ORD was scheduled at 540pm but since I was done so early, I tried getting an earlier flight. I called American to change my flight, but for some reason United was in charge of itinerary and I had to call them to make the change to a 150pm flight. Once I got to the airport, the change didn’t go through and I ended up settling with a 355pm flight. With almost four hours to spare, I decided to pay up $50 and hang out at the Admiral’s Club.

The club was really small with a few computers open for use and a bar. Coffee and water were free as well as some chex mix. Before long, I was on my way to board my flight to ORD.

First class wasn’t available so I ended up with a window seat in economy. Thankfully it was a short flight since the person in the middle was built like a tank.

Window seat legroom

Since my day pass was still good in ORD, I went to both lounges in ORD. I definitely prefer the United lounges since there are more and seem to have more snacks and drinks.

United regional jets

The flight to Roanoke was uneventful and I was happy to have a row to myself. No delays on this flight and I got home way ahead of schedule.

 

Premier 1K mileage count: 27,658 miles down, 72,342/100,000 miles to go

Trip to St. Louis Part 1 – ROA-ORD-STL

May 15, 2012

United Airlines 5863

Roanoke (ROA) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

Embraer RJ145

Window Seat, 9A, Economy

American Airlines 703

Chicago O’Hare (ORD) – St. Louis (STL)

Boeing 757

Window Seat, 3A, First Class

*Since I forgot my camera, I was only able to use my camera phone to take pictures. I apologize in advance if the pictures aren’t as good. I’ve also noticed an annoying dark speck on the left side on most pictures so once again I apologize for that.

Our plane flying to ORD

Waiting to taxi

Finally. After a month of no flying and after thinking I was finally done with Roanoke, I found myself in a  little regional jet off  to Chicago O’Hare.

Limited legroom

 

The interesting thing about my itinerary was that there were two non-star alliance segments as I was flying on American Airlines from Chicago to St. Louis and back to Chicago. I was kind of bummed out by not flying United, but since I was booked on a Y-fare class to and from Roanoke, I was able to get 150% premier miles.

On the way to ORD

I normally take the super early flights out to Chicago but this time and my first, I took the 1027am flight to Chicago. I was a bit apprehensive about this segment since its usually delayed or cancelled. Using united.com to track down the status of the aircraft flying out to Chicago, I was happy to find out we were going to be on time.

Another view from the window

Even though I can think of a bunch of reasons why I hate flying out of Roanoke, I do appreciate the shorter check-in and security lines. In less than five minutes, I was already on the other side waiting to board the plane.

I do like this particular configuration of the aircraft since I’m able to sit alone and have a window seat. As you can see from the pictures, legroom is quite cramped, but it’s a short flight and I didn’t feel too uncomfortable for the duration of the flight.

Once I arrived at Chicago O’Hare I made my way to the American Airlines terminal to print out my boarding passes. I was originally seated at 31A in economy and didn’t feel too thrilled. I looked at the option to pay up to upgrade which cost $45. At first, I didn’t think it was going to be worth it for such a short flight, but decided to upgrade just to try it out and have something new to write about on this blog.

First class on American

Legroom configuration

It was nice boarding first since I have no status whatsoever with American (although I plan on doing a status match later on). First class was quite empty although I had someone sit next to me. It was quite similar to United’s old Boeing 757’s first class and if you take a look at my post on my flight from SFO – SAN, it’s pretty much the same thing. I was offered drinks promptly and several times before takeoff and during the flight. I was also given a small snack bag. The flight was extremely short, about 45 minutes, and before long we landed in St. Louis.

At St. Louis

Premier 1K mileage count: 26,862 miles down,73138/100000 miles to go

Quality Inn & Suites Airpark East & Hyatt Place Herndon/Dulles Airport – East

Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve last posted anything up. Finals are coming up soon and I’ve been quite busy. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any opportunities to fly during April, but I was able to check out two hotels which I’m about to review.

I needed to get down to Raleigh, NC to pick up my significant other and since she was flying in quite late, I decided to find a hotel for the night. I’ve recently became picky with hotel brands, but after considering the pros and cons, I settled for the Quality Inn & Suites Airpark East in Greensboro, NC.

My first impression of the hotel was how empty it seemed. There were a few cars in the parking lot and didn’t see anyone around. It was a pretty large hotel and I assumed that it probably gets busy when the hotel hosts conferences, meetings and such.

My room was located on the first floor and I was surprised of how far I had to walk just to get there. The hallway smelled like straight up cigarette smoke, but was relived to find out that my room smelled just fine.

The room was clean and tidy; nothing special. I was glad to see that the TV was upgraded to a flat screen (I don’t remember the last time I saw those old clunky TVs in hotel rooms).

There wasn’t much around the hotel except a McDonald’s and a gas station down the road.

Since I usually check-out before breakfast, I was happy to try out what the hotel offered. It was a typical free breakfast and I enjoyed eating the biscuits and gravy since I like having something hot to eat. The spread included cold hard-boiled eggs, waffles, cereal, assorted pastries and bagels, and beverages.

Overall, I’m glad I stayed here since my stay was so short. I only paid about $75 and was worth it.

The hotels in Northern Virginia/DC can get quite expensive during the week. I was pleased to find sub-$100 hotel rates around Dulles since I didn’t feel like paying too much for only one night.

I ended up booking a stay at the Hyatt Place Herndon/Dulles Airport –East. The lobby had almost the exact same layout as the Hyatt Place in Ontario. Little did I know that my room was the exact same layout as the one in CA. I didn’t feel like taking any pictures since I guess I already did so back in CA.

The Sheraton next door had a restaurant that was offering 20% dinner during the weekend, so we decided to eat dinner there. Nothing fancy and the 20% didn’t make much of a difference.

Overall, the staff was nice and the rooms were clean and comfortable.

Sorry if neither of these reviews seemed interesting. I’m doing a lot of traveling next month so please look out for those reviews. For a preview of where I’m headed, I’ll go ahead and list them out here:

DCA – BOS – IAH – SFO –SNA

LAX- HNL –GUM –CTS –FUK

FUK – CTS – GUM – HNL – LAX

I’m staying at some Hyatts, some IHG Hotels, and a few Hiltons as well.

And probably another flight or two. Stay tuned.

Trip Report: United Airlines SAN-ORD-ROA

*Follow me on twitter: @jon32wayne

March 12, 2012 / March 13, 2012

United Airlines 845

San Diego (SAN) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

Boeing 757-200

Aisle Seat, 12D, Economy

United Airlines 5685

Chicago O’Hare (ORD) – Roanoke (ROA)

Canadair Regional Jet 200

Aisle Seat, 5B, Economy

With spring break finally over, it was time to get back to Blacksburg and finish up my last semester of college. This is probably my last time flying to Roanoke for a while, but of course my last time through ROA was marred by a big ol’ fat delay.

I usually take the red-eyes out of San Diego since they tend to be cheaper and since I had to get back to school by Sunday. However, this time around I decided to leave on Monday and arrive in Roanoke at 11pm – no big deal since I sleep late anyway. I projected to get back home at the latest by 1200am, but things didn’t turn out that way.

I arrived at San Diego quite early and checked-in using the kiosks. This was little over a week since the conversion and check-in went smoothly. I switched my seat since at the time there was an empty middle seat, but of course on this heavy route, all the seats were filled.

I do like the power outlets in a lot of seats at SAN so I was able to use the internet without sacrificing my battery. One thing that did happen while I was at SAN was that the Boeing 787 landed as it made its way around the county. The intercom announced that the Boeing 787 was landing, which got a lot of people excited. Most of the windows were packed, so I decided to wait until I was able to snap a picture.

Boeing 787 at SAN

Boarding was chaotic. Terminal 1 isn’t that big and with everyone eager to get on board; there was little space to get in line. The new United has a new boarding procedure with zones reaching up to number 8 and as a premier member, I boarded with zone 4.

I never understood the legroom configuration, aisle seat legroom is quite narrow

I kind of regret sitting at 12D since there was no window. Even though I’m not sitting at the window, I do like having a glimpse of the outside, especially during take-off and landing. For about four hours, I didn’t have a view at all.

Yep, no window

Weather in Chicago was not good and our captain informed us that we had to wait at SAN in the penalty box for up to an hour to land into Chicago. Since all flights were affected by this our connecting flights were unlikely to leave on time, reassuring most of the passengers.

Spacious middle seat

For lunch I chose the cold Thai noodle meal and some pringles. The flight attendant asked my opinion on the noodles and I said that were pretty good. The older Asian lady next to me asked me if they were really that good. I replied saying that they were okay and not suitable to our Asian standards 😉

Window seat legroom

We arrived in Chicago O’Hare about an hour late and plenty of people were rushing to get off the plane to connect to their flights. Since I had some time, I decided to try out the middle seat and window seat since I was going to be flying a Boeing 757-200 when I fly from Honolulu to Los Angeles this summer (just needed a preview and if I should book a window seat or not).

Once at O’Hare, I checked the departure boards for the flight to Roanoke and at the time, things were good to go. An hour later I found out that my flight was not leaving Chicago until 1000pm, a two hour delay. Eventually we didn’t leave until 1045pm and landed at Roanoke at 0115am. I didn’t get home until 230am which was awful since I had class at 1100am the next day.

On board our delayed flight to Roanoke

The topping on the cake was hearing the constant hum of jackhammers tearing up the concrete outside my window while I tried taking a nap between classes. I drank so much to stay awake for my 330pm class.

Overall, the new United boarding procedure seemed a little confusing but I’m hoping that things will smooth out over time. I’m glad to say that I made it back to Premier and will be able to enjoy what little benefits I have now.

*Follow me on twitter: @jon32wayne

Mileage might be off, United is having some issues with miles

Premier 1K mileage count: 25557 miles down,74443/100000 miles to go

Please click on the link in the post and like this photo! (Fixed the link)

Click this link and like please!

This is not quite related to my theme of flying for this blog, but it you could take but a few seconds to click this link and like the photo (it’s on facebook):

Click this link and like please!

I’m in Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity here at Virginia Tech and we’re trying to win $500 to go our organization. The funds will be used to help support our numerous community service projects around Blacksburg, VA as well as several national organizations we support. Thanks!