April 21
It’s Sunday again, so it must be time for some more airplane art.
This week (spotted from the balcony of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare) is a Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 on approach to Chicago O’Hare.
The image is clickable if you want to see a larger version – and yes you can keep them for your desktops!
More airplane art next week!
April 18
Back into action, Back to the Back – To Chicago with American Airlines, American Eagle and British Airways
LHR-ORD, ORD-YYZ-LHR
The Introduction!
Index:
Yet another odyssey to Chicago, down the back of the plane.
New Readers: Welcome to a Trip Report experience that you probably haven’t encounter before – someone writing regularly about Economy Class travel on long distances, with all the nuances of travel.
Loyal readers: Welcome to a trip report I actually thought I would not be writing at one point early this year. You’ll find out why soon enough, so there is rambling (as there always in a GhettoIFE trip report).
Otherwise, this the traditional GhettoIFE spring review of Transatlantic travel, and how good/bad/indifferent it’s been since the last time I travelled down the back of the plane. Because like it or not… there’s a lot of people who travel down the back of a plane.
Besides, when I travel in Business Class, trouble normally follows right behind me. Economy is safe…
Well. Mostly…
As a reminder to some of my grammar conscious/grammar sensitive readers, please head to http://boardingarea.com/blogs/ghettoife/2012/03/18/blog-admin-a-message-to-the-grammar-checkers-out-there/ for an explanation of why my grammar may not be up to others high standards.
Dodging the Sword of Damocles (The Intro)
For those who don’t read my blog or previous blog entries, let me bring you up to speed. I used work for a part of National Health Service that specialised in Maternity Research. Alas, due to the short-sightedness of some seeing the unit I worked at being a line on a spreadsheet – rather than a place that brings change.
So when I got back from Hong Kong in November, a cloud had descended on my life, putting everything on hold in my life – be it trips, buying a sofa, getting things fixed… the works.
In December 2012, I was placed at formal risk of redundancy, leading to some mistakes, and me worrying a lot more than I should had done.
As January rode around, I spied a job at another NHS agency, and went to interview… and got the job (to my amazement).
Fast forward to March, and on day one into the new job, I negotiated leave for April. Yes, its a bit cheeky, but it was granted as I had given more than enough notice (and I informed them of the request after the interview so they would know) – and that I seemingly proving myself on the first to my new bosses satisfaction with my friendliness, interaction and actually doing the job I was asked to do (and beyond as I seem to be helping out with their Social Media strategy. Oh well…)
So with leave in place, I have enough time for a quick stop and drop in Chicago. Well, where else in the world would I go in the Spring? 
Finally admitting I was enjoying flying with Oneworld last year, I decided to make a concerted effort to get some tier points this in this year, whilst I still can. Precious time has been lost in the race for re-qualification, and I’m not about throw away opportunities when I need to.
Now the problem with the time of year I travel is simple: It’s the end of the school holidays in the United Kingdom, so fares are in the plus £500 range for a short 8 hour flight. On top of that, I’m also hit with an Air Passenger Duty Rise (Thanks George Osborne. My vote will be for someone else next time).
So I wasn’t honestly surprised to see fares in the £525 range – considering that fare hasn’t shifted much since January and this was booked before the T -28 Day deadline, I wasn’t convinced this fare was going to move downwards. I could had routed through Dublin, but considering the extra luggage I take on this trip – a straight departure from London was the order of the day.
Tradition states that I get to Chicago quickly so I can get stuff I need to do done and then take the most indirect fun route home at a low cost.
So, once again, I turned to the British Airways booking engine and plugged away some dates and hoped something interesting turned up. Whilst I was angling for a routing via Philly (like the previous trip was meant to contain), it wasn’t turning up. Boston was, but as Boston to London is one of the shortest Transatlantic runs out there, I discounted that. However, there was an option through a Canada… and Toronto.
Whilst I do have “history” with Canada; it seems when I transit through the country, they’re not interested in me… so Canada seems like a good spot to visit. On top of that, my father loves the Maple Syrup cookies.
No, I don’t get it either.
So we’re looking at:
For the Hotel… I’m being completely original, and heading back to the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. My reasons are that I’ll be finishing most nights late, and on top of that – I’d be teaching a class on Photography this year at the event I go to.
Yes, I do teach. And unsurprisingly, it’s NOT safe for work!
So anyway, a map to get you started:
Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper – www.gcmap.com
On top of this, as its the usual early morning start, it’s back on National Express to London and a train home.
So, it’s time to load up my trash and head out of the door. What adventures await me this time I wonder?
Plenty as it happens… including a surprise later
January 14
A Last Star Alliance Fling? To Chicago with United Airlines and Air Canada
LHR-IAD-ORD, ORD-YYZ-LHR
The Introduction – and An Apology
Index:
Firstly: An Apology.
Lets try writing this trip report again. Due to a big problem when I started to write this (work was just bananas), this got put to the wayside, and then left… and left… and left.
I rediscovered this as I was going through Google Docs a few days ago, and realised this actually was an interesting Trip Report as this was shortly after SHARES went live at United, and there were a couple of stand-out points. So this report is … a good 9 months late, but it should have some value (and amusement) to you all I hope.
Thankfully, I found I had written a majority of it, with just a few pertinent bits missing. Hopefully I should be able to assemble this over the next week or so and convert it into something resembling a trip report.
Once again, it’s my classic spring Chicago run where I turn my eyes onto the airlines to see if they’re still delivering – or not – down the back of the plane. And of course – this trip is economy class. But regular readers should have guessed this. This was probably my last Star Alliance run for quiet a bit unless something good comes up.
As I’ve noted elsewhere, I’m grounded on the bit due to Her Majesty’s Government and the Department of Health not knowing how to fund projects (thus jobs), so this could be the last one for a while.
As a reminder to some of my grammar conscious/grammar sensitive readers, please head to http://boardingarea.com/blogs/ghettoife/2012/03/18/blog-admin-a-message-to-the-grammar-checkers-out-there/ for an explanation of why my grammar may not be up to others high standards.
A Rock and a Hard Place (The Introduction)
Frequent flyer memberships and elite memberships can be a blessing or a curse – something a lot of us can agree on.
For me, it’s a mixed blessing. The upside is I can control my costs on certain trips (and lets make no bones, with the amount of luggage I tote on some trips, it is not a nicety having an extended baggage allowance, it’s a requirement). The down side is to get that baggage allowance, I need to fly a lot down the back of the plane lot of back of the plane a I don’t have expense accounts to charge our flying habit – hence why I spend a lot of my life in Economy Class
It also provides some of you with entertainment. Or is it car crash reading? It’s the same difference to me…
Anyway, I got the call that I was wanted in Chicago again to do pretty pictures, and it’s impolite to say no when there is a trip to one of my favourite cities in the world. But when booking the usual London-Chicago trip, the question turns from how do you make it as interesting as possible?
Sure, I could do the basic back-to-back LHR-ORD-LHR trip, but that is just boring. Besides, I find it is nice to break up a trip occasionally.
That and the direct flights were to be overpriced… again (pretty common with United).
Eventually, I settled the following:
Now whilst I’m not on speaking terms with Canadian Immigration still (especially after last time I went through Toronto), but an option for Air Canada is always welcome in my book… and it’s not exactly if I’m going into the country to corrupt the nation (although I swear that’s what Canadian Immigration think…)
So I opened my wallet and cried at the £411.93 (it seems the march of the upward airfare continues… and this is pre-APD rise), and booked the ticket to The Windy City.
Idly I checked the booking, and found that United had changed the return flight from ORD to YYZ, and the YYZ to LHR leg was re-timed and re-equipped to an A330.
Wonderful. A phone call later, and that was sorted and I was able to play with the booking again.
Checking the options, I saw something – an F upgrade for one of the legs. For $69 (The ORD-YYZ leg). Compared to the cost of the IAD-ORD upgrade cost (add a 1 in front to get the upgrade price), this seemed palatable. I therefore shoved the extra change towards United. If the extra miles didn’t turn up, who cares? In this case it would keep the agents quiet about my luggage if they asked. And that’s not a bad thing.
Map by the Great Circle Mapper: www.gcmap.com
So the big question – Where to credit to? Well to my own stupidity I credited them to BMI Diamond Club. So much for a head start on whatever airline I want to go for Star Gold with next time. Oh well.
For accommodation, I would be heading to my usual haunt of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare later in the trip. But I also wanted to enjoy life in downtown Chicago for once – and whilst commuting back and forth on the CTA Blue line is fun, it does damage to your back if you’re carrying the amount of stuff I carry or pick up for others downroute.
I therefore plonked for the Intercontinental Chicago on North Michigan Avenue.
Now that’s an eye opener for some of you I’d wager. Let’s just say I got a reasonable rate that day that made the Hyatt look expensive (and I don’t pay full rate at the Hyatt!)
So hotels, planes… am I missing something? Oh yes. Getting back n forth to London Heathrow Airport. Back to National Express with me with a £49.40 return coach ticket. This is due to National Express only selling full price tickets on Airport trips and no FunFares.
Forty Nine Notes to sit on a coach for 2 and a half hours there and back. I ask you…
Anyway, on with the show!
Coming up: I prove I can be a dolt some days, a farewell to BMI and of course… lounges!
November 20
Different Airlines – Same Routes – To Chicago with American Airlines and British Airways
Or “Oh Sandy. You came and you gave without thinking….”
Index:
Let it never be said that my travels aren’t without incident – either with me loosing something, getting something stolen, or a hurricane deciding to cause havoc.
As I got home, I saw the devastation the storm did, and it was heartbreaking to see what was happening.
I contacted my friends, who were ok at least – and had managed to get their cat out safely. For others, its a long rebuild and clean up – one I’m sure the New York/New Jersey recover from. The damage will be repaired, but it was sad to see what had happened in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Virginia, DC, New York and New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New England, and parts of Canada.
So I’d urge to to donate to one of the charities who are supporting efforts in these areas – long after the cameras have gone.
I considered myself lucky to be where I was, and had the chance to get out whilst I could.
Lets do some summing up then.
And that’s that for this trip. Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
But I can’t leave you dangling on a string about my next adventure. Surely there is something more? Well look at the map below:
Join me in To Hong Kong: For the LOVE of Avios with Swiss and British Airways – coming very soon
November 20
Different Airlines – Same Routes – To Chicago with American Airlines and British Airways
Or “Oh Sandy. You came and you gave without thinking….”
Index:
As I’m on the ground, it’s time to head back home where I can unpack and sort my life out in peace… but first, I actually need to get home…
Towards the border
As I was heading to the UK Border, I wasn’t in that much of a rush – so it was a gentle walk to T3 processing.
I noticed for once IRIS was open, and I went through the tensa-barriers to it. I looked into IRIS… where it promptly crashed when I tried to get through.
After pressing the exit plunger, I was called over to a manual desk where I confirmed I was registered for IRIS, and told to use e-passport gate next time.
I was then let on my way into the United Kingdom and onto baggage claim downstairs.
By the time I arrived downstairs, luggage delivery had commenced, with my bags on the belt. I hefted them off, popped them on a trolley and cleared UK Customs.
Never gets lighter….
After exiting to the joy of T3, there comes another joy – and that’s the joy of getting out of Heathrow. As I had a held return train ticket (and I didn’t want to pay another penny to National Express), I headed down to Heathrow Central Train station, and missed a Heathrow Connect service by a minute. Grumbling, I paid up for a Heathrow Express ticket – the full £19.
Heathrow Express – Heathrow Central – London Paddington
Class 332 – Express Class
£19
Yes, I know only a fool pays full price for Heathrow Express, but by this point, I just wanted to be heading in the direction of home.
I managed to get onboard the service, and relaxed for the 15 minute ride on the Great Western Mainline Fast lines to Paddington Station.
Speeding down the GWML.
The train itself was in good condition, with all the amenities you’d expect.
Including the small room.
There was a full ticket inspection too, so no one got away without paying.
Soon enough, Old Oak Common reared up on one side, and North Pole Depot on the other – indicating we were closing in on Paddington.
Old Oak Common TMD, with a Great Western Intercity 125 waiting
By the time the train was passing the Western Approach, I was up and ready to go.
Overall: Still one of the most expensive train journeys… bar none really. Still, it did the job getting me to Paddington. But £19 still….
From Platform 6, it was a slow drag towards Platform 12 and the taxi queue. There was no wait for a cab for the £6 ride to Marylebone, and soon enough, I was outside Marylebone station putting my luggage back on on back.
After entering a station, a train to Birmingham been called. Perfect timing as always, I headed to barrier with a rather crumpled ticket (which was still valid much to the ticket inspectors disgust), and I boarded the train.
Chiltern Railways London Marylebone – Birmingham Snow Hill
Class 168
Return portion held.
Today I boarded the first train heading out of Marylebone – a “slow” service that would take 1 hours and 50 minutes to get Birmingham. Ordinarily, I’d prefer a faster service, but this service helped as it dropped me off at Snow Hill station, which would be an easier place to navigate to a taxi, rather than Moor Street Station and the revised Birmingham Road network.
The train did its thing, and sped me along England’s Green and Pleasant land to Snow Hill station (with more stops than I’m used to, but I’ll live with it as it will make my journey easier).
AS it was off peak (and half term), the train remained relatively empty.
Soon enough, the train begun the approach to Birmingham Moor Street, then its final stop – Birmingham Snow Hill (the business district of Birmingham)
From there it was a final drag of all my stuff from the bottom of Snow Hill station, up the escalator, through the barrier with another look disgust having a dog-eared ticket and into another cab to take me the final couple of miles home to my front door.
Coming up: Oh Sandy… (The wrap-up).
November 19
Different Airlines – Same Routes – To Chicago with American Airlines and British Airways
Or “Oh Sandy. You came and you gave without thinking….”
Index:
Lets head out of the USA and off to a land where the weather is just murky. Or is that just Birmingham most of the time?
AA098 (Sold as BA1547) – London Heathrow Airport – Chicago O’Hare International
American Airlines, Boeing 767-300, Seat 20A, Economy Class
35 Tier Points Earned, 7906 Avios Earned (3,953 Base + 3,953 Bonus)
The pictures:
I boarded the plane to be greeted with a 2 class 767. The crew was friendly as I headed down past business class to be greeted with Economy Class.
And I thought I stepped back into the early 90’s
The state of the plane was not what I’d call premium down the back…. and Row 20 was a bulkhead. That was the good news. The plane however itself had seen better days.
I got to the seat and settled down to inspect the state of play… and lets say it wasn’t what I’d call excellent.
Even though there was an exit row at a bulkhead, whilst there was a little more room than a normal Y seat, it was tightish (a lot of the bulkhead people had feet on them in flight – something I wouldn’t do).
legroom
The seat controls were something from the last ice age, with dials and such. Obviously, IFE was limited to Big Screen IFE – another throwback to the past.
Well.. big screen may be a lie.
IFE “controls”
IFE Screen – a Quick journey allegedly.
The seat however wasn’t in great condition, with bits of it falling off… quite literally.
During boarding, someone who was too tall for their seat requested to be moved forward… and he did pre-takeoff to the middle of the bulkhead row. We’ll come back to him in a bit.
Soon enough the plane was buttoned down, and begun pushback for the hop back over to London. I noted where the staff sat, which was a new one on a 767 – the flight attendant seats were in the isle. Now whilst there are adequate exits on a 767 (I was next to one of them), I’ve got to say “huh?” I always thought keeping isles clear was a key safety thing.
Take off was its usual 767 self.
Now the gentleman in the middle seat in the bulkhead row started reaching for his waste bag as we begun our climb. When I reach for one, i’m building a GhettoIFE system. When someone else reaches for one… its 9/10 times to use it as a biological hazard cleanup tool.
Thankfully, the gentleman failed to expel what was in his body with AA staff reaching for plastic bags and other things , and the plane continued to climb out of Chicago.
Milwaukee I think…
By this point, my seatmate was fast asleep, and Mr Tall who was sat in the middle row had gone to the bathroom, and then to the exit row behind my seatmate.
Even though this is a last flight of the night service, there was a meal service to come. Lets look if Chicago catering by AA is any good… or not.
Tray out in preparation
As usual, it’s a chicken or pasta choice.
Tray
Roll
Out of focus salad. Note the tomato – at least AA are trying…
Cola and cake – yes, I ran out of room. Again.
The chicken was edible if forgettable – it was easy to cut and filled a small hole. The salad was fresh at least, and the addition of cheese and crackers (whilst I didn’t touch them) was a nice touch. The cookie for dessert… well you all know my opinion of that anyway.
Not a bad meal, but nothing exciting.
Still the tray was cleared away another drinks run was done, and the cabin went into darkness for the flight. I took advantage of the darkness and watched a bit of my own non iPhone IFE (as there was no way the headphone I had would had reached the bulkhead.)
I know all about not being a number… however that’s how airlines see me as… (Patrick McGoghan is The Prisoner)
Even that didn’t keep me awake, and I descended into sleep for a bit - even after fumbling around for a lack of recline button on my seat.
Daybreak came soon enough as it always does on a Transatlantic hop and soon enough I woke up to a dark cabin and a complete lack of guessing where I was (there was some silly reality TV programme on that made me want to ponder the meaning of existence when I woke up).
Soon enough, a breakfast service rocked up.
Well. Hmm. Yoghurt. That’s instant pain in a pot (and all of you know of my love of fermented milk – especially with the lacto now). The croissant was a bit.. chewy but warm. At least the orange juice tasted of orange juice (believe me, some airlines make that a challenge).
I picked away at it for a bit, before giving up on breakfast as a bad idea… well – on any Transatlantic flight. Sadly, old Continental Routes seem to have the best breakfast going.
And you don’t know how painful it is to type that.
Breakfast was cleared down, and our route took us over the north of England.
Eventually we were placed in a stack and after a few loops, we were brought in on a river approach.
Path
Stacking
River approach
South London
Finally, the wheels were extended and we made it down onto 09R, ending the flying part of this adventure.
It was then a reasonably long taxi over to T3 and we were gated nearer to the terminal and passenger processing. Soon enough the doors were opened, and after a minor stumble on the way out as people were taking their own sweet time getting of the plane as usual.
I thanked the crew, and left the plane for the final schlep of this journey – back to my home.
Overall: What was I saying about glorified buses across the pond in the first half of this? Feels like this again, except the equipment needs work – serious work – to bring it up to its competitors. This is a case of “can do better” here AA. Whilst the service was solid and the food products was good, the state of the plane really can’t be excused when other operators (lets say United) tidy up their plane in all classes.
Next: Homeward Bound
November 16
Different Airlines – Same Routes – To Chicago with American Airlines and British Airways
Or “Oh Sandy. You came and you gave without thinking….”
Index:
With an e-ticket in my itinerary and new valid segment, it was time to head to O’Hare Airport and escape this madness…
The photos:
The shuttle driver drove directly to T3, and as I was the only person aboard, it was a painless thing. After exiting the shuttle, it was time to find out where in this terminal I could check in.
T3: Pre-Security
After wandering around T3 with my bags a bit, I headed over to a set of international check in desks where I was received. My bags were accepted, with the rucksack being a fair few lbs over (the exact same amount as the ski bag was under).
And I had to pay the $60 to get it on the plane. Grr. Oh well. I’ve got a seat on the flight home. Mustn’t grumble.
Reluctantly, I paid up.
I was assigned in Row 20 in the middle block and sent on my way (as the agent didn’t bother to ask me if I’d like an isle or a window seat).
So yes, poor first impression there of AA at one of their hubs
I headed over to security to deal with the joy of that wonderfully organised force – the Transportation Security Administration – and headed to a queue without a nude-o-scope in it.
Meanwhile in front of me was a family who failed to get to grips with what to carry in their bags and what size liquids they couldn’t carry. People eh?
Still, I was cleared quickly enough, and after taking my time putting my shoes on and my laptop in the bag (that’s a challenge with the amount of crap that was in that bag too), I went on my way.
The next challenges were simple: Duty Free, and a lounge. It was time to go into the hallowed atrium bit, which has had the world flags removed and replaced by Breast Cancer Awareness flags
The intersection – turn left..
Obviously, I had a small amount of duty free to get, which was purchased without any problem (including my favourite tipple of the moment – Smirnoff Vodka with Cinnamon and gold flakes… don’t look at me in that tone of voice. I happen to like it…), which would be delivered at the gate.
With that all done, it was time to head off to the FlAAgship lounge and rest for a bit after the madness of the past few hours trying to get a flight home.
An unassuming entrance
Lounge Stop: American Airlines FlAAgship Lounge
I was welcomed into a very quiet lounge, and presented my boarding pass and Gold card. After being granted access, I asked about my seat assignment, and if there was an open window seat.
A bit of fiddling, and I was placed in Row 20G – the bulkhead row.
Now, I had 3 hours to check Seatguru out. Did I? No. I’d pay for that for the flight home…
However what I did instead was enjoy the lounge. Now, its not exactly “large” compared to some lounges, but it’s 1) functional, 2) quiet and 3) Has food in it.
Because, we all know that TATL food in economy can be… lacking (there – a nice term rather than saying the catering can be awful).
Lets have a look around…
Food section
Fruits and cakes
Cheese and crackers
Cruets, Salad, Hot Items (Sausage, potato bits, meat skewers)
Cajun Chicken Gumbo
Meanwhile on the drinks side…
Californian Fizzy Bubbles. They were passable.
The food and beverage selection were a lot better than a lot of lounges I’ve been in the USA. But as this lounge had so few people in it (as FlAAgship lounges are targeted at First Class passengers), it’s not difficult to see why.
Saying that, the lounge was quiet. And I mean very quiet.
WiFi was operated by AT&T and was of a good strength and speed.
And the lounge itself… was very very quiet. For a Sunday, I would had thought there would had been more people flying out – but I was wrong. In total, I counted 10 people go through the lounge.
There were the usual features of a lounge – a business area (sponsored by HP), Food, washrooms and plenty of seating, with TV screens for those who wanted them… and areas without them for people who didn’t need them.
Speaking of the mens…
The Mens was also a severe weather shelter…
and lots of soap.
The washroom was clean and well maintained and, the lounge offered quiet environment before having to go out to the real world.
And eventually at 22:05, a call was made to the lounge that Flight 98 to London was boarding. I took that as my cue to leave.
I thanked the staff and went on my way.
Overall: A peaceful lounge in a hive of activity. Just what you need sometimes. Whilst a bit small, it is well formed for its needs and is one of the better lounges. Shame they can’t deliver this to the basic lounges in the USA…
I headed back to the gate slowly, taking my time.
On approach to the gate, the call was made for Oneworld elites to board – that was my cue to head to the line. I got to the line, and handed over my boarding pass where a red light came on.
Had I been upgraded? Had I been denied boarding?
Another agent came over and told me I had simply been moved to the other side of the plane, in the same row – still in a window seat.
One thing I suppose.
I collected my duty free.. and headed to the plane for the last flight of this journey.
Next: Row 20 in a 767-300ER. Where’s the recline button… oh – in AA98 - Chicago O’Hare International to London Heathrow
November 15
Different Airlines – Same Routes – To Chicago with American Airlines and British Airways
Or “Oh Sandy. You came and you gave without thinking….”
Index:
Remember the skies were dark in my last post… well this is where I learn not to ignore the voice in the back of my head…
I have this nasty habit when aboard to stick either to CNN or when in Chicago watch NBC a lot – for me, its part of “being connected to the world”. And the news reports of Sandy and the devastation that storm was bringing.
I watched with interested with the path, and took no notice in the beginning. On Friday, the path began to change and headed for the East Coast.
There was a nagging thought in the back of my mind, but I dismissed it…
Saturday, 27th October
I was watching the box and was slowly aware of Hurricane Sandy’s path. Looking at it, it looked like it would be rough, but I would make it out ok on the Monday with the proposed route via Philadelphia.
That thought changed quickly when my friends who live in Jersey City (who were also in Chicago at the same time) they were told to evacuate from their residence as soon as possible
Putting 2 and 2 together in my brain, I realised that getting out on the itinerary I had (ORD-PHL-LHR) could become very troublesome without pro-actively doing something about it.
It was a quick shift to the British Airways site, and I noted an advisory was in progress already which would allow me to change flights.
Reluctantly, I picked up my US phone (I was glad I got that little cheap flipphone a this point), and dialled the 1-800 number. Within 6 minutes, my call was answered and I explained the situation to the operator. I was offered flights a day earlier – departing the Sunday as opposed to the Monday – and was offered a choice of the 09:00, 18:00 or 21:30 flight out of ORD to LHR directly. As I had cause to remain in the ORD until the evening, I plumped for the 21:30 flight, and hope the flight wouldn’t be too bumpy.
No charges were made for the change and I put the phone down, thinking I had beaten the storm.
At this point, I also gave a call to the InterContinental Hotel O’Hare as there was no point in keeping the room at this point, and release it to someone who might actually need it.
The changes were reflected in my booking (as I was monitoring the changes through MyFlights), and all looked good.
OLCI came and went and I plumped for a seat in the back of the plane. Closing the seat map, I thought that would be the end of it.
Boy was I wrong.
Sunday 28th October 15:33.
I had finished packing up from a good weekend and catching a lot of friends when a text message hit my phone. My fun mood that I had dropped at that moment when I saw this:
The words that came out of my mouth were none too polite at this point.
It was a case of pulling out the laptop and dialing the 1-800 number again. This time the hold time was long. Very long as everyone else was racing to rebook.
Lets put it like this: I had time to:
Whilst on hold I got another message from British Airways – one that made me glad I picked up the phone when I did…
Now delayed to 10:00+1 – that’s 10:00am Monday…
A quick check using the BA App confirmed the bad news:
My motivation to hold suddenly increased at that point. The BA site was jammed at that moment, so all I could do was wait.
And wait.
And wait.
Finally, 1 hours and 20 minutes later my call was answered.
After a discussion of what had gone wrong, the agent pulled up my file, and saw what he could do – he could put me on an AA flight out of ORD THAT NIGHT at 22:45. I checked if it was the only option. The agent’s advice was simple “Hang around – you’ll get stuck”.
I took that as a sign to take the flight.
The agent offloaded from BA296 and switched me to AA98, and reissued my ticket, so I could check in at the airport. The changes reflected within seconds in my booking as MyFlights alerted me to the changes
1 hour 30, I pressed the hang up button, with only a $9 charge hitting my little AT&T flipphone.
Best $9 I’ve ever spent.
Breathing a bit more of a sigh of relief, I thanked my friends who were looking after me, thanked the conference manager (who was preparing another room for me on the conference rate I was on), and I headed up to the hotel reception, so I could high-tail it to O’Hare.
There I saw a shuttle was heading for the airport. I took it. Being only person aboard – it was straight to T3.
Overall: This is where customer service comes into its own with exceptional circumstances at play. Whilst the waits were long, British Airways did one of the most important things they could – that was to get me home in a timely and safe manner – even if it meant sending me via a oneworld partner.
Next: To O’Hare T3 and the American Airlines FlAAgship Lounge
November 14
Different Airlines – Same Routes – To Chicago with American Airlines and British Airways
Or “Oh Sandy. You came and you gave without thinking….”
Index:
Time for a One Time Exception. For those of you new to these trip reports, a One-Time Exception is something that has nothing to with flying, but things to do on the ground, focusing on cheapish activities or tall buildings. This section got its name from a trip to Seoul I did some time ago… and it changed the blog for the better as it introduced a proper travel dynamic to the blog as opposed to a flying blog.
Or something like that.
One-Time Exception – From Addison to Downtown on the L… the scenic way.
Price $2.25
During my trip, I had need to head to Addison to pick up some bits and bobs for my friends. On the way out, I took the Blue and Red Line – which is one hell of a boring way to do things. On the way back however, I decided to go a slower – and much more scenic way (and also end up in a part of town I needed to be in).
Picking up a Red Line Train at Addison, you’re greeted with Wrigley Field in the background.
Passenger information screen carrying information as opposed to adverts.
Wait long enough and eventually a train might arrive.
With only a couple of stops between this and my change point, I stood up, watching the world go by
I love how they still build exterior stairs out of wood…
As the train pulled into Fullerton, I took my leave of the Red Line service as I needed to be elsewhere on around the Loop (and avoid the State Street Subway). This is where I made the switch to the Brown Line
Brown line to the Loop…
Going this way, you are running a lot slower than the Red Line, but you do get some great views on the way, whilst seeing the differences between the downtown core and parts of the city that are just a mile or less away.
on a curve
Of course, to get to the Loop, this route also gives a great view of the Chicago River and the downtown core.
As I needed get out at Washington and Wells (as I needed to get to the Boeing store to pick up a few things for people), I left the train here.
Overall: For the price of a CTA fare ($2.25), there are some great views to be had from a tourist’s perspective and if read around the stops and the areas, local history too.
The fact I got to where I needed to be is the point of public transit… and a system that almost works.
Now you’ll notice that the weather was overcast in these photos. Later, it turned into cold rain. And headed west to meet a hot heat of a Superstorm… or what the press on Saturday were calling a Frankenstorm.
Its name – one that a lot of people would rue – Sandy.
Next: Dealing with Sandy, or how I memorised the version of “Flower Duet” British Airways have as hold music in Trials, Tribulations and Sandy
November 14
Different Airlines – Same Routes – To Chicago with American Airlines and British Airways
Or “Oh Sandy. You came and you gave without thinking….”
Index:
A hotel switch to my normal venue. Dratted room capacities and hotels…
Hotel: Hyatt Regency O’Hare
Rate paid: $120++
Taken on the L heading into town. Like you can miss it anyway… (and yes, taken in daylight)
After being conned $10 for a 3 minute ride (Rosemont Cabs… bunch of…), I was at the front door of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. After being greeted a bit roughly, I was met by the one of the usual doorman who greeted me warmly as he seemed to remember me.
Well, this is my usual haunt in Chicago…
My bags were taken off me, and it was up to the reception level where my perks were confirmed, and a 2pm checkout on the Sunday was offered (and taken), and 3 keys were cut for the room as I would have someone staying with me during the time I was at the Hyatt.
Initially, I was due to placed in the Executive Wing. Whilst this is a nice idea in principle, it’s a fair olde hike last thing at night when you’ve been busy. I requested (and got) a change to the main atrium, with a downtown view offered.
It also means I get access to a Double-Double room, on the 10th floor, with a balcony. This is equally important, because when you’ve got planes on approach and landing, it kind of helps with no glass and a camera with a zoom lens.
Again, I was greeted by the usual doorman who carted my luggage for me, and checked everything was ok.
Lets look at the room then. And if you’ve missed my previous mumblings about the basic Double-Double Room at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare… well, here it is again!
Going to the room on the 10th Floor, City View it was pleasant enough. Key access was via a RFID card (swish), and this has a lovely feature in that they don’t de-magnetise as often as the old magnetic keycards.
The room itself had two double beds in it (hence the name: a double double) and as usual, the beds darn comfortable – just the right balance of firmness and softness. Well the beds must had been good – I had trouble rousing my friend more often than not…
The work area was appointed as usual, and also on the work area was a card saying who prepared the room, and what facilities the hotel had to offer in case I’ve forgotten things (thankfully I didn’t, but still – a very nice touch)
Wall art – it’s a United Express Avro/BAe146 Regional jet. Bless.
The Bathroom is your typical Hyatt Bathroom. And haters will hate when I say the following words.
White Ginger.
Me? I love the stuff. I know that a lot of my brethren however would rather head to Walgreens and pick up… well… anything other than that stuff. Still, the shower was plenty powerful, and it did the job waking me up.
Housekeeping were efficient, with rooms tidied and put back in a good condition each day, and all toiletries restocked (a little bugbear of mine).
And there’s one good reason to get a room with a city view on a high floor.
Internet connectivity was provided by the hotel – and was free for the basic package, with a paid for option. I went for the free package which was great… except in the International Level Convention Centre in the basement.
Which is where I tend to spend a lot of time during that weekend. Yes, I could pay for internet access, but I’ve paid once already through the hotel room already.
Speaking of the convention services team – once again the team did an amazing job. The staff at this level are professional to the point of being great, with humour and understanding of how to get things done.
Their assistance and knowledge was called on a couple of times – once when my CD Writer decided that the USB port that was soldered on it wanted to fall off… and once when… well. I’ll get to that bit soon enough.
Other hotels services like the hotel shuttle worked great when needed (with appropriate pick-ups and drop-offs being done as needed) , with the staff being friendly and courteous.
Check out was done quickly, with the hotel room paid part cash/part plastic with no unexpected items on the bill.
Overall: After a little dip a year or so ago, things are improving at this hotel. The staff remain its greatest asset, and the rooms still have the great Hyatt quality. Internet access remains an issue at this property – least of all I object paying $25 a day for something that’s in my room rate.
Next up: Your one-time exception - One-Time Exception: From Addison to Downtown – Riding the L
November 12
Different Airlines – Same Routes – To Chicago with American Airlines and British Airways
Or “Oh Sandy. You came and you gave without thinking….”
Index:
Onto the flying business aboard American Airlines. Does the AA Experience beat or loose to the United Trans-Atlantic economy flights? Find out below..
AA099 (Sold as BA1540) – London Heathrow Airport – Chicago O’Hare International
American Airlines, Boeing 777-200ER, Seat 26J, Economy Class
35 Tier Points Earned, 7906 Avios Earned (3,953 Base + 3,953 Bonus)
The Photos:
After a short wait on the airbridge, I made my way onto the 777 where I was greeted and directed down the correct isle of the plane.
777’s are odd beasts when it comes to airlines as no one airline has found what it thinks is the “right” configuration. For some it’s the classic 3-3-3. For certain nut-job airlines (including AA when they get their 777-300ER’s), it’s the pain of 3-4-3. There’s ANA who have their 3-4-2 layout… and then there is old United and American who run 2-5-2 in their seating configurations.
I happen to like 2-5-2 as a fan of the 2-4-2 layouts. What I was not expecting however was how tight the legroom would be.
Cabin during boarding.
Home for 8 and half hours.
Legroom.
Now I’m the best part of 5ft 9″/5 ft 10″, so economy class is normally not burden for me. This however was a burden and there’s no way to describe this as “tight as hell”.
This didn’t get any better when my seatmate arrived, who wasn’t a passenger of size, but did tend to spread everywhere – from seat to the armrest (over the AVOD remote… thanks), to leg room.
Sigh. Personal space. He’s heard of it.
This 8 hours and 30 minutes upcoming was looking to be a very long flight…
Boarding took its own merry time with a view of a 747-400 being serviced outside.
Eventually the plane was buttoned up and was pushed back near enough on-scheduled. The safety video played and the flight attendants went through the plane, in preparation for departure.
Our departure off runway 9R meant a taxi past Heathrow T5, with the rows of British Airways jets lining up proudly at their hub. As we taxied past T5, FireFly was sat awaiting her next duty.
(The plane that looks like someone threw custard over it – that’s FireFly).
With a small queue for departures, it was about a 3 minute wait to line up for 9R…. and then the power of those engines came online.
The plane took to the skies quickly, and begin a quick climb into the air, clearing the low cloud and breaking through to the blue sky and suns rays.
At about 10,000ft the welcoming announcements were made, as well as the service levels on this flight.
Above us only sky…
Anyway, I had a quick fumble around the IFE system. And whilst its a step up on the United old 777 system (for starter’s there’s this odd thing called AVOD – Audio/Video On Demand), the content was … lacking.
Therefore, we all know what happens next don’t we?
http://pb-i4.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/6247-1351737471-17.jpg
AA’s AVOD system at the top – Kevincm’s GhettoIFE solution (featuring iPhone5) in its usual place. And those iPhone5’s are getting a bit wide for those sick bags now. Ho hum… maybe that iPad IFE is coming one day (meanwhile on the screen, it’s Red Dwarf Series 1. Those of you who are old enough will know the theme tune off by heart… )
However, there appeared to be rustling and sounds coming from the galley, and soon enough two trolleys drifted by with the promise of breakfast.
And the offer came of pancakes or omelette. Knowing omelettes have cheese in them, I reluctantly went for the pancakes.
I’ll listen to myself next time to the part of me that says “order a lacto free meal, and drat the possible opup”. Saying that, the Pancakes were pure sugar – but edible sugar. The scrambled eggs were light and fluffyish – not bad by airline standards. The fruit was fresh too.
The addition of a little snack pack is a great idea so you don’t get peckish mid-flight – and most of it was edible. With the scrambled egg, I took the risk… and during the flight, I didn’t suffer. Call it mild-lacto for sake of argument – I’ll live with that.
There were two drink runs – one just before food and one after the food service was complete.
On the 2nd run, I experimented with the table which had a wonderful feature – you could split it in half and half a half table for drinks whilst giving you some room.
Not bad at all here people. If the seat wasn’t so tight, it would be acceptable.
Now by this point, I was exhausted. After the empties were collected, I closed my eyes. The next thing I knew the plane had almost cleared the Atlantic. Now, considering food was cleared down after Ireland, this represents the best part of 5 hours out cold.
I think I’ve got this West-bound travel thing worked out at last!
Looking at the cabin, the 777 cabin is still… a 777 cabin. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with the 777 cabin with the curves giving you space, air vents to keep you cool and the space you get in a widebody jet (unless some idiot installs 3-4-3 seating in them).
The toilets seemed to be clean even 6 hours into the flight (which isn’t a bad thing) and the crew seemed to be a chatty mood – it’s a darn good thing when you’re flying as it seems to lift their moods. Requests for drinks from the galley were met with happily – as was a pen (where I learned where there are safety bins when you don’t think there are in a 777).
The route took us north, following the great circle route, with the usual dips and turns before Chicago.
Sadly, outside it wasn’t what I would call a great day for flying, as cloud seemed to be the order of the day – no matter where i was in the world.
Still as the time closed in on landing, it was time for a snack service – and it was a hot snack service. Coming from United’s “sandwich with mystery meat”, this was going to be different.
The bread thing was tomato and bready – and warm. No cheese of any sort I could detect (although knowing my luck…). The pasta was cold and inoffensive, and the cookie… yep – that had milk, so that went in the bag.
Whilst the United catered meal out of London felt like a picnic, this felt like a warm snack, and that adds extra bonus marks in my book. Again, two rounds of drinks were offered.
We’re onto Red Dwarf X now…
Clear down happened quickly enough and after watching the map for so long, Lake Michigan came into view as decent begun. The Welcome to America video was run (the same one run in Customs and Border Patrol area), and arrival information was posted
Clearing the East side of Lake Michigan and over the blue.
A final clear down was made, and soon enough, decent began, crossing over the West side of Lake Michigan, and down over the Chicago suburbs
The plane lined up and soon enough the plane touched down.
As we pulled into O’Hare it was obvious we had arrived to the far side of the T1, so it was a slow taxi past T1, over the bridge past T3 and finally coming into to T5 at Chicago O’Hare. The plane took its time, but we arrived 30 minutes early as the bongs to release the seatbelts were made.
Mr lack of personal space finally got up and I managed to recover my bag, and made my way off the 777 thanking the crew and captain
Overall: I’m fast concluding that going over the pond, flying in economy is fast turning into a glorified bus with a bit of food if you’ve been good. Saying that the service offered by American was of good quality and reasonable enough service… if missing some little things (like walking up and down the isle with water). But those seats are just a touch tight for my liking…
Next up – Dealing with the CBP and Crowne Plaza O’Hare
