There are a few great promotions expiring in just a few days (on August 31), so I figured I’d point them out once more for those that were waiting to sign up, given that there was an incentive to wait with a couple of these promotions:
I’m trying to book a first class award seat for my mom for next week to Frankfurt using Aeroplan miles in Lufthansa First Class. One of the nice things about Aeroplan is that they don’t do any Starnet blocking, aside from a slight “issue” they have with displaying some Swiss award availability. So I did my research and called with a specific flight in mind.
What response do I get? “Sorry sir, Lufthansa doesn’t operate that flight that day.” I responded explaining that they do in fact operate that day and that there’s one first class award seat available in Starnet. “Well I guess Aeroplan has just used up all their seats then.” For good measure I called back again and got the same answer.
That sounds to me an awful lot like what we heard at United in the early days of Starnet blocking. Anyway, color me pissed!
Through August 31, Aeroplan is offering 1,000 bonus miles when converting hotel points to anywhere between 5,000 and 19,999 Aeroplan miles, or 5,000 bonus miles when converting hotel points into 20,000 Aeroplan miles. Of course the timing of this couldn’t be worse for me, given that I converted SPG points into Aeroplan miles just last week.
Either way, this is a great deal. 20,000 SPG points, for example, would convert into 30,000 Aeroplan miles (SPG gives you a 5,000 mile bonus and now Aeroplan gives you a 5,000 mile bonus). Aeroplan miles are easily the most valuable miles of any Star Alliance program, between the favorable award chart, generous routing rules, and lack of fuel surcharges on Star Alliance awards.
Last week I posted about Ted’s final act of revenge on me, whereby I was booked in first class on a 757 from Tampa to Chicago as part of my Aeroplan first class award to Europe/Asia, and the flight got downgraded to Ted in the meantime. Ya’ll provided great feedback, and I went with the majority in this case.
Anyway, I called Aeroplan about an hour ago with the goal of switching to the Ted flight two hours later. I wasn’t going to connect, and I figured that if I was going to fly Ted, I might as well sleep in a bit. Unfortunately the later Ted flight didn’t have award availability anymore (although it did when I booked), so I was going to request that they call up United and ask them to open up a seat (which I’m confident they would have done).
Anyway, before making that specific request I wanted to first see what they’d come back with. The agent simply said that there were no other first class seats available nonstop that day, and that if any of the flights switched to two cabin flights I could call back and get reseated in first class for free. I was about to cut in and suggest they put me on the later flight, at least allowing me to sleep in, when the agent said something I liked: “If nothing opens up, though, give us a call after your flight and we’ll refund a portion of the miles based on the distance you were downgraded.” Now, I’m guessing it’ll only end up being 2,000-3,000 Aeroplan miles, but that’s worth $50 or so. Sounds like a deal to me! I’ll gladly sit in the International First Lounge at ORD browsing the web and snacking on hot nuts and sushi for two hours, knowing that I’m earning Aeroplan miles.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I have a pretty sweet first class Star Alliance award planned thanks to Aeroplan. The first part of that award is Tampa to Chicago, and fortunately it was scheduled to be a 757 with first class award availability. Awesome, no Ted!
Well, today I checked my award, and whaddya know, my TPA-ORD flight shows as being a “32S,” more commonly known as Ted. No first class, so they just rebooked me in coach. Jeez, thanks for letting me know about the downgrade, United/Aeroplan!
This is a substitution I don’t understand. At the very least I would have expected them to sub in an ex-Ted 320 with first class, given how quickly the Ted fleet is shrinking.
Tomorrow I’ll give the schedule changes department at Aeroplan a ring, and I’m faced with a few options, as I see it:
None of these options are ideal, especially considering how long of a day it’ll be and that I’d rather sleep in.
Thoughts? Which option would you go with, or is there another option I’m overlooking?
I’ve spent a substantial amount of time over the past couple weeks figuring out how I should blow 240,000 Aeroplan miles. I was looking for a trip for my brother and me in August, and I was trying to make the journey just as fun as the destinations, and hopefully try out a few new airlines. Aeroplan is by far the most rewarding mileage program in the Star Alliance, and I would argue the best all around mileage program if used correctly.
Most Aeorplan award redemption levels are quite good, although nothing compares to a first class award from the US to Asia. At 120,000 miles per seat, Aeroplan allows you two stopovers (pretty cool), and most importantly allows you to route either via the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, or both. Also, while Aeroplan has fuel surcharges on redemptions for Air Canada flights, they don’t when you use a variety of Star Alliance airlines.
Before even doing much investigating I decided we would be going via Europe both ways, for two reasons. First of all, there weren’t any good redemption options via the Pacific. Singapore never releases two first class seats at a time, first class availability on ANA is non-existent for August, and Asiana just doesn’t excite me. Second, and more importantly, there are a couple of products I figured we should try out, which are only available via the Atlantic.
First, and most importantly, we want to try the new Swiss first class, which is featured on the Airbus 330-300, and as of August will be on the New York and Chicago routes. Second, we wanted to try out Turkish Airways between London and Istanbul as well as Istanbul and Asia. Turkish Airways currently leases several Boeing 777-300ER’s from Jet Airways, which is one of the finest airlines in the world. With eight first class suites and amazing award availability, it was a no brainer. Best of all, the ground services in Istanbul are phenomenal: You are literally escorted every step of the way on arrival and departure. If you choose to stay in Istanbul (which we decided to do, since it’s a city neither of us have visited), they even provide a complimentary car transfer to anywhere in the city in a Mercedes. Perfect!
As always, dreaming is the easy part, while actually piecing together an itinerary is the real challenge. My brother and I both had serious time constraints with this award, so we were unfortunately not very flexible. After a ton of research on the ANA tool, along with plenty of help from my friend Steven, we managed to find availability for the following itinerary:
Day 1, TPA-ORD, UA0859, 0909-1055, United First Class, 2hr46min, 752
Day 1, ORD-ZRH, LX0009, 1915-1100 +1, Swiss First Class, 8hr45min, 333
Day 2, ZRH-LHR, LX0332, 1205-1300, Swiss Business Class, 1hr55min, 321
Day 2, LHR-IST, TK1992, 1630-2220, Turkish First Class, 3hr50min, 77W
(Stopover, two days)
Day 4, IST-HKG, TK0070, 2350-1440 +1, Turkish First Class, 9hr50min, 77W
(Destination, three days)
Day 8, HKG-BKK, TG0639, 1845-2025, Thai Business Class, 2hr40min, 333
Day 9, BKK-MUC, TG0924, 0050-0715, Thai First Class, 11hr25min, 346
Day 9, MUC-ZRH, LX1101, 0930-1030, Swiss Business Class, 1hr, AR1
Day 9, ZRH-JFK, LX0014, 1300-1545, Swiss First Class, 8hr45min, 333
So you’re probably wondering why all the unnecessary connections, but I truly believe that this award maximizes every aspect of both and in-flight services. Let’s start from the beginning:
Chicago to Zurich is in Swiss’ new first class product (video), which looks incredible. They only have eight seats, and I’m a huge fan of their service and food.
When we get to Zurich we can hang out in the Swiss First Class lounge for a while, and will likely be driven to our connecting flight (sorry, but the novelty of being driven on the tarmac never wears off for me).
In London we’ll get on the London to Istanbul flight, which has only eight first class seats. I’ve heard good reviews of first class on Turkish (video).
The ground services are where Turkish really stands out. Upon arrival Turkish has golf carts waiting for first class passengers, as they’re escorted through immigration and to the awaiting car which will drive you anywhere in the city for free.
When departing Istanbul, they once again pick you up at your hotel for free, and when you arrive you’re literally escorted every step of the way, from check-in to the lounge to the plane. Once again the onboard service should be good.
On the return we connect in Bangkok and can use the Thai Airways Spa and First Class lounge. While Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal in Frankfurt is nice, it can’t compete with Thai’s offerings in Bangkok. First Class passengers can get an hour-long fully body massage before their flight. There is NOTHING more relaxing than a massage right before boarding an 11 hour redeye. The rest of the lounge is fantastic as well.
Upon arrival in Munich we’ll be able to use Lufthansa’s First Class Lounge (due to our same day Swiss first class ticket), which is nearly as good as the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. Chances are we’ll also be driven to the plane.
Upon arrival in Zurich we’ll likely be driven from our arriving plane to the First Class lounge, and then if needed be driven to the plane for our connection, depending on where it departs from. What truly shines with Swiss, though, is the onboard product, especially with their new first class.
I figured I would have problems booking this, despite this routing being well within the maximum permitted mileage (MPM) for our city pair. I lucked out by getting a fantastic agent that confirmed all my flights in a matter of about 15 minutes, only to put my on hold for an hour while she calculated the taxes. The taxes ended up being $185, which is quite reasonable given that we’re transiting Germany and the UK, and plus there was a $30 ticketing fee, for a grand total of $215 per ticket. Very reasonable, if you ask me.
Anyway, I think I did a decent job of maximizing the routing as well as the trip overall, given the limited amount of time we have. My brother has never been to Hong Kong, so I’m excited to show him my favorite city, while neither of us have been to Istanbul.
So for those that like to refer to Aeroplan as “Errorplan,” I humbly ask what the hell you’re talking about. 
As much as we like to complain about United’s notorious Starnet blocking, it seems like they’re not the only ones. I’ve raved about Air Canada’s Aeroplan program as an excellent choice for transferring American Express Membership Rewards points, and the program is no doubt still lucrative, but they seem to have an “issue” with award availability on Swiss.
Basically, they’re not seeing certain Swiss award availability which is available on Starnet. Unlike at United, they see the flights, but they just show the award space I need as not available. I eventually spoke to an Aeroplan supervisor about this (which is quite a challenge, because Aeroplan must have the rudest agents in the industry) and explained the situation. The first question he asked me is “How do you have access to Starnet?” Gee, thanks for addressing my issue.
Anyway, he didn’t really seem to believe me, so he put me on hold and called Swiss at my prompting. He came back a few minutes later, and here’s a shocker, I was right, Swiss did show the space as available. He insisted there was no system problem and that they weren’t intentionally blocking award inventory, but he promised he’d look into it. I bet he just said that to get me off the phone, which make it even more frustrating.
Let’s put some pressure on them….
Apparently Air Canada’s Aeroplan program will be making four positive changes on December 8. While it’s not fully published/public information, it seems to be accurate nonetheless. The changes mostly involve additional stopovers being allowed, but there’s one particularly cool change: it’ll be possible to make an award from North America to Asia a round the world trip, flying via the Atlantic on the outbound and the Pacific on the return, or vice versa. Considering their redemption levels are reasonable and their taxes are very low on multi-partner awards, this will make Aeroplan an even more attractive program to transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to. Full details can be found in this thread.
Here’s to hoping there are no strings attached, or “enhancements” right around the corner….
All Installments:
Trip Report: TPA-ORD-NRT-HKG on UA/NH in C
Trip Report: InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong
Trip Report: Holiday Inn Macau
Trip Report: Conrad Hong Kong
Trip Report: HKG-SIN-DPS on SQ, T3 @ SIN, new T3 SKL
Trip Report: InterContinental Bali
Trip Report: DPS-SIN-PVG on SQ, PVG-YYZ-ORD on AC, Renaissance Suites O’Hare
Trip Report: Hong Kong and Macau
Upon getting to the airport we headed into the building, where there was immediately a ticket check and security screening. The security seemed somewhat lax and took all of two minutes. Once we were through security we proceeded to SQ check-in, where the Business line was just as long as the coach line.
After waiting for about ten minutes we got up to the counter and had our BP’s within a few minutes, along with a lounge invitation.
We paid our departure fee of $19 USD (or something like that), and proceeded towards the lounge. The airport was nicer than I expected past security, with some decent duty free shops. The contracted lounge is located one floor above the main terminal without any elevators, which can be a bit impractical when carrying aboard a kitchen sink.
We handed the agent our invitations and proceeded inside. The lounge was great for a contract lounge, with a nice food and drink selection, not to mention an outside terrace with views of the tarmac and runway!
Lounge
Outdoor terrace
View from the (fenced in) terrace
Since we had already seen the menu for the DPS-SIN flight and weren’t terribly impressed, we decided to have a mini-dinner in the lounge.
Salad
Lounge food
We left the lounge about 45 minutes before departure and headed towards the gate, where there was a long line for security. We made it through about 10 minutes before boarding began.
As we were in the gate area the SQ supervisor came up to AJ and showed him a printout saying he was really booked on the earlier flight in coach (which is true). This is a problem I’ve consistently had with SQ awards using Mileage Plus miles, and it’s annoying. Basically when making a change to an award ticket it often doesn’t reticket, which is a real pain in the a$$. The supervisor told AJ he’d have to call United to get it reissued, but of course the flight was leaving in 30 minutes, so that wasn’t really an option.
Eventually he let him board and all was good, but it didn’t go without a bit of sweat on AJ’s part (and by extension my part, cause I wasn’t leaving him alone with a screwed up ticket).
DPS-SIN, SQ947, 2005-2235
This was yet another typical SQ flight with top notch service. We left on time, arrived on time, and it felt just like any other SQ flight. The menu read as follows:
Dinner Menu
A Savoury Note
Grilled octopus with palm heart and fennel salad
citrus dressingThe Main Event
Perch fillet in soya curry cream with tomatoes, green beans and potatoes
Braised chicken with mushrooms and bamboo shoots, carrots and fried rice
Beef strogonoff with mixed vegetables and pastaA Sweet Note
Chocolate and orange cakeA Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
We both went with the beef, although didn’t eat too much of it.
Dinner
The thing that scared the hell out of me was octopus. Call me uncultured on this one, but it really nearly made me throw up. I should say I was a vegetarian for eight years so in general don’t like eating animals, although I have no problem with beef or chicken anymore. That being said, when it’s an octopus and you can see its head and all of the tentacles, I really got queasy. AJ actually took the octopus out of the bowl and put it onto a separate plate and photographed it, so I’ll see if I can bug him for the picture. Either way, I couldn’t handle that.
This flight really felt like a redeye. After dinner we were both ready to sleep, which really wasn’t a good idea since we had a whole night in SIN before our connection flights, without so much as a transit hotel booked.
Cabin after dinner
We got into T3 on-time, and then the next challenge began. While I had my ongoing boarding pass to PVG with SQ and was therefore entitled to lounge access, AJ was flying on UA, and their counters only open at 4AM. Since he’s Global Services and was flying F with UA, we figured we’d try to hunt down the UA staff meeting the evening arrivals from HKG and NRT and see if they could make an exception for him.
While we didn’t actually find them, we did run into an SQ “Duty Manager” that really helped us out. We explained the problem and he wrote AJ a lounge pass, which was perfect. We headed to the SKL, which was still pretty full despite the late hour.
We constantly heard delay announcements for the SIN-LHR A380 flight, and at about 2AM they decided to swap the equipment and downgraded it to a 747. I’ve never seen such furious passengers. They were yelling, screaming, saying “this is the last bloody time I’m flying Singapore Airlines,” etc. It was rough.
Once that flight left, the lounge was pretty quiet, and we actually enjoyed the layover. We were surprisingly awake (with the help of some tea), and it was really nice to be able to check emails, FlyerTalk, etc. in a relaxed manner for once.
At around 3AM we decided to go landside to get some fresh air and also go to UA check-in. We filled out immigration cards and the immigration agents were slightly surprised to see people trying to enter Singapore at 3AM. While AJ’s agent was a bit confused for a minute, I just whizzed right through. So far the only question I’ve ever been asked by Singapore immigration is “Would you like a piece of candy?”
We went outside a bit in the blazing heat, and quickly headed back inside. We waited about 15 minutes at that point for UA check-in to open, and it eventually did. I also took the opportunity to take a picture of my absolutely massive rolling carry-on kitchen sink.
SIN at 3:30AM
T3 check-in area at 3:30AM
My ridiculous rollaboard
Once check-in opened AJ got his boarding pass and we headed back to the lounge, this time the F side. We even had it all to ourselves!
The lounge wasn’t that impressive, although in general I’ve found SQ to be stellar in the air and not so much on the ground. I would even say the C side was nicer, and didn’t really notice any better snacks. Of course it was 4:30AM, so I’m guessing they didn’t have all of their best stuff out at that time.
First Class side of SKL
Totally empty F SKL
The F SKL dining area
More of the F SKL
AJ and I split ways here, as he continued to NRT and I continued to PVG. I headed to the gate for my flight to PVG at around 7AM for an 8:05AM departure. Eventually boarding began, and at this point I just wanted to sleep.
SIN-PVG, SQ828, 0805-1325
Again, typical SQ flight. Doesn’t flying without problems just get boring really fast? This flight was about five hours and got in on-time. I slept for most of the flight, at least after breakfast.
The menu read as follows:
Brunch Menu
A Fresh Start
A choice of apple, tomato, freshly squeezed orange juice or soya bean milkSmoked salmon with mesclun and avocado
Lemon DressingA Healthy Note
Choice of cereals or yoghurt
Cornflakes or muesli with milk
Plain or fruit yoghurtThe Main Event
Braised ee-fu noodles with chicken and leafy greens
Selection of dim sum
Steamed rice roll with char slew, pork dumpling, prawn dumpling and vegetable dumplingA Sweet Note
A selection from the fruit basketFrom the Bakery
Choice of bread rolls
Butter – Fruit PreservativesA Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
I wasn’t all that hungry so just had some yoghurt, muesli, and croissants. The only picture I took is the one below. The brunch looked great though.
Smoked salmon
Upon arrival in PVG I was looking for international transfer signs but couldn’t find any. I tried to ask some of the agents standing around, but none of them spoke English. They all pointed me towards the arrivals line, but I didn’t fill out a form since I’m just in transit, and I was under the impression that one needs a visa to clear immigration.
As it turns out you can clear immigration without a visa if you have an onward ticket, so I was relieved to know that I wouldn’t be subjected to a Chinese prison as a holding cell.
As soon as I cleared customs/immigration I headed to the Air Canada check-in counter, where I had a boarding pass within a few minutes. I headed back airside, where I proceeded to the lounge, which belonged to Shanghai Air, if I recall correctly.
Upon entering I asked about wifi, and they said they shut it off for the Olympics, which I don’t totally understand. I sat down at a PC instead and browsed the web for a while.
Lounge
Lounge
About an hour before the flight I decided to leave the lounge and walk around the terminal for a bit to get some movement, since I had been sitting for the last decade, it seemed. The new terminal at PVG is great, very modern, and airy. Definitely not like what I remember the last time I was here.
Terminal
I headed towards my departure gate about 45 minutes before departure for boarding, and they began promptly.
Plane that would be taking me to YYZ
PVG-YYZ, AC88, 1710-1850
Once aboard I was greeted by several friendly FA’s who directed me towards my seat. I’m a huge fan of the NZ/VS/AC style seats, so was very pleased to be on a plane with a comfortable, flat bed, after a sleepless night.
My seat, 5A
Seats 5A and 6A
View looking forward from my seat
Within a few minutes of being seated pre-departure beverages were offered, and I took an OJ.
Pre-departure OJ
The FA’s were all cheery and friendly, and some of them were even surprisingly young. As one of the younger FA’s offered me a magazine I said “Do you have any clue how much energy reading requires?” She chuckled and later came by with newspapers and said “trust me, you definitely won’t have enough energy to read one of these things.”
The door closed about 10 minutes early and we began our taxi. One thing that drives me crazy about AC is that the announcements are in three languages on this flight (they always do French), and not only that, but they also have to be some of the longest announcements in each language as well!
Eventually we were airborne, and menus were distributed in no time.
The climb out… there’s actually green in China?!?!?
Amenity kit and menu
I decided to check out what was on TV, and was pleasantly surprised by the selection of sitcoms and movies.
Entertainment system
About 20 minutes into the flight the meal service began, starting with drinks and something really good tasting. The bag was pretty small, so as soon as I finished it I asked the flight attendant for “another bag of this good tasting stuff,” and she chuckled and brought me a handful more.
Drink and awesome snack mix stuff
Tablecloths were distributed shortly thereafter, followed by dinner.
The menu read as follows:
DINNER
Appetizers
Salmon and Crab Timbale with Wasabi Mayonnaise and marinated Cherry Tomatoes
or
Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables with Feta Cheese and OlivesMain Courses
Chinese-style roasted Chicken with fried Ginger Julienne, Vegetables and steamed Rice with Black Sesame
or
Seared Black Cod with Watercress Sauce, Green Pea Risotto, Broccoli, and Pumpkin
or
Grilled Beef Medallion with Mushroom Cream Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and roasted Root VegetablesAdditional seasoning is available upon request
Cheese
Gourmet Cheese with CrackersDessert
Green Tea, Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream
or
Fresh FruitSNEAK A SNACK
Please help yourself to our in-flight pantryREFRESHMENTS
Refreshments are available at any time throughout your flight: Dim Sum, Asian Noodle Bowl, Sandwiches and a Light Snack. Your Flight Attendant will be pleased to assist you.BREAKFAST
Juice Selection
Fresh Seasonal Fruit and YogurtMain Courses
Fried Shanghai Noodles
with Pork, Shiitake Mushrooms and Bok-Choy
or
Mixed Pepper Frittata
with Hash-Brown Potatoes, sautéed Spinach, Mushrooms, grilled Tomato and Chicken Sausage
or
Chilled Breakfast Option
Muesli in Orange Cup with sliced Chicken and Turkey, Cranberry Scones and Cherry TomatoesWarm Breakfast Pastries
The meal was served at a good speed and took maybe an hour altogether. Ya wanna know something? This was the best meal I’ve ever had on a plane! As I said earlier, I’m a simple eater. I don’t like octopus, I like stuff I can actually pronounce, and I like “basic” meals that taste good, and that’s exactly what this was.
I took the veggies and feta cheese as an appetizer, and it was incredible. The beef was also great as a main course, and the ice cream was delicious.
Appetizer
Main course
Dessert
Once dinner service was complete, they dimmed the lights in the cabin and put on the “mood lighting,” which is pretty cool.
Mood lighting
About two hours into the 13hr20min flight I decided to put my seat into a flat bed and sleep. The bed couldn’t have been more comfortable, and I got a solid six hours of sleep. I then woke up, watched another sitcom, and chatted to the FA’s for a bit in the galley. I went to the rear business cabin and saw that there were only two passengers in it, so this flight was about 25% full up front at most.
I then decided to take another nap, and slept for another three hours. Can’t beat nine hours of sleep on a plane!
As I woke up breakfast service began, and I went with the frittata. Again, it was absolutely friggin’ delicious!
Breakfast
AC has to be my new favorite airline. I love the seat, love the service, love the entertainment, and love the food. Heck, next time I go to Asia I’ll take them over SQ, NH, or OZ. For a product that seems to be mediocre to most, I couldn’t have been happier.
As we began our descent the highlight of my flight (and probably whole trip) came. I saw the first officer fumbling down the aisle looking up at the seat numbers, and eventually he approached my seat. He says “So, we hear you have a friend in Toronto ATC?” I couldn’t stop laughing and said “Oh boy, did he really?” He then went on to say “he told us some stories, hopefully they’re not too embarrassing.” We talked for about five minutes, and eventually he headed back to the cockpit, inviting me to come up after the flight.
That was just too damn funny for me! Thanks again guys, you know who you are! I owe you a minibar party in Toronto.;)
We made it into YYZ right on time and I began the long trek towards transfers. One of the many things I love about Canada is that you can clear US customs in Canada at most airports. That means that as soon as you clear, it’s like a domestic flight. It makes life really easy.
I was in line by 7PM and the line was maybe five minutes long. I was surrounded by people that were just getting off a cruise, and never in my life have I heard so much nagging and complaining about a good thing. “This is ridiculous, we’re going to miss our flights.” All of their flights were at 8:30PM or later, and the line was maybe five minutes. I had a hard time not saying anything in that line, that’s for sure…
By around 7:15PM I was in the Maple Leaf Lounge, which is one of my favorite lounges. They had incredible cookies, which I had one too many of.
I headed to the departure gate about 30 minutes before departure, and they hadn’t started boarding yet. About 20 minutes before departure this guy comes sprinting down the moving walkway (and I mean sprinting), thinking he missed his flight. He runs up to the gate agent as there’s 100 people in the gate area, and hands him his boarding passes. He’s panting as if he just finished a marathon and waves for his family that’s still half way down the moving walkway to hurry up. The gate agent says “we haven’t started boarding yet,” and the look on the guy’s face is priceless.
Eventually we boarded and still managed to leave on-time.
YYZ-ORD, AC513, 2035-2118
This flight was very uneventful, except for the fact that everyone up front ordered Perrier with lemon. It was actually really funny, since I had overheard the two people in front of me order it, so by the time I ordered it I was laughing at myself. Little did I know I wouldn’t be the last…
We got into ORD on-time, and I was happy to be back in a hotel room for the night (although home sounded even more tempting).
I was staying at the Renaissance Suites Chicago O’Hare, which was royally mediocre. The rooms were quite nice, but the service was matronly at best. Here are some pictures of my room.
Living room/desk
Bed
The next day I stood by for an earlier Ted flight back home since the flight I was booked on didn’t look bump-worthy. The only thing of note on that flight was my Channel 9 incident, which I wrote about here.
More to come….
Since I’ve had less time on the web than I expected the past several days, I went through all of the airline forums on FlyerTalk this morning and was pleased to see that nothing too major has happened. Here are some of the minor things I did note:
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