UMTravels

Not So Good: So — now that I am two notches up on the United ladder (plebe, Premier, then Premier Executive — that would be me, now) I get to use the First Class/Airline Personnel/Premier Exec check point short cut — there were twenty people in the line. Mind you, this was better that the 400 people in the other line — but it’s a ruse — it only gets you to the front of the ID check line — which means that there are still 75 people vying for the four open checkpoints.

Good: the flight left on time from Seattle. Personally, I spent a little over an hour in Alaska’s Board Room. The Alaska Board Room is half the cost of the United Red Carpet club and it offers free wireless (United charges), real food (United has starch laden snacks), and most important to UncleM — free booze (United charges, and doesn’t even cheapen the price of doubles which every other HMS host place in the airport does). Down side is that the Board Room was out of cranberry juice for my Red Baron.

Good: the food in First Class on a two hour flight to Denver. A sausage (would have preferred two), some hash browns, fresh fruit and a croissant. And, of course, several Vodka Cranberry twist of lime please.

Not So Good: no salt and pepper (but there was a small container of salsa which was a nice touch), no holes in the napkin to attach it do my shirt so that the flakes from my dried out croissant didn’t get on my dress shirt, and oddly enough — the serving container for breakfast which was this odd molded black plastic thing (rather than china) that really didn’t look too good against the starched white table cloth. At least they have brought back real knives (rather than silver plastic ones).

Bad: Denver hub — lots of the outlets that were accessible had no power. Explain that. I finally snagged one next to a gate check station.

Bad: Slightly delayed flight out of DIA to ABQ — and when I looked last night all the First Class seats were filled, but there were actually THREE open. Mind you, I’d already been upgraded, but not to my favorite seat — which I moved to before the door closed. I’ll accept that a party of three missed their connection and are going to be pissed that that the next flight to ABQ is a commuter jet. The bad part — I know it’s only a 50 minute flight (three cocktails for those that are counting, but that includes the one on the ground), but you’d think you’d at least get a bag of peanuts or pretzels (preferred) to soak up the booze. No such luck.

Flatline: Good cabin staff today — but then again, these are short flights and they are young, fresh, and with no seniority. I guess for snarl ling service by the nearly dead I have to take those long international flights.

Stunning: improvements to the Albuquerque Airport. United has moved from the A Concourse to the end of the B Concourse — but this is ABQ, so it’s like five more minutes of walking — past row after row after row of long flat tables with stools and MASSIVE outlet strips — I mean like 10-15 outlets per table — they were a little shy on chairs but who cares — they were giant charging and surfing stations. And yes, I just googled free wireless ABQ and found this link http://www.wififreespot.com/airport.html so add free surfing to the list – oh, and add great takeout burritos at the junction of the A and B terminals — I had the chicken with rice and beans — and the chicken was actually recognizable as chicken — like someone actually cooked it! Add to the airport an amazing security line system that never seems to back up (and has enough room if it does!) and it’s an amazing airport — soon (late 2008) to be serviced by the RailRunner commuter train to Santa Fe.

Meritorious Service: my lovely sis—in-law Jenn who volunteers to pick me up (and is trying to volunteer her husband [my brother-in-law] and their foreign exchange student [goes by Ant — which means her name is unpronounceable by us Americans] to take me back to the airport next Wednesday).

Goes Without Saying: but needs to be said — to my parents, for hosting me — and running me to the rental car tomorrow, and cooking a nice roast tonight (shouldn’t have eaten the whole burrito — but the left overs will make great sandwiches) and have received several packages of stuff I had mailed here because I knew it would miss me in Seattle. Oh — and they stocked up on single malt scotch now that Trader Joes carries it.