- Got to the airport in plenty of time to make arrangements to upgrade my travel from Economy to Business Class. Except that, unlike what the happy-peppy folks at Expedia told me, since the trans-Atlantic hop is actually a BMI (British Midlands) flight, they can’t automatically do an upgrade from Denver — and, likely, an upgrade can’t be done at all because I didn’t contact them in advance (even though they are Dear, Bosom Buddies and Code Partners with United).
*sigh*
Well, I have a couple of hours in Chicago. With luck I can be friendly and courteous and get them to do it. I’ve flown decent trans-Atlantic hops on Economy before, but usually by lucking out with empty seats around me. Plus, Economy doesn’t have power, usually, which means I’m going to be reduced to writing by hand and to reading. Gads!
- United has redone their flight attendant instructions — used the same folks as they used for their Ted videos, only using a blue background a bit less hip.
I would dearly love to see a video of this sort where the oxygen masks pop down and folks look startled. I don’t mean slapstick aghast and fainting — just have them look like they weren’t expecting, and have to think a moment about what to do. As it is, it’s rather disconcerting, because either these are Stepford Passengers, or else they are used to flying on airline where that sort of thing happens all the time. Neither is particularly comforting.
- I am on a flight with any number of rude people. People who pay no attention to the “please don’t put your jacket up in the overhead bins until we have all the suitcases up” and who turn their small bags sideways so that they take up four times the room, or who have bags that are too big and leave them hanging out of the overhead bins, or who put their little suitcase and their briefcase up above, even on a fully booked flight.
*sigh*
- Had an Internet crisis at DIA — the old T-Mobile or whatever WiFi service they had on Concourse B has either been removed or is otherwise screwed up, because I couldn’t get a signal. Nor could I even get the wired Net service at the Qwest Business Center to work. Which made things a bit more stressful, since I was supposed to get some info back to my boss for a high level meeting today.
Ah, well. Guess that’s what telephones are for.
- My flight across the pond is on BMI. Managed to get (by dint of being a Silver Dude on United, perhaps) into the Economy Not-Quite-Steerage section, which was all to the good — narrow seats, but plenty of leg room … and, as I’m in the last row of the section, I can lean back and not worry I’m crushing someone.
Food, wine, umpty-six channels of entertainment. And … huzzah! A computer power outlet! And I just happen to have …
… wait … battery? … lights not … well, rats — it seems to be out of commission. Annoying. Though I should have enough power to come close to finishing my Storyball story.
- Narrow, uncomfortable seats, though plenty of leg room. Didn’t get to sleep much. Watched (God help me) Doom, then O Brother Where Art Thou, then a few fragments of A Shot in the Dark.
Ended up the flight feeling icky and stinky and definitely checking into the hotel in Glasgow when I arrive, even if that leaves me with less time in the office today.
- Manchester Airport is busy and difficult to figure out where one is trying to get to, but there’s wireless in the waiting areas. Thus …
Travelogue
Got to the airport in plenty of time to make arrangements to upgrade my travel from Economy to Business Class. Except that, unlike what the happy-peppy folks at Expedia told…
32 view(s)
Well…
At least Shot in the dark and O brother where art thou are good.
So BMI is part of the Star alliance, same as Us Air?
Yes, part of the Star Alliance.
The Star Alliance (sounds very SF …)
Air Canada
Air New Zealand
ANA
Asiana Airlines
Austrian
BMI
LOT Polish Airlines
Lufthansa
SAS
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways
Spanair
Swiss
TAP Portugal
Thai
United
US Airways
Varig
plus various regionals.