The RCC at Gate 18 in Chicago Ohare is really nice. It’s smaller than, but as nice as a lot of international lounges. The features I care about most and have been pestering UAL for for years (literally) have all been implemented now:
- Power outlets at every seat.
- Concordia espresso makers like in Europe that actually use coffee for coffee
- Free WiFi (this has been US wide for a year).
For a couple of years I’d fill out a complaint card every single time I visited an RCC (about twice a week all year, so about 100 cards a year for 2-3 years) asking for these three things, then email 1k and GS voice and beg and plead.
This is very nice. Uh oh, better run for the plane…
Our plane stopped on it’s way out of the gate, went back to the gate for a quick mechanical fix to the toilets, we were told. Outside I saw them loading a few more bags including Carolyn and Mine (the grey and yellow plastic ones).
loading our bags.3GP
I got a chance to experience the new UAL business class pods on a UAL international flight routed from Zurich through San Francisco to Sidney. As it is one of the first six 767’s out of about 100 with the new Panasonic seat pods, a system-trained UAL employee was on board to answer questions. My observations are:
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Lots of cops… What for I wonder.
Maybe a very bad flight…
It is very nice.
Good thing too, ’cause the old one kinda sucked.
Our flight from ORD to DEN was cancelled. They let us know we could fly tomorrow on a ORD-LAX-OAK flight and get in either on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning or something. I probably could have made my OAK-YYZ flight… But we got lucky - on flight 11 originally from JFK to SFO somebody’s leg exploded, clots or something; apparently there was blood everywhere so they had to land. Then they couldn’t clean all the blood up so they had to find another airplane. For reasons we don’t understand this plane is now going to DEN. Instead of arriving in SFO at 2:30 they’ll be getting in around midnight.
Our 747 relected in the glass of the gates at FRA.
It looked a lot cooler in real life…. 747s are big….
After a lovely visit to Italy, Austria, and Germany. The upstairs of a 747 feels like a private plane but with more comfortable toilets, a bigger kitchen, and a bunch of boring old men (as a rule).
Not a bad club, stylish and quiet but the liquor selection isn’t very good (limited, mostly well-drinks) though it is free and there’s food.
There is good free wifi with no hassle (not even a log-in screen, so you can use it with a skype phone).
The wine is called pimple.
The Maple Leaf Club at the Montreal airport (international side) is small, but as elegant and well kept up as the international and domestic clubs at YYZ. Maple Leaf clubs always have soup and salad (after 4:30), which is generally quite good, and always seem to have a good selection of cookies and other treats.
They also have decent free alcohol including good beer (draft Guinness) and a good selection of liquor. My preference is for the Crown Royal. The bathrooms are clean (small at YUL). There’s free “DataValet” wifi, but I couldn’t get an IP address at YUL (generally it works, but the service isn’t particularly snappy).
Star Aliance Gold gets you in, but you can also buy access with your ticket for small extra fee - something like $15, which is a lot cheaper than buying a few drinks at an airport bar. Plus free soup! Can’t go wrong with free soup.
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