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defrogWhen we told people we flew United Airlines this trip, the most common response – apart from looks of sympathy – was, “Why?”
Which tells you all you need to know about UA. That and they break guitars.
And we knew it too, of course, but UA is the only airline that flies direct to Chicago from Hong Kong, which is the most convenient point of entry into the US. Plus, taking a US carrier to the US also makes it easier to book the connecting flights, which we need because Knoxville has no international airport, and no one flies direct from HK to Nashville.
And to be fair, UA isn’t the worst airline ever. In fact, it’s okay as long as you have nothing better to compare it to (which we do, having flown Singapore Airlines, which is very nice, and Cathay Pacific, which isn't as nice but still pretty good, which is how we know we could have it so much better). And until I can convince my family to move to (say) San Francisco, we may have to stick with UA and hope they get better.
Anyway, the reason UA warrants a separate post is not because they forgot to collect the bridal unit’s I-94 departure card (which means there’s no record of her leaving the US, which means by April next year she’ll be an illegal immigrant whether she’s actually in the US or not), or that the reason they forgot to collect it was because they juggled our passports between three people who then decided they couldn’t give us a seat assignment until they started boarding people for reasons we’re still unclear on.
The reason for this post is to share a key difference between flying overseas on American carriers vs Asian carriers:
One of the truisms of air travel is that passengers will, on occasion, ignore the seat belt sign if you leave it on long enough and the plane isn’t still obviously passing through an area of turbulence. Because, you know, you can only hold it so long. Whenever this happens, the flight attendant has to make an announcement reminding everyone that the seat belt sign is still on.
Here’s how Cathay Pacific usually handles it:
Here’s what our UA flight attendant said:
Here’s what the bridal unit said to me following that announcement:
So yes: it’s all about rules and govt authority on United Airlines.
Not that I blame them entirely, of course. They’re overworked and underpaid in a failing industry and have to enforce stupid security rules that don’t make anyone safer but do make passengers even more cranky than they were before 9/11.
But they’re still no fun to fly.
And that was my trip to America. The end.
Sit down and shut up,
This is dF
Which tells you all you need to know about UA. That and they break guitars.
And we knew it too, of course, but UA is the only airline that flies direct to Chicago from Hong Kong, which is the most convenient point of entry into the US. Plus, taking a US carrier to the US also makes it easier to book the connecting flights, which we need because Knoxville has no international airport, and no one flies direct from HK to Nashville.
And to be fair, UA isn’t the worst airline ever. In fact, it’s okay as long as you have nothing better to compare it to (which we do, having flown Singapore Airlines, which is very nice, and Cathay Pacific, which isn't as nice but still pretty good, which is how we know we could have it so much better). And until I can convince my family to move to (say) San Francisco, we may have to stick with UA and hope they get better.
Anyway, the reason UA warrants a separate post is not because they forgot to collect the bridal unit’s I-94 departure card (which means there’s no record of her leaving the US, which means by April next year she’ll be an illegal immigrant whether she’s actually in the US or not), or that the reason they forgot to collect it was because they juggled our passports between three people who then decided they couldn’t give us a seat assignment until they started boarding people for reasons we’re still unclear on.
The reason for this post is to share a key difference between flying overseas on American carriers vs Asian carriers:
One of the truisms of air travel is that passengers will, on occasion, ignore the seat belt sign if you leave it on long enough and the plane isn’t still obviously passing through an area of turbulence. Because, you know, you can only hold it so long. Whenever this happens, the flight attendant has to make an announcement reminding everyone that the seat belt sign is still on.
Here’s how Cathay Pacific usually handles it:
[Pleasant voice]: “Ladies and gentlemen, please observe that the seat belt sign is still on. For yr own safety please return to yr seat and fasten yr seatbelt until the sign has been switched off. Thank you.”
Here’s what our UA flight attendant said:
[Stern voice]: “Ladies and gentlemen, the seat belt sign is still on, which means you are not supposed to walk arond the cabin. Please stay in your seat while the sign is lit. This is an FAA requirement. Please respect the captain’s authority.”
Here’s what the bridal unit said to me following that announcement:
[Amazed voice]: “Damn, it’s like South Park.”
So yes: it’s all about rules and govt authority on United Airlines.
Not that I blame them entirely, of course. They’re overworked and underpaid in a failing industry and have to enforce stupid security rules that don’t make anyone safer but do make passengers even more cranky than they were before 9/11.
But they’re still no fun to fly.
And that was my trip to America. The end.
Sit down and shut up,
This is dF
