En Route to San Francisco
San Francisco, California.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I had been waiting for this day for the past two months! To be honest, I didn't have any plans of coming here at all. However, upon learning that I'd be off on Thanksgiving week, I immediately booked myself a ticket. And the nice thing about it? I didn't pay anything at all, except for the small upgrade fee from coach to first class which I'll talk about.
So yesterday, the 23rd, I still had to go to the office. Time seemed to go by really slow. It was dreadful. When the clocked stroke at 5, I left like a lightning bolt as I still needed to finalize packing. Going home, as always, was horrendous. Seriously, what's up with the traffic on such a tiny island? Anyway, I had a few hours to kill to get ready for my flight. I bathe, I ate dinner, and I inspected my luggage if I brought everything with me. In the past, I used to bring everything. But I learned that travelling light is the way to go. I only brought my essentials. Really!
Going to the airport was quite fast. No traffic at all. Thank goodness! Went to the United Airlines terminal, and got my boarding pass. As mentioned, I did upgrade from the coach to first class. I thought, why not? It's my way of indulging myself. I didn't realize though that United utilizes the "older" style of Boeing 777-200 aircraft for their HNL to SFO flights. So, I was like, "shit" I paid extra to be seated in something "old." Old=90's style seat. I called United customer service to request if I could go back to coach but I was told that coach was now fully booked. How could that happen? Who knows!
On the day of my flight, I checked the seating map to see where I was assigned. And miraculously, the type of aircraft was apparently changed! OMG! The new plane would have the 2-4-2 configuration. That means flat-bed seats (or something like that). At least the extra money that I paid for would be worth it, I told myself. I was still a bit nervous though because in the world of airlines, aircrafts change all the time.
Fortunately, my fear of being seated in the older style aircraft did not materialize! Wheww. It was my first time to be seated in First Class in a long time! The thing is, the seats weren't actually "first class" but rather "BusinessFirst" - which I believe are typically used for transpacific flight like HNL-NRT etcetera.
It would have been much cooler though if I had my own "suite" but i'll keep dreaming. Haha. Now, the million dollar question. Was it worth upgrading from coach to "first class" for this particular flight? Yes AND No. Yes because I like the thought of treating myself. I mean, I used my chase sapphire points to book for this flight so I didn't really pay for it. The only thing I paid for was the upgrade fee which was less than $300 OW. That was such a good price! On the other hand, it wasn't worth it because I was expecting more. Haha. The space was obviously there. But the seat itself was still tight. I was thinking, someone of a larger size may not find it too comfortable. Additionally the service was mediocre. Maybe I'm just used to Asian hospitality like ANA. Lastly, I didn't like the fact that I had no access to the lounge; there was no amenity kit and only light snacks were provided. It was a domestic flight after all. But can you imagine that someone actually paid thousands of dollars? I would have to say, the value wise, it wasn't worth it. Would I upgrade again? Yes, on long haul flights only though. But honestly, I'd rather go premium economy like those offered by JAL or ANA :D
Anyway, here are a few photos:
Happy Thanksgiving!
I had been waiting for this day for the past two months! To be honest, I didn't have any plans of coming here at all. However, upon learning that I'd be off on Thanksgiving week, I immediately booked myself a ticket. And the nice thing about it? I didn't pay anything at all, except for the small upgrade fee from coach to first class which I'll talk about.
So yesterday, the 23rd, I still had to go to the office. Time seemed to go by really slow. It was dreadful. When the clocked stroke at 5, I left like a lightning bolt as I still needed to finalize packing. Going home, as always, was horrendous. Seriously, what's up with the traffic on such a tiny island? Anyway, I had a few hours to kill to get ready for my flight. I bathe, I ate dinner, and I inspected my luggage if I brought everything with me. In the past, I used to bring everything. But I learned that travelling light is the way to go. I only brought my essentials. Really!
Going to the airport was quite fast. No traffic at all. Thank goodness! Went to the United Airlines terminal, and got my boarding pass. As mentioned, I did upgrade from the coach to first class. I thought, why not? It's my way of indulging myself. I didn't realize though that United utilizes the "older" style of Boeing 777-200 aircraft for their HNL to SFO flights. So, I was like, "shit" I paid extra to be seated in something "old." Old=90's style seat. I called United customer service to request if I could go back to coach but I was told that coach was now fully booked. How could that happen? Who knows!
On the day of my flight, I checked the seating map to see where I was assigned. And miraculously, the type of aircraft was apparently changed! OMG! The new plane would have the 2-4-2 configuration. That means flat-bed seats (or something like that). At least the extra money that I paid for would be worth it, I told myself. I was still a bit nervous though because in the world of airlines, aircrafts change all the time.
Fortunately, my fear of being seated in the older style aircraft did not materialize! Wheww. It was my first time to be seated in First Class in a long time! The thing is, the seats weren't actually "first class" but rather "BusinessFirst" - which I believe are typically used for transpacific flight like HNL-NRT etcetera.
It would have been much cooler though if I had my own "suite" but i'll keep dreaming. Haha. Now, the million dollar question. Was it worth upgrading from coach to "first class" for this particular flight? Yes AND No. Yes because I like the thought of treating myself. I mean, I used my chase sapphire points to book for this flight so I didn't really pay for it. The only thing I paid for was the upgrade fee which was less than $300 OW. That was such a good price! On the other hand, it wasn't worth it because I was expecting more. Haha. The space was obviously there. But the seat itself was still tight. I was thinking, someone of a larger size may not find it too comfortable. Additionally the service was mediocre. Maybe I'm just used to Asian hospitality like ANA. Lastly, I didn't like the fact that I had no access to the lounge; there was no amenity kit and only light snacks were provided. It was a domestic flight after all. But can you imagine that someone actually paid thousands of dollars? I would have to say, the value wise, it wasn't worth it. Would I upgrade again? Yes, on long haul flights only though. But honestly, I'd rather go premium economy like those offered by JAL or ANA :D
Anyway, here are a few photos:
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| Waiting to board! My outfit was smart but confortable. Seriously, why wear sweatpants? I donned an Editor Shirt, Jcrew Trousers, Jcrew trousers, & a pair of Y-3 sneakers. I brought along with my a Tod's messenger bag that contained my essentials (laptop, camera etc) and my tiny Rimowa Salsa Deluxe cabin something. Haha. This is seriously the best investment I've ever gotten because it has and will always be my travelling companion :) |
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| This was the "Firs Class" section although in reality, it was really a "BusinessFirst." It was a full flight so I could change seats. I like being in an aisle because I tend to use the lavatory a lot. But oh well! |
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| After takeoff, a light meal was provided. This was a burger and I thought it was really good! I ate a very early dinner and at 10 pm, I was starving. Thank goodness something decent was served. Haha. As I was eating, I glued my eyes to Batman vs Superman. Haha. It was pretty much the only film I saw although selection was quite good. I wish I had a bose headphones. My neighbor had one and it looked so comfortable. Maybe I should get one? |
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| Rhapsody is a luxury lifestyle magazine for UA's discerning first and business class passengers. Nice. Haha. I loved that my style icon Eddie Redmayne was on the cover. I didn't really read it whilst on board, but I snatched a copy so I'll read it sometime. Haha |
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