7,000 miles, four flights, three cities, one day... one plane!

[FCYTravis]

I now have a special bond with N187US, an A321-200. You see, for 18 of the last 22 hours, I was sitting in a First Class seat aboard that aircraft.

From San Francisco overnight to Philly, from Philly down the Eastern Seaboard to a spectacular beach landing at Fort Lauderdale, back up to the City of Brotherly Love and finally across this great nation home to SFO, N187US was my constant companion.

No, I have no idea how it happened. I just booked a good ole same-day-return mileage run, SFO-PHL-FLL-PHL-SFO, on USAirways.com. All flights were on A321s, so I figured the PHL-FLL-PHL bit would be a turn... but as we taxied into Gate B15 at Philadelphia, I looked down at my connecting boarding pass to Fort Lauderdale... boarding at gate B15!

The PHL-FLL-PHL FA got a kick out of it (and thought I was nuts!) and so did the gate agent at FLL who printed out my return boarding passes. I looked down at the final flight ... and there it was, Gate B15 again, and the FA confirmed that my new friend N187US would take me on home!

Airline scheduling is something else. Thanks to the three flight crews for putting up with me occupying Seat 3A for the better part of a day, and allowing me to munch my way through at least one SkyChefs truck full of snack basket goodies

 

[Heinrich]

I now have a special bond with N187US, an A321-200. You see, for 18 of the last 22 hours, I was sitting in a First Class seat aboard that aircraft.

From San Francisco overnight to Philly, from Philly down the Eastern Seaboard to a spectacular beach landing at Fort Lauderdale, back up to the City of Brotherly Love and finally across this great nation home to SFO, N187US was my constant companion.

No, I have no idea how it happened. I just booked a good ole same-day-return mileage run, SFO-PHL-FLL-PHL-SFO, on USAirways.com. All flights were on A321s, so I figured the PHL-FLL-PHL bit would be a turn... but as we taxied into Gate B15 at Philadelphia, I looked down at my connecting boarding pass to Fort Lauderdale... boarding at gate B15!

The PHL-FLL-PHL FA got a kick out of it (and thought I was nuts!) and so did the gate agent at FLL who printed out my return boarding passes. I looked down at the final flight ... and there it was, Gate B15 again, and the FA confirmed that my new friend N187US would take me on home!

Airline scheduling is something else. Thanks to the three flight crews for putting up with me occupying Seat 3A for the better part of a day, and allowing me to munch my way through at least one SkyChefs truck full of snack basket goodies

What did you get SFO-PHL?

 

[ClueByFour]

What did you get SFO-PHL?

If it was the redeye, presumably he got the snack basket.

 

[BoeingBoy]

to a spectacular beach landing at Fort Lauderdale,

How was the landing on the beach . They didn't make you dig the wheels out of the sand, did they?


Jim

 

[JAXPax]

Lucky you were on an A321 for that long....

Most time I've spent in the company of a US Airways plane was N607AU (a B757-200 that is a little worse off than many)... BWI-CLT-LAS-CLT-PHL. At least the transcons were in First.

 

[US1YFARE]

don't tell them how much you paid for your ticket!

which leads me to another question....and please don't be offended FCYTravis....why have they taken away the tier mile bonuses (miles to achieve elite status) for high paying pax?

Do you think it is unfair that pax who pay high fares but travel less, but still give more revenue to the company, should be penalized for not being a "segment whore" or for doing mileage runs? UA has a special "revenue" level for some of its higher revenue generating pax.

 

[WestCoastGuy]

Good Grief... What some people do for miles!

 

[US1YFARE]

Good Grief... What some people do for miles!

not for miles, for ELITE STATUS...lots of people do it...lots of people make their trip longer or add segments to achieve a certain level of status.

Look, after speaking to one of your friendly agents in the philipines the other day by accident, I feel sorry for the people who don't have access to the res agents I have access to. If I had no status, I would call HP's reservation line since you get someone who understands what you are looking for.

CSR: What is your flight number.
Me: I don't know my flight number.
CSR: What is your flight number.
Me: I don't know it.
CSR: You don't know it.
Me: No, I don't
CSR: I need your flight number.
Me: I am Mr. US1YFARE and I am on the flight between PHL and FLL leaving at about 600 am
CSR: What is your flight number
Me: I DON'T KNOW MY FLIGHT NUMBER
CSR: I need your flight number
Me: Click

 

[tadjr]

Look, after speaking to one of your friendly agents in the philipines the other day by accident, I feel sorry for the people who don't have access to the res agents I have access to.

Me: I am Mr. US1YFARE and I am on the flight between PHL and FLL leaving at about 600 am
CSR: What is your flight number
Me: I DON'T KNOW MY FLIGHT NUMBER
CSR: I need your flight number
Me: Click

This would be the point in time when you would come see someone who works at the airport and tell them you needed to change your reservation, but couldnt get the rez agent to understand you. At which time the airport agent would pull up your flight and see that it has conveniently been canx or rebooked for something completely different, etc :down: Now if they could have just NOT found it for a little longer..... B)

 

[FCYTravis]

How was the landing on the beach . They didn't make you dig the wheels out of the sand, did they?

Nah, that's what the 757 tow-hook is for - they just jerked it airborne with a plane that has power to spare - sort of like a catapult launch

Fort Lauderdale's runway might as well have been beach sand, though - it's the bumpiest this side of Mexico City (and if you've ever flown into MEX you know how bad that is...)

And yeah, what I got was snack basket, snack basket, snack basket (mmmm, Cape Cod chips...) and finally a real meal on the homeward leg - a not-half-bad chicken piccata with an airline salad that was actually tasty, with sun-dried tomatoes and greens and such... quite a change from the usual "let's toss in some week-old lettuce and genetically engineered tomatoes" deal