United Airlines First Class Lunch - 2015

Always take the soup, it won't disappoint.  Unfortunately, the meals in first class this year are mundane and bland.  United can learn a ton from Lufthansa's catering team.  Here's a few examples of filling, but uninspired meals I've seen this year.

Ham and Cheese

Asian Chicken Salad

Chicken Wrap

W Hotels That Were Something Else First

The W hotel brand started in 1998 and there are some fantastic new hotels in the brand's portfolio.  My favorite is the W Boston followed closely by the W South Beach.  Unfortunately not all W hotels are new constructions, like the W Chicago Loop.  The give away that this was an old hotel, among other things not including the small rooms with poor sound insulation, was the mail chute by the elevators.  These are the marks of nice, but old, buildings.  I did mail some post cards with them, so they are fun and practical too.  

Sign of an Older Building

Airlines' Long Term Technology Investments

Airlines like to hang on to investments for a long time.  Take the MD-80 as an example or that US Airways just retired their last 767-200 after 25 years of service.  They are also the only industry clinging to perforated paper printers, the highlight of mid 1980's technology.  Luckily airlines can order paper and ink on the internet or these printers would be in the trash next to floppy disks and Zip drives.

30 Years Old and Going Strong

Broken Seat Back TV

Is it worth taking a delay for the aircraft's seat back TV system to be fixed?  It can be reset in air, but it's a much longer 8 hour flight without it.  I'd say push back and press your luck with the reset procedure.

TV Resetting

Ewwww - Oatmeal Raisin

Midwest Express did the in flight cookie best.  It was chocolate chip every time and everyone got one.  They even sold them at Brewers games in Milwaukee. United does not live up to that standard.

Ewwwww

United Airlines 757-200 Business First Class Seats

I love the 757; it's a wonderful aircraft without rival (Boeing and Airbus are working to change that). The aircraft is over powered, has amazing range, looks cool, and boards through the second door so first class passengers turn left.  Fewer United Airlines passengers are turning left these days though. The 737-900ER is taking over most of the 757 routes. The legacy United 757's are swiftly being retired to be parted out or converted to freighters for FedEx.  The legacy Continental 757's still in service are the stretched -300 version and the international configuration -200 version. These have 8 fewer first class seats, so upgrades are difficult to find. I was lucky recently to have an upgrade from IAH to EWR and enjoyed the big screen and the bed.  The seat was great and I slept very well. 

Seat 2A For Taxi, Takeoff, and Landing

Seat 2A Reclined

Seat 2A Flat Bed

Southwest A-List Fast Track Offer

The tempting Southwest Airlines short cut to A List status offer only gives status through December 31, 2015.  If the status lasted through December 31, 2016, I would have flown the three round trips for status, but it isn't worth it for me for 10 months of status.

Southwest 737 at Las Vegas