12 August 2013
-
Flying to the United States
Last Thursday I made a last-minute trip back to the United States to renew my Thai visa. Searching online, I was able to find a combination of dates and routes that were reasonably affordable.
The trip was booked on United Airlines through Tokyo. While I consider most Asian airlines to be a better experience than US-based airlines, I have to say that United’s revamped economy class product was acceptable, better than it used to be. Sadly, their Boeing 747s have not had the revamp. The Boeing 777 fleet, though, has audio-video on-demand and power outlets at every set of seats. The flight attendants are still kind of surly, though.
In Tokyo, I was joined by a group of thirty or so Korean primary school children on their way to a Tae Kwan Do competition in San Francisco. One of the group, 11-year old Jun, was seated between me on the aisle and another guy in the window seat. It made for an interesting flight. He was more outgoing than I would expect, talking with both of us throughout the flight and asking lots of questions. Even when I put on my eye shades and tried to sleep.
My fellow traveler and I looked out for Jun, getting snacks for him from the galley and sharing some snacks we had brought on board. An interesting thing that I assume is a cultural trait, when I offered him some granola bars that I had just opened, he declined to break off a section for himself. Instead, I figured out that he was waiting for me to break off a piece and offer it to him. He then broke a piece from that one and offered it to the guy sitting in the window seat.
After about seven hours of flying, awake the whole time, Jun’s energy ran out and he crashed hard asleep. Contorted in his seat in a strange position, I managed to wake him up for the second meal service since he had complained of being hungry. He was so bleary he could scarcely decide what entree to eat. He fell back asleep and didn’t wake up until we pulled into the gate and I shook his shoulder. Poor kid – hope he didn’t have to complete the following day!
I will be in the United States for ten days. Have already gathered some good food pictures and will share them in the next few days.
Comments (12)
Welcome back to the USA! I hope there will be time to visit with family and you have good travels!
Coming home to renew the visa beats the runs to Singapore or Malaysia for the day it seems. Seeing friends again has to be such a superior emotion. will you be heading east to Omaha or KS?
having had a loved one who worked as a UA flight attendant, i am a lot more sympathetic to our in-flight staff. their primary duty, is to help in the event of an emergency. they just also happen to serve you food and drinks. its really a thankless job. what most people don’t realize is that often times, there isn’t enough food to feed them. they only eat if there are extra meals. otherwise, they have to bring their own. and if they’re jumping from one flight to another, they might not have time to get food. when i travel internationally on a U.S. based airline, i will often times try to go to an airport shop and purchase some cookies or some kind of snack, and give it to the flight staff. i do it because if my friend was on this flight, i’d want to make sure she at least had something to eat. i expect extra attention and care, but i often do get it as a result.
Enjoy your trip, however short it may be. And I hope you get some rest on the flight home.
@M_1 - I’m married to a former UA flight attendant and am friends with several more, so appreciate the challenges their career offers. That said, I think any person working in a service industry can choose how they interact with customers. If you choose to treat the customers as valued, they will feel that way. If you choose to treat the customers with disdain, they will feel that way, too. As for the meals, I’m not quite clear why UA flight attendants would not get food to eat, as crew meals are loaded onto flights as per contractual work rules.
@ZSA_MD - Made it to Kansas City for a long weekend. Now in California for a few more days before heading home.
@M_1 - Correction: *I don’t expect extra attention
I was last part of the UA (extended) family in 2009. Things had gotten quite ugly by then. Multiple layoffs and furloughs, and the elimination of pensions caused a lot of bitterness in general. I do agree with you 100% though, that if you’re not going to be friendly and courteous, you shouldn’t be in the service industry.
Maybe I can find a cute flight attendant!?!?!? Enjoy your visit!
@M_1 - Sorry to hear you’re part of the long-suffering UA family, too. My dad received early retirement with them during bankruptcy.
@Fatcat723 - Ha ha ha…
it IS a very long flight from asia all the way to usa. though i miss my friends, i don’t miss the long flights.