The end of 2016 was approaching and I have already made up my mind to build status with a Star Alliance carrier in 2017 - TK to be precise. Earlier I matched my AA EXP status to TK Elite and I already flew a paid segment to qualify for a year, so all I needed to do was accumulate 15,000 status miles with TK before Aug. 2017 in order to extend it for a second year.
I have achieved Gold with AA for 2017 and was shy of 5,000 miles for Platinum. Then one day I stumbled upon an incredible SFO-ORD fare for about USD 105 (EUR 96.40) and it was available for the first two Saturdays of Dec. on AA. I debated whether to succumb to this offer or not and after an hour of wrestling with this dilemma i purchased the tickets. in the end, I asked myself this question - would I regret not taking this offer and miss PLT status for under 5,000 miles? The answer was a resounding yes and the thought of carrying the burden of missing this opportunity was too much to bear, especially for a year. So this is how this trip came into existence.
I woke up early and took the local bus to the airport. It was a relaxing 5 min. morning walk and since I live close to the airport the ride took about 10 min.
Waiting at the bus stop with the sun rising on a cold morning.
I checked in at the kiosk and printed my boarding pass. Security was quick thanks to TSA Pre-Check.
Plane at the gate.
I stopped by the Japanese counter and grabbed a box of sushi (which proved to be a wise decision).
Gate.
Boarding commenced 30 min. before departure and priorities were respected. A cheerful FA greets me at the entrance and i walk towards 5A. Yes, i chose a window on this flight.
The view outside from my seat.
Cabin.
The F cabin will be full today and we have a celebrity aboard - actor Jason Segel who happens to be an ordained minister too.
Overwhelmed with the excitement of seeing Mr. Segel, I immediately jumped out of my seat and proceeded to ask him for an autograph. I comment about his unusual and surprising role in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" for which he was nominated for an MTV for Best WTF Moment. NOT !! Perhaps in an alternate universe, but not this one.
A pre-dept. drink was offered and I had glass of orange juice to start the day.
Taxiing out.
QF's SYD flight just arrived and passed in front of us.
Take off. Behold the Bay Area - one of the most beautiful settings in the world. I can never get tired of this view.
After we leveled off the service started with hot towels.
Meanwhile the view from outside.
The choices were egg sandwich OR oatmeal. I had the warm egg sandwich and I was presented with this. Supposedly they are scrambled eggs served over biscuits with a chorizo gravy. The presentation was revolting and it resembled someone's vomited breakfast. On top of that, it was lukewarm and the FA apologized that one of the ovens did not work properly. She kindly offered to reheat my breakfast.
At this point I was glad that I bought the box of sushi aboard and proceeded to eat it after the failed breakfast. The purser was attentive and made frequent passes through the cabin. Before arrival a snack package was distributed.
There were a lot of clouds outside during the descent and I noticed a circled rainbow surrounding the plane.
Gorgeous views of downtown Chicago during descent.
Getting to ORD.
Landing at ORD.
See more
Verdict
American Airlines
6.9/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi6.5
Meal/catering4.0
San Francisco - SFO
9.8/10
Efficiency9.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
Chicago - ORD
9.3/10
Efficiency9.0
Access10.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0
Conclusion
With the exception of catering, this was a good flight and the price was great value. I'm glad that I took a window seat this time and I was more than compensated with the gorgeous plane spotting and landscapes.
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Hi Adan, Cheap fare, no wonder an avgeek like you jumped on this fare :-) I love the shot of the QF747 facing you !! Did they use the IFE during the flight to display a movie ? Old cabin, disappointing meal but incredible low fare Thank you for this FR
Thank you mu friend for sharing your flight with us.
Sorry, but I don't know who this Jason Segel is ;-(
Beautiful pictures of the Qantas Queen of the Skies flaps out.
"After we leveled off the service started with hot towels."=> this is NOT a towel ^^
"I had the warm egg sandwich and I was presented with this"=> I don't remember you were that young. It looks like a child's meal. You were very wise to buy a sushi box at airport.
"Sorry, but I don't know who this Jason Segel is ;-(" - Maybe you should watch "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" to get well acquainted with him. ;)
"Beautiful pictures of the Qantas Queen of the Skies flaps out. " - The Queen of the Skies always makes an impressive entrance (or exit).
"this is NOT a towel ^^" - Everything is relative. :P
"I don't remember you were that young. It looks like a child's meal." - An olive on each biscuit would have made the meal more playful. ;)
"You were very wise to buy a sushi box at airport." - I almost never bring food aboard, but this time something compelled me to do it. Maybe it was my psychic ability. :P
Two of the most picturesque cities to fly in/out of for sure. Great photos, and fare! Taking that plane outside your window seat to SFO later this month. Looking forward to the comparison. Thanks for the trip, but visit Chicago in the summer!.
Looking forward to reading about your experience. I've been to Chicago in the summer and it can be "sizzling". One thing is for sure though, it's a great town for eating out.
"the thought of carrying the burden of missing this opportunity was too much to bear" - Oh the loyalty status game/addiction--it draws you in and no matter how sucky the US3 mileage programs get, you just can't let go. Haha. Yeah, I would have definitely made a mileage run too. Gold is essentially worthless anymore, and being ony 5K miles from Plat, I'd have made the same decision. That's how they get out money! They know we're addicted.
In this case, you made out well with such a cheap fare, an upgrade that cleared, and a celebrity on board! Look at you in full TMZ mode, lol
I know you're an aisle guy, but I'm glad you took the window and were able to get those great aerial shots throughout the flight.
So since you went for PLAT, are you still flying AA at all this year after you've switched to *A?
"no matter how sucky the US3 mileage programs get, you just can't let go. Haha" - We are masochists and mileage whores. ;)
"In this case, you made out well with such a cheap fare, an upgrade that cleared, and a celebrity on board! Look at you in full TMZ mode, lol" - Truth be told, I cleared all the segments on my 2 weekend trips to ORD. ;) Please, when it comes to celebrities I am the most ignorant fan.
"I know you're an aisle guy, but I'm glad you took the window and were able to get those great aerial shots throughout the flight. " - As the old saying goes, "sharing is s-caring". I like spreading the joy. ;)
"So since you went for PLAT, are you still flying AA at all this year after you've switched to *A?" - My trip in Feb. was on NH & UA, then at the end of May I will do an around-the-world with UA, EY and TK so no, I have not flown on AA yet. Now that UA flies nonstop SFO-MIA, I don't even think that I will set foot on AA, but who knows. Life can be unpredictable. ;)
Thanks Adan for sharing with us this nice report ! What a nice fare you had here ! For sure any avgeek will jump on it ^^ Superbe shots of the 747 QF ! The Queen is so impressive ! :) The rest of the flight is soso with this old cabin and the disappointing meal... Thanks again Adan and see ya
“we have a celebrity aboard - actor Jason Segel“ - Cool!
“Overwhelmed with the excitement of seeing Mr. Segel, I immediately jumped out of my seat and proceeded to ask him for an autograph. I comment about his unusual and surprising role in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" for which he was nominated for an MTV for Best WTF Moment. NOT !! Perhaps in an alternate universe, but not this one.“ - A great way to describe those moments, well done!
Wonderful spotting shots at SFO.
Absolutely fantastic aerial shots throughout the flight.
Sorry to hear about the catering on this flight.
Great spotting shots at ORD with several heavies.
Despite the catering, it looks like a good flight for a great fare.
"Stunning shots on the way to the airport." - I'm lucky to live in Burlingame, which is so close to the airport. It's like a mini town with its own main street (Burlingame Av.) and surrounded by restaurants and major stores like Apple, Banana Republic, GAP, etc. For more info. see this link:
"You mean... you flew from SFO to ORD for only 105 USD... in first?!?! :O" - Technically i bought the ticket in Y, but due to my EXP status at that time I cleared the upgrade. ;)
"It's hard to say if they were cooked or hocked! XD" - It' was vile! Scrambled egg with chorizo gravy.
"Let me check Wikipedia. XDD" - Only? You're not seeing the movie? :P
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16 Comments
Cheap fare, no wonder an avgeek like you jumped on this fare :-)
I love the shot of the QF747 facing you !!
Did they use the IFE during the flight to display a movie ?
Old cabin, disappointing meal but incredible low fare
Thank you for this FR
Very cheap fare indeed. This is the lowest that I've seen for SFO-ORD.
I was lucky to see that QF flight arriving. Come to think of it, it was a feast of 747's spotting- QF in SFO and KL/UA in ORD.
There was a sitcom comedy playing but I did not pay much attention.
Thanks for commenting.
Sorry, but I don't know who this Jason Segel is ;-(
Beautiful pictures of the Qantas Queen of the Skies flaps out.
"After we leveled off the service started with hot towels."=> this is NOT a towel ^^
"I had the warm egg sandwich and I was presented with this"=> I don't remember you were that young. It looks like a child's meal.
You were very wise to buy a sushi box at airport.
"Sorry, but I don't know who this Jason Segel is ;-("
- Maybe you should watch "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" to get well acquainted with him. ;)
"Beautiful pictures of the Qantas Queen of the Skies flaps out. "
- The Queen of the Skies always makes an impressive entrance (or exit).
"this is NOT a towel ^^"
- Everything is relative. :P
"I don't remember you were that young. It looks like a child's meal."
- An olive on each biscuit would have made the meal more playful. ;)
"You were very wise to buy a sushi box at airport."
- I almost never bring food aboard, but this time something compelled me to do it. Maybe it was my psychic ability. :P
Thanks for visiting Bernard. Always a pleasure.
Looking forward to reading about your experience. I've been to Chicago in the summer and it can be "sizzling". One thing is for sure though, it's a great town for eating out.
Thanks.
"the thought of carrying the burden of missing this opportunity was too much to bear"
- Oh the loyalty status game/addiction--it draws you in and no matter how sucky the US3 mileage programs get, you just can't let go. Haha. Yeah, I would have definitely made a mileage run too. Gold is essentially worthless anymore, and being ony 5K miles from Plat, I'd have made the same decision. That's how they get out money! They know we're addicted.
In this case, you made out well with such a cheap fare, an upgrade that cleared, and a celebrity on board! Look at you in full TMZ mode, lol
I know you're an aisle guy, but I'm glad you took the window and were able to get those great aerial shots throughout the flight.
So since you went for PLAT, are you still flying AA at all this year after you've switched to *A?
Thanks for sharing!
"no matter how sucky the US3 mileage programs get, you just can't let go. Haha"
- We are masochists and mileage whores. ;)
"In this case, you made out well with such a cheap fare, an upgrade that cleared, and a celebrity on board! Look at you in full TMZ mode, lol"
- Truth be told, I cleared all the segments on my 2 weekend trips to ORD. ;) Please, when it comes to celebrities I am the most ignorant fan.
"I know you're an aisle guy, but I'm glad you took the window and were able to get those great aerial shots throughout the flight. "
- As the old saying goes, "sharing is s-caring". I like spreading the joy. ;)
"So since you went for PLAT, are you still flying AA at all this year after you've switched to *A?"
- My trip in Feb. was on NH & UA, then at the end of May I will do an around-the-world with UA, EY and TK so no, I have not flown on AA yet. Now that UA flies nonstop SFO-MIA, I don't even think that I will set foot on AA, but who knows. Life can be unpredictable. ;)
Thank you for your comments and support Kevin.
What a nice fare you had here ! For sure any avgeek will jump on it ^^
Superbe shots of the 747 QF ! The Queen is so impressive ! :)
The rest of the flight is soso with this old cabin and the disappointing meal...
Thanks again Adan and see ya
"What a nice fare you had here ! For sure any avgeek will jump on it ^^"
- I was lucky.
The 747 never ceases to amaze.
Thanks for your comments.
That is a great fare.
Stunning shots on the way to the airport.
“we have a celebrity aboard - actor Jason Segel“
- Cool!
“Overwhelmed with the excitement of seeing Mr. Segel, I immediately jumped out of my seat and proceeded to ask him for an autograph. I comment about his unusual and surprising role in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" for which he was nominated for an MTV for Best WTF Moment. NOT !! Perhaps in an alternate universe, but not this one.“
- A great way to describe those moments, well done!
Wonderful spotting shots at SFO.
Absolutely fantastic aerial shots throughout the flight.
Sorry to hear about the catering on this flight.
Great spotting shots at ORD with several heavies.
Despite the catering, it looks like a good flight for a great fare.
Have a good one, see you!
"Stunning shots on the way to the airport."
- I'm lucky to live in Burlingame, which is so close to the airport. It's like a mini town with its own main street (Burlingame Av.) and surrounded by restaurants and major stores like Apple, Banana Republic, GAP, etc. For more info. see this link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlingame,_California
"Absolutely fantastic aerial shots throughout the flight."
- I had a window seat and great weather. ;)
"Sorry to hear about the catering on this flight."
- Catering is not a strong advantage of AA (or any U.S. carrier).
Thanks for visiting.
It's amazing!
Well, those eggs must have something to do with the low price. It's hard to say if they were cooked or hocked! XD
Jason Segel? Oh, wow! Jason Segel!!
Let me check Wikipedia. XDD
Beautiful aerials, especially those mountains!
Many thanks for sharing! ^^
"You mean... you flew from SFO to ORD for only 105 USD... in first?!?! :O"
- Technically i bought the ticket in Y, but due to my EXP status at that time I cleared the upgrade. ;)
"It's hard to say if they were cooked or hocked! XD"
- It' was vile! Scrambled egg with chorizo gravy.
"Let me check Wikipedia. XDD"
- Only? You're not seeing the movie? :P
Gracias por la visita y tus comentarios.
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