#68 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
384 reviews
I haven't done a domestic flight report in a while, so while I slowly work away on my LH F flight report from my September flight, here's a quick trip I took to Chicago to catch up with some friends I haven't seen in years.
I got to DCA about an hour before boarding so that I would have enough time to eat lunch before my flight. On my way to the United gates, you can see that the Centurion Lounge is still under construction. I think the tentative timeline is now March or April 2024, but it's really anyone's guess. This lounge was supposed to open earlier this year.
When I got to the United Gates, I realized that my old spot the Bracket Room was under renovation (or perhaps being taken down?). I haven't flown out of DCA in months, so this was news to me. Regardless of what the fate of the Bracket Room is, it wasn't available to me and I was hungry.
So I made my way over to the American Tap Room by the D gates. This is DCA's other Priority Pass restaurant. Things will be so much more convenient once both the Centurion Lounge and the Capital One grab-and-go spot opens (though I imagine crowding in both of those places are going to be crazy).
I got a simple steak sandwich, which was entirely covered by the Priority Pass allowance (tip not included). It wasn't exactly a great sandwich, but got the job done.
On my way back to the B gates, I saw JetBlue's "Bear Force One" A320. It took me a while to realize this was a Boston Bruins livery.
Meanwhile, in the terminal itself, the Christmas decorations were up.
My flight to Chicago was on N24212, a 25-years old Boeing 737-800. Boarding began on-time at 12:19am.
As usual, boarding in the US is an absolute mess, so forgive me if I couldn't get a clear shot of the cabin. You can see that United keeps its Boeing 737s in the standards 3-3 layout in economy. The Economy Plus seats have 3 more inches of legroom, but are otherwise fairly normal. Though the older seats have slightly better padding than the newer slimline ones.
I booked this flight rather hastily the prior month, so I didn't pay much attention to my seat selection (in fact, I was hoping for an upgrade, but alas I was number one on the upgrade list and it still did not clear). Little did I realize, 11A is missing a window! It wasn't that big of a deal to me, but would be prove annoying to take pictures as we approached Chicago.
Another note is that many of United older 737s still have IFE screens (and they're bringing those back on the newer planes). A power outlet can be found between the seats.
Before takeoff, a FA came around offering free earbuds for the seatback entertainment.
We pushed back at 12:53pm and took off at 1:02pm ET.
Service began about 10 minutes after takeoff with a snack offering. I opted for the chocolate quinoa crisp, which was nice (and low calorie). Snack boxes were also available for purchase, but I didn't ask for one as part of the 1K privilege.
I also had a cup of much needed coffee. I think that United offers the best domestic coffee, but it isn't by much.
Throughout the flight I just kept my IFE screen on the flight map, which is the less-detailed 2D version.
We began our descent a little more than 20 minutes before landing.
Flying over Lake Michigan:
There's Chicago in the distance!
A closer in look:
We landed at 1:36pm CT and was at our gate 3 minutes later–30 minutes early!
From there, it was a relatively quick walk out of the terminal, but with the anti-congestion policy, passengers from Terminal 1 have to walk to Terminal 2 to grab a ride share. Taxis and other ground transportation can pick up in front of Terminal 1. It was roughly another 5-6 minute walk to Terminal 2 once you get out.
Lounge: The American Tap Room is the more convenient Priority Pass option if you're flying American Airlines, but not so much for United's flights. As a plus for walking over to the D gates, it at least has a bigger menu and in my experience offers consistently faster service than the Bracket Room.
Cabin & Seat: This is one of United's older 737s and I honestly prefer their economy sections to the newer planes (until the retrofit is done). The seats are fine and most importantly have seatback IFE screens. Who knows how long it'll take United to bring back IFEs to all of their mainline domestic flights.
Service: Always hard to comment on the service for these domestic flights in economy. They were efficient, but neither warm nor cold. I'll note for whatever it's worth that status was not acknowledged as it has been on some economy flights in the past.
Meal & Catering: This was the usual for US domestic economy: simply a snack and a drink. On United, 1Ks who are not upgraded get to have a free alcoholic beverage and a free buy-onboard meal, but I did not partake.
Bottom Line: It's always annoying to be the first position on the upgrade list and not have it clear because United tries to upsell the last seat all the way until boarding. Otherwise, this was a very pleasant flight that arrived quite a bit early--can't ask for much more in terms of operations domestically.
Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 8 avis concernant 3 compagnies sur la ligne Washington (DCA) → Chicago (ORD).
La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est American Airlines avec 7.2/10.
La durée moyenne des vols est de 2 heures et 8 minutes.
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2 Comments
Doh, so close! I've had that happen many times and I just always assume I'm not getting it to avoid disappointment lol. I have been pleasantly surprised in the past when gate agents have come to the back to bring me up front.
Haha yep, about a dozen down and HUNDREDS AND HUNDRES to go hahahaha
Thanks for sharing!
I've been upgraded as I scanned my boarding pass a few times, but never been brought up front. As my status is dropping next year, I can probably say goodbye to any glimmer of hope for upgrades and say hello to position 34 on the upgrade list.
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