Nice Night

[kevin_standlee]

Originally our plans called for us to fly NRT-HNL-SEA-PDX starting last night, arriving just before midnight after a marathon series of flights and spending the night at the PDX Sheraton. Now we'll be flying directly and arriving 0805 -- about eight hours after we were originally scheduled to arrive. I've canceled the hotel reservation (thank goodness for the internet!), and we'll just collect my van from my co-worker in Vancouver and drive back to Mehama. And this room at the Radisson Narita was indeed very nice. The bed was probably the most comfortable of the entire stay, and I felt better when I got up than I think I have the whole trip.

All in all, this bonus 21st night in Japan was a real winner. Now to get dressed and go take advantage of the free breakfast before taking the 11:30 shuttle over to Narita and check in for our direct flight to Portland.

I'm trying to avoid feeling smug, lest Murphy strike me down for my presumption. Possibly we've made so many sacrifices to him that he smiled upon us and sent some good luck. And it makes me smile to think of the people who had a coach reservation on the Northwest flight last night but no seat assignment who, when they turned up at Narita, were told, "We've upgraded you to World Business Class; enjoy your flight to Hawaii."

Comments

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

Hopefully luck has smiled on you. I think you will be glad to be home, though. I don't want to imagine how full your e-mail will be at Work.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Not so bad. I've been able to keep an eye on things when I check my e-mail. When I've been able to keep a VPN connection, I've even been able to fix a small issue that, in practical terms, I'm the only person who can fix, so one of our people didn't have to wait three weeks for me to get back. The folks back home should be pleased with me, I think.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

It's interesting seeing you use the distinction "World Business Class". I just think Business Class and First Class and that weird bigger seat they give you on US domestic flights.

I especially find it interesting that on cross country flights lasting as long as some transatlantic and middle-eastern routes (from Europe) the seat quality and quantity is so bad. I find it really hard to believe there aren't more people who reguarly fly, say, LAX-JFK to fill the amount of premium seating you get elsewhere in the world. Cathy Pacific, around the Pacific Rim, has lots of premium business and first seating and it seems to be always full.

[k6rfm.livejournal.com]

United is running something they call "P.S." (Premium Service?) between SFO/LAX and JFK, which uses three-class international-flight-style planes. (Not that United's international business is up to the new standards yet.) It seems pretty popular, which does show there's some demand for better seats for domestic flights.

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Will this be different to their current "Premium Economy" which is basically the same with slightly more leg room?

BA, Virgin, SAS are now running 4 classes on intercontinental flights with First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy.

The Premium Economy service basically uses what used to be old style business class seats before they moved over to the flat beds.

[k6rfm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's different; it really is the wider business class seats (2 by 2 on a 757 instead of 3 by 3). You can see the seat chart at SeatGuru: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/United_Airlines/United_Airlines_Boeing_757-200_PS.php which also shows that all the Economy seats on these planes is "Economy Plus" (the extra legroom flavor.)

[k6rfm.livejournal.com]

"the people who had a coach reservation...no seat assignment" I hope NWA has a classier operational-upgrade procedure than that. We got an operational upgrade on a transatlantic flight once. Even though we were already on the plane and in our seats, the gate agent came on and moved us up. We must have been the highest-status folks still in Coach (Lin had clocked a couple of transpacific flights for work that year.)