Flying in the Front
Australia Travelog #48
Somewhere over the South Pacific - Sun, 31 Dec 2023, ??pm
I've been enjoying my unexpected upgrade aboard our flight home from Sydney for a few hours now. This op-up, or operational upgrade, came as we'd been sitting in our seats for over an hour while the aircraft was still at the gate. Ultimately we left about 90 minutes late.
What's an operational upgrade? It's an upgrade the flight crew & local staff operating the flight choose to give to passengers without requiring any upgrade instrument to support it. What's an instrument? It's an upgrade paid for by the passenger, via cash or certificate, or it's a spot on a complimentary upgrade list managed carefully by corporate policies.
Okay, that sure reads like a lot of industry jargon. Here's what the upgrade looks like. 😅
We're in United's Polaris class. What is Polaris? Okay, I promise I won't make this jargon-y. 😂 Polaris is a name United made up for its premium class that's basically halfway between modern notions of First Class and Business Class on international flights. It more spacious that most airlines' international business, and it has lay-flat seats. But it's not as spacious as many airlines' international first class seating, and the service is still United Airlines- which means it's not the high standard of food, drink, and human service that many foreign airlines deliver. But hey, it's among the nicest seats I've ever flown in, and it's an op-up- I think it's the first one of those (though maybe the second) I've had in over 1.5 million miles of flying. In fact this is the even more elusive double op-up, as we bypassed Premium Economy to land in Polaris.
The food, drinks, and service may not measure up to the high standards of many Asian and Middle East airlines, but they're better than nearly anything I've had before on a US-flagged carrier. I perused the menu card as I sat down and familiarized myself with the seat. I've actually never seen a menu card fill both sides of a full size page before. Before takeoff a flight attendant asked which dinner I'd prefer. Even though I was still pretty full from free food and booze at the Singapore flight lounge I eagerly requested the beef brisket. And a glass a Champagne to keep the party going while I waited for takeoff. 🤣
Once in the air I experimented with the seat adjustments. The seat can recline all the way into a lay-flat position, with a leg rest rising to meet the foot compartment under the infotainment screen. I didn't actually feel like laying flat, especially before dinner, so I reclined the seat just a bit and raised the leg rest to put my feet up. Ahh, take that, sprained ankle! (Yes, I was hobbling through the oversized, overpriced shopping mall named Sydney International Airport earlier today. There is no back, only forward!)
Shit Rolls and Not-Shit Rolls
When dinner came, it was amusing. It was amusing how much better it was than the meal United served in coach on our flight out to Australia. I mean, the fact that there's tender meat and fresh steamed vegetables and not one but two salads- the traditional salad and a sort-of caprese salad with fresh buffalo mozzarella-doesn't surprise me. I fully expect the food in hybrid business/first Polaris to be better. But the roll is better, too. Way better. And that's what's amusing.
You see, this roll (on the upper-right of my table setting in the photo above) is soft and not ice-code and actually edible. That's all the opposite of the shit roll they served us in coach. And that's what's amusing- that United stocks two kinds of rolls, shit rolls and not-shit rolls.
How many pennies per passenger does United save by serving the shit rolls in coach instead of giving everyone a not-shit roll? How much more does it cost them to manage inventory of two kinds of rolls? Arguably they could save money by simplifying and serving only non-shit rolls. Though having non-shit rolls in all classes of service that might reduce the premium they can charge for Polaris. 🤣
The Sundae Cart
Once upon a time, part of the experience of flying in First Class was the cart of prime rib that would roll down the aisle. Passengers would tell glamorously attired flight attendants how they preferred their roast, and the FAs would obliging carve off a slice right there in the aisle.
There's no roast beef cart anymore- I think that disappeared before miniskirt uniforms and smoking sections did- but there is a sundae cart. Well, technically it's a dessert cart because it's got more than sundaes, but today I'm all about the sundae!
I got mine with both chocolate and caramel syrup and a dollop of whipped cream. 😳🍨🤤
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream?
Since finishing dinner I've been trying to settle down for the rest of the flight. It's a long one, over 13 hours. Not quite as long as the 15+ hours on the way to Australia; the jet stream helps a bit on the eastward flight home.
What time is it now? I don't know. I mean, my phone says it's about 8pm on the 31st. That's the time in Australia. And my laptop says it's about 1am on the 31st. That's the time at home. But what time is it, effectively, for me? That's what I don't know.
I was hoping to catch close to a full night's sleep on this flight, to help readjust to the time zone at home. My hopes for sleep went way up with the benefit of this upgrade. But right now I'm not feeling very sleepy, and that's even after having at least 8 glasses of wine today between the flight lounge and this upgraded flight. We'll see.
Somewhere over the South Pacific - Sun, 31 Dec 2023, ??pm
I've been enjoying my unexpected upgrade aboard our flight home from Sydney for a few hours now. This op-up, or operational upgrade, came as we'd been sitting in our seats for over an hour while the aircraft was still at the gate. Ultimately we left about 90 minutes late.
What's an operational upgrade? It's an upgrade the flight crew & local staff operating the flight choose to give to passengers without requiring any upgrade instrument to support it. What's an instrument? It's an upgrade paid for by the passenger, via cash or certificate, or it's a spot on a complimentary upgrade list managed carefully by corporate policies.
Okay, that sure reads like a lot of industry jargon. Here's what the upgrade looks like. 😅
We're in United's Polaris class. What is Polaris? Okay, I promise I won't make this jargon-y. 😂 Polaris is a name United made up for its premium class that's basically halfway between modern notions of First Class and Business Class on international flights. It more spacious that most airlines' international business, and it has lay-flat seats. But it's not as spacious as many airlines' international first class seating, and the service is still United Airlines- which means it's not the high standard of food, drink, and human service that many foreign airlines deliver. But hey, it's among the nicest seats I've ever flown in, and it's an op-up- I think it's the first one of those (though maybe the second) I've had in over 1.5 million miles of flying. In fact this is the even more elusive double op-up, as we bypassed Premium Economy to land in Polaris.
The food, drinks, and service may not measure up to the high standards of many Asian and Middle East airlines, but they're better than nearly anything I've had before on a US-flagged carrier. I perused the menu card as I sat down and familiarized myself with the seat. I've actually never seen a menu card fill both sides of a full size page before. Before takeoff a flight attendant asked which dinner I'd prefer. Even though I was still pretty full from free food and booze at the Singapore flight lounge I eagerly requested the beef brisket. And a glass a Champagne to keep the party going while I waited for takeoff. 🤣
Once in the air I experimented with the seat adjustments. The seat can recline all the way into a lay-flat position, with a leg rest rising to meet the foot compartment under the infotainment screen. I didn't actually feel like laying flat, especially before dinner, so I reclined the seat just a bit and raised the leg rest to put my feet up. Ahh, take that, sprained ankle! (Yes, I was hobbling through the oversized, overpriced shopping mall named Sydney International Airport earlier today. There is no back, only forward!)
Shit Rolls and Not-Shit Rolls
When dinner came, it was amusing. It was amusing how much better it was than the meal United served in coach on our flight out to Australia. I mean, the fact that there's tender meat and fresh steamed vegetables and not one but two salads- the traditional salad and a sort-of caprese salad with fresh buffalo mozzarella-doesn't surprise me. I fully expect the food in hybrid business/first Polaris to be better. But the roll is better, too. Way better. And that's what's amusing.
You see, this roll (on the upper-right of my table setting in the photo above) is soft and not ice-code and actually edible. That's all the opposite of the shit roll they served us in coach. And that's what's amusing- that United stocks two kinds of rolls, shit rolls and not-shit rolls.
How many pennies per passenger does United save by serving the shit rolls in coach instead of giving everyone a not-shit roll? How much more does it cost them to manage inventory of two kinds of rolls? Arguably they could save money by simplifying and serving only non-shit rolls. Though having non-shit rolls in all classes of service that might reduce the premium they can charge for Polaris. 🤣
The Sundae Cart
Once upon a time, part of the experience of flying in First Class was the cart of prime rib that would roll down the aisle. Passengers would tell glamorously attired flight attendants how they preferred their roast, and the FAs would obliging carve off a slice right there in the aisle.
There's no roast beef cart anymore- I think that disappeared before miniskirt uniforms and smoking sections did- but there is a sundae cart. Well, technically it's a dessert cart because it's got more than sundaes, but today I'm all about the sundae!
I got mine with both chocolate and caramel syrup and a dollop of whipped cream. 😳🍨🤤
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream?
Since finishing dinner I've been trying to settle down for the rest of the flight. It's a long one, over 13 hours. Not quite as long as the 15+ hours on the way to Australia; the jet stream helps a bit on the eastward flight home.
What time is it now? I don't know. I mean, my phone says it's about 8pm on the 31st. That's the time in Australia. And my laptop says it's about 1am on the 31st. That's the time at home. But what time is it, effectively, for me? That's what I don't know.
I was hoping to catch close to a full night's sleep on this flight, to help readjust to the time zone at home. My hopes for sleep went way up with the benefit of this upgrade. But right now I'm not feeling very sleepy, and that's even after having at least 8 glasses of wine today between the flight lounge and this upgraded flight. We'll see.