Back in PA
My travels now have ended.
As some of you know, I've become hopelessly addicted to accumulating frequent flier miles. This addiction led to a fair bit of traveling and the attainment of "Gold Elite" status on Northwest Airlines. NW is pretty good to its elites, offering automatic domestic upgrades based on status (platinums, then golds, then silvers) whenever first class seats are available. First class on NW isn't what it used to be - no more meals unless you're on a long flight, no in-flight movies, no power outlets for your laptop - but the seat is wide, the legroom is decent, and the alcohol is free. Not that I drink, mind you, but it's a nice gesture. Asia-based Golds, like myself, also have free access to NW's WorldClub business lounge network, which I will sorely miss. So I spent my last hour on the ground in Tokyo at the Narita WorldClub and my three-hour layover in Detroit at the C Terminal WorldClub.
On my flight back from Tokyo, another Gold benefit fell into my lap - the operational upgrade.
An "op-up" is an upgrade given to you at the gate just before boarding the plane. NW is generous with domestic upgrades but international upgrades are hard to get and international op-ups are all but impossible, handed out only in the event that coach is oversold. And on my flight from Tokyo to Detroit, coach was oversold. :)
I handed my boarding pass at the gate and the scanning machine made the most wonderful sound in all of passenger aviation: a double beep, signalling that I was getting a new boarding pass. I spent the next 12 hours on the upper deck of a 747, camped out in a wonderful World Business Class seat (it has a lumbar massage feature and full recline), watching movies on the digital AVOD system, and actually enjoying the food, from appetizer to dessert. I even got to hang out on the flight deck. It's something I won't experience again for a very long time since I didn't requalify for Gold and won't be flying internationally anytime soon so I'm grateful that my last flight for a while was a memorable one.
I slept on the flight from Detroit to Providence and drove back to PA the next day. I've been fighting some vicious jetlag ever since and am now trying my damndest to get back on the dissertation track.
Nose is now back to the grindstone. Vacation was nice and the biz class upgrade was a great surprise but now I have a degree to finish.
As some of you know, I've become hopelessly addicted to accumulating frequent flier miles. This addiction led to a fair bit of traveling and the attainment of "Gold Elite" status on Northwest Airlines. NW is pretty good to its elites, offering automatic domestic upgrades based on status (platinums, then golds, then silvers) whenever first class seats are available. First class on NW isn't what it used to be - no more meals unless you're on a long flight, no in-flight movies, no power outlets for your laptop - but the seat is wide, the legroom is decent, and the alcohol is free. Not that I drink, mind you, but it's a nice gesture. Asia-based Golds, like myself, also have free access to NW's WorldClub business lounge network, which I will sorely miss. So I spent my last hour on the ground in Tokyo at the Narita WorldClub and my three-hour layover in Detroit at the C Terminal WorldClub.
On my flight back from Tokyo, another Gold benefit fell into my lap - the operational upgrade.
An "op-up" is an upgrade given to you at the gate just before boarding the plane. NW is generous with domestic upgrades but international upgrades are hard to get and international op-ups are all but impossible, handed out only in the event that coach is oversold. And on my flight from Tokyo to Detroit, coach was oversold. :)
I handed my boarding pass at the gate and the scanning machine made the most wonderful sound in all of passenger aviation: a double beep, signalling that I was getting a new boarding pass. I spent the next 12 hours on the upper deck of a 747, camped out in a wonderful World Business Class seat (it has a lumbar massage feature and full recline), watching movies on the digital AVOD system, and actually enjoying the food, from appetizer to dessert. I even got to hang out on the flight deck. It's something I won't experience again for a very long time since I didn't requalify for Gold and won't be flying internationally anytime soon so I'm grateful that my last flight for a while was a memorable one.
I slept on the flight from Detroit to Providence and drove back to PA the next day. I've been fighting some vicious jetlag ever since and am now trying my damndest to get back on the dissertation track.
Nose is now back to the grindstone. Vacation was nice and the biz class upgrade was a great surprise but now I have a degree to finish.