There was not much to expect on such a short flight and, indeed, the service was very minimal considering the class of travel. But the most notable point was the global computer failure that caused a delay of several hours, although in the end I am glad my flight was not canceled.
As a reminder the air routing of this trip.
You will find a summary of the articles on this trip to Boston, New York and New Orleans at the bottom of the page.
Ticket purchase
I bought a one-way domestic first ticket for 140 euros a few weeks before my departure. For those who are not too familiar with the USA, domestic first is the pompous term used there to refer to business class on domestic flights.
A few days later I wanted to change the loyalty program associated with my reservation (from SAS Eurobonus to Lufthansa Miles&More) and I had to contact customer service because it was impossible to do it online, but it was done without any problem.
Ground experience
The day before, I check in online and also check in my suitcase, which I only have to drop off the next day.
I was also offered the option of paying $50 to access the lounge because, in the USA, access is not possible when traveling on a domestic flight unless connecting to an international flight, and this is the case even for passengers with status. It is thanks to my status with a partner airline that I was able to go to the lounge because even with United status it doesn’t work.
On the morning of my departure, I turn on the TV and learn that a global computer outage is affecting air travel. And it’s true that thousands of flights will be delayed or even canceled. At this point, I have no information about my flight, but I decide to go to the airport early to be prepared for any eventuality.
Leaving the hotel, I take the Silver Line which takes me to the airport in about fifteen minutes and there I receive an alert that my flight is delayed by 50 minutes, which is the lesser of two evils given the information I receive about the scale of the breakdown and its consequences.
So I decide to stay outside as much as possible to get some fresh air, knowing that I don’t expect much from the lounge and that chain delays mean full and uncomfortable terminals.
I finally go into the terminal. I enter through the arrivals area and it looks really shady… like an old American airport. It’s a little better when I go up to the departures level, although it’s not great.
I go to the baggage drop-off where I am assisted by a human being. What is the point of checking in online?
On my way to the security checks, I notice the impact of the outage on the various screens.
I pass the security checks easily and go to the United lounge.
While my flight is still listed as being 50 minutes late, I hear that the staff in the lounge are looking for the passengers from the 6:00 flight to Chicago to board. It’s 9:15 a.m., so this does not bode well.
As nothing else was announced, I left the lounge to go to the boarding gate. When I arrived, it was announced that the delay was “undetermined” and we were informed that rebooking options were available in the app.
None of them suit me and given the delays announced, I have no reason to believe that I won’t go from delayed flight to delayed flight, that the planes will arrive on time and that in the end I won’t regret not having kept my original flight. So I’m not changing anything and I’m going back to the lounge to wait.
Needless to say, with all these delays it’s packed to the rafters, but I end up finding a seat, I fix myself a plate and I watch series while I wait.
I will finally leave 3 hours late, at least if I believe the update in the application and if nothing changes between now and then.
I finally make my way to the boarding gate.
Boarding
As I join the queue, I hear the passengers talking, clearly worried.
We are right outside the gate for the flight to New York, but it indicates Los Angeles!
The outage again…they can’t display the right flights.
Attempt to reboot the system….but it’s not working.
Then we are told that the system is in “recovery” mode and that they cannot launch the boarding procedure.
I find people surprisingly calm; in France it would have already escalated into civil war.
Given the delay, I received a “meal voucher” by text message that I would not have time to use during my stay.
The boarding finally begins.
It starts with people with reduced mobility, and there are a significant number of them. Some of them look completely able-bodied, which is a bit of a cheat. Then come the “United 1Ks”, and finally it’s our turn.
The cabin
The best way to describe it is to talk about a faded 737!
But at least the american airlines have a distinctive 2-2 cabin on domestic first.
Legroom is comfortable, especially given the short duration of the flight.
When I said faded cabin…the table doesn’t even fit in the armrest anymore.
In short, a cabin that’s not in its prime, but will do the job for a flight of barely an hour.
The flight
After I’ve settled on board, we’re offered a welcome drink, which, as the name suggests, will be welcome. I’ll have some champagne.
It’s hot outside, and the staff have left the windows closed to prevent the cabin from overheating – a practice that unfortunately doesn’t exist in Europe.
Then the start was postponed several times without any explanation being given. Finally, after a long hour, we finally got it.
In fact, there are two reservation systems, depending on whether the ticket is paid for or not (award or personal tickets). One is affected by the outage, not the other, but they sometimes interact with each other. To check the passenger list, they have to manually search for some of the reservations in the system.
We finally finish boarding and push back.
But we’re not out of the woods yet. Before we’re allowed to move, some of the passengers have to be manually entered into the system, because they can’t synchronize.
I can’t imagine the concern of passengers who have a connection in Newark, which is a major United hub. And I’m not even talking about those waiting for this plane, since it was supposed to fly from Newark to Chicago and then from Chicago to Dallas if the delays continue.
We finally take off and I notice that all the windows remain closed. This is something we’re not used to in Europe, but it’s totally legal.
Once in the air, I’ll have another glass of champagne.
My neighbor will take a box of tapas in junk food mode, not very appetizing, but will offer me a few before settling down just to finish eating everything.
It’s already time to prepare for landing.
Arrival in New York
I like to land in Newark for two reasons: firstly, you’re closer to Manhattan than if you land at JFK (okay…the best is still La Guardia) and secondly, you get a great view, provided you’re on the right side of the plane.
We touch down and park shortly afterwards. The wait for my suitcase is short, while all around us the screens remind us of the rather bizarre context of this day.
Bottom line
Not much to say about a very short flight with a service that was really unimpressive. If it hadn’t been for the blackout, I wouldn’t have had much to say, but I have to admit that it was handled fairly well compared with Delta, which had to cancel flights in a shambles.
The articles about this trip to Boston, New York and New Orleans
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