We just returned from a one-week trip to San Francisco! Now that is one beautiful city. I had a great time seeing the Golden gate bridge, Lombard a.k.a the world's most crooked street, Fisherman's Wharf etc etc. More SF, more 'walking-around-so-much-your-feet-threaten-to-dislodge', and finally Yosemite National Park. It is one beautiful beautiful place. And if you like to be close to nature without getting swamped by people, plan to go there on a weekday. Less crowd. Trust me. One week went away in the blink of an eye. But the best ... was yet to come.
Our flight back home was set to leave on Saturday evening at 7.45 PM. Unfortunately the airlines we booked (UNITED) did not turn up on the runway. It was delayed/cancelled/who knows/who cares and we were in an unfortunate 'standby' list; which as it is with standby lists, never would get cleared. Now generally airlines overbook as is standard policy. So before you ever get onto a flight, there exists a full possibility of your getting kicked out of it if you are an 'overbooked' passenger. So anyway, there is a 'waiting' list and there is a 'standby' list and a w-list takes precedence over an s-list. Never mind, if both lists contain names hanging in there like hot potatoes. Though the airlines have to first accomodate the waiting list-ers and then go to the standby. As a result of a mixture of fate and mathematics (its a long explanation as to how that word got into the fray) and policies, we were stranded in the airport.
When we spoke to the guys at the help desk, they apologized profusely for all the inconvenience caused. Nice.
We asked them when we could actually get to see the inside of a plane.
They said 'We don't know.'
And then they went back apologizing profusely for all the inconvenience caused. Oh, and also handed us these little pamphlets that spoke eloquently on UNITED's rights and reservations and stuff. Just in case, someone decided to sue for emotional trauma.
We then went dragging ourselves, along with the luggage to a second customer-centric help desk.
And that's when we met our angel.
She put us up at a lovely hotel, presented us with 2 $15 food coupons and two tickets to Washington, via Denver.
First class.
Ahh. The flight to Denver was good ... I mean, instead of the economy 3-seater, you have a two-seater covering the same space. So more leg-room yadda-yadda-yadda and we had a good flight. But then .. the flight to Washington ... oh my oh my. They had these individual 'S' shaped areas. It was about having your own space. No neighbours. You are all there. On your own. A laptop-monitor-sized personal TV, storage at your fingertips (literally I mean ... one button and ta-daaa ... a door pops open from somewhere revealing hidden compartments ... it was like being on Treasure island :D) , two large pillows, and a very soft blanket.
Then I found a magic button. Just press it, and your seat unravells itself to be a wonderful soft bed. It was studying metamorphoses all over again I tell ya. All in all ... San Fran has been gooooooood to us!
I believe now ... if there's heaven above... baby ... its first class :D.
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