Part 1: UA950 Business Class: IAD > BRU
NSPdad and I arrived at Dulles Airport about two and a half hours early. I figured I could catch up on some last-minute work in the United Lounge, but it was quickly apparent that despite Business Class and Priority Lanes, Dulles was ill-equipped to handle the 1,000s of middle-school and high-school spring-breakers. Lines were long and moving slow. The TSA Agents had run out of patience with kids keeping their phones and wallets in their pockets and providing lectures instead of just getting them through the full-body scanners. We got through security about an hour and a half later…longest domestic security line I’ve been in for years. Had we not had priority lane access, it would have easily been over two hours.
We made it to the United Lounge and took advantage of the fifteen minutes we had in there.
United Lounge in IAD
While domestic lounges typically just provide a nice break from the chaotic action on an airport, we grabbed some snacks, cheese, crackers and Bud Light:
United Lounge at IAD: Limited Snack Buffet
United Lounge at IAD: My Go-To Coffee Machine
We then headed to our gate to board the plane. A few items of note: NSPdad did not know where our final destination was, and while being a Delta Medallion Gold member for the past few years who has received free domestic first class upgrades, NSPdad had never flown internationally in business or first class. This was also my first international flight on a domestic airline. After United’s mileage devaluation a couple months ago, flying on UA Metal (a flight operated by United) is much cheaper than flying on a partner airline (for example Lufthansa, Air China, Brussels Airlines, etc…). So in order to save almost 25,000 miles, I decided to book the United flight. I was quickly reminded by the difference between US flight service and foreign carrier service when multiple flight attendants barely smiled let alone welcomed us on-board. While food, hard-product (comfort) and flight times are about the same for all carriers, there is a vast disparity in service which wholly changes the flight experience.
Of course, we started with a Champagne toast before take-off:
A Trip Starting Toast!
After takeoff (at about 6pm), I immediately went to the bathroom and changed into my favorite pajamas which had been provided by Cathay Pacific on the flight of my lifetime, as I figured I’d be ready for bed after a couple glasses of wine and dinner. We were promptly served:
Seafood Starter & Salad
NSPdad opted for the Pasta
I of course went for the Steak
After Dinner Cheese Platter
The Best Dessert One Can Have at 30,000 Feet: Ice Cream Sundae
I then put down the lie-flat beds, which were very comfortable; put on the eye-mask, which wasn’t comfortable at all, and went to sleep.
Standard Amenity Kit
I tossed and turned a bit, but probably got around four hours of solid sleep before I was awakened by an announcement that we were landing in 15 minutes. I was glad that I wasn’t woken up for breakfast/coffee, but somewhat surprised. I quickly changed out of my pajamas, and returned to my seat no more than ten minutes before the wheels hit the ground!
All-in-all it was exactly what I had expected: Good product, mediocre service, and a relatively quick flight to Europe. Business Class is always nice, but if it had been a day trip and I didn’t require sleep, I’m not sure it would be worth the additional 20K+ miles.
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