Who else is on my flight to Orlando?

January 20 2004

Double-checking my logistics for Lotusphere, I went through a short panic.  Somehow, I ended up on United for this trip (actually, I know how, it's a long story). Anyway, ual.com is, in my opinion, not as user-friendly as other airline websites.  There's no real way to just see schedule information, you always have to "shop for flights".  Thus, when I put in ORD-MCO flights for Saturday, I saw a few options -- but not the flight I'm scheduled to be on.
After checking with some other travel websites, I discovered that the particular flight I'm on is completely sold out, the only one of the day that is.  That can either mean one of two things -- a "screaming baby flight" (given that it's going to Orlando, after all), or that it's going to be a plane-load of Lotus Geeks (and I mean that in the most endearing sense).  So I need to find out now if you are on the same flight as me.  I'm deliberately not posting the flight number, but if you really want to, it should be easy enough to figure out whether you are on this flight or not.
Why do I care right now?  Well, tomorrow right about this time is when the 72-hour upgrade window opens for UA Premier Executive fliers on that flight, and I'd rather get the snide comments and jealous looks out of the way today (if I do decide to upgrade).  No, IBM doesn't pay for me to fly first class!  Someone actually said something to me one year on the flight home when they saw me sitting "up front".  I think the comment was "now I know why the Lotusphere admission price went up this year."  Uh, no, sir, that's just the result of me planting my butt on one of these uncomfortable seats for over 120K flying miles in 2003.

Ed Brill | Highland Park, IL USA Category:  Lotusphere 2004  Add/View Comments [6]

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  1. 1  Ben Langhinrichs http://www.GeniiSoft.com | 1/20/2004 8:18:45 AM

    Ed, even if you didn't fly a gazillion miles a year for us (er, IBM), we think you deserve first class. We would clamour for IBM to put you in first class.

    There, do I get Brownie points now?

    Looking forward to seeing you in Orlando.

  1. 2  Tim Latta  | 1/20/2004 9:21:38 AM

    For that very reason (too much effort to see the 'whole' schedule), I keep them all locally on my laptop with the Electronic Timetable - the Windows versions. Nice little applications.

    UAL: http://www.united.com/page/middlepage/0,1454,1891,00.html

    AA: http://www.aa.com/content/aboutAA/AAProducts/electronicTimetable.jhtml#one

  1. 3  Chris Toohey http://www.dominoguru.com | 1/20/2004 11:23:05 AM

    When you said "a plane-load of Lotus Geeks"... all I could picture was 60 Mr. Olivers looking up at me bobble-head style. What can I say... I guess he's got product branding ;-)

  1. 4  Kevin  | 1/20/2004 11:52:50 AM

    I remember my trip to Lotusphere were I got bumped up to first class because of all my travels... only to be sitting there enjoying a drink while a bunch of our clients walk on by us :)

    Needless to say, now we put up with the smaller seats :)

  1. 5  Chris Miller http://www.IdoNotes.com | 1/21/2004 5:27:24 PM

    AA was kind enough to leave us with a few direct flights each way for Orlando after removing hub status from us in November. I didn't even try to upgrade and make my traveling co-workers on my flight mad as years before. In stead we intend to be much more obnoxious than any screaming baby could possibly be that has to get up that early

  1. 6  Ed Brill www.edbrill.com | 1/21/2004 5:57:36 PM

    It's a morning flight, and I don't need the upgraded bowl of cereal. Pretty sure I'll upgrade the return, though....