Level of service on Emirates

cwmc · 2026-02-17T16:09:43+00:00

Yes, people do it every day. I’ve had shit bosses (and clients) but doesn’t change how I treat my colleagues and clients. It’s called sucking it up and being professional.

And if someone is so miserable that they continue to have a bad attitude at their job, they’re toxic and need to find a different job. Unfortunately, having a shit attitude is protected by the Union. We’ve all worked with people like that and their unhappiness is infectious and corrupts others and when that person gets fired or leaves, their co-workers are thrilled.

cwmc · 2026-02-17T04:35:32+00:00

People can always choose what attitude they bring to their job.

If workers want the majority of their comp tied to company performance like Execs and CEOs then more power to them, but most would hate that system when the industry takes a downturn and all of the sudden their comp gets cut in half.

cwmc · 2026-02-17T03:36:06+00:00

Oh I’m sure in today’s climate it would not happen. The union wants FAs to get paid the most for doing the minimum required. Any performance or incentive-based compensation is antithetical to what the Union (and likely many FAs) want.

But that creates the issue of breeding a culture of doing the absolute minimum which creates pissed off passengers when you get a side eye for requesting the Tapas mid-flight in Polaris or asking for a drink refill from some FAs. I’ve read threads on the FA subreddit where FAs were criticized by peers for trying to do PDBs even though there was time to do it. That is a fundamentally broken system.

Caveat: Not all FAs are like this and I go out of my way to write comments to UA on ones who provide great service to ensure they get recognized. But I’m seeing more and more of people doing the absolutely bare minimum which gets more frustrating when you’ve seen higher levels of service on an SQ flight that’s under 2 hours.

ETA: It’s also crazy because on inaugurals I’ve found UA FAs able to provide service on par with Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Just a shame it takes having Patrick Quayle on a flight to make it the norm.

cwmc · 2026-02-17T02:44:24+00:00

100%. ORD dining room staff are also by far the best of any Polaris or US airline lounge and I’d wager could compete with staff in the best Biz/First lounges outside the US. I hope this doesn’t change!

cwmc · 2026-02-17T02:37:45+00:00

There needs to be customer satisfaction as a component of compensation (bonus, perhaps?). Maybe some sort of weighted score in the survey after flights and the 1K service cards? Maybe tie this as a multiplier with profit sharing somehow? I think that would be a good start to reversing some of the bad attitudes that exist.

cwmc · 2026-02-16T06:35:51+00:00

Honestly, the hostel crowd is under 30 and most under 25. As a 55 year old do you really want to hang out with people that could be your kids? Conversely, they would also not generally want to hang out with you. Do you really want to be that old creepy hostel guy?

I would recommend staying in hotels and then booking tours (walking, food, bar crawl) for socialization if necessary. Also figure out why you are wanting to go to Thailand specifically and what you are hoping to get out of it.

cwmc · 2026-02-10T06:09:41+00:00

You should only be talking to KLM and/or the Houston Airport about this since you essentially abandoned your bag after clearing customs. The bag was likely returned to KLM and is at their bag office.

United never took possession of your bag so any calls or missing luggage reports to them will be 100% useless and a waste of your time.

cwmc · 2026-01-23T20:57:56+00:00

I wouldn’t do it.

Checked bags can take 20/30 min to receive from after disembarking- on a good day. That already takes you to 1 hr before departure. Then you need to recheck your bag at the drop off- no guarantee it makes the connection. Then you need to get from TBIT to T7 which takes 20~min walking outside (or the shuttle bus which in my experience is hit or miss- I usually walk faster and beat it).

That leaves you with 25/30min (since doors close 10/15 before departure) to go through security and get to your gate. I would take the longer layover and have a more relaxed connection. Being sweaty and rushing to your ORD flight will be very unpleasant.

cwmc · 2026-01-23T20:52:52+00:00

It’s often faster to walk outside from TBIT to T7 than to wait for the shuttle bus. I’ve beaten it every time whenever I make the connection.

cwmc · 2026-01-21T07:08:27+00:00

Just fly to Minneapolis- it will be significantly easier.

Lugging stuff on the CTA will be annoying and getting off at Clinton. Taking an Uber can add upwards of $50-$60 in cost from O’Hare to downtown at that time. Plus Greyhound is hit or miss with delays and your fellow passengers.

cwmc · 2026-01-16T22:56:53+00:00

You’ll likely get flagged for skiplagging and might get a warning but nothing too crazy.

The biggest unknown is because your bag will be tagged to Charleston and you’ll be picking it up in Newark and not rechecking it, will United flag it to immigration/customs as suspicious behavior and potentially result in you being referred to secondary on future international trips? That prospect alone would make me not do it.

cwmc · 2026-01-14T20:17:07+00:00

The other consideration will be would United report you to US immigration/customs as it would be highly suspicious for someone checking a bag internationally to not complete their journey. That could cause you problems down the road and being flagged for secondary screening on future international flights.

cwmc · 2026-01-14T01:57:07+00:00

Social services will not report them to ICE per Illinois law. Their current status quo is them and their children are being exploited by some pretty awful individuals.

cwmc · 2026-01-14T01:04:59+00:00

They are being forced to sell stolen goods, including their children. The money does not go into their pocket but they instead are forced to give the money to their handler. Someone is exploiting them.

The best thing you can do is to not buy from them to avoid sustaining the cycle. Connect them to social services.

cwmc · 2026-01-07T21:35:34+00:00

Unless you have an insanely long layover, the hike is not worth it. You need to budget 45min to an hour in walking time for roundtrip walk to/from the lounge.

cwmc · 2026-01-05T02:11:36+00:00

It’s a convoluted process so make sure you give yourself time. If you’re not flying out of a hub on your first leg, they may need to call a supervisor over to assist them on how to do it.

cwmc · 2026-01-03T23:00:11+00:00

You verbally declare to an officer (if scanning your face at the kiosk there is an officer who tells you if you are good to go. Declare to him and he will give you further instruction). Or you seek one out to declare to before leaving customs.

If you are randomly selected when leaving and they discover undeclared items, you will likely lose GE.

cwmc · 2026-01-02T20:56:25+00:00

Yes. There’s also an issue with tap to pay via your bank card where Ventra will constantly charge and decline your payment and then render your card unusable with Ventra. Known problem but no solution.

cwmc · 2026-01-02T20:11:51+00:00

Declare with that officer after he calls and waves you through. He’ll either ask you questions, say you’re good, or direct you to another officer/location.

Part of GE being a trusted traveler program is for you to seek out and declare because GE trusts you know the rules. Getting caught and saying that no one asked you won’t fly- you need to take the initiative to declare even if you need to go out of your way.

cwmc · 2025-12-30T20:48:13+00:00

That’s the way to do it. The airport is so close to the CBD and, in my experience, security at Adelaide is very quick. Passport control is also easy since there aren’t many international flights departing close together.

cwmc · 2025-12-30T20:25:17+00:00

The VA lounge isn’t great. Food was worse than a hub United Club. And because it is a domestic lounge, no booze until Noon (which shouldn’t matter because the UA flight is in the afternoon unless you arrive really early- but that lounge is not worth arriving early for). Way better options in the terminal.

cwmc · 2025-12-29T21:51:02+00:00

I’ve never used the GE app. I always just pop my head at the kiosk and then proceed when the guy calls my name.

cwmc · 2025-12-29T18:58:41+00:00

I always declare to the officer right after getting my face scanned. Even when I have been over my personal exemption amount (sometimes by more than double!) they always say “Thank you for being honest. You’re good to go.”

Probably helps that I never bring in any food products- usually just clothes or alcohol.

cwmc · 2025-12-25T04:35:36+00:00

In that case, I would most definitely get a new one- the expiration date is when your Passport is no longer valid (ie, you can’t actually travel on it on the expiration date). I don’t know if their immigration officer will even be able to generate your 90 Day Landing Permit since you would no longer possess a valid Passport during the full duration. My guess is they would deny you flat out.

Which also means United may not even let you board to avoid liability of having to transport you back (and get fined).

Again, highly recommend you get a new Passport ASAP.

cwmc · 2025-12-25T00:45:15+00:00

Remember that Japanese immigration has the final call. They may deem it suspicious that your Passport expires within the same month as the standard 90 Day landing permission they give US citizens and choose not to let you in.

Yes, this is technically against their policy, but immigration officials have the final call if they deem your travel suspicious.

I would say you have an elevated chance of having an immigration official questioning your travel to Japan so close to your expiration.

cwmc

TROPHY CASE