I had flown United before, on a short return trip between JFK and Washington DC in 2003. On my return flight from Washington DC, the glory of code shares meant that I was returning on an United flight instead of a Lufthansa flight. The airport was quite empty, which was rather surprising, but I am not going to complain about the lack of queues, and even security clearance was interesting.
United has a really horrible seat configuration in Economy class: 2-5-2 on a Boeing 777, rather than the more rational 3-3-3 seating plan. And, I had the middle seat in the middle row! But there were two things in my favour - firstly, I was somehow upgraded to Economy Plus ... I did not ask questions, nor did I seek to find an aisle seat after that bit of news. Secondly, it seems my row only had four seats in the middle, so I did not have to leap across two people to get to my seat! Economy plus was basically an economy seat with extra leg room - nothing too special, except I have to confess it is the first time I have been in an aeroplane economy seat that had more legroom than a train seat (and for that matter some back seats in cars). United also had seatback TV screens (something still missing from Lufthansa planes) and XM satelite radio, which was cool. The food wasn't great, but then only a few airlines have great airline food.
My return to Nuremberg created its own logistical puzzle. I had a tele-interview at 3pm. However due to a slight delay in baggage arrival, I missed the first connection of my optimal route back home, and had to settle for the less optimal route (bus) which then got stuck in traffic. However, I still managed to get the connecting bus, and managed to get home less than 5 minutes before the phone rang ... good enough to take off all the layers required to walk outside!
Oh, and the interview went well, and was invited to a full interview :)
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