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I had my last day on the old job the day before and checked in for my flights on Lufthansa to Frankfurt and connecting to an overbooked United flight to Chicago. I quickly grabbed an exit row seat and followed the online check-in process throughout the day. When the opportunity came I gave up my seat by canceling my check-in. With all seats assigned what should United do to a Star Alliance Gold member? Sure, if somebody is a no show I might end up with a bad Economy middle seat but I was willing to gamble. I arrived at the gate asking for a seat assignment and simply received a departure management card. When boarding started I was called to swap that card for my Business Class seat.

I ended up in a middle seat between to Americans. On the ground I enjoyed some champagne but wasn't satisfied with the quality. I'm not sure that was champagne but could have well been a sparkling wine. United lists a Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs NV Carneros sparkling wine in the handed out menu.




Shortly after take-off a quick stuffing breakfast service was offered. My pancakes were missing maple syrup, though. The entire service including a second coffee run was done within 90 minutes after take-off.



Other breakfast choices were a Swiss cheese omelette with tomato garlic sauce or a chilled deli plate with gruyere cheese (smoked salmon, honey ham, salami, asparagus, egg wedge). My seat neighbors went with those options and both were happy with it although I'd favor the deli plate after I've eaten the pancakes.

The 777 IFE was old and to make things worse had movies loaded that were not listed in the IFE magazine. I got a few hours of real sleep before waking up to a drink service with hot nuts. For lunch I got my first choice: cod topped with a honey ginger sauce and herbed rice and creamed spinach as a side. The spinach was a bit too creamy for my taste. Most passengers went with the filet mignon. At first I was surprised to find my cutlery deep-chilled. Unfortunately the salad was partly frozen with ice crystals on the cucumbers. Appetizer and bun were OK but nothing outstanding for a Business Class product.









The dessert should have been a cheese plate or a passion fruit white chocolate mousse cake. What was shown in the aisle was either some partly pre-packaged cheese or ice cream. The presentation of the ice cream was sub-par and I wonder what happened to the chocolate mousse cake.



Arrival into ORD was a few minutes late but I made up a lot of time on the ground. There was no line for immigration. I made it to the luggage belt only to see that my bag was the first one there. Gate to curbside in less than 15 minutes. Wow! At the Park Hyatt I had my keys within another two minutes but did not score an upgrade there. I won't be spending much time in the room anyway. Outside temperatures were in the low 70ties with a bright sun - just a perfect day.