TRIP REPORT: It’s Still for the Friends

TRIP REPORT: It’s Still for the Friends.
Still for the Friends

Time to wrap up this trip report in a quick and simple style. And ponder why I travel. 

• Still for the friends
• But first. A trip to Liverpool, North West England.  But why?
• To the… daytime Heathrow run?
• Lounging around with Cathay Pacific and American Airlines
• AA87 London Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare (Main Cabin Extra)
• Into the USA, A Scammer Taxi driver and the Crowne Plaza O’Hare
• The Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• Airplane Art Extra from the Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• Exploring a craft at the Museum of Contemporary Photography
• The Gundam Base, Chicago
• Random Chicago Eats
• Off the Camera Roll – Views and Images of a Windy City
• An Early Return to O’Hare and the American Airlines Flagship Lounge
• AA882 to Chicago O’Hare to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (Exit Row)
• A Quick Atlanta Transit
• BA226 to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to London Heathrow Terminal 3 (World Traveller/Economy Class)
• Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory and The Journey Home
• It’s Still for Friends

So, why all this travel, hotels and experiences? Simple – the title of this trip report gives it away – It’s all still for the friends I have in the USA. There may be changes in the management of the country and the path it has chosen, but at the core, those friendships outlast any political winds.

And it’s important to keep those friendships alive, even in the most trying of times.

Friendships last. Good Friendships can overcome other things in the world, one small step at a time. And anything to bring a bit of light into the world is never a bad thing – even if I’m spending £80 on chocolate at a time before I fly.

On to the traditional wrap-up.

FlixBus

It’s passable. But I do wish people would sit in their assigned seats.

American Airlines (long haul)

Whilst the seat and hard product were great, the soft product really went out of the window this trip. Ultimately, disappointing.

American Airlines (US Domestic)

Pleasant enough for the exit row, and a spare middle seat.

British Airways Long Haul

IFE was the weak point this trip, with a poor selection loaded and a sluggish interface. At least the seat worked (as a bed as well as a seat), and the food was passable for once. And the kitchens in Atlanta can deliver reasonable food.

Crowne Plaza O’Hare

It’s more than a passable one-night stop. Still a solid recommendation from me. Just skip the Chicago Taxi Driver to get there.

Hyatt Regency O’Hare

Improvements are coming. I can’t wait for them to hit.

 And Chicago…

Still one of my favourite places to visit in the USA, especially as I explore beyond The Loop.

And that’s your lot for this trip.

Next:

We’ve got some more long-form writing ahead, because I like to keep my audience amused, entertained and informed.  Or something like that.

It’s time to head over to Hamburg and explore some passenger experience – both on the aircraft and off the aircraft, with a jaunt to Aircraft Interiors Expo. 

You do, however, get the rest of the week off from my long-form writing, as I still need to put the last bits of it together and write a few more lines of text that make sense.

Until we meet in the next trip report, thank you for reading.

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