Review: United Flight UA 606 Airbus A319

This post was written 5/17/2016 & updated 2/26/2020

This flight was booked with free airline miles obtained via Chase Ultimate Rewards Points! 
Recommended card for accruing miles/points: Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Unlimited
Recommended card for redeeming miles/points & for use while traveling: Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve

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UA606 PIT-SFO

Flight 606 runs from PIT to SFO, leaving Pittsburgh at 7:05am and arriving about 5 hours and 40 minutes later at 9:45 am.  

Wait. That's not adding up right, is it? Don't forget there is a 3 hour time difference from the east coast to the west coast here in USA. ;-)

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TSA at PIT 

We arrived about 2 hours early and the TSA line at Pittsburgh International was fabulously efficient and friendly. We had no issues (nor did we expect to) and sailed on through. Great start!

Got to the gate with plenty of time to munch on the snacks we brought from home. You know those tortilla chips were going to go stale in the cupboard, so.... ;-) .... and who would pass on a slice of chocolate rum cake at 6 am?! (I didn't)

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The Flight

The flight was very full, but we were still able to keep our carry on and personal items with us. Some people like to check them at the gate for free, but we didn't. I like the idea of walking on and off the plane with no rushing, reaching, and trying not to hit anyone with your bag as you pull it down, but at the same time... the idea of traveling carry on only is to eliminate the step of picking up the bags and having possible damage, theft, and missing bags all together which I have experienced before. ​

The seats weren't especially comfortable and there were no screens on this aircraft. If you have the United app, you could use it in-flight to watch some movies. However, I did not. I needed sleep. So armed with my neck pillow and an eye mask, I chose to block out my surroundings and benefit from a combination of sleep/resting (you know, when you're not actually sleeping, but your eyes are closed). As a result, I missed a drink service. That's okay, because I didn't miss the snack -- Stroopwafels. A delightful waffle-wafer filled with caramel, cinnamon, and vanilla! Yum! Good call, United!

A breakfast meal was not provided on this plane. While I knew this when I booked, I was still somewhat surprised, as I thought a flight of over 5 hours would have breakfast. 

Arrival

Arriving at SFO was great. It was awesome to arrive in the morning and have a full day in California and a non-stop flight was a dream! Our flight was early and we had no trouble navigating the airport. We had already reserved a rental car in advance and guess what?! IT WAS A CONVERTIBLE!!! My next post will be about how we got a cheap convertible in San Francisco, so be sure to stop back for that ;-)  

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