Business class seat
Seat 1D aboard a Canadair CRJ700 regional jet aircraft operated by Delta Connection. Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
Brian Cohen·
Air TravelExperiences
··3 Comments·3 min read

My Disappearing Flight Itinerary Led to an Unexpected Upgrade

I  am currently at Washington Dulles International Airport after just having received an unexpected upgrade to seat 1D on a Canadair CRJ700 (EV) regional jet aircraft operated by Delta Connection on the flight segment from Minneapolis — an upgrade I may not have received on my original itinerary which had mysteriously disappeared but was resurrected and modified.

The photograph shown at the top of the article shows the seat to which I was assigned, which was right by the window.

During the flight, we had a choice of an Asian chicken salad or a roast beef sandwich. I chose the roast beef sandwich, as shown below:

The roast beef sandwich on marble rye bread served with lettuce; tomatoes; Grey Poupon dijon mustard; a fruit plate consisting of grapes, pineapple chunks and watermelon; a bag of Cape Cod potato chips; and not shown in the photograph hiding under the bag of potato chips was a Dancing Deer Baking Company triple chocolate chip cookie. Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
The roast beef sandwich on marble rye bread served with lettuce; tomatoes; Grey Poupon dijon mustard; a fruit plate consisting of grapes, pineapple chunks and watermelon; a bag of Cape Cod potato chips; and not shown in the photograph hiding under the bag of potato chips was a Dancing Deer Baking Company triple chocolate chip cookie. Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

I do not mean to sound ungrateful; but I thought that the roast beef sandwich was the lesser of the two evils, so to speak. It was so tough, stringy and fatty that not even the strong dijon mustard and the lettuce and tomatoes helped. I pulled the roast beef and a slice of cheese off of the sandwich and just ate the remaining parts. The Asian chicken salad looked equally unpalatable to me. That was not a problem, however, as I was not really all that hungry at that point.

I tried to eat this cold sandwich; but I simply did not like the taste combined with the texture. Regardless, I was appreciative that Delta Air Lines served a meal for a two-hour flight which departed at 7:30 in the evening. Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
I tried to eat this cold sandwich; but I simply did not like the taste combined with the texture. Regardless, I was appreciative that Delta Air Lines served a meal for a two-hour flight which departed at 7:30 in the evening. Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

I did get a chance to doze for a little bit during the flight, as a pillow and blanket were available — along with a wall perfectly positioned near the window to rest the pillow.

Because the seat was located at the bulkhead, the leg room was not the best — but I did not mind.

I was the first passenger to board the aircraft; as well as the first one off once the flight concluded. The service by the members of the flight crew was attentive; and the flight was uneventful. In fact, the aircraft arrived earlier than scheduled.

By the way, I forgot to mention that before I approached the KLM Crown Lounge, I attempted to print my own boarding pass at a kiosk at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport — only to receive the following:

My reservation was nowhere to be found. Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
My reservation was nowhere to be found. Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

…and here is the cancellation notice of a flight along my itinerary due to inclement weather as shown in the image below:

Screen shot courtesy of Delta Air Lines.
Screen shot courtesy of Delta Air Lines.

My disappearing flight itinerary resulted in more access time in airport lounges; I will most likely earn more Medallion Qualification Miles towards elite level status due to the unexpected routing to Minneapolis; and then I received the aforementioned upgrade.

See also

I should have my flight itineraries mysteriously disappear more often…

All photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

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