The Journey Home

Yesterday I flew home from Mexico City.  Once again, flying on Interjet Airlines to Chicago proved to be a very pleasant experience... a flashback to the old days when flying was enjoyable.  The plane was not crowded (the seat next to me was empty), and I had plenty of legroom.  A light meal was served... a ham and cheese sandwich, a package of cookies and a beverage... nothing fancy, but more than I have had flying to and from Mexico on the U.S. carriers.  My friend Alejandro told me that it is Interjet's policy to never overbook a flight.  That is nice to know, given the recent events that have occurred with overbooking.  My flight was twenty minutes late arriving in Chicago, but that was not a problem since I had scheduled a long layover.

I sped through immigration and customs.  As in Houston, O'Hare has installed the automated screens for U.S. citizens going through immigration, and there was no waiting in line.  The only drawback to flying with Interjet, is that I am unable to check my luggage through to Cleveland.  However, after passing through customs, there is a United desk.  I was able to quickly check my suitcase to Cleveland there, rather than having to go the Terminal One ticket desk (and probably waiting in line).  Kudos to United on that service.   

I took the train going from International Terminal Five to United's Terminal One.  Going through security did not take too long.  After all of that, I still had nearly four hours to wait for my flight to Cleveland.  With my credit card I receive a couple passes each year to use the United Club lounge.  So I passed the time there, and took advantage of the free food.

I can't really badmouth the flight on United Airlines.  We left on time and arrived in Cleveland slightly ahead of schedule.  But what a difference from the Interjet flight.  It was cramped and fully booked.  Fortunately, another perk with my credit card is that I am in boarding group two, so there was still plenty of space in the overhead bin for my carry-on.  It is a quick flight of less than one hour.  I can put up with being in a "cattle car" for that short amount of time.

So, sorry United.  I am now going to fly on Interjet on my flights to Mexico City.  It cost a bit more, but less than if upgraded to the "Economy Plus" seats with more legroom.