Really, United? A cheap little paper cup for my hot nuts?

I hope this was a simple error in stocking the flight, rather than a foreshadowing of more of Jeff Smisek's changes that he "thinks we'll like."

I don't typically blog about my boring business travel. Every now and then there's something surprising like an emotional support dog or WiFi on a United filght, but today I just felt that not only was the service really great on the United (Continental) flight from Phoenix to Houston, but the food was also great as well. Combine that with the fact that the Continental 737-900 is my favorite domestic plane in the post-merger fleet. That makes for a bloggable flight.

It's been a long ...

Two recent posts in the omnibus "Let's Eat" thread on Flyertalk, where travelers post what meals they were served on UA, suggest that United may be phasing out hot nuts.

A LAX-ORD and LAX-LIH flight last week featured a new bag of premium mix rather than the traditional warmed nuts in a ramekin. It sounds to me like a supply problem at LAX, but if United ever touches my...

Let's just say United would not be wise to remove the best part of the meal.

Once I get ...

I had missed a call from American Airlines this morning.  As I was driving later today my mind started to wander as I thought of the possibilities. Perhaps my SFO-LAX-JFK flight next week is already canceled and I could sweet talk them into routing me through SEA and MIA for the most miles. I almost ran a red light as my mind was in "upgrade heaven" counting the additional miles.

As the light turned green, and I headed down the boulevard to the next set of ...

Are you a bather or a wiper? Individual fingers or the whole hand at once? Steaming hot or wait till it cools?

On many airlines hot towelettes are provided for passengers in premium cabins, presumably to act as a way to wash your hands before eating. However, many airlines provide the towelettes after the highly acclaimed hot-nut service, thereby missing the obvious opportunity to clean your hands before handling your, ah-hem, nuts.

[yes, yes, I know. get your mind out of the ...

I'm currently sitting on AA flt 1104 STL-LGA. I've got a few free GoGo coupons, and this particular MD-82 has internet (and DC power), so here I am surfing at 35,000 feet. (I don't have an altimeter in my pocket, but FlightAware says 35,000 feet, and I believe them.)

Anyway... here are my hot nuts, which I took care to photograph (with my new iPhone, natch) because the hot nut mix has been an issue of much controversy of late on AA forums.

As far as I ...