Flight check: Seattle to Chicago on United Airlines

United Airlines Boeing 737. Photo / Flickr Creative Commons, user fordaveesss

Winston Aldworth flies United Airlines from Seattle to Chicago.

The plane: 737. Flying from the home of the manufacturer (Boeing, Seattle) to the home of the owner (United, Chicago).

Class: Economy.

My seat: Wedged into 25B, I found things pretty tight. I dropped my pen and there was so little space between my seat and the one in front that I couldn't actually bend over enough to reach down and pick up the pen. Also, I had people on both sides of me which I really, really hate.

Price: Cheapest tickets are around the $392 mark.

Fellow passengers: The greaser next to me chugs his way through brewskis. In the seat on my other side, a professional drummer reads magazines for professional drummers. A nice bloke, he tells me the names of some bands he's played with. I nod like I recognise them.

On time: Yup.

Food and drink: I bagged a sensational burger and a damn fine beer at the airport in Seattle. Anything on the plane, other than little bottles of water and cans of fizzy drink, costs money.

Service: US domestic crews get a bad rap, but the women running this show were friendly and helpful.

Luggage: I was only booked for carry-on, so had to pay US$25 ($33) to get my Big Pink Beast suitcase on board. A minor hassle, but you'll spare yourself the inconvenience by paying more attention to the website when booking.

Entertainment: Credit card to watch movies.

Toilets: Nothing a coarse scrubbing cloth wouldn't fix.

Airport experience: Dude, how's Seattle treating you? Great! Want a burger? Awesome! A beer? No problem! HI! WELCOME TO CHICAGO! GET IN YOUR CAB AND GET OUTTA MY WAY BUDDY!

Would I fly this again?: I'm unlikely to take this route again. We won't be missing each other.