My Deliberation At The United Club In Newark. Lisbon? Marrakesh? Accra? Los Angeles?
Intro
After arriving on a very nice trip from Los Angeles to Chicago and then Chicago to Newark, I headed off to the United Club with my new friend from the plane. Initially, the plan was to just grab a quick drink, but that changed very quickly all of a sudden.
What Happened?
December 7th, 2024, 2 days before my birthday. As we were sitting down and enjoying some mimosas, my new friend mentioned to me that he had 360 plus points that were expiring, and he would let me use all of them. Shocked and beyond disbelief, he let me know that they were all mine but had to be confirmed by January 31st. As my professor had hinted at the day prior, I could take my final on Friday. I thought, "I am in Newark; why don't I head somewhere for the weekend and wake up in a new country on my birthday?".
As my friend went off to the bathroom, I began my search to change my flight from Los Angeles to anywhere heading East.
There were two conditions. Firstly, I had to go to a new country, and secondly, there had to be PZ space on the outbound and inbound. I first looked at Accra, which had PZ space from IAD, but unfortunately, my contact couldn't arrange a visa on arrival (it is possible with 💵). I then looked at Marrakesh, which had nothing for the return (J2). Finally, I found PZ space from Newark to Lisbon, Lisbon to Newark, and then I could waitlist Newark-Los Angeles that Monday.
So, he came back, and I had booked my trip for 1300$ and was cleared on an upgrade to Lisbon!
Polaris Lounge
Seeing as my new friend happened to have his flight departing, and I was off to the Polaris Lounge with 8 hours to kill, I walked him over to his gate, bid farewell, and was off to the Polaris Lounge!
Arriving at the Polaris Lounge (which I will review very soon in its own post), I attempted to explain that I had just decided to book a trip to Lisbon. They checked me in, and off I was to enjoy the facilities on a Saturday afternoon.
After eating some amazing wood, having some fantastic champagne, and just enjoying my time, I somehow fell asleep around 1:30 pm.
3 hours later, I woke up to an email from my professor: "Oh ****." The email was extremely dark but also understandable, as she let me miss a lot of class. The crux of the email stated that if I didn't show up on Monday, I would fail the class. A sad wave of emotion filled the air, but obviously, my main goal at the moment is graduating.
I canceled my ticket, which United happily refunded, and booked the same fare (I) and the same seat on the same flight back to Los Angeles that night. Gutting, but it is what it is.
Final Thoughts
What a few hours it was at Newark airport, and a real rollercoaster of emotions. From thinking I was going to Los Angeles, then Ghana, then Morocco, then booked to Lisbon, and then back to Los Angeles, my mind was all over the place. A day I'll never forget, but at least I got to enjoy the Polaris Lounge (yes, United, I really was going to Lisbon, but you can blame my teacher 😉).
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