The interior of a United A320. Photo / Winston Aldworth
Winston Aldworth flies aboard UA770 from Las Vegas to San Francisco.
The plane: An Airbus A320. United has 99 of them in the fleet, alongside 67 of the drop-dead similar Airbus A319s. But it's Boeing that feels the real love from the United purchasing team, with 329 737s working the US skies.
Class: Economy.
Seat: 29C.
On time: This little hop covers just 670km, meaning we were airborne for around 1hr, 40m.
Service: I ask Gary the purser if our flight leaving Las Vegas is full of unhappy people.
"You're a student of human nature," says Gary. "But certainly, the passengers coming into Vegas seem happier than the ones going out."
Gary's a top man.
How full: 100 per cent.
Fellow passengers: There was a Kiwi seated in the row ahead of me. While boarding, I slyly eavesdropped as he explained something about his business and something about Christchurch to the guy seated next to him.
Across the aisle from me, a wiry fella who looked like he might someday be known by his first, middle and last name was reading Principles of Personal Defense, by Jeff Cooper.
Sample quote: "This booklet was not written for cowards." Count me out then, bruv.
Food and drink: Pretzels to harden your arteries and cans of soda to bring on obesity.
Anything else costs cash money.
Airport experience: Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport is a short drive from Sin City central, though there's a bit of a hike once you've dropped off your rental car.
It was here that Haley Joel Osment (the kid from The Sixth Sense) got into a spot of bother after not being allowed on board his flight following last week's Super Bowl. A flight was missed, a celebrity was bumped from a stand-by list, rude things were said, police were called.
He couldn't ghost his way on to the flight.
From temples and French architecture to shacks and fish farms, the Mekong has it all.