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While I now try to avoid flying in the US at all, up until recently I flew United 300,000-miles-plus per year.
Usually I travelled with a Yellow Lab, boarded as cargo, and would make a point of going up to the cockpit to ensure that the pilot was aware that the dog was onboard and that the hold heater would be appropriately toasty.
I'd ask whether he would be offering Channel 9 to passengers. This is United's ATC listen-in channel to radio communications. Most would, but a couple were downright hostile to the idea. Their objection was along the lines of, "Don't want to be sued by frightened passengers."
The most enthusiastic cap'n, however, was on a 777. After getting us up and level and dispensing with the usual banter, he announced that he was going to give a short lecture on flying generally and the 777 in particular. This guy was a Boeing exec's wetdream. For a half hour he described the commercial flight route system, air traffic control, and why the 777 was the aerospace equivalent of the Holy Grail.
Feast or Famine. Always the way.
