Part 1: PHL Sapphire Lounge
Let's start at LAX T4 on the evening of 2026.04.25 and head to the gate after security.
It was still early, so I took a long walk along the connector between T4 and TBIT to have a look.
You need a keen eye for spotting rabbits—what's going on with this Barney? Is Easter coming soon?
Take in the huge crowds over at LAX TBIT and the giant AMEX white-card ad.
It was about time to head back to T4 to wait for boarding and get a wide shot.
LAX's T4 is still under construction, and it's already in this sorry state—basically half crippled... 
Since we were at T4, you could already guess I was flying AA. Boarding AA's A321 Neo. These days, removing PTVs to cut costs seems to be a trend—since most people don't really watch them anyway, just give us a phone holder and onboard Wi-Fi and call it a day.
Typical economy-class service.
Woke up from a nap and PHL was approaching. I loosened my shoelaces in advance; otherwise, after sitting on a plane this long, my feet would really be uncomfortable... Frankly speaking, 5 hours in economy is far more miserable than 12 hours in a hard seat on a regular train. On a regular train, you can at least get off and walk around at stops; on a plane... yeah, no comment... PHL's Sapphire Lounge is located in the Terminal D/E Connector, so the first thing after getting off the plane was to head that way at a brisk pace. 
I even spotted a Sapphire Lounge ad along the way—as if they were worried people wouldn't be able to find it.
Since I cleverly chose a flight that landed at 6:00 AM, there was no line at the Sapphire Lounge entrance, and I was able to walk straight in. These days, if you want to get into a lounge, first see whether it's a peak month, and second see whether your timing is sneaky enough. If both happen to be peak time, getting access is probably pretty tough.
After five hours in economy, I was already getting a bit hungry, so I started with a round.
Then I scanned the code, entered my seat number, and ordered a few other things.
A quick look at the other facilities.
And finally, the bathroom review. After leaving the lounge, I took another shot of the entrance. By then it was already daylight, and I was off to catch the next flight. I even saw a Frontier flight here. I've flown them twice: the first time, it still had the feel of a full-fare airline, with a free carry-on included; the second time, it had already taken a sharp turn downward and become a low-cost airline... Once again, that proves my favorite saying: when you compare things at the same tier, changes usually just make them worse!
Near the gate, I saw this—My Philadelphia Story.
This is the CRJ I was flying on. Boarding the old-fashioned way. Uneventful arrival at CVG; that wraps up Part 1.
Part 2: DFW Admiral Club
Departing from CVG Airport on 2026.03.29.
First, spend a while in the Escape lounge at CVG. Not sure whether I showed up at the wrong time, or whether it followed the “in same-class comparisons, changes usually only get worse” rule... where's the meat? At least there was cake, so it wasn't all rabbit food.
When it was about time, I headed to catch the first flight. Boarded the plane and saw the World Cup logo. As for the World Cup, here are a few Chestnut stories inserted here. Story 1: Back in college, Chestnut basically called it and it came true - Wulihe was actually torn down and not turned into a museum! It was already obvious that the China men's national team was slowly sliding downhill back then, so why were so many people unwilling to admit it? 
Story 2: Chestnut said back then that the simplest and most efficient way for China to reach the World Cup was to host one itself. And — caring more about face than anything else just makes things painful — the money wasted by now would have been enough to host a World Cup long ago! 
All right, back to the main story... not much to say on the way, and DFW was approaching.
Parked at Terminal C, so I first went to check out the Admiral Club here. The art sculpture just inside the entrance. Looks okay; at least there's some meat now. 
Since there was still plenty of time, I went to check out the Admiral Club in the other terminals... First I tried Terminal B, only to see this notice at the entrance — One Day Pass holders not allowed in, lol. Then I kept going to Terminal D to take a look. Access here was fine, no problem at all. I found a seat by the window to relax and take plane photos. The food wasn't any different; probably the same vendor.
I managed to capture a premium catch - Lufthansa's Airbus A340-300. In this day and age, still being able to see 5APU flying is truly moving!
What is going on with the TV at this bar? Feels like an eye test. Terrifying... 
There are showers here, but I wasn't sure whether you had to make a reservation, so I didn't try them. When it was about time, I hurried to catch the next flight to LAX. The safety card only said 737 and didn't specify the exact variant; everyone has probably already guessed why.
A row of AA credit card ads.
Nothing to report on the way. Downtown Los Angeles was already in sight; preparing to land. LAX's T5 has already been torn down and is being rebuilt; who knows how long that will take... Got off the plane, walked out along the long underground corridor to collect my luggage, and Chestnut's trip ends here.
