Losing Virginity
I know we are almost six months into 2016 and most people probably already forgot their new year’s resolutions/goals and whatever happened in their lives in 2015. Well I wanted to backtrack a bit….and let me tell you – last year was a special year for me! It turns out the 2015 was the year of the Goat according to the Chinese Calendar and I was born in a year of the Goat, too!!! I guess it makes it a very special year for me……since this was the year I was able to fly the first class for the first time in my life!
To be honest, until probably a couple years ago, a thought about flying first class never crossed my mind – flying for me was a quick way to get from point A to point B and the only class I could afford was the cheapest, economy class. The only thing I cared about was to get the window seat if possible…..until I got upgraded to a business class on my way back from Australia to the US. Now I know it was a pretty “meh” business class (I was flying United), but back then I was in heaven – they served champagne, delicious food with real silverware, I could recline my seat and put my feet up. I was convinced – this is the way to fly! My excitement quickly faded when I started checking business class prices for my next trip and I was convinced again – it’s not for me, the coach seat will do just fine.
A couple years ago a friend of mine told me he was flying Southwest for free – using points. I was intrigued. That led to quite a few hours spent online reading the FlyerTalk, Boardingarea and other blogs/travel sites. Fast forward to 2014 – I convinced my brother to splurge and use miles to book a business class flight on the way back from Tokyo to Chicago. On American Airlines. Angled seats. Still, I was impressed! And convinced again (my brother still isn’t) – this is the way to fly. This was followed by the $450 business class mistake fare to Beijing in 2015 – on American Airlines again. I was still impressed.
Last summer I was planning my October trip to Hong Kong and was looking for the best way to get there. One of the options was Cathay Pacific airlines and after some digging online I discovered the airline was consistently ranked among the best…….and they had the first class award ticket available that worked for my dates!! Ha, I guess I will be “losing my virginity” with Cathay.
Once the booking was finalized, I did a bit more research to “mentally” prepare myself for this trip: I found some trip reports of the exact route I was going to be on, checked some reviews and pictures. …I kind of felt like Danny DeVito in the Nespresso commercial….by October I was ready.
When the day came, I headed to the airport straight after work. The check in process was smooth and quick – there is a separate line for those flying first class. One thing I wasn’t aware about – they do offer to escort you to the lounge (since I came straight from work, I didn’t really have much time for lounging), which means you get to skip TSA security lines. On one hand I liked the “VIP” treatment but on the other I felt kind of awkward – the line of people waiting to get through security was quite long, about 80+ people for sure; the airline employee walked me in front of the line, showed his badge to the TSA agent, made a pretty loud announcement “First Class” and I was good to go. The looks I got from the people standing in line weren’t very pleasant, to say the least. Anyways, he walked me to the lounge where I spent some time checking work emails while sipping chardonnay and when the time came I headed to the gate for boarding.
Once boarding began, the first class passengers were allowed to go first. By the door I was greeted by the inflight manager and one of the flight attendants escorted me to my seat. WOW! The seat was huge – two people could easily fit there! There was an ottoman in front of the seat (large enough to sit down – this way two people could dine together at the same table) with some luggage space underneath. Also, there was your personal “locker” where you could hang your clothes. Once I settled in, two flight attendants came by to introduce themselves and offered me a drink – since I did my research before this flight, I went with a glass of Krug, which was quickly served with the pre-departure salmon “snack”. A bit later hot towels, menus, headphones, pajamas (which are super comfy and you get to keep them) and amenity kits were distributed.
After the takeoff, once the seat belt sign was turned off, the flight attendant came over to take my meal order. She told me I could have whatever I wanted and at any time I wanted. I started with more champagne with warm cashews, followed by caviar, soup and a chicken dish. And finished it off with cake and a cup of cappuccino (yes, cappuccino at 35,000 feet). Hmmm, life is good!! After the meal I asked one of the flight attendants to make my bed and went to the lavatory to change into pajamas. Once I came out of the lavatory, the other flight attendant was standing by the lavatory and insisted taking my clothes and hanging them for me. How could I say no?! My bed was ready – I watched some TV for a bit and fell asleep.
The bed was super comfy and I probably slept for a good seven hours – all the “stress” of flying first class drained me out. Once I woke up, I ordered breakfast + more cake with a cappuccino and ended up watching TV for the rest of the flight.
Bottom Line
I guess what impressed me the most about this flight was the service – the crew was very attentive, smiling, addressing me by name, checking the cabin regularly to see if passengers needed anything. The attention to details, the way they set up your table, arrange silverware and dishes is incredible. No wonder the airline is constantly ranked among the best. On one hand I’m very glad I was able to experience it but on the other hand my life was ruined – it’s pretty hard to switch back to flying Southwest, especially if you get stuck in the middle seat.
