I just got back from a quick Thanksgiving trip to Europe a couple of weeks ago. I took advantage of the long weekend (and 2 paid vacation days) to get in one last international jaunt before the end of the year. Also I’m bringing up my number of foreign countries visited this year to 3. Unless a miracle trip arises before 12/31, I’ll still be one short of my annual goal. Oh well…I tried and if it hadn’t been for that Gaza flotilla bombing back in June, I would have made my goal (next time, Syria…next time). Aaaaanyway … I’ll write more on London and Berlin in a later post…this post will be about my glimpse beyond the cloth curtain. My first overseas trip in (queue the angels singing)… First Class.

Now I’ve flown first class before domestically. The first time was flying back from LA to Washington DC when I was in college and still successfly flying as my alter-ego, Shirley Iwagaki (my Japanese friend’s elderly mother – they weren’t so strict with IDs back then). At the time this was definitley a step up from coach class with the real plates and silverware and super comfy seats. Over the years, that step up slowly got less and less noticable until now where there is little that separates coach from first aside from the free alcohol (which is still appreciated).

And I’ve flown business class internationally back when the consulting company I was working for wasn’t pinching its pennies quite so tightly. I’m a big fan of international business class (aside from one trip on a less than spectacular Varig airplane) with my only regret being that I haven’t gotten to fly in the upstairs cabin of a 747.

But with all my trips back and forth I never got to combine First Class with International. The Holy Grail. And with a price tag over $10,000, I didn’t see having that opportunity any time soon. That is, until I checked my BA Credit Card point balance. This was all thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Chris Guillebeau (http://chrisguillebeau.com) who tipped me off to a great point earning credit card deal gave me 150,000 in one year…enough for that magical flight in (angels singing) First Class.

Let’s start with the LAX airport experience. LAX is definitely NOT my favorite airport. I am always shocked by the lack of amenities in the International Terminal for such a large hub-city. But I was willing to overlook these shortcomings because frankly I wasn’t going to have to deal with them. I was going to relax in the BA First Class lounge while I waited to board. And I was going to glide effortlessly through the security line with First Class line cutting privledges. I’m normally not that elitist, but if you get the opportuity to act that way for about an hour, might as well see what it feels like.

As for the line cutting…well, I did move a little faster than the person who stepped in line right behind me, but not enough to make a real difference. And the First Class lounge – it was all up to par. The free flowing champagne (only time for one glass) and the fresh cheeses, fruit and hors d’oeuves were well apprecited. The quite relaxed atmosphere exactly what I expected. The only let down were the internet enabled PC’s. I’m curious as to what middle school they stole them from…back in 1995. Way old and way slow. A bit disappointing, but definitely nothing to throw off the excitement of the upcoming trip. So I sent out a few emails, changed my facebook status and then they were calling our flight. One last swig of champagne, one last bite of cheese and I was on my way.

The first class cabin of the new 747 plane was an intimate and cozy place. With its location in the nose of the plane, it felt a bit like a cocoon. I lucked out because we were flying on one of the new 747’s which had completely upgraded seating. Large flat screen TV’s, personal coat closets, automated venetian blinds in the windows. The seats were comfortable, the service friendly, the food delicious, the wine, not “to die for”, but still very good, and the movie selections were plentiful.

I only made two newbie faux pas on the flight over. 1. I didn’t notice the separate first class boarding ramp onto the plane, so I boarded at the regular door and had to be escorted through Business Class to the front of the plane. Oops. 2. I was a bit skeptical about the pajamas the flight attendant handed me. I’m not exactly a prude but I am not sure I was all too thrilled about donning pajamas in front of a bunch of strangers. And since I took the time to dress fashionably, yet comfortably for the flight, I figured, I didn’t really need to change. I decided to think it over and then decide after take-off what I’d do. But then when I turned around just before take off (I was in one of the more forward seats) I noticed that EVERYONE had already chagned into their PJ’s. As if they knew something that I didn’t. Perhpas trying to change clothes in those small airplane bathrooms while dealing with turblance wasn’t the most sophisticated way to travel.

But that leads me to my one disappointment about the plane…the small bathrooms. I suppose I thought that in First Class the bathrooms would be spacious and (most importantly) cleaner than in coach. But no – same size, same level of general cleanliness though obviously sharing with only about 12 people makes a big improvement over sharing with 100+ people. Still, I guess I’d been reading too many stories about the Air Emirates A380 in flight shower spas.

Eventually, after dinner, I decided to relax in my oversized pajamas with a movie (“Inception”) and a light read (the duty free catalog) and then closed my eyes for a bit in my lie flat bed. I can’t say I slept better than I normally do on a flight since I’m such a light sleeper, but it was definitely much more comfortable than being confined in a coach class seat.

I arrived safely in London the next afternoon having truly enjoyed my experience. Although I am always glad to arrive in one of my very favorite cities, I definitley
could have stayed on a few more hours without any complaint.

The trip back to LA about a week later was fairly similar in terms of the flight. The main difference being that the first class lounge in Heathrow’s Terminal 5 was in a completely different league than the lounge at LAX. The Heathrow lounge was a 5-star hotel compared to LAX’s totally adequate but more humble inn. At Heathrow you had restaurant style service wherever you wanted to perch yourself in the large lounge. I found a place on their terrace in a comfortable recliner with a tree-top view of the snow covered airplanes on the tarmac and the arrivals hall below. There were sleeping cabins, a board room and a full service spa. I could have easily waited out any weathr delay there. Instead, I ended up waiting out a two hour delay on the acutal plane as they had to go through the de-iceing routine and then wait in line for take off. but with all the first class comforts, I honestly barely noticed.

But apparently after only one first class flight, I had become a bit of a snob. I noticed that this plane was not one of the brand new 747s, so the TV at my seat was much smaller, there was no personal coat closet and there was a bit more wear and tear around the seats. (Ugh! How could I put up with such paltry conditions???) Luckily I was able to summon the power to overlook these transgressions (please, please, please note the sarcasm) and fully enjoy my return flight as well. I decided to skip the pajamas this time (I was over that experience) but I was as comfortable as could be and well-fed and well-hydrated the whole way back. Thank you British Airways for my first International First Class experience.

All in all, it was totally enjoyable and I had a great flight, but was it worth $10,000+? Um – I think not. I’d much rather spend that kind of money (should I ever have it) on hotels and on the ground experiences. The next time I decide to spluge on a fligh
t, I plan to spend the money (or the Frequent Flyer points) on an upstairs business class seat. The final on-board frontier for me.