Ailantha
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

An Economy Gal Goes First Class

1/6/2017

0 Comments

 
  Part one:  Procuring The Ticket
  As often as I fly, I'd never flown first class. But I'd always wanted to, just once, just to see if it's all that. 
     Yesterday I finally did get the opportunity to fly first class, and it was, indeed, very nice; even better because I didn't have to pay for it. 
    That is to say, I didn't have to pay for it with money.
    I paid for it, rather, with a couple of hours of my time last spring when I volunteered to be bumped from an Alaska Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Portland and was given a $400 flight voucher in compensation (see post from 3/26/2016).  
     In truth there are few things that thrill me like snagging a free airline ticket.  To this end whenever I fly and the depature gate area looks crowded I keep my ears peeled for the announcement that bump-volunteers are needed so that I can be ready to spring out of  my seat and be the first person at the airline counter.  Sometimes I don't even wait for the announcement , I just proceed up to the gate on my own and let the clerk know that if the flight ends up overbooked I'm ready and willing to reliquish my seat.
     So you can imagine my dismay when several months later I endeavoured to cash in my $400 voucher towards a Columbus-Los Angeles- Portland- Columbus trip and was informed that the voucher was only good on Alaska Airlines flights up and down the West Coast.
    I don't fly up and down the West Coast.  I fly cross-country. 
    At first I was mucho annoyed and felt as if I'd been scammed by Alaska Airlines.   But then when I was planning my next West Coast trip I got the idea of looking into the possibility of booking one-way tickets to each destination instead of booking one multi-city round-trip ticket as I ususally do.  In other words, one ticket Columbus to L.A.,  another L.A. to Portland, and another Portland to Columbus.  This way I figured I could use up at least part of the voucher for the south-north leg of the trip from Los Angeles to Portland. 
     To my happy surprise, I learned that it's actually cheaper booking my trip this way, in one-way-ticket segments rather than one big round trip, and it would be even cheaper this time because, of course, I could use my voucher for part of the trip.
     But the cost of the ticket from Los Angeles to Portland was under $100 on most airlines, about $150 on Alaska Airlines.  Then I got the idea of using up more of my $400 credit by flying first-class L.A. to Portland.   Turned out the first-class ticket cost $330 total.
      Thus I snagged several birds in one fell swoop:  I got my L.A.- Portland ticket,  used up most of my Alaska Airlines voucher, and would soon be able to kick off my bucket list my desire to fly first class.
   
     Part Two: Prelude To The Flight
  
   In retrospect,  I must say that for me the very best part of flying first class was my entitlement to make use of the Alaska Airlines VIP lounge, known as The Boardroom, in the L.A. airport before my flight.
    Not that there aren't some nice places to wait around in the public area of the Los Angeles airport, 
because there are,
Picture
Picture
...but waiting in The Boardroom was awesome.  My plane ended up being an  hour delayed.  It could have been delayed two hours, so content was I to wait around in The Boardroom.
   There was a comfy lounging-around area.
Picture
​...a work area,
Picture
...a children's play area,
Picture
​...and a deluxe ladies' room.
Picture
    There was a bar at which one was entitled to three complimentary drinks which, being a teetotaler and also it being early in the day even if I did drink, I forewent.
Picture
    But there were other free refreshments,
Picture
Picture
...among which were a pancake maker which was replaced with a pizza maker around lunch time.
Picture
​    I partook of a toasted bagel and a cup of tea,
Picture
...and later a lovely dish of salad,
Picture
​...and I was about to check out the Chicken Andouille soup,
Picture
...when I glanced over at the departures board and saw that - holy cow! - I'd lost track of time and my plane was boarding and would be taking off in 20 minutes!

     Part Three:  The Flight
   
I quickly gathered up my stuff and hauled elbow over to my gate where the last zone was boarding in a behemoth's tail of a line.  I headed to the end of the long line then remembered:  I'm first class!  I can zip by everyone else via the first class lane!  Which I did.
   By the time I boarded, everyone else who was going to be sitting in my section had already taken their seats, and so it was with great delight that I saw that the seat next to mine was empty, 
except for a couple of bottles of water.   As expected, the seat was muy comfy.
Picture
     A little into the flight the attendant came around and asked people if they'd like anything to drink.  I declined.  A little later the attendant came by again and asked us if we'd like to have the meal, tortellini in cream sauce.  I accepted.
     Just before we were served my fellow passengers and I were presented with warm wet cloths with which to wash our hands, I presume, though I'm pretty sure that if you're serious about wanting to clean your hands you should have soap and water. 
​    
   Still, the warm cloths were pleasant.
Picture
     The meal was good, too,
Picture
     ...though I think that if I were to become a first-class regular I'd skip the plane meal and just fill up on the yummy food in the VIP room.
      In truth I have only two criticisms of my first class flight:
      1.  I assumed that the internet would be free but no, one has to pay in first class, same as in economy.
      2.  I was cold, but when I asked the attendant for a blanket she said they didn't have any blankets but that she would ask them to turn up the heat.  I wasn't sure if she was joking about turning up the heat or if she was serious but forgot to get to it; in any case, I was cold the whole flight.
      And finally, this isn't a criticism, merely an observation:  the bathroom in first class was exactly the same as the one in economy.  I know this because I checked both out both bathrooms.  But I didn't mind.  I'm always grateful for any available bathroom en route.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
     by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
    Picture
    ​"Hail Mary"
    by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
    Picture
    "Tropical Depression" 
    by Patti Liszkay
    ​Buy it on Amazon:   
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTPN7NYY

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

    I am a traveler just visiting this planet and reporting various and sundry observations,
    hopefully of interest to my fellow travelers.

    Categories

    All


























































































  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact