The other side of the curtain
I had always wondered what happens in the first class section of an aircraft, but on a recent flight an announcement by a flight attendant clarified things.
“We will be serving a hot meal in first class,” she drawled in a nasally voice. “Those in economy have the option to purchase a cold sandwich.”
It felt like she was rubbing it in. If we had worked just a little bit harder, maybe we could have been sitting on the other side of the curtain, eating a hot meal and relaxing in a bigger seat.
Instead, we were offered the option of purchasing a dry, crusty sandwich and eating it with our elbows tucked in — so as not to accidently bump our neighbours.
Still, there was always the fear that if I somehow found a way to get on the other side of the curtain, I might be ruined forever.
In a Seinfeld episode entitled The Airport, Jerry and Elaine were flying from St. Louis to New York after Jerry had performed a show and Elaine had visited her sister. When their flight got cancelled, they rebooked another flight with one seat left in first class and one in coach.
There was a tense moment where Jerry explained to Elaine that since he had experienced first class, he could no longer fly coach. He reasoned that since Elaine had never flown first class, she wouldn’t know what she was missing. In the end, Elaine got cramped into coach while Jerry partied in first class with a sexy model.
Knowing the risks involved, I decided to splurge on a business class lie-flat seat on a recent transatlantic flight to London, U.K.
Technically, I was spending my husband’s Aeroplan miles to purchase the ticket, so he decided to splurge and put me on the other side of the curtain. Although he wasn’t actually present when the decision was made, he seemed to accept the fact that he had spent an extra 20,000 air miles quite well when he was informed later.
The first class experience began at the airport, when I stepped into the line that says Executive or First Class Travellers. I had never stood in that line before and to be honest — it felt good. The line was short.
I checked in and cleared security, and it didn’t take long before the gate agent called for the executive class passengers to begin boarding the aircraft. Once inside, I was greeted by a cheerful cabin crew, ushered to a large comfortable seat, given a drink, and offered reading material before takeoff. Things were going well so far.
The flight seemed to whiz by. I commented to the gentleman sitting next to me that the fruit plate they served for breakfast was very nice. “That’s not breakfast,” he casually replied. “That’s just the first course.”
Near the end of the flight, they brought around the snacks that are sold in the economy section of the aircraft and offered them to us for free. I felt slightly nervous as I took a large family sized chocolate bar off the tray. I was afraid the flight attendant might pull away the tray, but she just smiled and suggested I take another treat, too.
When you are travelling on air miles, you may not get the most convenient flight schedule. My outbound flight had a long layover in Ottawa, so I used the time to check out the Maple Leaf Lounge in Canada’s capital city. Since I had never flown business class before, this was the first time I had ever been admitted inside a Maple Leaf Lounge and I was feeling pretty special.
As I walked through the doors, I was amazed to discover that there is quite an extensive selection of food and refreshments inside the lounge. There is a business centre with free Internet service and phone access, a small buffet with food that changes throughout the day and a complimentary self-serve bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The lights were muted and the space was comfortable and I relaxed and enjoyed some lunch and took advantage of the free Internet service.
The second flight was even better, because I had my own little pod in the executive class section of the aircraft.
The only mishap occurred when I somehow managed to cut my finger while playing with all the buttons on the lie-flat seat. I’m still not sure how that happened, but after I stopped the bleeding, I enjoyed a gourmet meal and watched a great movie before adjusting the seat to a completely flat position and falling asleep.
Seinfeld was right when he told Elaine that it was hard to fly economy once you have been in the first class section of an aircraft, but I don’t believe my husband will take it as well as Elaine did if I book myself into first class and leave him in the economy section. I guess I`ll just have to practise sitting in a confined space before my next flight, so I don’t forget how.
Creative ways to get yourself into first class
First class may seem like an elusive luxury, but some of the people who sit in the first class section do not pay a high price to get there. Here are a few ideas for how to nab a seat on the other side of the curtain:
• Customer loyalty programs: Those who reach elite status for an airline’s customer loyalty program typically qualify for free upgrade certificates, entrance to club lounges and other benefits. Most of the time, you have to fly a lot to reach elite status, but sometimes airlines offer incentives to help you get there faster — like booking a specific flight from a specific gateway.
• Frequent flyer miles: Purchasing a first class ticket may be out of your budget, but if you are using frequent flyer miles to purchase your ticket, the number of miles required for a first class or executive class seat may not be much more than the number of miles needed to purchase an economy seat.
• First class deals: Some airlines such as Air Transat or Sunwing offer a higher class of service with a larger seat without charging as much money as other airlines. It’s always a good idea to check the cost before you rule it out as an option.
• Hope for a free upgrade: It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes people do receive free upgrades when they check in at the airport. A business traveller who is frequently upgraded said he believed he was offered more free upgrades by wearing business attire while travelling.
• Purchase lounge access: First Class and Business Class Travellers get free lounge privileges, but those travelling on an economy ticket can purchase lounge access for an additional fee that may be as little as $30. If you have a long layover, it may be worth it. Annual memberships for airport lounges can also be purchased and some credit cards also offer lounge access. You may also be able to purchase lounge access using frequent flyer miles.
Flat-out wonderful
Air Canada has introduced the first fully flat beds of any North American carrier in business class across its international fleet. The new executive first suites provide you with your own personal space along with a fully flat bed at the touch of a button. Speaking from experience, it is definitely flat-out wonderful.
Over the top
Emirates Airlines began offering in-flight showers for all first class passengers last October on flights from New York to Dubai on their A380 airplanes. Although the idea is to make flying as comfortable as possible, the airplane will need to carry about one ton of water to accommodate showers for all of the first class passengers. It’s estimated the additional cost of the shower will be about $18,000 per first class passenger per flight. The carbon cost associated with carrying this much extra water will be about 23,000 kg (50,000 pounds) per trip.
Debbie Olsen is a Lacombe-based freelance writer. If you have a travel story you would like to share or know someone with an interesting travel story who we might interview, please email: DOGO@telusplanet.net or write to: Debbie Olsen, c/o Red Deer Advocate, 2950 Bremner Ave., Red Deer, Alta., T4R 1M9.
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