If you’ve ever wondered what first class travel is like, here’s your sneak peak. First class travel has always held a sense of mystique for those in the back. I’m now a full fare coach passenger myself on every flight I take. But growing up, I was lucky enough to fly first class virtually everywhere I travelled, because my mother was a flight attendant. They say you don’t know what you have until you lose it, and I agree. It was fun while it lasted, but now that I’m an adult with a family of my own, I don’t have the luxury of flying on my mother’s credentials anymore. So, for those of you who’ve always wondered what it’s like, let me give you a glimpse behind the magical curtain.
More Space
It’s no surprise to everyone who has ever walked through first class while boarding a plane that the first class cabin has more space. The seats are larger. There’s more leg room. You simply don’t feel cramped like you do in coach class. But what many may not have seen is just how much space there is once you recline those plush leather chairs. That’s right, on some flights, especially international ones, those seats fold back almost horizontally! If that’s not worth the money on a transcontinental flight, I don’t know what is.
More Service
Sure, everyone has heard the flight attendants announce that first class passengers will be served a meal in flight while the cattle in the back get peanuts. But it’s not just the fact that there are meals that makes first class special. It’s the detailed service that accompanies those meals. The hot hand towels to clean your hands and face. The fact that each passenger may choose what they would like to eat from a list of options. Not feeling fishy? Have the chicken instead. Especially on international flights, service includes mid-flight snacks, not peanuts. You actually dine on cheeses and grapes and hot tea and coffee. Am I tempting you yet?
Faster Boarding
Finally comes what I like to call the walk of shame. No, not for the first class passengers. Its the coach passengers who all must walk through first class with their heads hung low in the realization that their more luxurious counterparts have been in their seats relaxing, playing on their phones and reading magazines for the past few minutes, while coach passengers have been warming up for the mad scramble that would soon begin to be the first to cram their luggage in the overhead bins in the back.
Conclusion
So, yes, first class travel is indeed everything you hoped it would be, and I hope a little more. I’ve come to accept my lowly position in the back of the airplane. Some may say I even deserve it and that it’s time I serve my sentence in coach. After all, most people spend the first half of their lives trying to earn that coveted first class spot. So, since I’ve already made it to the promised land and back, I’ll toast to you that you make it to the front real soon. Good luck!