The joys of flying Business Class, and why have I never done this before?!
Some very quick Context: my sister is moving house, and she needed brawn. Not brains, just brawn. Not sure why she thought I'd be useful on either of those counts, but hey-ho. Booking my trip, though, the flight home was fully booked, so my only option was to take a Business Class ticket and use up all my airmiles.
Little did I know at the time how worth it it would be!
It started with uncertainty. The trip up the escalators, walking into the Club Lounge, asking tentatively if I was allowed here as a Business Class customer. The smile from the hostess said she'd seen this all before, but she didn't call security; she just pointed me up the stairs and said Welcome. whew!
Another checkpoint at the top of the escalator - show you belong. Apparently, I did.
So let's start with the Club Lounge. First - it's air-conditioned!! This last weekend was as hot as the Sahara at lunchtime, and the bliss of walking into an air-conditioned suite was indescribable. There's a buffet that just magically always has food on it, much like Garfield's lasagna dream, fresh coffee stations, and complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Soft chairs, too, with actual runway views.
I'm not ashamed to admit I had more than my money's worth of grub, enjoyed a lovely little single malt on the side, and I may still have a couple of cans of Coca-Cola in my bag...
Eventually, though, the good times had to end. Or so I thought. It was time to fly home. I wandered down to the Gate, checked my boarding pass, and saw "Priority Group 1". What the hell? Was this some wizardry? No queues for me? Damned right, no queues for me!! Straight to the counter, straight onto the plane, and straight into even more 5* service.
The actual flight itself was the one thing I didn't think would have much of a benefit, as internal flights are on small planes, and the Business Class section doesn't actually appear different from Economy. Imagine my surprise when I sat down to discover I had the row to myself (even though the rest of the plane was packed), and a friendly steward offering me a drink and a menu. More devilry, surely!?
As you can see from the picture, devilry be damned. The Prawn Cocktail was to die for, some of the freshest prawns I've eaten, the Tiramisu was a delight, and I even had a real cloth napkin!
So now, my trip is over, it'll live long in the memory, and I'm seriously considering donating a Kidney to upgrade myself on my next flight again, to South Africa. The fact that my wife and child may have to stay in Economy Class is sad, but I only have one kidney to give, so they may just have to wait their turn...