6 years, 11 months ago Bobbe White
Upgrades in my life? About two. It wasn’t horrible. Especially the time when Woody Harrelson sat behind us. However, first class fare can be quite costly. Google it sometime. For what, exactly, are they REALLY paying up there?
PRE-BOARDING: that’s nice and all, but they look so unhappy when the rest of us slubs parade down the aisle to economy class. Maybe it’s that I just cracked a guy’s head with my overhead bag. Oopsies! Maybe first classers would be happier boarding last, so they don’t have to look at us. Maybe it’s the…
FREE BOOZE: Personally, Johnnie Walker scotch doesn’t appeal at 5:55 a.m., which is when I usually depart. I just want coffee, straight up, at that hour. Besides, the air is bone dry in every section and alcohol just exacerbates dehydration. My skin’s already like a fossil, who needs it?
SEATS/SPACE: there’s more leg room, but if you know how to pick, there are some economy seats, offering leg room too. Reclining is a matter of degrees, unless you’re on a fancy, schmancy international flight where the seats flip into canopy beds.
AMENITIES: blankets, pillows and socks, oh my! I do kind of miss blankies in the back.
LAVATORY: Technically, fewer people = less waiting. Just remember Murphy ’s Law of bathrooms: the worse you have to go, the longer the wait will be.
FOOD: Some say it’s improving, but from any food I’ve ever had eaten up there, it’s more institutional, than gourmet. Cinnabun tastes and smells better, by far. That’s why so many carry-on food.
DE-PLANING: Obviously, deplaning is like accounting 101: FIFO (First in, first out), but I ask you, don’t we REALLY get there all at the same time? Exactly.
SAFETY/SECURITY/SURVIVAL: Again, the law of averages would dictate that the fewer the wingnuts in a given area, the less chance of a meltdown. Sorry, that boat doesn’t carry much water for me. As for a crash, they call it, “Nosedive,” for a reason. ‘Nuf said. We slubs in the waaaaay back might be the last in the big splash.
PEOPLE are people, regardless of class. Some in first class have no class. You know what I’m talking about. Both flight attendants and passengers can be polite, rude, noisy, quiet, helpful, bitchy, loud, smelly or sad. Everyone has a story. My dad always said, “You don’t know what you don’t know. You may never know what you don’t know. And you may not want to know what you don’t know.” Passengers are a microcosm of the world. As Abercrombie & Fitch advertised once: “We’re all just passengers flying around and there’s no room for extra baggage.” It’s a lot like life down here, right? People sitting or standing next to you, in every arena, struggle for one reason or another: financially, physically or emotionally. Sometimes, you can utter three words to make peace with your neighbor, “WHAT A DAY!” It might start a brief –or longer- conversation. Flying at any level in the atmosphere can be trying. Or exhilarating. “WHAT A DAY!” are three possible words to blurt when you enter your 42D. That’d be might seat number, not my bra size. “WHAT A DAY!” It’s open to interpretation. It can be positive or negative. A door opener. An Ice breaker. Give it a go. Now, go have a nice flight in any cabin of the world or airplane. It’s time for take-off.
