First Class

Having spent the day (Monday) touring Delhi, our travel day back to Philadelphia was destined to be a long one as our flight didn’t depart until about 1:00 AM on Tuesday. The upside was that we would once again be flying in comfort at the front of the plane. The VERY front.

For those that happen to follow my somewhat rare Instagram posts, you already know that the aforementioned journey back to Philadelphia included a not-so-short stint in First Class – specifically, from Heathrow to Philadelphia. For those that DON’T follow my somewhat rare Instagram posts, my journey back to Philadelphia included a not-so-short stint in First Class – specifically from Heathrow to Philadelphia.

As for how I ended up in First Class, well … as mentioned a few posts ago, Gage and I were piggybacking on Jack’s business trip. Officially, Jack was in First Class while Gage and I were slumming it in Business Class. However, for the return portion of the flight, Gage and Jack swapped seats for the first flight while I was the beneficiary of the swapped seats for the second flight. Admittedly, I felt more than a little guilty taking Jack’s (or Gage’s) First Class seat; however, since it gave Gage and Jack the opportunity to actually sit together in Business Class it worked out well for all. That said, I still felt a bit guilty.

Guilt aside, my First Class experience was, well … first class. Since I was caught up on all my video projects I was able to just relax and enjoy all the perks that came with sitting so close to the front of the plane. From the moment I showed my (i.e., Jack’s) boarding pass, I received VERY attentive service – although, I’m actually a bit uncomfortable being catered to in such a fashion. While Business Class was great, First Class simply upped the ante that much more. The toiletry pouch was a bit fancier – as were the contents within. The menu was a bit on the ridiculous side – especially for someone who has spent the bulk of the past two months cooking pasta and $0.99 powdered sauce over an alcohol stove. The entertainment screens were larger. The seating pods (and subsequent bed) were just that much roomier. They even provided pyjamas. Admittedly, I had a hard time not laughing when offered those.

With no editing needing to be done, I was able to fully enjoy the first class experience. I ate a bit. Drank a bit. Ate a bit more. Watched a couple of movies including “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” which was really good. And, of course, I had to take a nap. I mean, for research purposes. After all, I had to see if the First Class beds were any bigger than those in Business Class. Spoiler Alert: They are. Not significantly but there was enough extra length that I could REALLY stretch out. I’m certainly not complaining about the beds in Business Class but I’m pretty much the maximum height (6 feet) to fit fully stretched out on them. In First Class, I had a bit of room to spare.

Not surprisingly, the seven hour flight from Heathrow to Philadelphia passed incredibly quickly. And comfortably. I can say with great certainty that when we landed at PHL it was the first time I was a LITTLE disappointed to be in Philadelphia. On the upside, it was sunny. Isn’t it always?

The disappointment resulting from the conclusion of my first (and likely only) First Class experience was offset by a fun coincidence as I went through US Customs. As mentioned previously, one of my in-flight activities was watching the movie “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”. I mentioned that mostly as a precursor to this event. As it happens, Richard E. Grant (one of the stars of said movie) was standing directly in front of me as we waited to clear Customs. It was kind of hard to notice at first since I was mostly just seeing the back of his head. However, as he was speaking with the US Customs agent it became more clear. I MAY have even taken a covert (and not remotely level) photo of the occasion. Sure, I could’ve simply asked him as we waited in line, but … well … that’s really not my way.

Anyway, as coincidences go, I thought that was a pretty good one.