• constellation [none/use name]
    ·
    1 year ago

    My dad booked me for a second leg of a long-haul flight (out of LAX) in first class (domestic flight so just 2 classes). Boy, it was great. The seat was like an armchair with plenty of room, and free booze of course. It wasn't even like being on a flight, it was like being in a restaurant. The steward was outstanding and was funny and at one point he made fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies in an onboard oven. Would do again.

    The "best" part was being in LAX and getting to go to the first class lounge! Ruling class territory! It felt great showing my boarding pass and being admitted inside the forbidden zone. But once inside, boy what a disappointment. The lounge had clearly been the victim of several rounds of cuts and it was the bare minimum. They had a buffet, but the only actual food was this mean little Thai curry. The rest of it was all french fries and other non-meal items that I know were super cheap. I went where I had long longed to go: the bar! Woo-hoo, it's all free! And best of all, they announced a flight delay. If there's anywhere you want to be delayed, it's the free bar at the first class lounge! But another disappointment. I was expecting the best bartenders in the business. Nope. All they knew how to do was pull beers and fill chardonnay glasses. I asked for a Singapore sling, one of my favorite cocktails, and one of the bartenders, clearly the junior one, had to look up how to make one on her phone. It was subpar (I'm a cocktail man when I can get good ones). The other bartenders sat around doing nothing and talking about how great it was to use your company discount to play golf in Phoenix. It was comforting to know that the airlines screw the first class customers, too.