I Flew First Class
While adding the blog piece Coin a New Word 1: Macro Niche, which completed number 39 for me on my bucket list, I noticed one saying to fly first class. I forgot it was a bucket list item and I accidentally did it a few weeks ago.
It was comfortable! I fly on American Airlines almost exclusively and if I can’t fly with them because of price, I am prone to bring Amtrak. I was at Sacramento International Airport (SMF) a couple weeks ago waiting on my flight to Chicago and I was booked for seat 8A. 8A is the second row of the main cabin seats for American Airlines on a 737-800 and seat A is the port-side window seat. I was happy. Since I fly so much I have Gold Status on American, a real feat for someone who got that status by flying mostly basic economy and only over the course of six months. With Gold Status comes boarding Group 4. Flyers are put on the plane based on boarding groups 1 through 9. Group 4 is pretty quick to board. Normally I can board, be buckled in, and asleep before the doors are shut.
While standing in line to board, I heard them page “Passenger Beebe, please come up for your new seat assignment.” Crap! I went up and the first thing I noticed was I was in seat B, not A. I was thinking it was a middle seat and I have wide shoulders. No one wants me in a middle seat. Then I noticed the “4” was missing a line and looked like a “1” for my boarding group. Finally I noticed I was now in row 5, not 8. I tried to not grin but I’m pretty sure I was…big time. Usually with Group 4 I am on the plane in five minutes. The line ahead of me is minimal but with Group 1, I was the third person on the plane.
After I put my carryon in the overhead, I sat down it what can only be described as the most comfortable seat I’ve ever sat in to travel sans a Cadillac. I stretched my legs out because I could and felt so comfortable that there was a sudden Zen-like feeling in which the whole world made sense. I quickly realized that maybe first class should board last instead of first because the other nearly 200 people have to walk past you and…they smell funny. In a window seat you are a bit away from them, but in an aisle seat, they all walk past you, some hitting you with their luggage, mostly not unintentionally. I had been up at this point some thirty hours and was exhausted and that seat felt amazing! I had plenty of room and didn’t need a seatbelt extender. I relaxed and was out like a light quickly. I felt the acceleration of the plane taking off for a moment then drifted back to sleep. After everyone boarded I wanted to snap a picture from my seat but I didn’t last that long. I zonked out fast.
Once the plane landed I woke up from the stop but (and heres the important part) I had so much room I did not smack my face on the seat in front of me, my usual wakeup method on a flight (usually a point of comedy for my fellow passengers). Nope! I still lunged forward, but not as hard and woke up gently.
I have flown since then and each flight seems unfulfilling and uncomfortable. I really loved first class— possibly more than I should have.
Thank you for reading this piece from Michael Beebe. For more about Michael, please visit TheMichaelBeebe.com or VagabondingAmerica.com.
