Comfort at 30k ft - Entry 19

D23.M5.Y19.
Purple Haze Apartment
Zagreb

Writing Challenge - entry 19

I've ranted and rambled about my gripes with air travel in the past and it doesn't look like there's much that can change my mind about it all. A new experience has taken place that is leading me to re-evaluate some aspects of the whole circus.

Be warned, this changes nothing! Well, maybe it does, but not a lot. Let me explain. Recently, I was on a long haul overnight flight. What was different this time around is that I was travelling in business class. The first difference is that I didn't mind showing up at the airport significantly early. Business lounges help provide some relief from mindless hordes, unnecessary noise and uncomfortable waiting benches while offering conversational lubricants and some decent food. The staff there will also notify you when your flight begins boarding, albeit they will just shout this information in your general direction. The next thing I noticed is that boarding process was significantly different.

At this point, it is important to interrupt and point out that this singular travel experience has been guided by a major astral shift or some other stroke of luck. I don't subscribe to the belief that something like luck can ever possibly exist, but several of critical elements of this travel experience were very positive and had nothing to do with my trusted traveler status or business class ticket. At the airport, there was some confusion about baggage drop-off because dim witted and poorly organized airport staff didn't know much about doing their jobs, but not a major surprise or inconvenience. The security check was more than surprisingly empty. There was no queue. We passed in a flash. We then proceeded to visit two business lounges where we had some snacks and many gin and tonics. We arrived at our gate at scheduled boarding time to find it empty. The airline staff was there, but there were no travelers. The airline staff explained that the pilot was eager to leave as soon as possible. This doesn't happen. Not in my experience. This coincidence has followed us the rest of the way as arrival at the destination also provided extremely quick processing, baggage arrival and no delay at customs.

Tangent over, the seat was grand. Dedicated overhead bin was enormous for my one small messenger bag. My travel company was fantastic and the neighbors weren't too savage, apart from one terrible snorer. The seat itself was quite comfortable, blanket was warm and pillow was soft. The staff was fantastic, kind and welcoming, although I suspect this was primarily because of their European culture. They kept feeding me cocktails which further boosted the tide of emotional positivism. The food was decent, but not mind-blowing. The biggest change in dining experience were cloth napkins, glass/ceramic cups and ample room to maneuver the cutlery and dishes. Being an overnight flight, I was torn between desire to actively enjoy and appreciate comforts of this experience and my need to get some rest. I opted for rest, and tried to get into a comfortable position to sleep. Even though the seats converted into a flat bed, I still found myself quite cramped. The bed was still too short for my average height and a little too narrow to enable me to get fully comfortable. I was able to get my usual two hours of sleep that I typically get in economy class.

The second leg of the journey was on a much smaller plane with some comfort improvement over the economy, but not significant. The major difference was being at the front of the plane allowing for quick exit and additional leg room.

Overall, I very much appreciate the additional comforts of travelling in business class. It is a more human travel experience. Food is better. Lounge drinks and snacks are much better than the alternative. In-flight service and comfort are excellent. But also, this doesn't change anything really. You are still required to go though cattle lineups of security and passport controls after which you are thrown into a shopping mall; and then into a flying can of poor rest and flood of pathogens, until you finally survive the last layer of cattle lines of scrutiny of arrival procedures. Worst of all, from the moment you enter the origin airport until you exit the destination airport you are at the mercy of barely recycled air. Overland travel is still far more exciting!