It Ain't Over Til You Get on the Plane...

...and even then, if you play your cards right, it ain't over.

Travel day.  We were up at 5am, which is 8pm Phoenix time.  And since we don't land until 8:15pm Phoenix time, we will, in effect, be up for 24 hours.  But that's just another reason why I think upgrading a return ticket is so important.  More on that in a bit when I step on my soapbox.

We had a few glitches to start the day.  First, we found out our main piece of luggage was overweight (yes, of course we carry a portable weigher.  Did you expect anything less from us?) so we had to start moving things around  so the two we were sending through would pass muster.  Then, the taxi didn’t show at 7 as order, nor did our local contact, who was supposed to arrive at 6:45am to give me back my 20 euros, so I could give him back the apartment keys.    So there we were at 7:05am and with no one in sight.  Oh well.  As I was standing in front of the building waiting while Gene locked up the apartment, since we had given up on our contact, a taxi drove by.  I flagged it, it stopped, we loaded up and off we went.  While we were riding to the airport, I got a text from our contact that slept through his alarm.  He made apologies up and down and will send me my deposit and I asked for an address for the keys.  I've since gotten an apologetic email from the owner of the apartment, so all will be well.

Getting to the airport way early was a good idea.  We were able to relax and take each step with no stress – finding the US Airways ticket counter, getting our boarding passes (I always worry some bigwig will pull rank and we’ll get booted off first class.  It’s a thing I have; perhaps some therapy will help), finding the "Value Added Tax" place to get a tax refund on purchases made (it's a hassle, but I got also 20 euros back for clothing I bought one day), getting through security, getting passport clearance, getting on the plane, getting our carry-ons stowed, etc etc.  It can be such a hassle and start your journey home with high anxiety and bring a fabulous vacation to a crashing halt in nothing flat.  So let me tell you why I feel so strongly that adding in the cost of an upgraded seat for the return home to the overall cost of a vacation pays off.  By the way, I wrote this while I was listening to Lang Lang, a fabulous young pianist play Chopin on the music channel:

1)      We went through the “Business Class” line to check our luggage and there was no one in front of us

2)      We went through the “Fast Lane” for security with no one there in front of us and when we got our passport & boarding passes checked, there was no one in front of us to put our carry-ons through security. 

3)      We spent time in the “VIP Lounge” – great coffee, munchies, anything you’d want, plus comfy chairs.  We watched the board in the lounge and when it said our flight was boarding, we went off to the gate.  What a change from 3 years ago, when we lost track of time and almost missed the plane!

 

 

 

4)      We got to the gate and walked right to the front, handed over our tickets and went on board

5)      We got to our seats with ease

 Here’s how we were treated during the our flight:

1)      We were offered our choice of drinks before the plane took off (boarding was 1 hour prior to flight time.  Not sure why, but that gave us at least 45 minutes to enjoy a pre-flight drink, even if it was only sparkling water for me).  They also asked you what drink you would like once the flight took off.

2)      I explored my seat and tried all the different positions from straight up to fully reclined.  The blanket was a pretty nice thickness.  The screen for watching movies is a nice size, as s the table for working on, which moves back and forth as you like.  Everyone basically has their own cubicle.  There is storage above, there is storage below, there is a little hanger for your coat.

 

      This is the view from the back of my seat, looking at al the leg room and storage I'll have.  The gray strip to the right of the seat houses a nice sized table that slides back and forth so you can pull it close or push it away.

 

The view from the TV looking at the seat I'll inhabit for the next 8 hours.  There are a bunch of buttons that allow you to adjust from fully sit-up to fully reclined.  To the left is a USB port, plug in for headphones and a remote for the TV where you can watch movies, TV shows play games or listen to music.

 

3)      As I was exploring the amenities of my seat, the attendant came by and offered me BOSE headphones for use during the flight.  They're collected before the flight lands, but meanwhile, you get noise canceling headphones to use.

4)      Then the attendants come by again and give you a kit with various and sundry items to help you through the flight: eye shades, tootbrusth, lotion, etc.  My fave was soft socks you could put on instead of having to wear your shoes during the 8+ hour flight.   And your choice of newpapers or magazines.  The choice wasn’t large, but I got a USA Today.

5)      Then we were given a 4-page lunch menu & wine list so we could choose what to eat and drink during the flight.  Not a large choice, but a nice choice. 

6)      After take-off, the attendants came around with a warm towel so you could freshen up whatever you wanted to freshen.

7)      Then the attendants came around AGAIN and gave everyone a bottle of water.  No sense in getting dehydrated during the flight, right?

8)      In a little while, the attendants came around AGAIN and brought you your choice of post-take-off drink and some mixed nuts.  They don't give you a bag of nuts.  The nuts were served in a small dish and were heated.

9)      When my glass was empty, the attendant brought over a can of diet Coke (my choice) so I could have a refill.  I didn’t have to wave him down and ask for a refill.

10)  As I watched the movie, lunch was served.  First they put down a small tablecloth – A TABLCLOTH !!! – over my table and then served me the appetizer for lunch.  Real dishes and silverware and a cloth napkin, of course.

11)  My entrée was then served.  With my choice of 4 wines they offered.

12)  Dessert was served.  I couldn’t decide between the cannolli or the ice cream sundae.  I got both.

And so it goes.  I’m not trying to show off;  I'm expressing my honest belief that if I’m going to take a vacation, I’m going to budget in the cost of an upgraded ticket home.  How I get to my location isn’t important.  It’s usually an overnight flight, I pop an Ambien, I’m in the next country.  Coming home, though, is different.  You’re tired, you’re a little sad it’s over, you’re a little anxious to see if everything is okay at home, if your pets remember you, what it will be like to get back to a grind (even if you are retired).  And so this final bit of pampering is very important. 

And then I watched “Philomena” and slept off and on.  Gene was passed out in his cubicle.  Neither of us got good sleep last night – maybe 3 ½ hours, if we were lucky.  So some good sleep was nice.  And then I watched "Tim's Vermeer" which is an excellent documentary on how a non-painter was able to duplicate a Vermeer (he of the "Girl with a Pearl Earring" painting fame).  If you enjoy art, it's a fun documentary

Then a light lunch was served.  Sigh. 

I am a firm believer that vacations don’t end when you leave the hotel and arrive at the airport.  I firmly believe that you must include the cost of a better airplane seat in the total cost of the vacation and today has proven to me that I’m on the right track. 

 

So farewell, blog!  Hello Phoenix!!  I'm rested!