Why Durai wanted first class? Now I know!

I went on a short getaway trip to Bangkok last weekend. On my return trip from Bangkok, I was given a business class ticket.

“Business class?” I asked the counter staff at the Bangkok airport. My air ticket had already been paid for. It was for economy class.
“Yes.” He replied plainly.
I did not enquire further. I thought perhaps the flight was full and the business class (BC) seats were not occupied, so I was given a seat there. I did not feel exceptionally overjoyed, perhaps just a little happy because I was offered a seat more lavish than what I had paid for.

At that time, I did not know what I was in for.

In all the previous flights I had taken, I was always on economy class (EC). I thought there was no need to be extravagant on a flight trip, especially since it was a short flight. Spend a few hundred dollars more just for a 2 hour trip? No way.

“I will probably sleep through the flight, so what’s the difference if it was first class, business class or economy class?”

It was only after I got on the plane that I realized the difference.

Business class is so luxurious! I felt like a princess on board.

When I boarded the plane and settled down in my seat, a pretty, smiling air stewardess came up and offered me a drink. A cooling drink! Just what I needed then. In EC, the air stewardesses would usually be busy ushering passengers, and if you want a drink, you would probably have to wait meals are served. Furthermore, the economy class air stewardesses do not seem to like to smile much. I wonder why? Could it be the business class air stewardesses are higher ranked? Perhaps.

And the BC seats are so comfy! In EC, there is hardly room for you to stretch your feet. And somehow, passengers who sit in front of me always like to move their seats all the way down, such that I can hardly squirm in my seat. Perhaps it is just my bad luck. But in BC, there are no such worries! I can stretch my feet all the way to the front and yet still miss the seat in front by a shoulder’s length (Don't say I have short legs!).

Next comes the food. When it was about time to serve lunch, the pretty air stewardess came by to pass me a menu so I can check out what was in store for me. In EC, the air stewardesses will push the food cart around while serving food. If you want to find out what is on the menu that day beforehand, you have to stretch your ears up in the air and try to decipher whether she said it is “chicken with rice” or “fish with noodles” etc, or point your nose up in the air to sniff for clues. In EC, there is only one main course with a bun and desserts either fruits or cake, and drinks like coffee, tea and juices to choose from. Here’s the menu I had for BC: appetizer as smoked salmon with mixed vegetables, assorted bread, chicken spaghetti, peach tart, chocolate and tea. What a wide spread!

I usually cannot stand airplane food. I find that they have a “plastic” kind of taste, and I seldom touch the main dish, because I have had the experience of falling sick after consuming the food. This time round, I managed to finish the appetizer! It was an achievement for me! Although I did not touch the BC main dish as well, I managed to eat the rest. That was no mean feat for me.

In previous occasions, I usually slept through most of the journey on board a plane. Now I knew the reason. It was not because I was tired, but because there was nothing for me to do except to stare at the ceiling and the floor on the plane (not that that is anything interesting). When I was on BC, I had no time to fall asleep! I was wide awake watching shows on the monitor screen in front of my seat. I watched “Mr Bean” and a Taiwan concert with Jay Chou. The flight came to an end before I finished watching the concert. What a pity! I usually feel a little unwell after a plane trip, but this time round, I was fine and I even wish the journey could have been longer!

After my first experience on business class, I finally understood why Mr Durai wanted his (infamous) first class flight, and even committed the outrageous folly of switching his business class for first class. If business class could be so enjoyable, first class must be a lot better.

Well, I still think that it is not necessary to spend too much money on a plane flight. Economy class is perfectly fine. But after this business class experience, I wish that for my future flight trips, the plane could run out of economy class seats again!