Monday, January 20, 2025

First Class, All the Way!

Trip date: September 2023 

Thanks to my travel hacking hobby, I had read about something called "Fifth Freedom Flights" where airlines fly between two countries without stopping in the home country hub. I knew that Emirates had this type of route between Milan and JFK, so I started tracking the business class prices. I was ready when a sale hit, and so after spending a week in stunning Bellagio, Lake Como, I was flying back to the states on arguably one of the absolute best airlines in the world. And in business!

When you buy a business (or first) class ticket on Emirates they provide chauffeur service to and from the airports. And so even though I was 48 miles away from MXP, there was a very nice car waiting for me after I checked out of the hotel. 

The Lounge at MXP is the first I have been in where you board directly from the lounge! Knowing that I could just sit and relax, I settled in with a glass of wine and a salad from their awesome buffet offerings. And then I heard my name called. Nervously I went to the front desk and the agent asked if I was traveling alone. I said yes and she handed me a new boarding pass saying "we've upgraded you to first class". WHOA!!!! I had been lucky to fly their first class before but this was the A380 which has a shower!! I felt like I had won the lottery.

We boarded upstairs on the A380 and I settled into my private suite, was served a glass of 2013 Dom Pérignon, and made a reservation with the attendant for the shower. Most people book their shower for after they wake up (this is a 9+ hour flight) but I chose mine for before dinner. This meant I was the first to use it and also that I was all freshened up for dinner.

So about 2 hours into the flight, after a few glasses of Dom, I took my cozy Emirates pjs and made my way to the shower spa as they call it. It was explained to me that I had 25 minutes, but only 5 minutes of water. But you can turn it on and off which was great. The room was huge and towels had been laid out for me. There was a selection of nice VOYA products in difference scents, drawers with razors, combs, etc., a tv showing the flight map, hairdryer, etc. It was lovely! And the water pressure was good too!

The rest of my flight was a lot of caviar and bougie wines and cognac, much like my first time flying Emirates first class. You can read about that here.

I arrived at JFK at 7pm, which was past the time for the last Alaska Air flight to Seattle, so I had booked a room at the TWA Hotel for the night. I've spent some time here before so I knew it was a quick walk to the hotel. I was a little surprised when I entered my room that I was right on the pickup/drop off road. Luckily the windows kept out the noise but you are on full view of everyone!

I was looking forward to having a drink at "Connie the Cocktail Lounge" inside one of TWA's 1958 Lockheed Constellations. The last time I visited it was too early and the bar wasn't open yet. Unfortunately on my visit it was really dirty and there was only the bartender working so nothing was getting cleaned up. My drink, a Paper Plane, was good but was served in a plastic cup on ice... for $18! I left after one.
It was very convenient staying at the TWA but it was expensive, everything was served in plastic, and the quality wasn't what it should have been. I wouldn't choose to stay again unless things changed. 

When I got up the next morning I had a message from Alaska Air that I had been upgraded to first class for my 6 hour flight home! That is absolutely the first time I've ever had back to back upgrades! 

I headed to the lounge for a glass of champagne but was told that they don't serve alcohol until 10am on Sundays in New York. Oh well, I just had to wait until onboard.

All photos of Emirates and the TWA Hotel here

No comments:

Post a Comment

Palace on Wheels; Exploring India Royally

Trip date: October 2024 When two of my friends, who live far away in Australia, and I decided to do a trip to India we were overwhelmed by t...

Popular Posts