Due to Lau and her handy dandy step-dad’s American Airlines connection, I was able to fly in the lap of luxury - First Class! I had to come in through JFK for ridiculous immigration reasons. JFK is the only port of entry left where it is possible (but not guaranteed) to get a work authorisation stamp on your visa. This allows you to work for the duration of the entry visa (90 days).

Due to rules about “employee” travel, you have to dress up all nice and aren’t allowed to ask for special meals. This meant I couldn’t order a veggie meal, so after saying a tearful farewell to my parents, I grabbed a load of food to take on board.

There were only 2 people booked in to first class (out of 15), so flying standby wasn’t a problem. When I made it onboard, I sat down in my little pod. This is the newest first class layout I think, and it’s in 1, 2, 1 formation but all offset so you don’t really see anyone else.

Across from me was a little ottoman-style seat. If you were flying as a couple, you could use this as a second seat to eat together. For me, it formed the foot-end of my bed. First Class is a confusing place. It took me a while to figure out how to use stuff and where everything actually was. Luckily I saw the man in front of me turn his seat, which explained why none of the controls on my seat were doing anything. You turn to the left after takeoff to face the ottoman, and then your seat does everything from adjustable lumbar support to turning in to a full bed. I had 3 windows to watch out of, and started to realise why first is so great.

As it turns out, I needn’t have worried about the food at all. From just after takeoff, the food started rollin’. I had (deep breath): Champagne ,Warm Nuts, Cheese Antipasto, a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, Freshly Baked Ciabatta, a Salad made how you want, More Bread, Penne with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella and then an Ice Cream Sundae made for you with choice of toppings. I had to refuse the final after-dinner chocolates as I felt like I might actually explode at this point - even with just one wafer-thin mint.

Post-dinner, I got out the TV (similar to economy but with a better entertainment system). They came around and gave out these wonderful noise-reducing Bose headsets - worth wearing even if you weren’t listening to something. I watched Slumdog Millionaire (great!), fell asleep to Max Payne (I blame the comfiness of the near-bed position) and then watched The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (not sure why I insist on watching horribly sad films during flights).

We were pretty much there now, but there was still time for another drink, and then a goat’s cheese and spinach pizza followed by a baked-on-board cookie and fresh fruit. If this flight is a sign of things to come, the next time you see me I will struggle to get through doors.

I felt totally cheeky being on this flight, but after all the luxury, I think I can live with the mild embarrassment and need to wear a shirt. 

Next post: Landing, Immigration and heading to DFW.

PS. This post lacks iphone pics due to me not wanting to look like a total first class noob. I totally should have though