Why Hawaii? Why now, you may ask. Well, because my travelling companion lives in LA and only had a limited amount of travel time, I was at the office one day last summer and picked up a brochure on Hawaii, and thought - I could fly to LA, meet up and we could go to Hawaii. Threw out the idea and it was born.
After eight months of planning, and waiting, the departure date was here! My parents dropped me off at the airport, and off I went. While checking in at the machine, I noticed that there was a first class upgrade on the portion from LAX to Honolulu - WOW - we should do this. It was only 7:30am in LA and I knew that B wouldn't be up yet, so I frantically sent him a 'whatsapp' message with the details. I told him that if wanted to do the upgrade I was in! I told him I would check my phone again in Chicago (my first connection stop).
I couldn't use my phone in Chicago (another story, another post), so I hoped that the message was conveyed and I would see him in LAX.
When I arrived in LAX my gate was in an area that I have been in before, in the American Airlines wing of the airport. I was on my way to the bathroom and B was arriving to the departure area. It was great to see him (it had been almost a year). We quickly said our hellos and then headed off to try to upgrade our seats.
We went to the American Airlines customer service area and went to the machines, and low and behold, there were still two seats available. Two credit card transactions later, and there we were - first class to Honolulu! After changing planes in Chicago and then in LAX, I was happy to be able to enjoy the third leg of my journey this way.
When our flight was called, of course we were the first to board. We arrived at our seats and there was a blanket and pillow on each seat. Once we were seated, we were greeted by name by the flight attendant, and a glass of champagne! We toasted to our adventure and sat back and relaxed and waited for the flight to depart.
Once we were in the air, we had a drink, and then were shown the dinner menu selection. Yes, the menu selection. A three course meal - which was Hawaiian inspired - and now come to think of it, my first of three macadamia nut crusted main courses - a chicken dish. Table cloths over the tray table, real cutlery, something you don't get on charter flights or in coach.
The flight was at night, so it was time to get some sleep. This was a first for me - able to lie flat, with a blanket and pillow on a flight. We both put on our Ipods and it was quiet for a couple of hours.
The staff in the first class cabin was amazing. It was clear that they are comfortable with this LAX - Honolulu route - and the personal touches in this part of the plane were not lost on me. When the attendant asked me "what would you like for dinner tonight Ms. Silver?" I liked that.
It was a great experience and I am sure that the next time I see an opportunity like that on a long journey in my future - I will consider it again!
Stay tuned for more of my Hawaiian adventure!
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