I was heckled. Down right chastised.
All for considering upgrading out 10.5 hour flight from Heathrow to Houston. Are you kidding… 20,000 miles and $500 per person? Silly girl, you could do so much with that. Oh really, randomly abrasive party go-er…
Pretty sure they were my miles and my money. So the verbal lashing (that lasted over 2 hours) was seriously uncalled for. And it honestly cemented my decision to do it… A little preface to that story above. I saw the offer to upgrade this long-haul leg on United’s (Continental) page and was instantly interested. The cost was a heck of a lot less than purchasing the fare outright. I told Dan and he was less than excited. He actually told me to leave him in coach in row 40 middle– this is something I’ll remind him of for the foreseeable future. Then one night we were at a party and D happened to find a man who travels a lot for a living. This guy had it down cold. Stay at Starwood instead of Marriott, leave one night, come back the next to get more points. Seriously? I travel for leisure. It’s. Not. Worth. It. Neither was listening to his logic for the next 2 hours while my husband laughed at me through a window in the living room. So, today’s 10 on Tuesday is in honor of my decision to upgrade from coach to Continental’s Business First. Alas, my choice was most certainly the right one for D and I and worth EVERY penny. Even Dan agrees. :) 10.) You get free access into the Sky Team Lounge at your embarkation airport. At Heathrow’s Terminal 4, that meant a full English breakfast complete with baked beans, a self-serve bar, WiFi and make your own-bloody mary station.
9.) Elite Check-in. Yes, my time is worth more than standing in 250 person deep lines while TSA agents question every item in my bag. Walking directly to the front of the line is worth the miles itself.
8.) Fast Track Security. No babies. No amateurs. Wide open lanes for you to unpack your liquids at leisure.
7.) Boarding First. Are you sensing a theme here? I don’t like lines. Beat the crowd onto the plane and say sayonara to the hundreds of people trying to act as if their carry on luggage will actually fit into the overhead compartment.
6.) Lay. Flat. Beds. Screw the Sharper Image massaging chairs. These babies take the cake. Basically everything you can imagine on them is adjustable, including a tilt to 180 degrees of sleepy heaven. Oh and don’t forget the full-sized down blanket that was provided to help aide your slumber.
5.) The Entertainment. I’m talking about 193 movie options. Multiple tv shows. Video Games. Five different languages for when you’re really bored. But that won’t be happening because the system is built to keep you happy. In between The Help, Nanny Diaries and my personal favorite, SELENA!!!! (Seriously, now they’re just taunting me!!!) I had more than enough to keep me busy. Did I mention how big the screen was?
4.) You’ll never be thirsty. From the champagne poured as soon as you board, incredible selection of top notch wines served with dinner, to the bottles of water conveniently placed by your bedside during your naps. The flight attendants saw to our every need… and then some.
3.) Amenities. Everything from real silverware to a travel case complete with lip balm, lotion, socks, toothpaste/toothbrush, etc. I was in heaven.
2.) Food. Delicious. Hot. Fresh. CHOICES. We were presented with a full (and beautiful!) menu as soon as we sat down. First was warm almonds with a cocktail, followed by an appetizer of dumplings and soup, a salad course with passion fruit dressing, 4 options for your main course (I had chicken, while D had lamb), a FULL cheese cart complete with Port Wine pairings, and last but most certainly not least: made-to-order ice cream sundaes. It was opulence at its finest.
1.) Arriving refreshed and sans Deep Vein Thrombosis. We’ve all seen the card showing you to flex your ankles mid flight to keep the blood pumping. No need in Business First. I could sit cross-legged and still not touch both sides. Oh and did I mention the pre-arrival meal of full hamburger, fruit cup and chocolate dessert. How dare any airline consider sending you away hungry.
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So in retrospect I am eternally grateful to the little man and his caustic commentary as to what I should do with my miles and money. He helped push me into one of the greatest travel experiences of my life.
Thanks, United (Continental) Business First. I officially love you even more than I already did.
Sunscreen Required 
Awesome!!
oh wow! looks like you had a great flight experience :)
Asians, they think they know it all