Class Consciousness – A Post-Vietnam Post

Every so often, and it is a rare occurrence, it pays to have airline loyalty.

Over the years I’ve grown disenchanted with all the airlines but really disappointed in the perceived slide in customer care at my one-time go-to carrier, American Airlines. I’ve hit lifetime platinum status with them and so no longer feel compelled to hit annual mileage requirements for frequent fliers.

Today I unexpectedly got upgraded to business on my Hong Kong to LA segment. I was therefore behind (or is that in front of?) the magic grey curtain that serves as the demarcating Checkpoint Charlie of cabin class.

There’s nothing quite like an ice cream sundae at 34,000 feet. On top of that, it’s nice to have the extreme extra leg room.

I was grumbling on my Saigon to Hong Kong flight because a four year old in front of me kept reclining his basic economy seat. Fair enough, except his mom kept shoving it all the way back, bashing my battle weary legs time and time again as he played with the buttons and his mom, well, insisted the seat be reclined. And it’s not like the kid needed the seat reclined – he was four years old, three feet nothing, 75 pounds nothing, and the pitch of his seat was to my mind irrelevant. Although, ya know…

So it was nice to stretch out in the business class seat on this 13 hour plus flight. Although, and here’s where I really come across like an uber annoying, ridiculously sensed of entitlement, snobby Mooch, the business seat doesn’t quite go flat. There’s still about a fifteen degree incline that they very easily could have gone down to achieve “lie flat” bed elevations. First class probably had that. I’m sure that the four year old felt the same way on his flight – ‘oh, if only this seat would go back a bit more! Why me? Woe is me!’

I’m going to go grab some cookies to make me feel better. Oh, yeah. Business class has fresh baked cookies. So that’s a thing.

I’m a bad person. I know I am. Does that make this class struggle post less or more annoying? I fear the latter…

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Side note – Dear Airline Flight Decks: if you leave the seat belt sign on for HOURS at a time on a 13 hour flight, especially when it’s silly smooth air, you’re going to dull its message and people are going to get up to stretch their legs and use the lavatory. Rebellions have been fought and won over less. I fight not just for me, but for all fliers, regardless of class seating! People of flight AA192, rise up! You have nothing to lose but the belts in your seats!

I’m not singling anyone out here (Captain Murray, 1st Officer Hendrix), as a lot of airlines have abused the seat belt sign. But seriously:

Hey! Pilots! Let us walk around.

All in all it’s just a-nother brick in the wall….