Flying today, Seattle to Milwaukee. I always feel like such an idiot whenever I leave Seattle for just about anyplace else. The view out the window of Puget Sound and the Cascades noisily upbraids me with recreational opportunities foregone - kayaking, hiking or just staring out the window with a capuccino in hand.
Just as an example, on takeoff I gazed down on the Sound and could have pencilled in two wonderful kayak trips I took last summer, Salt Water State Park to Maury and VAshon Islands and a trip up the Nisqually River meandering through the wildlife refuge in the delta it form as it enters the Sound. Temperatures in Milwaukee are hovering just above zero fahrenheit.
I’m in first class today! I’m what Northwest refers to as a ‘Gold Elite’ frequent flyer, by virtue (?) of having flown over 50,000 miles last year, and that vaunted status entitles me to be in line for free upgrades whenever I’m on a flight where the airline can’t fill the first class cabin with the Brahmin class that will actually pay first class fares. Which is most of the time - I only flew in ‘coach’ a couple times last year, even though I always buy cheap tickets - I’m not the kind of business traveler that makes last-minute reservations to whisk off to impromptu and urgent meetings or engagements. It’s hard to see how this (my upgrades) makes sense economically for the airline. I guess it inculcates a certain amount of loyalty - I’ll go through amazing contortions to book flights on Northwest (or its code-share partners like Continental or Alaska), both in order to put myself in line for upgrades, and to log flight miles to keep my ‘Elite’ status.
The biggest advantage of first class is simply the amount of room in and around your seat. I’m a compact person, and don’t suffer unduly in ‘coach’ seats, but using a laptop back there is often problematic - the guy in front of you can abruptly slam his seat back, crushing your screen, and in most cases the seats are so narrow that you can’t extend you elbows enough to get you fingers oriented on the keyboard. So you, dear reader, are a co-beneficiary of my good fortune - I type this missive from a relaxed posture, gazing out the window at the frozen tundra of the northern tier, noise-cancelling headphones plugged into my Archos Recorder 20 listening to the soothing pulse of Thievery Corporation!
First class also usually offers a decent meal, with a salad or appetizer like prawns, and it’s served with linen napkins and table covers. Silverware consists of a spoon, two tined metal forks and, since 9/11, a plastic butter knife has replaced the metal one. As if you couldn’t do as much or more damage with the forks, if you were so inclined. And of course there’s free mixed drinks and wine, poured from actual bottles with actual corks. One of the first effects of 9/11 I encountered (I flew the Friday after the attack) was the lack of wine in first class because the flight attendants were not allowed access to corkscrews.
Can’t drink today, though - I’m meeting with my long-time Milwaukee client after I land. I’ll be in Milwaukee for a week. Days are long, and not much interesting happens, but I’m sure I can come up with something pithy to say from the hotel room.
