I have no problem with the flying itself, but I HATE being cramped into one of those tiny ass airplane seats. I am not all that tall, nor am I particularly large (Though my shoulders tend to invade the space of the person sitting next to me), however I constantly feel cramped and claustrophobic during these long plane trips.
For that reason it usually takes a rather significant vacation destination or event to get me out of Alaska these days. (The last one was Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Reason.)
However if I could fly while sitting in these luxurious seats on Virgin Atlantic, I think I would spend my days thinking up new and different places to go.
It is very simple. you get what you pay for.
ReplyDelete$766.00 + $20.00 for each bag to fly from Seattle to Fairbanks Alaska..no you don't get what you pay for. Pretty soon they will be charging to use the bathroom!
DeleteLooks nice huh? Well...my last flight I took cross-country I used Skymiles, as I usually do. When I got to the gate they offered me a free upgrade so I took it. I had no idea what kind of equipment we were flying on. I assumed a typical 1st class/biz class flight which is great...I can sleep better, right? Then I walked onto the plane. It was one of these. I tried to keep my eyes from bugging out. It was quite nice and has now ruined for me, all other levels of flight. LOL. Of course, they rarely use these for US flights, but I happened upon one that was going to a hub destined for London. And being the type of traveler I am (on the cheap w/miles) I didn't sleep at all. I was having too much fun enjoying the perks. {sigh} It was 6 hours of heaven.
ReplyDeleteVirgin also has serve yourself bars in first class on trans Atlantic flights.
ReplyDeleteVirgin's first class lounge at Heathrow airport is rated the best in the world..
I agree! I usually fly Virgin when I go to England, but five years ago I was given a first-class flight from LA to London and it was brilliant! Besides the private pods, I received a 20-minute massage and had 5-star dining on demand. They even give you comfortable PJ's to wear if you want them. And the first class lounges were great, too, but Heathrow's is my fave. Now I'm totally spoiled!
DeleteAfter decades of being ripped off as an Alaskan flying in and out of Juneau (where their price wars have driven all competition out), I refuse to give AA a dime in fares for Alaska flights. If I don't have frequent flyer miles I take the ferry. (I gave up my mileage credit card sometime back, so it's usually the ferries).
ReplyDeleteWOW! I can only dream of flying like that in comfort. Being 6 foot 2 inches tall , and 210 pounds
ReplyDeletemeans constant struggle flying in cattle class.
On some small connector flights, I've actually not been able to sit facing the seat in front of me, and have to sit sideways, and beg for an aisle seat.
I'm with your first commenter: Even if Virgin prices these lovely seats on some kind of loss-leader basis, the economics of a plane's costs are not v flexible.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to buy two seats in coach and carry on a gourmet boxed meal. Buy three seats and stretch out. Three seats is pretty wonderful on a long night flight, a luxury I have experienced only by luck.
If an airline gives you twice the space plus extra services, it will cost at least twice the rock-bottom rate -- in the long run, after any pricing gimmicks leave the equation.
But yes. It does no harm to take a look at luxuries and wish we could experience them. So long as we keep it in perspective -- they ain't free, and most of us 99%ers have more pressing uses for our limited funds.
I did buy two seats on my flight to London, but the seat back is formed something like a wing chair, so you can't really sit between them, and that assumes that the armrest will fold completely up (which mine didn't), so I was stuck in one seat and with an expensive carry-on holder.
DeleteAfter my "dream flight" I did a search on what that flight would have cost me...OMG. Over $1,600! So "paying" 60,000 miles/points put a huge smile on my face. I know it will never happen again, an upgrade to 1st class on a plane like that. But now I find myself looking for flights with the little "reclining seat" icon next to the flight numbers/equipment stated for each leg of a trip. I mean...maybe it COULD happen again if they're overbooked in Economy Class? That's why I will never give up my FF credit card. Ever! Ah, that was a good day. Well, time for this chickie to go back to her 99% life with 1% dreams....(last trip I took I DROVE the Prius because I couldn't even afford COACH!) Reality check please. :) For those of you who fly a lot, on miles/points...check out the equipment first before you book online, you may get lucky! It really WAS fun to fly in one of those pods! I felt (and probably acted) like a 10 year old though. "What's this? What does that do? Yes I'll have the fish for dinner...with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, I can get TV channels? Ooo, nice blankie!" hahahaha. I even did the stupid "posting to Facebook" thing in-flight. Good grief. I'm a mess.
ReplyDelete:) I'm enjoying your stories about your experience.
DeleteI'm also curious. What was your dream flight on? Which aircraft.
A 747? 330? (Probably both ex-Northwest Airlines aircraft). Something else that was solely old Delta. An older yet newly refurbished 777? Even something much better for the new Delta. A new 777?
I'm guessing it could be a newer 777. That'd be very wonderful. Though it could also be a refurbished aircraft (330, 747, etc.).
Good for you, I'm glad you got a great upgrade.
Plus, you got lucky for your upgrade. International First Class, not domestic first class on a smaller aircraft.
Thank you. I hope you get lucky next time too.
So true! I am absolutely fed up with the Alaska Air savory or sweet peanut packs. But the seating you are looking at here would cost about $5,000-$8,000 to fly Los Angeles to Paris. Too rich for my pocketbook, so I suck it up in the back in economy.
ReplyDelete*GinaM in her Liz Lemon voice*
ReplyDelete"I want to go there!"
Gryphen, you might want to trim the #disqus_thread off the URL for the Virgin Atlantic page, so that people following the link arrive at the top of the page instead of in the comments.
ReplyDeleteStale peanuts and a Coke, but only on a credit card; they won't accept cash.
ReplyDeleteJesse, come visit Asia with SQ A380, you'll be treated like a king on the ground and up in the air.
ReplyDeleteOh, yea. I've been wanting to go back to Europe, but my first flight there (on Virgin Atlantic BTW) was awful. The plane was absolutely packed and I had a defective seat sticking into my sore shoulder and I cried basically the whole time. Not much sympathy from the flight attendants. My much taller brothers booked business class seats and they were miserable also. The flight was six, seven, a hundred hours, I don't remember. Nightmares persist.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this configuration would be heavenly. I wonder at the price. I'll have to check this out. If nothing else, I can dream of long trips again.
The closest I ever got to this was being bumped up to first class, and even that gets stale. It's a shame how much of a hassle it's become. They keep cramming more and more seats, and charging fees for everything. I'm fine almost anywhere, but my husband needs legroom, and those exit door seats always book quickly.
ReplyDeleteKorea Airlines has many configurations with double decker, three class options, a little less luxurious than this, but still pretty cool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az4THhM1VkQ
It's ok to dream, but I doubt I'd ever be able to afford the "lush life".