“Fancy Stuff Be Wasted On Rich People”: Man Got To Fly First-Class For The First Time Ever, Shares What “The Other Side” Looks Like In This Joyful Thread

Have you ever wondered what joys lie beyond that velvety curtain shrouding the front-of-the-plane area in complete mystery? Well, you’re not alone. We are nosy little creatures, after all, and we’re always curious to find out just how big of a difference flying first-class makes compared to the good ol’ economy trips price-conscious individuals like ourselves are used to.

Luckily, we can do that without the help of the internet’s favorite luxury-class connoisseur-YouTuber Casey Neistat or spending a single penny. Say hello to u/everythingiscomingupmilhouse who has earned a well-deserved ‘Staff Pick’ award (from the Imgur team) for bringing the internet community 31,000 feet in the air to his very first first-class trip full of never-ending little surprises.

So buckle up, Pandas, and prepare to experience the joys of first-class through the eyes of another. And if you want to go for another round after you’re back on the terra firma — we recommend this as a complementary read.

Offered the rare luxury of flying first-class for the first time, this man documented his entire journey and shared it in a Staff Pick-winning story

Image credits: redlegsfan21 (not the actual photo)

Until 1947, the only comfort air travelers knew was a wicker chair, in-plane toilet and a seven-course meal. Then, Boeing introduced its game-changing 377 Stratocruiser (a.k.a. “Romance of the Skies”), which was retrofitted from a war machine into a luxurious commercial aircraft sporting “gold-appointed dressing rooms,” spiral staircases with lower-deck “beverage lounges” and a handful of bunk units for some well-deserved shut-eye.

In the decade to come, airlines began up-ending one another with cushier seating, higher quality service and most importantly — separate cabins. Something that, by today’s standards, airlines simply named ‘classes.’

Funny enough, at some point in the history of commercial flying, the economy class began retrograding, trying to squeeze as many people in the same upright position; while at the same time, almost as if ‘feeding’ from those at the back of the plane, first-class began making mouth-watering headlines, promising Marriott’s level of comfort tens of thousands of feet in the air.

Image credits: everythingiscomingupmilhouse

Image credits: everythingiscomingupmilhouse

We are always curious to learn about the first-time excitement people get from experiencing their first-class journey. To continue this trend, Bored Panda has reached out to Andy Luten, an accomplished public speaker and the author of Andy’s Travel Blog. “For me, the craziest things are some of the alcohol that is served,” Luten, who racks up around 150,000 miles per year, told us. “We’re talking bottles of liquor that cost well into the thousands of dollars poured freely to customers throughout the entire flight.”

Andy’s blog predates any of the first-class influencer content from the 2010s, but he started flying “professionally” in 2008. Although he deflects our light-hearted comparison to George Clooney’s airport-savvy character in ‘Up in the Air’ film (“he was a full-time traveler, I travel slightly less frequently,” Luten reasoned), Andy has seen some truly amazing things in the air.

“The level of service was [so] incredible, it was almost awkward. The seats were wonderful, and there’s nothing like sleeping on a bed on a plane, but having someone at your beck and call, almost like a butler, was a very special experience,” Luten said, talking about his precious first time on the first-class.

“The thing that impressed me the most was the warmth and professionalism of the cabin crews. It was clear they were trained well not only to do the typical cabin crew things like serving meals, but they were also well-versed in the wine menus, provided great recommendations, and looked for ways to make my experience more special.”

Pleased by the author’s wholesome experience, readers couldn’t resist making some light-hearted fun of the regular upper-class fliers

Later, we spoke with Joe and Sharon, who started their ‘Your Mileage May‘ blog in 2017 after friends kept asking them how the pair can afford to travel so much. “Our first experience flying first-class was on ANA (All Nippon Airways) from Washington D.C. to Tokyo. There were only the two of us and one other passenger in the cabin,” the Florida-based couple told Bored Panda.

“There were three flight attendants assigned to the cabin so all three of us each got personal service. They made our beds in other seats so we could alternate between the two whenever we wanted. We also could order anything we wished from the menu. I couldn’t decide on a wine, so they let me try three of them.”

Having just come back from Hawaii, Joe and Sharon have traversed the globe in many different ways. Starting from their “biggest and longest trip” to Australia, where the pair flew 32,000 miles (each) on 12 flights over 3 weeks; going to the more luxurious ones, where they got to choose between Krug or Dom Perignon champagne, or even take an onboard shower — they say the Etihad Airway’s “the Apartment” ($38,000) is their big white whale. “We haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing it yet. But we hope to, someday.”

“If you have the means to pay for it out of pocket or a company travel policy which allows it, I think a flight in international first-class is a wonderful experience,” Luten finally advised those who ponder whether their wallets are deep enough for the luxury class. “There are some business class seats, like Qatar’s QSuites, which are just about as nice for a fraction of the price ($1,620 round-trip). I used miles and points to book my flight, which made everything much more fun and for a very reasonable amount of money.”

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!