Welcome to the twenty-sixth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012.
Five days a week for six months, I will be given a topic to write about. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone.
If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com.

…or this should really be called “I only fly business class long haul from here on in.”

Over the holiday season, the American and I took off for Europe. Thankfully, the cold snap had not yet arrived, but it was great to get away. With only two weeks holidays per year, it was certainly the fastest jaunt we’ve taken as travellers.

I prefer to be one of the last to board, so we hung out in the newsagency in Terminal 5 at Heathrow, buying postcards from a place we didn’t actually visit this time around, and laughing at the most ridiculous headlines on the English tabloids.

When the final boarding call was announced, we headed to our gate. In a blur, suddenly, we were ushered in to business class. REALLY? I was super excited until I realised I how bad I smelled and how poorly dressed I was to arrive at a party like this.

Any efforts at feeling self-conscious about my appearance vanished after I saw the woman opposite us with her tights and ugg boots. I was just thankful not to be mutton dressed as lamb.

I sat next to a child. IN BUSINESS CLASS. Not three seconds in the cabin and I was already acting as though I belonged. HA! I attempted polite conversation with the child, considering I would be next to him for ten hours. He only responded to the candy his father doled out…

The portions were smaller than on United, but I actually preferred that. We were handed a champagne before take off, and we settled in to our seats for a smooth ride up and over the north pole. Not a bad way to start the adventure.

I was quite impressed with the food and service. French wines, pesto fettuccine, a selection of breads, salad, chocolate mousse, and only the best – Twinings tea. There’s nothing that compares to Twinings English Breakfast. Eggs for breakfast, with orange juice and a croissant. Fruit salad. I made sure to make the most of it!

The seats were pretty roomy, and I really enjoyed flying backwards. I slept maybe two hours or so on the almost flat reclining seats, which was a nice change from the usual cramped quarters of pit class.

BA has a reasonable selection to choose from on their inflight entertainment system. One fascinating documentary I watched was on the rise and fall of Ian Botham in the 1981 Ashes series. It was fascinating to have the event put into the wider context of a nation in turmoil, and see the man in action. Ten minutes into it, and I was cheering for him against the Australians. Really great stuff.

 

I couldn’t have been more grateful for the opportunity to fly business class. So thank you, British Airways, for spoiling us. We appreciated it more than you could imagine!

Only problem is that once you fly business class, you can’t go back…