Travelling first class

[Cord]

I am writing to you at this very moment from inside the first class lounge at Euston station. Sadly I've not achieved this on my own merits, I'm going to Wales and as no one wants to do that I got a ticket properly cheap.

I've never travelled first class before, so this has opened my eyes to a whole new world. Free muffins! Not plebby chocolate fIlled ones neither, these ones are pure roughage. Just an elegant hint of chin on all my new compatriots, any more would be an extravagence. One woman tutted at me rather loudly for being in her way for the merest second while I stood awestruck at the wall of TVs showing only important business news. She's right of course, I don't belong here. There's even a choice of fragrant soaps in the bathroom once you've dealt with the after effects of the laxative muffin.

From this day forth I shall strive to be first class in everything I do.

Has anyone else got any magnificent tales of how proper first class people live?

PS. This thread only exists because I need to look like I'm doing important business on my phone and I'm panicking too much about being found out as a commoner to find the late night thread.

[Spoonsky]

I flew first class with my grandma once. It was like entering a weird alternate world of endless food and overly kind flight attendants.

[Magic]

I was in first class from Leeds to Manchester after football at about 9pm, and nobody was manning it so all the pissheads ended up joining us (was basically only me and my dad and an older couple). It was one of the worst experiences of my life.

[John Arne]

I travel business class on flights a fair bit - fucking love it. It's such a twat going back to coach.

Fully retractable seats :drool:

[Cord]

Oh god this has turned into a nightmare already.

I'm on the train now and for some reason they've done the reservations in such a way that I'm sat next to some well to do chap in a nearly empty carriage.

I've just asked for orange juice and the flunky has overfilled it and dripped it on the fine gentleman's table. He's looking most peturbed and yet still controlling his justified fury manfully. My debut into high society couldn't have got off to a worse start.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Just as well the gentleman next to you is obviously well brought up. He'd be well within his rights to complain about you.

How did the FTSE open?

[Adamski]

First class on trains is excellent and well worth the small outlay if you book it early enough.

Can't imagine ever paying the crazy prices for flying first class but it looks incredible. My wife has done it through work a few times.

[Kikó]

First class going to Manchester on a weekend isn't worth the £15 upgrade. You're never drinking enough coffee and eating enough snack boxes to get your money's worth. I did it during the week once and it was glorious. That's when​they roll out the wine and good food.

I've been fortunate enough to fly business with work a few times and it's brilliant. I mean genuinely brilliant. Virgin is the best of the bunch I've done (BA and Jet). Hours of food and drink and a reclining chair. It's such a perk. All the business flying has got me to silver on BA which means i can use the lounge which will expire in November so taking advantage as much as possible before i lose it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We once got upgraded to Virgin first class (or upper class or whatever it's called) going to New York, and it was probably better than the rest of the holiday. A genuine pleasure to be there instead of the nightmare that every other flight I've ever been on has been.

I had some herb-crusted rack of lamb ffs :D

[Kikó]

It's genuinely mental how good it is compared to economy.

[phonics]

I had the same thing happen to me on my flight to New York with BA. They'd barely turned the seatbelt sign off when there was a glass of champers in hand. I was 17. What a world.

edit: Thinking back to it I got severe food poisoning on that trip so like Jimmy, it probably was the highlight of my trip too.

[Cord]

I've been given a free banana. This is amazing.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Nice to see the chap has forgiven you then.

[Giggles]

Never have, never will.

Now if I could pay a couple of grand to be able to pull up in the car and walk straight onto the plane, then you'd be talking.

[Pepe]

Larger couch and more airplane food. Pipe down people, you're still stuck sitting for hours doing fuck all.

[Pepe]

Now if I could pay a couple of grand to be able to pull up in the car and walk straight onto the plane, then you'd be talking.

That does sound more appealing.

[SvN]

We were upgraded to first class for our flight from Vegas to Miami a few years ago, and it was amazing. We said we'd fly first class next time we did any sort of long flight, but then saw that it was about 4 times the price so didn't bother.

After we got back from Australia we had to get a train home from the airport, so my wife wanted to pay the extra and go first class. The train didn't have a first class coach - it didn't even have a section partitioned off from the shitmunchers. It was literally 2 seats at the end of one carriage with a "First Class" cloth draped over the seats. No free drinks, no special seat, nothing. "Seething" doesn't quite cover it.

[SvN]

Larger couch and more airplane food. Pipe down people, you're still stuck sitting for hours doing fuck all.

Getting smashed and passing out for a 13 hour flight is about as good as it gets for that sort of flight.

[Pepe]

I'm not into 'getting smashed' so maybe that's why I'm not interested.

If you want to pass out you can just pop a sleeping pill beforehand.

[Davgooner]

Hadn't gone above premium economy until my Hong Kong trip. Have to say that it will be hard to go back after that experience; no queues at check-in, piling on the food/drink in the lounge, then copious amounts of food and drink and a chance to get a proper kip on the flight.

Trouble of course, is the price. :arry:

[7om]

I traveled first class on a bullet train in China last year and it was pretty great. Had attendants practically begging me to take stuff off them. I missed out at first because being the pleb that I am I didn't realise it was actually fucking free until I politely asked one kind lady. I took full advantage from there on out, though. The leg space :drool:

[Offshore Toon]

There only seem to be Southern trains around here and the first class looks no different.

[hfswjyr]

Am I the only pleb on here that's never been upgrade to business/first class?

Don't think I'll ever know the pleasure.

[Spammer]

I've sat in first class but only on the sly at about 11pm at night when there's no ticket inspector.

I can't imagine it being much different on a train. I look forward to experiencing first class one day on a plane though.

[-james-]

Hadn't gone above premium economy until my Hong Kong trip. Have to say that it will be hard to go back after that experience; no queues at check-in, piling on the food/drink in the lounge, then copious amounts of food and drink and a chance to get a proper kip on the flight.

Trouble of course, is the price. :arry:

How much did you pay for that? I'm looking at going over in December, BA are quoting about 3 grand return for first class vs £400 or so for the pleb seats. No amount of complimentary in-flight blow jobs are worth that price gap as far as I'm concerned.

[Boydy]

I've never been in it on a plane or train. Or any other form of transport.

[Pepe]

Death to the first class!

[Disco]

I thought we were getting a poem out of Boyd then.

[The Merse]

Get first class lounge access at Paddington with work. Sadly not for the train itself, but it's a nice enough perk to be able to wonder in, take a paper and copy of wired and a couple of tins of coke or grab a wine and cookies. Plus, free toilet. Not to be sniffed at when in a rush and lacking cash for the sodding change machine to put 30p in the bloody turnstile for the standard shitters.

[Boydy]

I actually put the 'a' in before 'plane' because it sounded a bit too much like Dr Seuss at first.

[Boydy]

That something I've always wondered, actually. Is lounge access at the airport worth it? It's what, about £12 I think? Not entirely sure what it includes but if you're eating or drinking outside in the main bit you'd spend that easily enough.

[The Merse]

That something I've always wondered, actually. Is lounge access at the airport worth it? It's what, about £12 I think? Not entirely sure what it includes but if you're eating or drinking outside in the main bit you'd spend that easily enough.

Get a credit card or similar facility with free lounge access. Plenty about. Or at least there were - not looked in years.

[Boydy]

That something I've always wondered, actually. Is lounge access at the airport worth it? It's what, about £12 I think? Not entirely sure what it includes but if you're eating or drinking outside in the main bit you'd spend that easily enough.
Actually, it's £20. Fuck that.


Get a credit card or similar facility with free lounge access. Plenty about. Or at least there were - not looked in years.

Oh, that's not a bad idea.

[Pen]

From my experience not really worth it in trains. It's slightly better, but not worth any extra money (Might be different in the UK). Flights are a completely different. My dad travels a lot so he gets upgraded to first class with his miles if he so wishes and I've had the pleasure to sample that life and it was glorious. Imagine a situation that makes flying somewhere a pleasant experience. Free drinks, food, no queuing and the likes are superb. I get why people with tons of money go for it, but I would never pay for it myself the difference is price is huge and the same money gets you better things where you're going. That said, I might start splurging for the lounge access no and again as that would be worth the money I feel.

edit: There are different level of lounges too Boydy. If £20 gets you access to the gold/platinum ones I'd say it's definitely worth it as a fucking sandwich at an airport probably costs the same.

[Pepe]

FREE DRINKS AND FOOD!*

*For an extra $400

Rather pay for a proper meal than get slightly less shit airplane fare.

[Boydy]

edit: There are different level of lounges too Boydy. If £20 gets you access to the gold/platinum ones I'd say it's definitely worth it as a fucking sandwich at an airport probably costs the same.

It doesn't really say what the food is which is the shit part. If it was decent, I'd probably pay it.

[Lewis]

When I used to come home from/go back to university you could get first class upgrades on the Peterborough to Doncaster leg for a couple of quid, which was worth it to load up on drinks and stretch your legs before getting on the dickhead bus trains they have rattling around the Northern networks.

[Pen]

It doesn't really say what the food is which is the shit part. If it was decent, I'd probably pay it.

Had to google the price as I couldn't believe it's that low and it's 48€ in here and that only gets you 3 hours in there (not that you probably need more than that).

[Disco]

I get the impression that if you flew a lot for work etc then lounge access would be worth it.

[Lewis]

FREE DRINKS AND FOOD!*

*For an extra $400

Rather pay for a proper meal than get slightly less shit airplane fare.

People only pay it to be seen in there. I would rather walk, or, better yet, kill myself.

[Pen]

FREE DRINKS AND FOOD!*

*For an extra $400

Rather pay for a proper meal than get slightly less shit airplane fare.


I don't think anyone's advocating that its something well worth the money (hence pretty much no one here seems to fly first class apart from of course Luca who probably hasn't even heard of a 'coach' outside of a sporting event). It does however make the very shit flying /airport experience much nicer.

[Bartholomert]

I fly business / first class regularly because my dad gets automatic upgrades because of all the travelling he does. It's pretty good / I always get wasted, although unfortunately the probability of getting seated next to a cute age appropriate girl is near zero.

[Adamski]

FREE DRINKS AND FOOD!*

*For an extra $400

Rather pay for a proper meal than get slightly less shit airplane fare.

You fly under the radar at being a joyless bastard eh? That's me only just really noticed.

[Giggles]

Joyless because he doesn't see the benefit in trying to make up the cost by drinking 400 quids worth on a flight?

[Adamski]

Don't make me lol you out of another thread. Next time I get to keep you and put you on the mantelpiece.

[Kikó]

Get first class lounge access at Paddington with work. Sadly not for the train itself, but it's a nice enough perk to be able to wonder in, take a paper and copy of wired and a couple of tins of coke or grab a wine and cookies. Plus, free toilet. Not to be sniffed at when in a rush and lacking cash for the sodding change machine to put 30p in the bloody turnstile for the standard shitters.

Deviant.

[Giggles]

I wasn't aware you had ever done it, but whatever keeps you going.

[Adamski]

Every thread you look at he's moaning about the price of something. More amusing than annoying to be fair.

[Raoul Duke]

I've done it on the Eurostar, which was pretty good. Hideously expensive though.

[Giggles]

Every thread you look at he's moaning about the price of something. More amusing than annoying to be fair.

His main reasoning here is that he's not big on getting fucked up, which is most peoples reasoning for doing it for a flight.

That saud, yeah he is a bit of a hippy.

[Davgooner]

How much did you pay for that? I'm looking at going over in December, BA are quoting about 3 grand return for first class vs £400 or so for the pleb seats. No amount of complimentary in-flight blow jobs are worth that price gap as far as I'm concerned.

Was about £3k return in Club World. If you book World Traveller Plus you might then be able to upgrade for cheaper.