Luxury? Only on Paper – from our Air Travel Files
Lucy Blanco is a professional jazz vocalist, who recently returned to New York after 20 years of living and working in Los Angeles. She’s excited to be back in the city, but her daughter is still in California, so she travels back and forth frequently. A recent flight from JFK to LAX made her recognize the challenges of living a bicoastal lifestyle, and the importance of being selective when choosing an airline.
I bought my airline ticket online, and had attempted to request a window seat when I made the reservation. I couldn’t figure out why the online booking system wouldn’t let me have a window seat, but it all became clear when I got to the check-in desk. I guess I’m behind the curve, but I hadn’t even realized that some airlines were charging a premium for window and aisle seats. I had bought the cheapest ticket I could find, figuring that all airlines were pretty much the same, and this was the first indication that that might not be true.
I didn’t want to pay the extra charge, but I knew it was going to be a long day. I was flying to LAX, heading directly to my daughter’s high school graduation, and then turning right around and coming back to New York. In short, I wanted my window seat.
So when I got to the gate, I tried again, explaining my situation to the woman at the gate desk. It turned out that they did have a window seat available—but, she warned me, it was in the very first row. Would I be okay with that?
I thought that would be great. Was I getting lucky, maybe a first-class upgrade?
Not so much. It turned out that there was no first class—I was in “Section 1” and crammed against the bulkhead, with literally no space. Seriously…it was so cramped that I had to put my purse—my only carry-on item—into the overhead compartment.
Plus, there were the usual plane issues. It was freezing, loud, bright, and we spent an hour waiting on the runway. Oh well. In just six hours or so I’d be in the California heat, watching my daughter accept her diploma.
One of the flight attendants handed me an in-flight shopping guide. Now, I don’t normally go in for plane products, but I had nothing else to read. So I leafed through, and was seduced by the “luxury nap kit.” Sure, it cost 12 bucks, but the fleecy blanket looked so soft…the cervical pillow so beguiling…the blindfold and earplugs divine.
I called the flight attendant over and shelled out my money. In return he handed me a flat, stiff plastic envelope.
The earplugs and blindfold were in fact earplugs and blindfold. However, the “big, fleecy blanket” was more like a thin, felt hand-towel. I could literally see through it, and it was about the same size as a large sheet of paper—maybe an 11×17 inch piece. As for the pillow…
“There’s no pillow in here,” I said to the flight attendant.
“Yes there is,” he said, lifting up a flat piece of plastic. “It’s inflatable. You have to blow it up.” I’m sure my eyes widened in surprise, because he continued. “Did you want me to do it? Because I’m not going to!” And with that he stomped away…presumably to make sure no one was stealing any $18 packets of peanuts.
Now, I’m not a frequent traveler—but it hasn’t been that long. Didn’t airlines used to give away things like pillows, sodas, and blankets? And couldn’t they give away a little courtesy without affecting the bottom line? Was I living in some crazy dream?
Apparently not, because my flight home—with a different airline—was completely painless. I not only got a pillow, I even got a blanket, and a smile—all at no extra charge. I really didn’t realize that there was such a difference between airlines, but next time I’ll be a lot more cautious. There wasn’t that much difference in ticket prices, and I guess I’m kind of picky. I like my blankets fleecy and my pillows pre-inflated.
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