600 Words on the Best Flight I've Ever Had

I’ve been feeling sentimental lately. Maybe it’s just rogue thoughts that enter my mind that spark things to write about or maybe being a father of 3 under 3 before 30 is giving me anxiety. Yes; my wife is 32 weeks pregnant with our third. I’m writing this post from an airplane. Ironic, right?

My wife and I are en route to New York City – our final hoorah before new baby arrives in just eight weeks. While sitting next to her on our 6am flight via Southwest Airlines, I reminisced about the time I had the best flight ever.

I’ll be succinct, but impactful and by the end, I think you’ll actually want to book a flight just to try and mimic my experience.

The best $70 I’ve ever spent

I was traveling to Las Vegas for work and the first leg of my journey was to Dallas. It was a mid-week flight so the airport wasn’t very crowded. For some reason I decided to print my tickets at the kiosk upon arriving at the airport – something I typically never do.

The flight was on the company’s dime, but when I asked if first class seats were available, I knew I would jump on the opportunity and much to my surprise, the upgrade was available only $70.

The beauty of first class at the age of 26 is everything is new to you. Checking a bag for free, boarding the plane first, spacious seating and an alcoholic beverage before you even sit down are just a few of the perks. I was also a new dad at the time so having a brief moment of time to myself was euphoric.

5:30pm departure time

This is minor detail but something worth noting when you’re booking travel. I’m currently on a 6am flight, which means I had to wake up this morning at 3:45am to make it the gate on-time.

That makes for an extremely long day running on merely four hours of sleep. I’ll be okay – but I feel terrible for my pregnant wife.

Early evening departure times are great because you can wake up, get some work done, grab lunch and make your way to the airport just before rush hour.

A short summary of the 2 hour and 30 minute flight experience

Allow me to try and paint a clear picture of my best flight ever:

I arrived at my seat with no one sitting next to me and was greeted with a cocktail of my choice. Upon take off, I decided to purchase the in-flight WiFi and in the tray table to my left, I set up my laptop like a TV to watch The Office. I reclined my seat, ordered another drink and relaxed.

Much to my surprise, a 3-course dinner was being served. When was the last time you had a meal on a plane?! I mean, besides pretzels and peanuts…

There was salad, chicken with vegetables, and red wine with the dinner. And to top it off, I was brought a warm cookie with milk. Seriously, I’m not making this up!

I had never been so comfortable on a plane. I was so comfortable that I truly did not want the flight to end! How many times have you ever said that about a flight? It’s the only time for me.

So thank you, American Airlines, for the superb flight experience. I will never forget it. And until next time, first class! I’ll see you again someday when my wife and I are able to afford you again…