So, it's been a while since I've last blogged. A great deal of things have changed and while I wanted to write a year in retrospective for 2014, I doubt I'll ever get around to it. That said, I've been meaning to blog for a while now, and I finally decided what I could write about in a short amount of time. This post has been inspired by the various Flight Reviews I've read in the last few days as I have become super obsessed with reading those things. Anyhow, I promise to try and write more, but as a junior at Oxy, we'll see if that really happens!
My flight from SFO to HKG to TPE, is an annual trip I make from the US back to Taiwan after school ended. A few days prior, I stayed at school for an extra week where I worked our two graduation performances for The Drowsy Chaperone and 4,000 Miles. I attended the graduation after celebration where I took pictures with IV graduates. After many photos, I climbed into the car and drove back up the I-5 to Moraga. After a couple of uneventful days, the day came when I would fly out of SFO. Now, in previous conversations with my dad, he remarked that it was more likely for people to get "upgraded" to a higher seating class if they wore nicer clothes like a suit or blazer. Without much to lose, and as a Silver Class Marco Polo Member, I decided to try it out. I wore a blazer with khaki pants and dress shoes. I packed an extra set of clothes in my carry-on, that way in case I didn't get upgraded, I could just change into shorts on the plane. As I sat on BART all the way to the airport, I was anxious, but also practical. The flight is usually pretty full, and I've never been upgraded in that form before, so I wasn't expecting much. Went to Check-In, and I asked the customary request: "Is the flight full today? Is there a chance to get upgraded?" They always respond, the plane is quite full and that any upgrades will be announced at the lounge. So, with carry-on and blazer still on, I walked to the lounge and began my three-hour wait. I asked the lounge when I got there and when I left, whether or not I was to be upgraded. Sadly, they didn't say anything, so I was left unsure for the time I spent at the lounge. When boarding began, my mind began to wander, and my hopes began to deflate. This would just be any old flight back to HKG. As I walked forward to scan my boarding pass, the machine flashed red, and the stewardess pulled me aside as she printed me a new boarding pass. I was immediately shocked and ecstatic. "It's finally happening, I'm getting upgraded!" I walked the concourse with an additional bounce to my step. As I walked to my seat, my smile turned upside down for a brief second. Sitting in the aisle, for I occupied the middle seat of a 2-4-2 configuration, was the largest man I had ever seen fit into a tiny plane seat. Granted, I am pretty large myself, but this man was at least four times the size as I was. He couldn't deploy the tray tables, and his chest barely brushed the seat in front of him. I squeezed past him and plopped into my seat, which had greater legroom, a much better recline and a wider base (even though the man's arm basically invaded my personal space by about 2 inches). I had entered the world of Premium Economy, a step up from my original placement. I was served pre-boarding champagne, a much better meal than expected, as well as a small amenity bag! While the flight itself was pretty standard, just being in Premium Economy was a blast. Arrived in HKG on time, and I had plenty of time to head over to The Wing, one of the Cathay Pacific lounges, where I took a shower and changed into my real person clothes. I once again tried to see if I was going to get upgraded for my final leg, but to my dismay, they had no news either. As I walked to my gate, I was anxious to get home. I once again, walked up to the gate with my boarding pass ready, when the machine flashed red once more. I was upgraded from my economy seat to business class on Dragonair. I was so shocked, it took me a while for me to realize that I was upgraded, not once, but twice. I actually thought that someone was playing a trick on me or something. Anyways, that flight as always goes by really quickly.
So that's my story, on how to get upgraded!
I've attached a saved Snapvideo and some pictures from the flight! Hope I end up blogging more!
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| Excited right? |
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| Business Class Food on DragonAir |
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