My first-class bucketlist trip

[TonyHancock]

....First must attract so many DYKWIA types.....

....and what is wrong with that?

Great TR Justinf.

 

[Pushka]

....and what is wrong with that?

Great TR Justinf.

Well yes, but WAKWYA! Kind of sounds like wanker doesn't it!

 

[Steady]

Still, there was an extensive list to choose from and I was hell bent on giving it a good nudge.

Exactly!
Thanks for the TR, enjoying it thoroughly

 

[ellen10]

Really enjoying your trip report.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[sietes]

Great trip report. Really enjoying riding along with you.

 

[Justinf]

With food out of the way and the wine starting to take its full toll, I settled in to try and watch the rest of the movie, but seriously, I couldn't really tell you whether it was good or bad.
I started playing around with the massage function on the seat and took a wander up the stairs to the much maligned 'lounge' area and I agree, what a complete waste of space. I took a peep into the J cabin and it seemed fairly full also, with only a few spare seats.
I asked the wonderful FA Luke what I should have to drink as a nightcap before turning to sleep. By this stage the cabin was quite warm and I had ditched the PJs and opted for a pair of running shorts and a T-shirt (classy stuff huh?). Luke suggested a straight whiskey, which I normally don't really do. I'm not a spirits drinker although I will drink certain types if I am in the mood. I was in the mood.

Getting halfway through the glass of whiskey, which I must say, was very smooth I must have nodded off as I woke with the glass half empty (or half full depending on which way you look at it ). I must have been doing off for a good half hour or so. So much for the movie. This was my body telling me it was time for sleep.
I asked Luke if he could make up my bed for me and I retreated to the front of the cabin to give him some time and space.
When I returned, I asked Luke if he could take a couple of pics. The one of me 'sleeping' is obviously me pretending to sleep. Corny and cheesey but what the hell. First observations were that the bed was as comfortable as you could possibly get on an aircraft. I had some sleeping pills on me but with all the wine, I didn't need them so i snuggled down and wondered just how long I would be able to sleep for. It was now about five hours into the 16-hour flight so I had plenty of time on my hands. One of the things I didn't want to do pre-trip was sleep too much. I wanted to enjoy the service and seat and the experience as much as possible. But then, when you are flying J or F and you have a bed at your disposal isn't that what you're really paying for? I decided to let my body decide how long it wanted to snooze for. No rush, no expectations. By now I had changed back into my PJs as I anticipated the cabin becoming colder as the flight wore on. Also the food and the wine would have warmed my body up. The sheepskin underlay of the bed was very comfortable and the doona blanket thick. I will say now, that soon after the below pics were taken, I changed back into my shorts and T-shirt. I'm not PJ kinda guy unless it's a cold night.

 

[kermatu]

Brilliant TR mate. Made so much better by giving us your personal background. But topped off for me by your T-Shirt and love of the Spurs. Top 3 this year is good - I just hope we finish above the scum....

 

[Dr Bob]

Fantastic TR. Have sent this thread to my son whom I have shouted (redemption) a trip home for christmas on QF10 in F. This will be his 1st F trip. He won't get the Melb or Syd Flounge experience but he is pretty excited about it all.
PS he has to find his own way back to London.

 

[blackcat20]

Well that's a pretty darn nice way to experience the A380 for the first time!

 

[Justinf]

Fantastic TR. Have sent this thread to my son whom I have shouted (redemption) a trip home for christmas on QF10 in F. This will be his 1st F trip. He won't get the Melb or Syd Flounge experience but he is pretty excited about it all.
PS he has to find his own way back to London.

That is so fantastic!
I hope to do the same thing for my daughter at some stage. There's a saying that your kids will never love you more than you love them. She's 15 and I am taking her to Uluru in two weeks time.

 

[Justinf]

Brilliant TR mate. Made so much better by giving us your personal background. But topped off for me by your T-Shirt and love of the Spurs. Top 3 this year is good - I just hope we finish above the scum....

Stay tuned. My first day in San Antonio will leave you in no doubt about my love for my Spurs.

 

[Justinf]

I got to sleep pretty quickly. I did find the doona a bit too heavy and the cabin temp a tad too warm, but with a belly full of fine fare and wine, I drifted off to sleep to the quiet sound of the A380 engines.
My little clock next to my seat said there was five hours and down 11 to go.

I woke at certain times throughout the flight due to some fairly hefty turbulence but drifted back off the sleep in a hurry. I also woke a few times, but fell back to sleep almost immediately. I was pretty tired. it had been an early start and a big day and the past few years had really taken their toll on myself and my two younger sisters losing both our parents at age 66.
When i finally woke sufficiently enough to actually sit up there were two and half hours left on the clock. I'd slept for eight and half hours!
Not a lot of time left, but due to the indulgence of wine, I was craving something sweet and for some reason I really wanted a Coke although I hardly ever drink the stuff. I wandered up to the J snack bar while my bed had the covers taken off and raided their bar of a couple of small cans of Coke. The sugar fix did the trick.
It was now time for breakfast. My stomach bug hadn't completely gone, but it was a lot better. I opted for the eggs with mushrooms and spinach and a cranberry juice and then plucked up the courage to get a freshly made flat white.

After breakfast I changed back into my street clothes and settled in for the final 45 minutes or so of the flight. I was getting excited now because I still had 10 days in Texas. I've travelled extensively in the States, but never Texas. Bring it on.
Dallas was literally in sight.

 

[clipped_wings]

What a memorable read. Thank you for such an enlightening and personal contribution.

 

[Justinf]

About 30 minutes before we touched down, the three FAs presented me with a card signed by all of them with a note and also with a bag containing two bottles of the wine that I enjoyed the most on my flight – the Wolf Blass Black label cab sav and the Flametree Margaret River chardonnay. To say I was touched was an understatement. And then I read the card:

Mr Flynn
We hope your first class flight today has been a memorable experience. We have loved taking care of you and thank you for sharing your story. Enjoy this wine with our best wishes for your holiday.
Luke, Peter and Courtney



I was literally moved to tears. Not sobbing like a baby, but tears welled in my eyes. How kind, how thoughtful, how amazing. My gratitude to these three wonderful people was immense. My mum and dad would be have been chuffed.

After all that and while walking off the plane through the terminal to collect my luggage, I'd realised I hadn't had the steak sandwich. Little did I know a strange twist of fate would occur in 10 days time.

 

[love_the_life]

What a wonderful gesture Justinf.

 

[drron]

Wow.A fantastic TR.But that last post made me feel emotional as well.
Memories for a lifetime.

 

[coriander]

We have loved taking care of you and thank you for sharing your story. Enjoy this wine with our best wishes for your holiday.
Luke, Peter and Courtney

Off topic, but Courtney looked after Mrs C and I when we flew F SYD-LAX (also our first time ever in F) in March. She was absolutely awesome - a real credit to QF.

 

[Justinf]

After the nightmare that is US customs, I finally found my luggage and got into a cab.
Questions that the Customs officer asked me (she was particularly unhappy):
"Are you married?"
"Where is your wife?"
"Are you seeing a girlfriend over here?"

Cab fare from DFW into the Hotel Indigo Downtown where I was staying was $50, which meant $60 with tip.
Room wasn't ready despite it being 2.30pm although I do understand that 3pm is check in time. Happy to leave my bags at the front desk and go in search of a bar somewhere. I knew I wasn't going to last too long so a few mid afternoon beers wouldn't hurt.
Found a place called the Press Box, which I grew to enjoy over the next few days. The bar manager Jesse and I got along quite well.


After a few pints and a quesadilla, my body clock had had enough. I walked back to the hotel where I checked in and fell asleep at 5pm and woke the next day at 9am, which was probably a good thing. It just shows that no matter whether you are in cattle class or first class, jetlag is jetlag.
A few pics of the room, which you must please excuse me for the absolute mess I created. I think in a zombie-like state, I threw everything on the floor until I found my beloved sleeping boxers, which of course, were right at the bottom of my suitcase.



The Indigo was a decent hotel. Good location, well priced. Booked it through the Qantas website whereas I booked the others I stayed at, independently. Nice park right opposite. Room small, staff pleasant, but the absence of any breakfast.

 

[Justinf]

Off topic, but Courtney looked after Mrs C and I when we flew F SYD-LAX (also our first time ever in F) in March. She was absolutely awesome - a real credit to QF.

Not off topic at all. I provided glowing feedback to QF about her and all three FAs. I hope it filters through to them.

 

[Milboo]

I've enjoyed this report so far. To me it captures that wonder/ awe of air travel that it's easy to forget about when you fly regularly.