Let me tell you about first class on a plane. I LOVE IT! Every first class is different since every plane is different. This time, I was on an American Airline Dreamliner 787.

Lets begin:

The line at LAX to board the flight was annoying. There are people blocking the roped off entrance. AA now boards using zone numbers. However, the crowd still blocks the entrance. First class is Zone 1. Boarding first sounds lame initially, since we’re all trying to rush to get on the same plane. However, boarding first has its perks. Boarding sooner than later means there’s more space in the overhead compartment to place your bag. If you board last, the overhead can get full and you may need to have the flight attendants check your bag.

Business Class or Zone 1 boards after Concierge members and families (therefore you’re technically not the first to board but it helps). The business class overhead compartments are big and plentiful. No need to worry about not having a place to store your bags.

The business class section is big but so are the pods. On this flight, there are two single-row pods which are forward and backward facing (at the windows). The middle row pods are all forward facing and is a double row.

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. The Dreamliner is a plane that is meant to pressurize itself so that it feels more natural for your body. The windows are tinted. They can be controlled using a button at the bottom. You can have no tint, or a full limo tint. The big flat screen TV comes out with the push of a button, which you can start watching as soon as you sit on your seat. The arm rest is big, and there are several compartments to place your items in for safe keeping. The seats are very comfortable and to be honest the entire pod and entertainment system makes any flight seem too short.

On the flight to Chicago we were given our choice of meal. I pre ordered a brown rice and chicken dish. It came with a small fruit salad and a corn salad. The food was decent but filling. However, lets say you don’t like one of these items and decide not to eat it… it will not fill you. All the portions are small but enough for me. They topped me off with a little champagne and a red wine throughout my meal. We had dessert as well but I passed on it.

My flight attendant was great. He was a good-looking white gentlemen from Sacramento who spoke Spanish. He practiced his Spanish with me. His accent was great and so was his vocabulary. He was very friendly, attentive and just great. Apart from being great at customer service he came off as very genuine. We chatted every time he walked by. We spoke Spanish and I even helped him with some vocabulary. It’s a shame I didn’t even get his name. I would have loved to given him a card for being such a great employee (which the company sees).

The flight was amazing. First and/or business class spoils you so much coach seems unbearable afterwards.

We landed at Chicago O’hare around 11pm and headed straight towards our hotel to call it a night.

Let me break it down for you:

• Round trip flight in first class to LAX and ORD: $500
• Seems a little pricey but honestly its a great deal for First/Business
• Decent food
• Great service
• Movies
• A BED… A SEAT THAT TURNS INTO A BED! OMG.

I thought it was worth it, especially for the price… Usually business and first class tickets are in the thousands… I cant believe I got such a good price for it.