My air travel chronicles: The bougie edit

Part 1 of a multi-part series, from cattle class to flying private

May 31, 2024

School’s out and everyone seems, well, sunnier.☀️

That can only mean one thing: Summer has unofficially kicked off.

With this comes the planning and heading out for holidays, vacations, and accompanying air travel.

Where will Instagram take you this summer? Ibiza? Mykonos? Barcelona? Paris? The Hamptons? Banff? The far east?

Summer always gets me recalling memorable air travel experiences, from best to worst.

With the exception of flying on a cargo plane, I have flown in almost every style of air travel imaginable.

Getting my regular dose of cosmic radiation

I'm not obsessive about what kind of plane I'll be flying in, but I do pay attention to seating charts, hence keeping note of what Boeing, Embraer, or Airbus jets await me.

For kicks, I’m starting with my most luxurious air travel experiences.

I’ll then work my way down to that time in cattle class when someone in my row was cutting his nails inflight.🤮

Or, how I’m convinced Spirit Airlines is really a decoy for wealthy people who have homes in multiple states, but who are too cheap to fly private or pay for business class seats on the big airlines.🤔

Content entrepreneur | Agency Founder & CEO | Bestselling author Featured in Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Bankrate, Cheddar TV, HuffPost | Join more than 3,700 people who follow Shindy’s unconventional lifestyle, travel, and career advice:

Flying private

The best solution and ultimate flex for crowded airports, flight delays, security delays, and other annoying passengers, is to fly private.

What could be more luxurious than having an entire cabin and crew to yourself, along with better food and beverage options, like an inflight espresso(!) and better bottled water.

I’m not here to talk about the economics of flying private (this guy has some nuggets on how wealthy you have to be in order to only fly private; I agree with this perspective) but let’s just say your options are to 1) own your own jet, 2) charter one, or 3) join a membership club where you have access to a private fleet.

But where’s the Acqua Panna? Also, someone stole my Y3 sneakers

It’s either that, or fly on small planes that can take off from small regional airports.

When you fly out of smaller regional airports, security lines are virtually nonexistent, and the whole experience is just way more chill than the madhouse that is big airport hubs.

You can also explore becoming a pilot or befriending someone who is, or who has access to flying and/or chartering small planes and jets.

Do you know what kind of plane this is? 🤓

My ex-husband was a pilot, and every time my old dog and I flew as he piloted a single-prop Piper Cherokee, I clenched my eyes shut in terror until we landed, hoping I wouldn’t meet the same fate as Carolyn Bessette.

With each gust of wind, you feel every. Single. Wobble. My body was drenched in sweat when we finally touched down.

Business & First Class

There’s no more sobering truth to how the world works than to observe how airlines treat you for your loyalty and spending.

Sure, it may take a little charisma, too, which you may have picked up from working in food service as a young adult, but mostly, it’s about how much you spend, duh.

Airlines know one of the best ways to keep you coming back is to enhance your overall flying experience, from check-in to deplaning.

My experience with flying first or business class has mostly been with American Airlines and British Airways.

For the latter, their First Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5 is an experience unlike any other: (at least from a couple of years ago) Security goes through private, swift screening areas, and even upon disembarking the plane you may get picked up in a private Jaguar and driven straight to the gate.

Pre-flight coffee at The Concorde Room ☕️

The greatest benefit to flying business on a long-haul international flight is true lie-flat seating, which ensures you get an ample amount of rest so you can feel and look fresh as a flower with no eye bags upon arrival.

There was also that time I flew in Air France First, when steak was served in a domed silver platter and petit fours arrived on a tiered dessert tray…

Finally, one experience I have yet to try is Emirate’s Airbus A380 First inflight shower. Count me in on my next long haul flight to Dubai.

What are your favorite airlines and flying experiences?

Reply or comment — I’d love to pick them apart for myself!

Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok

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