The Offer
As I was sitting at the rooftop bar at my hotel in the heart of Madrid back in August, I got a notification from Air France for my flight the following day. If you’ve been reading along about my adventure of getting to Madrid this summer, you might read this with a tinge of panic; I know that was my immediate reaction when I got their notice. Fortunately, all was fine, and they were letting me know there was an option to upgrade my regular economy seat to business class for $130. *whew*
I see these updates all the time, and always ignore them. That’s not to say I’m uninterested in flying in an upgraded cabin, but the upgrade fees can easily end up being more than the cost of my entire ticket, and so it never really seems worth it. But, $130? That’s a different story. I should clarify this was a one-way flight from Madrid to Paris that was scheduled to take about 2 hours. Still, they had my interest.
I figured the upgrade would get me a nicer seat, with more space, drinks, better food, and other ‘gourmet delights’ that were sure to make my experience worth the extra money. Sure. But I was curious and was willing to spend the $130 to find out whether Air France’s business class, at least on a short-haul flight, was worth the money. So, after thinking it over for a few minutes, I forked over the money for the upgrade and was rewarded with a new seat number. What I didn’t know was all the other stuff that came with my upgrade.
At the Airport
As it turns out, when I got to the airport the following morning to check in for my flight, I was able to go through the line specifically for business and first-class customers. Sounds obvious but it wasn’t something I’d really thought about. This was nice, as it turned out there were 30 or so folks in the line for economy passengers and…wait for it…no one in the business line. As the gate agent was finishing up the check-in process, she told me to go to the VIP security area, not the regular security area. Eh? I had no idea.
She was very nice and, seeing my confusion, pointed me in the right direction: go ALL the way down and you’ll find the VIP area. Okay, seems simple enough. So off I go, wondering what exactly a VIP security area is. A few minutes later, I found out. It’s basically the same thing as a regular security line (sadly, no TSA Pre-Check lanes in international airports) but with almost no passengers. So, while the regular security check point had the familiar lines winding back and forth, the VIP area had a single couple in line ahead of me. I still had to take my belt off, computer out of my backpack, and the usual routine, but because there was no one else in line, it went so much faster.
Pre-Departure Nibbles
What the gate agent also told me was that I could get into the VIP lounge while I was waiting for the gate assignment for my flight. If you’ve read our blog before, you know that one of the best perks of our travel credit cards – especially our Platinum Card from American Express – is that it gets us into lounges (you can read about them here). Some lounges are better than others, but all of them generally let you relax before your next flight and grab a bite to eat, which, in an era of ever-more frustrating travel experiences, has a ton of value for us.
So, after going through VIP security, off I went to the VIP lounge. Nice. After walking in and scanning my boarding pass, I was directed to the food and drink selection. As it was roughly 10am, the food was a typical European breakfast: deli meats and cheeses, fresh fruit, pastries, and coffee stations. But the self-service bar was also open (and not monitored…I see you, VIP lounge staffers), as was a huge cooler that had all manner of drinks: beer, sodas, juices, water, and so on, as well as sandwiches, yogurts, and the like. All self-service. So, I grabbed a coffee, a few pastries, and fresh fruit and snagged a seat along the wall of windows that had a pretty cool view: I got to watch the planes landing at the airport while munching on croissants. Pretty cool.
Shortly after my breakfast, I got a whiskey and Coke Zero, because…wait, do I need a reason? No, and stop judging me. I threw in a lime slice for good measure, and limes are fruit, so it was basically a smoothie.
After relaxing for a bit, I headed off to my gate to board my short flight to Paris. Fortunately, something, or rather someone else was waiting for me in Paris: Tasha. More on that here, but suffice it to say I was ready to be in Paris and see my partner for the first time in nearly three weeks.
In-Fight Experience
I wish I could say the business-class experience on my flight was as nice as the pre-flight accoutrements, but it’s more accurate to describe it as meh. Much to my surprise, the seat itself didn’t seem any different than the economy seats other than there were fewer seats in our section, and they were only two across. But the actual seat looked exactly the same as the economy seats. I will say we had our own flight attendant, which was nice. It’s also not nothing to have fewer people fighting over the overhead bin space. In fact, the seat next to me was empty, so I had the full overhead bin to myself and got to spread out a little more than usual. Talk about small luxuries…
Our cabin did get pre-departure cool towels to wipe down with (yes cool, because it was crazy hot in Madrid, so a hot towel would have been insulting), which was super refreshing. Once the flight took off, we got a light meal shortly after the familiar *ding* indicating we’d just broken through 10,000 feet. The menu: a roll with butter, small salad, and a cold salmon salad over pasta kind of situation. Not something I’d have ordered, but it was tasty. Or maybe it was the wine. Or the whisky and Coke Zero. Either way, I didn’t hate the experience.
Once we landed it was also nice being at the front of the plane and with fewer people swarming around. All that meant a more relaxed exit which, again, isn’t nothing.
The Verdict
In the end, the biggest question I asked myself was whether I’d shell out the money for a similar upgrade in the future. I’ll admit the overall experience wasn’t what I was expecting, but taking everything into account, I think I’d do it again, just with more accurate expectations. Thinking about everything that was included in the $130: shorter wait time to check my bag, VIP security area, access to the lounge, fewer people in the cabin, the meal and drinks, and better service all made for a more relaxing flight experience. More than anything, after the craziness of Madrid, that was worth the money, at least for me. The only thing I was really disappointed with was the physical seat I was in, but even then, for only a two-hour flight, it wasn’t really that bad.
Now I’m just keeping my fingers crossed to get a similar offer for our next long-haul flight to Scotland. Probably best to not hold my breath as well.
