i guess this dragon year is treating me quite well, what with me not having to pay extra for going on the next day’s flight when i missed my homeward-bound flight… but i was also being upgraded to first class on the 1st leg of my flight back to dubai!!
at the boarding gate in klia, i was just about to sit down when i heard my name being paged over the pa system. at first i thought there’s something wrong with my boarding pass or maybe i’ve somehow gone to the wrong gate. but when i went to the desk, one of the staff (not sure if he’s airport staff or the airline staff) asked to see my boarding pass. when i handed it to him, he looked at it to verify that i’m indeed the person they paged for, and exchanged it for a red-coloured pass, telling me, “you’ve been upgraded to 1st class. it’s a lucky dragon year for you.” i was like, “huh? omg, thank you!”
in a daze, i only heard “upgraded”, but not “1st class”. so i thought i was being upgraded to business class and quickly updated my facebook status: “omg, i’ve juz been upgraded to biz class!” coz i’ve never been one who wins lucky draws and 4D and those kinda things, so getting upgraded to biz class is like omg, so lucky already! it never occurred to me that i’d get 1st class! LOL
anyway, when they called for boarding, normally i would to be one of the last to get up to join the queue, to let all the kiasu people stand in the queue all they want. it’s not like they will fly off earlier than the rest of us, right? but now i’m the holder of a RED boarding pass ler! so when they called for boarding, i just coolly stood up and walked right up to the front of the line (of those with cattle class pass – see how kiasu? everyone knows econ class boards last, but they will still stand up and rush to the gate when the announcement specifically said “1st class and biz class”). ok, i admit i was quite smug when i showed my RED boarding pass and continue walking into the separate aerobridge for 1st and biz class, while the rest of the unwashed looked enviously after my retreating shadow (as pictured in my mind lar :P)
i was quite looking forward to getting a good rest on the flight, as i had to wake up at 5am that morning to make it for my 9am flight. but as it’s not everyday that i got upgraded, of course i had to check out that section behind the closed curtains where normally we can only catch a glimpse of!
too bad it’s quite an old plane, but luckily they made it up with their good service!
was offered a hot towel and juice the moment i sat down… not from the trolley, mind you, but from a tray! the seat configuration was 1-2-1 and i got the window seat. there are these compartments next to the seat that i can store my hand carry bags in, as shown in the pic. no need to use the overhead compartments, which means i can just reach in and out to access my stuff without having to stand up. me likey! :)
look at the leg space! i lifted up my legs and stretched out straight, and i still couldn’t touch the divider in front.
checking out my seat functions. like i said, it’s an old plane, so the the buttons are not so sophisticated. but i love the compartments below, where i can put away my book and camera etc.
on the other side of my seat, you can actually raise the hand rest to become some sort of divider for more privacy. sorry, no pic of the divider in the up position, coz i didn’t pull it up…
table out from its compartment on the left (see the lid there? compare it to the first pic on top). and got table cloth ler! :D
breakfast time… everything served on real plates, bowls, cups and saucers, and the utensils don’t come in a plastic bag. i was so tempted to nick the cute salt and pepper shakers, but of course i didn’t :P
my egg omelette that came piping hot straight from the kitchen, not from the trolley!
time to relax after a very full breakfast, which i didn’t finish coz i had breakfast before boarding at mcD with my parents, bro and SIL, and my cousin oliver (who is an aircraft engineer and was on duty at klia that day). was contemplating on watching some in-flight movie, but tv was kinda small even though you can pull it out to be nearer to you, and also the movie selections were not that great.
so decided to do a bit of reading with the seat reclined at 75% down (we can actually recline to 180 deg flat!). they have the normal overhead reading lights, but i love this personal reading light by the side of the seat…
i dozed off for a bit, but i think only for 15 min. then it’s time to land at my transit destination at colombo, sri lanka. haiz, time really flies when we’re having fun, huh? all in all, it was a rather sweet 3hrs plus flight experience. i was back to flying cattle class for my colombo – dubai leg of the journey… :(
anyway, i must say sri lanka air has given me a really impression of their staff and service. but i can’t say i’d fly with them again, if i can help it. the reason will be in another post, as this post has gotten quite long… so stay tuned! :)
p/s: i found out i was actually on 1st class and not biz class while i was having an ice-blended green tea frappe at the colombo airport’s coffee bean. a fellow malaysian who was on the same flight as me was also having a drink there and when he saw me, he called out to me by my full name coz he heard it being paged in klia. it’s kinda irritating actually, coz he kept calling my full name whenever he wanted to engage me in a conversation. but anyway, he told me he was upgraded to biz class right before my name was called, and he was so jealous that i got 1st class. then only it dawned on me that i should’ve realized mine didn’t looked like biz class, coz biz class would most probably have the seat configuration of 2-3-2. aiyo, shows what a country bumpkin i am, for not recognizing that immediately! :D
