Flying south on a plane, drinking all that free champaigne

Well, my first lucky break of the trip came when the flight was delayed by nearly an hour. First, it was reported that the delay involved some folks who were connecting in Taipei and whose incoming flight was late, then it involved a no-show whose luggage had to be removed for security reasons. So there I sat on the tarmac, finishing off "The Merry Month of May" (which by the way is magnificent) and not feeling too frustrated. An extra hour in Taipei was one hour less cooling my heels in Hong Kong.

So why was the delay a lucky break? Well, when I arrived at the check in for my connecting flight in Hong Kong, the woman at the counter crossed out my seating assignment and wrote in a new one. And when I got on the plane, I was directed to...first class.

Now, understand, I'm a cheapskate, except when it comes to records. First class has always struck me as appealing but not worth the extra money it involves. Besides, everybody knows how I feel about upper-crust stuff - just ask any of my friends who have ever hassled me about the university where I got my master's degree and lived to regret it. (Hey, you'd be proud too if you got in on your second try and worked your way through!) So it was quite a novelty for the quiet American in his t-shirt and Hush Puppies to be invited up to the land of wider seats and pre-flight champaigne. I sipped it demurely and read my complimentary Herald Tribune, feeling like Maggie Brown on the Titanic and expecting a flight attendant to tap me on the shoulder any second and explain that it had all been a mistake. It never happened, and I am ashamed to admit that I really enjoyed it. From the chardonnay and sauteed prawns to the ability to stretch out my legs without kicking the person ahead of me in the rear end, it was quite the nice surprise all around.

Here, then, is a hearty endorsement of Cathay Pacific Airlines for all dozen or so of my readers. This is right up there with the time I ordered a mocha at Au Bon Pain and had to wait slightly longer than usual because of a problem with their espresso machine, and was promptly given my money back and a large mocha when I'd only ordered a medium when I hadn't even noticed it was late. What's a bit sad is that I remember too well from my fast food days how the people who get most such attention have no real complaint, are being rude for the sake of being rude, and get lots of extras just so they'll shut up. Be nice to your server!

I still wouldn't pay for first class. But it was a nice glimpse beyond the curtain of "it used to be a better meal, now it's a better life."