We woke up very early this morning to be sure we made it to the airport with plenty of time to navigate TSA and baggage check, and still have sufficient time to grab a bite at the airport lounge. The last trip we took, to Dublin Ireland in December, we flew Polaris Class on United. This time we were flying 1st Class. I thought they were the same and so we headed directly to the Polaris Lounge after checking our bags and going through a very brief security line. Kelly made a joke that she never gets a secondary ID check which, of course meant that she was chosen for a random check. I laughed and then noticed that my carry-on bag was also selected for a random check. On reflection, I have to wonder statistically what percentage of the population is actually checked? In our case it was 100%.
In any case, we proceeded to the Polaris Lounge and found out that 1st Class and Polaris are very different creatures. While we were traveling internationally, the flight wasn’t long enough to rate Polaris status and we were ushered away. I took Kelly to the new United Lounge on the “C” concourse and we had a quick bite and I enjoyed a latte from an automatic coffee machine that I would love to have at home! It gives you a range of choices that make it impossible not to appreciate technology applied to a basic necessity!
It’s not that I necessarily require 1st Class flights or access to the airline lounge to be happy. But given the frequency of of my travels, it quickly became a cost-effective alternative to paying the outrageous prices of airport food. When I was younger, I don’t think I ever considered these costs when I traveled. But then again, I didn’t really travel as routinely as I do now.
The flight itself was quiet and almost restful. I enjoy all the different shapes and sizes of the clouds and the relative peace of no cell phones or “things to do”.
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