Flying to Paris

Flight benefits can be the best part of a job with an airline.  They can also be a tease.  You plan a trip and a flight is wide open.  Then the day comes to leave and you can't get to your destination.  Or, like our trip to Disney last year, you visit 3 airports to make a trip happen.  For this trip to Paris, there were over 100 seats open to Paris AND for the return flight.  I was confident I would make the flights.

When flying international, the real gamble is, will you get Delta One?  If you win at this gamble, you win big.  If you lose, well, you still land in Paris.  The odds were in my favor on this trip.  There were 8 seats up front and I was number 1 on the list.  Fingers crossed!

A few things to keep in mind.  Even if you are number 1 with 8 seats in Delta One, you could still get put in the back because of "weight distribution."  It's also at the discretion of the gate agent. This is part of why we dress up when we fly and why we are always on our best manners.  Oh, and I have NEVER gotten up front on a domestic flight.  The revenue passengers usually use their points to upgrade, and that's great! When we fly domestically I'm always just happy to get on the flight.

So, if you've ever wondered what Delta One on an international flight is like, this post is for you! Please keep in mind all the hours I log as a solo parent, all the Christmases we've celebrated on a day other than December 25, and the countless days that Rob spends away from us.  Believe me, I pay for this  benefit.  

Oh, and this flight was on the 767, which isn't even the best Delta One has to offer.  The new planes have the little cubicles where you get real privacy!

Dinner Menu, Champagne and the controls for my lie-flat seat.

Welcome aboard Champagne!

Everyone gets this essentials kit.

Socks, pen, hand sanitizer, lip gloss, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, ear plugs, and tissues.

A movie, wine, and some mixed nuts.

I watched the WORST movie on the flight over, Phantom Thread.  It was awful.  I mean, I'm kind of out of touch with movies now that I have kids and don't watch much tv, but this movie ranks up there with the worst I've ever seen.  After we landed, I looked it up and Phantom Thread was nominated for Academy Awards.  Were the other movies that bad this year?  

Appetizers, salad, tomato bisque, pretzel roll

Salmon, asparagus, potatoes. Oh, and those are real utensils!

Ice cream sundae with a heart shaped spoon. Is that a thing? Or just for looks?

After dessert, my movie was over (thank goodness) I laid my seat flat, curled up under my duvet with my full sized pillow and went to sleep.   While I was sleeping, Rob took his break and I saw him  going back to the flight deck when I woke up.  

Fruit, croissant, quiche. The bowl is some sauce for the quiche that I didn't care for.

If you look closely, you can see the coast of France, the English Channel, and the coast of England.

This is fog in a valley, not water. SO cool. the yellow fields are canola.

The next thing I knew, our amazing Delta pilots had us safely on the ground at Charles de Galle.  Rob was able to de-plane shortly after I did.  One totally unfair advantage that pilots have over us mere mortals is special customs and immigration lines in foreign airports.  My dear husband gave up that advantage and waited in the regular line with me.  Isn't he the best?

After about an hour in line, we were officially in France and found our way to the train.  Now, Rob wanted to pay $50 for an Uber. but  I said, "the train is $10 a person!"  I'm not sure why he let me win that one, but with minimal hassle we took the RER to Gare de Nord, and then another train to the layover hotel.  It was really very simple and I would do it again.  That $30 we saved buys at least 2 glasses of wine!

Our strategy was to get to the hotel and sleep for a few hours. Luckily our room was ready when we checked in around 10am and we were able to go right to bed.  I was surprised that we woke up at 1:30.  It was tempting to fall back asleep, but Paris was beckoning out the window!