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Fortunately, my Delta-working uncle Karl and aunt Susan, like my Grampy has often done before them, snagged us two Friends & Family passes so that we could fly cheap standby, saving us major bucks. Having done this before, however, such as all during college, I knew we had to take all the chances offered us, especially since there are only a couple flights to London a day. By that I mean, the earliest flight from Chicago to Cincinnati, so we could list on the first flight from there to London and then relist on the next available if we didn't make the cut. What this meant was getting to the airport on the very first airport bus of the day, standing in line before the ticket counters opened, successfully catching the Cincinnati flight ... and then waiting. At least the Cincinnati airport is one of my faves. It's got great fast-food choices (read, cheap and edible, unlike airport vending-machine sandwiches) — see our Steak & Potato Company (awesome grilled veggie sandwich) cup, which we used to fulfill the concept of unlimited refills — and a nice food court to sit in and play the free cards that came with my Target.com order of totable toiletries. Still, you can tell Steve already needs a vacation.
He got his relaxation wish when we got on our flight, our first try — first class all the way to London! Ahhh! Stretch out in those luxurious reclining seats. Reach to hold hands over the expanse of leather. Sip a little champagne before takeoff (and, if you're anything like me, spill it on your husband's pants — low-class people like Amanda should not be given complimentary champagne). Massage your face with a heated towel. Snag tins of Delta toiletries. Enjoy your own personal TV with four channels of movies. And eat and eat and eat. With all the courses (appetizer, salad, pasta, nuts — yes, a whole nuts course, cheese & fruit, dessert), we barely had time to sleep under the profferred blankets with our little green sleep socks and cushy eye mask on and our tender ears protected with genuine Delta earplugs. Of course, with all the free soda, I was checking out the lav all night anyway. At least it gave me opportunity to peer round the curtain dividing us from the plebes and scoff in my snooty upper-class way.
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