Business Class vs Coach

I've got a lot of credits on AirTran and while it's not impossible to use them for a free ticket, the several times I've tried, I would have had to get a business ticket (16 credits each way) rather than a regular coach ticket (8 credits each way). And my credits are about to expire - what's a girl to do?

Well, for 4 credits, I can upgrade my ticket to business class when I check in. That seems reasonable to me. The only downside is that it's only a 90 minute flight between Milwaukee and Baltimore. By the time you're allowed to turn your computer on, it's almost time to turn it back off.

As far as I can tell, the benefits of business class are:

• More space. As I am short, the additional leg room doesn't really matter much to me. But what I like are the wide arm rests and the extra big tray table that has room for my big computer. Also, since the row in front is farther away, I can use the computer like a normal person and not be all contorted typing as coach seats necessitate.
• Drinks as soon as you get on the plane. It doesn't matter whether you want alcohol or not - having something to drink early on in the flight is just nice.
• Better snacks. Instead of four mini-pretzels, I got a whole bag of some sort of chips. Granted I'm not really a "chip" person, but I'm also not such a pretzel person, so it was better than the coach alternative.

I have enough credits to upgrade on my next 12 flights.... I could get used to this.

Tourists

My flight to DC included a large class of 8th graders on their school's annual pilgrimage to Washington DC. I would guess that there were about 30 of them and, as luck would have it, all sitting in the rows immediately in front of me. Since we know that groups regress, even with appropriate staff, once on the plane, they began acting like 6 year olds.

Not long after we took off, I figured out where they should be sitting. In the middle seats. No one else wants to sit in them, the kids would all be separated, and they might behave a little better if they sit next to "real" people and not just their peers.

Asian Vegetarian is the way to go!

It turns out that Asian Vegetarian is the way to go on flights. Or at least on Delta's international flights. I was really not interested in eating dinner on the plane last night, but they brought it around and I figured I should at least look at what it was. It was rice, tofu and spinach. I haven't had tofu in weeks - this was very exciting. And when everyone else got pancakes or an omelet (both with sausage) for breakfast, I got more tofu, but this time covered in panko crumbs with rice and lentils. Not a traditional breakfast, but definitely good.

I did see two other people on my flight wearing kipot. I couldn't figure it out. They looked like the type of peopel who wore them regularly, and yet there they were flying on a major festival. I'm not one to judge, but I'm definitely curious.