The looooong flight to Sydney
My parents watch the news all the time and they have been seeing on the news over the last several weeks how bad security lines have been at US airports. So being responsible adults and not wanting to miss our flight, we left home 3 hours before our flight from SFO to LAX (we live just 15 minutes away from the airport). When we arrived, the line was 5 people deep-the exact opposite of what we were expecting. It was a blessing that we had access to Delta’s Sky Club so we were able to sit, eat and relax while waiting for our flight. Our flight was delayed for about 30 minutes but we had plenty of time between flights and so we didn’t have to worry about missing our connection. I love hanging out at airport lounges! The Delta lounge at SFO was bright and very modern and had a view of the runway. There's a good selection of food, too, and of course, free wifi!!!
Dad and I really enjoyed our pho`
I was surprised when we boarded our plane early, and asked, ‘why are we sitting in first class?’. “Surprise, baby!”, my mom replied. I was smiling from ear to ear! This was a great surprise from my parents! We sat in first class before when we flew to New York for Christmas 2015. My mom is using points so we get these upgraded seats almost for free! It was a very short flight to LA, maybe about 50 minutes so flying first class didn't really make a huge difference (in my opinion).
First class on Delta's Shuttle to LAX
The Delta flight arrived at LAX’s domestic terminal and we took a shuttle bus to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. It was interesting to have our bus drive across the busy airport tarmac just as airplanes of varying sizes were taxi-ing to our left. We checked in to our Virgin Australia flight where I asked the gate agent, “Are we in first class?” “No,” she replied. “We don’t have first class on this flight, but you’re sitting in business class.” I didn’t know what business class looked like so I was a little bit disappointed. Oh well! I was pretty sure we would survive this long flight no matter where we were sitting.
At LAX, we had access to the Star Alliance lounge which was huge and offered a wider selection of food and a bar for the adults. We sat by the deck, overlooking the airport terminal (it is nicer than it sounds) and were entertained by a talented musician, Neva (check her out at neva-music.com). I enjoy live performances very much, whether it be a singer, a dancer, a painter, a magician, I always stop to listen and watch. I enjoyed listening to Neva, song after song, and so I had to dig into my allowance and give her a tip. I prayed Neva will become a superstar.
Enjoying Neva's music from the lounge
When our flight was about to board, my mom gave me our boarding passes. The line got long shortly after we queued. Once we got on the plane, the flight attendant said, “Let me show you your seats, Michelle.” Wow! They are calling me by my name! Not Miss, not little lady! By my name! Maybe this Virgin Australia airline is a really good one!, I said to myself. The first thing I saw was the leg room that stretched for miles! I sat at the first seat in our row, with my mouth open and said, “This is business class? There’s so much room, Mommy!” My mom replied, “Well, your seat needs a lot of room so it can stretch out and become a bed.” “A bed!”, I exclaimed! Oh my! I was sooo excited!
Business class on Virgin Australia
As we got settled, my mom reminded me that not all of our flights to anywhere in the future would be like this. My parents really wanted to make this trip extra special so they really did their best to save money and points to come up with enough to take us on this wonderful trip. We thank the Lord all the time that we are able to see the world and reconnect with family and friends all over the world.
We had a fancy dinner on the plane with real silverware and the adults get asked what type of wine they would like for each course. Yes, multiple courses! But I wasn't very hungry because the lounge had really good food. I had the salmon on the plane and it was pretty good. It was certainly better than the food I've had on our flights before. After dinner, the flight attendant converted our seats to a bed and my excitement began to bubble up again! Oh my goodness! It's like a sleepover on a plane! =D There was also a big selection of kids’ movies. My mom made me turn off the TV after several hours because I needed to go to bed. I had a good night's sleep on this flight and I felt energized when we arrived in Sydney!
Champagne for adults only!
Getting ready to sleep! They handed out pajamas for us, too, but they were too big for me. Good thing my mom packed own pajamas for the flight.