The kind gate agent did direct me to the elevator that would whisk me to a private Upper Class security line. I had to waylay a staffer to find out that I should use the Delta premium check-in line. However, there were no signs showing me where to check in for Upper Class in the normal departure hall, either. Since it's only accessible by car, and I was being shuttled to the airport by bus, I couldn't take advantage of that perk. It turns out that the official Polaris check-in was around the back at another set of counters - not that there were any signs pointing in that direction.Īt Heathrow Airport (LHR), I knew that Virgin Upper Class had its own check-in hall in Terminal 3 … because my colleague, Nicky, told me. I asked an attendant in the Premier Access line where I should go but they simply had me check in there. When I arrived at Dulles International Airport (IAD), I saw signs for Economy and Premier Access check-in, but not Polaris. I suppose if you're there to make friends, you could choose these "extrovert seats." Look for the dedicated airport check-inĮven before I got to the planes, though, I made some rookie mistakes. ![]() However, the middle and starboard rows of seats faced each other, so those passengers ended up looking right at the person across from them. I had happily landed in what I would dub the "introvert section" along the port side of the aircraft, where the seats faced the backs of the middle row. As I boarded the plane, I realized the Boeing 787-9 had the airline's older "herringbone" style of diagonal seats with their backs to the windows and angled toward the aisle. On my Virgin Atlantic flight back, my seat looked fine and I lucked out. Related: Top 5 business-class cabins in the sky today (I admit that I took some pleasure in changing my seat assignment like I was a pro.) I had been assigned an even row seat, but I changed to an odd row based on that advice since I wanted the most privacy possible. On reading Zach's United Polaris guide, I learned that the window seats were best for solo travelers while the middle row had pairs of seats better suited to couples or friends.Įven among the window seats, the odd-numbered rows offer more privacy, with the seats closer to the actual window and the wide tabletop by the aisle, while the even numbered rows have the seats angled toward the aisle with the tabletop and locker by the window. To optimize your flying experience, you need to read up on which seats your specific flight will offer and find the best one for your preferences.įor example, the Boeing 767 I was on offered United's most up-to-date Polaris seats: individual pods with lie-flat seats next to small tabletops and a storage locker. Plus, depending on the row, you could find slightly different seats even on the same flight. Not only were my United Polaris and Virgin Atlantic Upper Class seats completely different from one another, but when looking at my various flight options on both carriers, I also found that different aircraft types had different kinds of seats on board. "All the business-class seats are aisle seats," I thought to myself when looking at the seat maps for both my flights, "so they should all be great."Īs I learned, the configuration of business-class seats can vary widely ( even on the same airline and on the same plane type). (Photo by Erica Silverstein/The Points Guy) If you're soon to embark on your first international business-class trip in a while, here are seven travel tips and tricks you should know to make the most of your experience, all of which were new to me on my recent transatlantic journey.Ī Polaris business class seat. Even so, I felt lost, shy and sometimes confused when flying up front. Had I not talked to my coworkers, I probably would have missed out on key components of the business-class experience. They opened my eyes to the world of perks and amenities available to me as a business-class flyer these days - few of which I'd even had an inkling of, and even fewer of which the airlines had bothered to alert me to in my reservation. I thought I had everything covered - until I talked to my TPG colleagues, Zach Griff and Nicky Kelvin, about my planned flights in United Polaris and Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class. and London, England in business class on not one, but two different airlines, I was over the moon. When I learned I'd be flying between Washington, D.C. In fact, I hadn't flown business class in over 10 years - until a few weeks ago. Put me in business class, though, and apparently I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. ![]() I can get my carry-on bag into the overhead bins in a second flat, and I find my preferred inflight entertainment on my United app within moments of fastening my seatbelt. When necessary, I can unpack and re-pack quart-size toiletry bags, shoes and laptop computers at a security checkpoint in seconds … even with a toddler in tow.
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