They say you always remember your first international Business Class trip. I can recall the time I stepped foot into my first international Business Class cabin like it was yesterday. At boarding I turned left instead of right. The champagne and excitement was flowing. Not only because of the Business Class but it was the first international trip with the new bride. It wasn’t the cabin we were excited about. It was about charting our own course, together.
After a night of celebrating with friends we packed our bags and headed to the airport for a two week journey around Europe. Our flight would maximize the routing rules with an open jaw and a stop over to our stops in Paris, Sardinia, Florence and Rome. An itinerary that on the surface was a first year anniversary to remember. And it was. It ended up being an amazing trip that went off without a hitch.
An upgrade to a suite at each stop along the way thanks to Starwood Platinum status meant we were showered with wine and champagne in each suite.
Lazy days strolling the streets and sipping wine on sidewalk cafes ensued. It was all tee’d up from this dream of flying Business Class for free on airline miles and staying for free with hotel points.
We skipped to the front of the line with a Paris Museum pass. This meant, we could go into any museum just to check out a painting or two. We took our time to take in the scenery. 
There are ways to remember trips with pictures, trinkets, and memories. With a Business Class trip, you’ll be sure to get all those as well as the usual trinket that comes in the form of an amenity kit. With this Delta flight, and many others since then, we’ve collection a large quantity of legacy Delta amenity kits. So we are giving away a chance to win one of these unused “vintage” Delta amenity kits or a new Tumi amenity kit.
Remembering Your First Business Class Trip
We are giving Points, Miles & Martinis readers the chance to win one of the following:
- 1 New Delta Tumi Amenity Kit
- 5 “Vintage” Delta Amenity Kits
To enter, simply leave a comment in this post sharing your first international Business Class trip. Where did you go? With who?
We’ll select 6 winners at random on Thursday.
Bottom Line
Our first international trip in Business Class to Paris was memorable. Not because we had the chance to fly in Delta’s old style cradle Business Elite seats. Not because the flight attendant gave us a bottle of red and a bottle of white when we left the plane. But special because we had a new experience together and made memories that will last longer than any amenity kit, ones that will last a lifetime.
Where was your first Business Class trip? Or if you haven’t had one yet, where would you like to go?
Sign up for Email || Twitter || Facebook || Tips & Tricks
Hotel Offers || Airline Offers || Bank Offers || Cash Back Offers
About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
Sign up for Email || Twitter || Facebook |
Hotel Offers || Airline Offers || Bank Offers || Cash Back Offers
I went to Paris with my husband on our first Business Class trip to Europe! Spoiled for life!!!
Never have. Would love to fly IBC to Seychelles, Turks/Caicos or Ko Phi Phi.
We went to Rome. What a memorable trip, starting at the airport!
I haven’t gone on any yet but will be doing so in two weeks to Japan for the first time in Int’l Business class on the ANA Dreamliner! Very excited!
If flights between Canada and the US count, my first Intl. premium class trip has been between YVR and JFK in Cathay Pacific first class.
If that doesn’t count, my first one would be next summer between JFK and HKG in Cathay’s first class a well.
All trips were with family. Never tried intl. business, but I just completed high school this past June, so I guess I have a quite some summers left to try out more products.
business class haiti here i come!
First time was NRT-IAD, on NH.
I had mine this year, to NY!
Italy ! With my wife
My first business class (and first premium service) was from PVG to SIN then going on to HKG, FRA and finally ORD
My first international Business class flight was this past June from LHR to SFO. At the ripe old age of 72 I have decided to do my best to always fly business or first from now on. I have earned it by being smashed, bashed and neglected in coach. It begins with the entry into the airport including short line for check in and lounge access. Then the bag is a nice extra. I am old enough to remember flying on TWA and PAN AM when everyone was treated well. Of course people also got dressed up to take those flights. Now I constantly think while in an airport, “Funny what you see when you haven’t got the gun”.
First Int’l Business Trip Experience December 2010 With Delta Airlines Detroit, MI to Narita-Tokyo, Japan!
It was also a memorable experience receiving high class service, food selection, drink selections, amenity kit, bigger pillows and comfy blankets!
I was 19 when i took my first business class on British Airway to Glasglow, UK from Singapore. The funny part was, i was paid by Motorola to hand-deliver a dedicate machinery component for them urgently. Economic class was booked out and so they paid for biz class. Once i arrived in glasglow airport, hand over the part to a Motorola staff and i went on to spent 1.5 week backpacking in UK before boarding biz class back home. At 19, that was the SWEETEST holiday job ever, my family was worried i was a drug mule…lol.
I’ve never flown Int’l business class….BUT I did use my SkyMiles for an international FIRST CLASS ticket between LAX and SIN on….Sinapore Airlines! (This was back when you could use SkyMiles for such award with $400 in fuel surcharge)…
It was an awesome trip!
I flew from DTW-PEK International Business buddy pass style. It was my after graduation trip.
i flew jal via tokyo to vietnam, meeting a friend for a month long whirlwind through the country!
My first business class trip was a leisure trip to Amsterdam all by my lonesome.
True-you always remember your first time 🙂 hehehe.
ATL-FCO, ironically, on Delta!
Our first international business class flight is coming up in May (CLT to FRA in Envoy class) with my bride of 32 years. We are so-o-o looking forward to it!
JFK to CDG…there’s nothing like flying business/first and waking up in Paris. Went on a family vacation and sat next to my mom, who taught me what to do with the warm towel! Thanks for showing me the good life, Mom.
AFCEA convention in Bangkok, I had one of the smaller exhibits at the show.
My first international business class trip was to Stockholm, on business, and I flew alone. But across the aisle, taking up a seat along with its “keeper” was the NHL’s Stanley Cup. Stanley Cup was a great flying partner – didn’t talk, and didn’t lean over the seat edges…
ORD to LHR on BA. Spoiled us forever, now it’s at least business class or not at all :>
Lufthansa 747 from ORD to FRA in 2009. I have flown them several times since then and the experience hasn’t been the same. Sigh.
In January,1982 flew Singapore Airlines from NY to Hawaii then Hawaii to Hong Kong with a boyfriend. It was first class (no business available) but nothing like first class now. The seats were not flat beds but they reclined a bit and had foot rests and swiveled so you could have four seats face each other to eat and play cards. There was a staircase leading to the upper level with a great lounge area with drinks and snacks. 6 of us were traveling together so it was lots of fun (especially when you are 24 years old). Spoiled at a young age when it comes to flying.
First time was to Hong Kong all alone
never have and long to take one to Australia for my big 70 birthday next year. a flight from Florida where I live in tiny seats would be too much for us mature ones. so hoping to save enough delta miles to do that. always look longingly at the cool kits the in crowd gets that they just toss to the floor on their way out.
I have never been on business, but I would love to go to SIngapore.
Haven’t had one yet 🙁
BUT, the bride to be and I will be flying ORD-HKG in first, HKG-DPS-SIN-MLE-TPE-JFK in Business come August! 🙂
On my honeymoon to Asia with my new wife on united!
1989 using miles to NZ/Australia upper deck on United 747SP with my now husband. I was mayor of Melbourne, Iowa. We met with the lady Lord Mayor of Melbourne, AU, Winsome McCackey + Mt. Cook, Christ Church, Sydney, Blue Mtns, Heron Island scuba on the GB reef. Excellent Bench Mark Business Trip using miles 🙂
I went to Amsterdam by myself. Awesome memories indeed!
BERLIN!!! thanks to a summer fare sale on CO back in the day
Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific
No such trip — yet.
It was only 3 weeks ago on an Air France 777. We flew to Austria with a stopover in Paris on the way home.
First time on business was to Taiwan with my wife.
Got an op-up ATL-CDG on Delta… as a companion to a Silver. Not bad.
Seattle – AMS. Went SAS business class via Copenhagen. So sad that flight does not exist any more. It was a good one. I love the sites in the Copenhagen airport.
I haven’t been on an international biz trip. Hopefully one day!
Back in 1992, I flew Lufthansa business class from Toronto to Frankfurt. It was my first business class trip ever, booked through USAir frequent flyer miles, and it was heaven like I couldn’t believe. I had been invited to spend a year in Germany on a research fellowship as a new faculty member, for a year full of the unknown. I had never been pampered like that before. I still remember when the steward scalded the coffee cup with hot water before filling it, to keep the coffee hot–a technique that I still use now, many years later. And when they asked which of the 3 desserts I wanted to close the meal–and when I said nicely, “all three please,”–they smiled sweetly and forked them all over! It was so nice, and an enduring memory. It set a standard for all subsequent travel.
Believe it or not, my first business class experience was on a Northwest flight from (I think) London to EWR. I was sitting in coach, and, for whatever reason….an offhand joking comment to a flight attendant upon boarding is what did it, I think…..about 20 minutes into the flight, I was asked to collect my carry on and move to business class. It was absolutely brilliant! Comped business class!
It became a mission after that! Those were also the days that a gate agent could move you to business at your first check in if there was space available ….the good old days for sure!
Got an unexpected upgrade on Emirates for MNL-DXB. Definitely a good experience even on their older Business class plane.
TLV-DME (Tel Aviv – Moscow) in business class with ElAl with my best friend.
My first was with my fiance TLV-VIE with austrian.
My first international business class flight was on Delta, PDX – AMS about 5 years ago. I went solo, because at that time I didn’t realize how many miles you could actually bank in a year. My family is in on it now. 🙂
Looking forward to my first biz class trip on the ANA 787 with my husband in two weeks!!
Jakarta via Emirates for a medical relief trip. Incredible
First int’l business trip was a surprise. Flying to St. Maarten from JFK about 25 years ago with my girlfriend (now my wife of 21 years), we were assigned row 3 seats a and c. Not being familiar, I actually complained that we weren’t sitting together. the gate agent just smiled and said don’t worry. It was awesome.
On the way back, we were assigned in coach, but when I explained that we had flown business class on the way down, the agent figured out a way to again move us up.
I have not been on any first international Business Class trip yet, but I would love to fly from SFO to HKG on Business Class. Thanks.