British Airways' Garden of Earthly Delights

So, the Swedes allowed me to fly business-class to Stockholm because I found a really well-priced ticket, and the extra baggage allowance made it possible for me to check all my worldly belongings (in four huge suitcases totalling approximately 220 pounds—no lie), therefore avoiding ungodly DHL shipping fees. I was shocked to learn that a fancy plane ticket buys you so much storage room. Normally a plebeian traveler, I'm used to paying $15 for the first bag, $50 for the second etc. But the advantage of the rising airfare costs for everyman is that the gap between regular and first-class tickets is actually narrowing. For instance, my biz-class flight from Albuquerque to New York cost $743, while a coach seat cost $643. The latter fee sounds insanely high, but it makes buying a fancy seat a no-brainer. Especially when it's an overnight flight and you've got a 9 am meeting the next morning.

Anyway, now I'm in the "Terrace Lounge" for British Airlines at JFK and it's truly ridiculous. It's this sprawling wonderland of well-lit rooms festooned with modern furniture, bars and--for the love of god--fountains. Super-polite waiters bring you any kind of booze or food you could possibly imagine, the WiFi is free, and there's even a spa! Are you kidding me?? I've flown first-class a few times domestically, and for your money all you really get is free drinks, a bit more room and a chance of sitting next to the Gotti brothers. But doing it up internationally really is the way to go. I got my ticket on Vayama, just FYI. It's a really beautiful and easy-to-use Web 2.0 site, but the prices are a bit hit-or-miss. I totally "hit."

Update: It's now 4:42 pm, CET (central European time) and I'm in yet another serene airport lounge, this time courtesy of Scandinavia Air. I'm really happy I stumbled into the rich life on this trip, because otherwise I would have been one of the hundreds of people sprawled on the floor at JFK last night when storms temporarily shut down the airport for a few hours. My 8:30 flight from New York was delayed until after midnight, and then rerouted to Oslo, which is where I'm currently sitting. I'll make it into Stockholm at about 7 tonight, which will amount to 24 hours in limbo. But hey, I'm not too upset about that. The airplane sleepy drugs just wore off a little while ago, and I'm hanging out in a joint that looks like an Ikea showroom, only you're totally allowed to drink the beers in the fridge and make yourself a latte with the $11,000 espresso machine. The lounge overlooks the airport terminal, a gorgeously designed glass-and-steel rectangle with sunny views of the Norwegian hills. All the houses have red roofs. There are probably cows wearing bells nearby. Am I boring you? I might be boring you. Later I'll post a couple photos so you can see what I'm talking about.