First Class

This is how we got there:

• 10:25am - Arrive at Guatemala City airport for our 11:55am flight to Rio. We had booked with TACA (a budget airline) and were to fly 3 legs – 1 hour to El Salvador, 3 hours to Lima and 6 hours onto Rio, arriving at 5am local time.
• 10:30am – Line up to check in at TACA.
• 10:40am – Get to the front of the check in queue - TACA advises that the El Salvador flight had been overbooked.
• 10:40 to 11.30am – TACA spend this time booking us onto a 12:55pm flight to Lima via Costa Rica on COPA (another budget airline) while we stand at the check in counter.
• 11:30am – We go to check onto our COPA flight. There is a long queue at check in queue. We ask TACA to take us to the front of the queue so we have time to make the flight. TACA say not to worry about it, just stand in line – we ask COPA if we can skip the queue – not necessary, they say - there is plenty of time.
• 12:00pm - We get to the front of the COPA check-in queue.
• 12:00 to 12:15pm – COPA guy is typing away doing something we don’t understand.
• 12:15pm - COPA guy asks Grey to show proof of onward travel out of Brazil.
• 12:15 to 12:30pm – We discuss why it is unnecessary for Grey to have proof of onward travel (COPA are not flying us into Brazil, TACA do not have an issue with it, a declaration should be sufficient etc) and then tell them that we will go book a bus ticket out of Brazil immediately.
• 12:30pm - I run to book a bus ticket out of Brazil for Grey with the COPA guys. Once away from the desk the COPA guys direct me back to TACA. Although I didn’t really understand what was going on at the time, the COPA guys ask the TACA guys to type up a fake ticket out of Brazil. They take their time doing this.
• 12.40pm - I run back to the COPA queue with random fake ticket in hand. COPA advises that the flight has now closed, we’ve missed the plane and it is not their problem.
• 12.45pm - We return to TACA. TACA advise that the situation is COPA’s problem. Obviously not. We argue with TACA for a while. TACA starts typing away trying to find us an alternative route to Brazil. “We have found you an alternative flight”, says TACA, “The only problem is that it gets to Brazil 4 hours later (not much of a problem considering), it goes via Miami (okay) and it is in first class on American Airlines”. “Well if that is all that is available, we will have to take it”, we say.

YESSSSSS!!!!

Coffee for Ryan, Grey's Guatamalan name

Guatemala City – Miami

The plane was pretty ordinary and the seats did not fully recline. We drank some nice drinks and had an awesome meal for a flight – Grey had a Churrasco mixed plate which was very tasty and I had a chicken rice soup.

Miami

We had a couple of hours to kill in Miami before boarding the connecting flight. Grey thought it would be a good idea to try our luck getting into the first class lounge. We asked an airport attendant about the Admirals Club and she advised us that it was $50 per person. Then:

Grey: What about if we are travelling first class?

Airport chick: You’re travelling first class??

Grey: Yes here are our tickets …

Airport chick: Oh, it’s free for first class travelers…

(Told you Mish)

So we arrive at the Admirals Club. Grey asks about using the showers. The concierge says there is a queue for the shower but she will call for someone to pick us up and take us to the larger lounge at the other end of the terminal. She gives us 5 free cocktail passes.

We get driven across the airport to the second lounge (by-passing a disabled person in need of assistance (Grey is writing this part)) and get to the first class lounge where we shower, eat lots of carrots, and drink beer, wine and martinis.

Martini in the lounge

A quick shower ...

Miami - Rio

The funnest flight ever! We had fully reclining beds and an awesome night’s sleep – but not before consuming copious amounts of champagne, food and wine. We took lots of photos to remember the occasion.

Cheers - welcome drinks

More cheers (and nuts and feta and olives)

Smoked salmon blinis - appetizer

Dinner

Dessert

Goodnights