The Art of Sneaking into First Class pt 2

I want to apologize for the long dealys in my postings, ive been really caught up with work lately and things finally just started to ease up. I do appreciate all of your comments and personal replys. I have to admit that it does feel good to actually know that somone is taking interest in your life story and business experiments. Oh, and kevin.. your questions are answered in this blog entry… unless i decide to make a part 3.

Let me start of by saying, in order to be effective at sneaking into first class, you need to be at least a little bit slick.  Sneaking into first class is an art, not a game and any blown cover can ruin it for the next guy on your plane.
(continued from previous entry)
Step #3 Pay Attention to the Little Things

Once you’ve met your mark, its all about paying attention to the little things. I like to be the last one to enter the plane for various reasons. The number one reason why is to pick my seat. By coming in last, you get to see how empty the first class section is, where your target is sitting and which seat you will strategically choose. Obviously you cannot just sit next to your guy and invade his personal space. Normally I would choose a spot in the aisle next to him or the seat in front. That way, you can maintain a conversation without being too much of a burden on him. Usually from my flight experiences (internationally),  first class has always been more than half empty. Once you choose your seat, you want to take note of a few things. The side of the plane its easiest to access from, where the nearest bathroom is located and where the first class hostess normally sits are all crucial pieces of information needed to conjure up your plan of attack.

Usually your time frame to make a mental image of the first class and business class cabins are no more than 15 secs. If you have trouble remembering everything in less than 15 sec’s, buy yourself a little bit more time by leaving your boarding pass in your bag. When the hostess asks you where you sit, turn to the first class cabin while you’re opening your bag and get yourself a better look.

Also take note that airlines normally have different entrances for their first/business class and economy class customers. Always mistakenly walk into the first class entrance. How else will you get all that inside info?

Now that youre route is planned, you need to figure out when you want to make your move. I like to go during the first bathroom break, 40 minutes after the first meal, usually when the first class host is helping other cabins with their cleanup.  Ive tried sneaking in at a later time in the flight, but by then the host had a good idea of who the first class passengers really were. Bonus points if you can walk into the plane during boarding and just grab a first class seat without being seen.

Step #4 Walk With Your Head Up

Once you have your plan set in action, the natural assumption is always to rush your way over there without getting caught. It’s kind of like running away from the police in a motorcycle. If you try to speed up and get away, the cop will turn on his sirens, call in for backup, and everybody merges to the right making it easier to catch you. The key is to act casual like you dont see him, find an opening, make a sharp turn, and then zoom away (ive never tried this btw). By rushing past business class to get to first class one of two things might happen. 1) You will raise a red flag with a tattle-tale business class passenger and 2) you will be seen by the first class hostess. You only get one shot at this so its too big of a risk to be called out by a passenger who feels you are doing something suspicious.

I like to play the part. I walk by with my head up tall and confident. You want to act like you belong there, and the only reason why you are up is to take a piss or grab a cup of some OJ. You want to use the bathroom as your neutral home base. A hostess will never ask you what you are doing because it is pretty obvious.. just dont look her in the eye. From the bathroom, you want to peak thru the curtain divider and see hwere the hostess is at. Usually, she isnt even there half the time so you can just walk to your seat. If she is there, its just a matter of timing.

Lastly, once you take your seat, you have to establish your credibility and sell yourself. Besides quickly engaging in conversation with your original target, here are a few ideas on how you can show the host you mean business and that you are not some average joe sneaking into first class.

  • Take out a legal pad with some notes on it already to show you are interacting with another passenger.
  • Put one of your business cards and place it in a plain view area.
  • Recline the seat back a little.
  • Take your shoes off and put on the first class slippers. Make yourself as comfortable as possible… like you actually belong there.

Once you really get caught up in your conversation, youre pretty much in good shape. The last thing anyone wants to do is interrupt a first class business discussion with an “excuse me sir, can I see your ticket?” If youre really feeling a bit gutsy, order a Heiniken while your at it.

(to be continued pt3 coming soon)

August 29, 2008 · Filed Under Other

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The Art of Sneaking into First Class (pt 1)

Crying babies, coughing passengers, cramped up spaces… Doesn’t Flying Suck?

Out of the 20+ times that I have flown internationally, probably only twice have I managed to get a good nights sleep in economy class. Then again, how can you really get a good nights sleep in an uncomfortable airplane chair? One that barely reclines, and gives you no more than a few inches before your knees hit your neighbor in front of you. Not to mention the adorable kids behind you kicking your backrest, people checking you out as they walk by and the strong whiff of perfume by grandma 2 seats down. Maybe these seats weren’t meant for the typical 6 ‘2 guy, maybe the airlines threw in an extra row to cut costs.

Regardless, you’re left with very little options, either suffer through a 20 hr flight, or pay double for a first class ticket. Knowing my cheap nature, under no circumstance do I ever give in to their outrageous first class price demands. Not until just recently. 3 out of the past 5 times ive flown internationally, ive managed to sneak my way into either business class or first class. Heres a few tips on how.

Step #1 Find the Major Players

major player

Think of yourself as a spy, you want to get as much information as possible, without drawing any attention to you. The key is to figure out who the major players are (first class passengers), and to draw some sort of connection. This is the quickest and easiest way to get yourself into first class. I like to scope the scene from a distance. Besides the obvious cues of an older white gentlemen in a suit, I tend to notice things such as what time they arrive to the gate, who they are with and what type of shoes theyre wearing. Dont quote me on this, but I also noticed that first class passengers always have a pissed look on their face.

Things to Notice

black shoe

  • Time arriving at gate - Usually first class passengers come roughly 20-30 minutes before boarding. The reason why is because they are too good to hang out with the rest of the public and spend most of their time in the executive lounge.
  • Who they are with - From my observations, most first class passengers travel alone. Its also alot easier to work with a single person than a 2 setter.
  • Shoes - A real man wears real shoes with real heels. Real heels are the kind that are removable and can be replaced. Usually the nicer dress shoes have removable heels. Its hard to spot a fake watch from a distance, but you can tell a lot about a man by his shoes. Pay attention to the wood grain.

Step #2 Holla at a Playa

Once you find your target, your next plan of action is to get inside their friendster loop. The toughest part of hollering at a first class passenger is not the approach, but coming up with something interesting to talk about. I like to casually sit nearby the major player and ask him a simple random question just to break the ice. Questions like,

hey, do you know what time we are boarding?
so what brings you to the philippines?
hey, does this airport have free wifi? (if they are on a laptop)

Once the ice is broken, its all about maintaining a conversation. Rule of thumb, old successful people love to brag about their accomplishments or life stories. I usually ask them about what they do, how they got into that industry and sound really interested and impressed. Once its time to board, its all about dropping a “leave you hanging” type of question. Hey, im really interested in whatever industry and how you became the vice president of whatever corporation, do you mind if you share me that information later? Usually, they would say no problem and this gives you an open window for a second approach later on.

side note: this technique has proven effective several of times. I once had a fire inspector come to my shop to do an annual inspection. I totally disregarded the first notice in the mail and failed to get a few fire extinguishers and update my worker compliant signs. I knew I wasnt going to pass, so I decided to befriend the fire inspector and get on his good side. I ended up asking him about the fire fighter program, how i can be one and why san francisco fire fighters are the best. He got so caught up rambling on for 45 minutes that he walked around my shop and gave me a “it looks good.” Ended up passing with flying colors.

(to be continued)

August 22, 2008 · Filed Under Other

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