Home time. A chance to enjoy a little more business class flying and say what may be my final farewell to the American South West. Next stop Chicago.

First class internal flying in the USA is just big seats. Not the beautiful lie flat things of international flying. But at least it entitles us to lounge access. If American Airlines actually had a lounge at Las Vegas!

We wandered into “The Club”. I wrongly assumed this was a rename of the Admirals Club lounge that AA have used previously. I presented my boarding pass to a blank look from the lounge attendant. “Do you have a Priority
Pass? AA don’t have a lounge in Vegas.”

In shock I fumbled around in my wallet to produce my Priority Pass and we were in. Luxury breakfast of banana, shortbread and a very sticky pastry. Alas, bacon rolls nowhere to be seen. Adequate coffee aided my waking up.

We then headed to the departure gate and boarded second, after special assistance customers. Took to our large seats. Failed to download the in flight entertainment to my iPad and accepted a cup of tea pre-flight. A little weak, not to the quality of Rachel’s brews, but welcome nonetheless.

Safety video. I’ve endured awful safety videos from Iberia and BA recently. I think AA share the naffness. Although they did actually show somebody jumping out of the plane and sliding down the slidey thing. I’ve always thought this would be a great experience if you weren’t part of a group of people scared witless.

I’m always a little perplexed by the life jacket. Never really sure where it is under my seat. Can my body even reach it these days? Not sure I’d know which way round to wear it. Tying a bow isn’t an area of expertise. I can blow a whistle as well as anybody though. But my airline escape recommendation is to get ahead of me if we’re crash landing in water.

Fifteen minutes late onto the runway. The sites of Vegas visible as we take off, including a black version of Stockport’s pyramid, and we admired the mountains and rock formations beneath as we finally got off the ground.

Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Colorado beneath. Beautiful. We missed the Grand Canyon but the magnificence of Utah’s deep cut waterways and red rocks replicated the earlier part of our trip, albeit from 30,000 feet above. Truly wonderful. Snow capped Rocky Mountains and then on to the Mid-West. Flat. Farmed. Dull.

The in flight “breakfast” of chicken and salad saw the salad left. Rachel’s saw the chicken left! I grinned as I heard the stewardess tell another passenger “we only have black tea on board”. The diagonal grin would have been wider had she said “English tea”!

Land in Chicago.  Visit the gents to discover a self changing loo seat.  Into the AA Flagship Lounge.  Unlimited Bollinger.  Three hours to flight.

Waking up Drugged up in Vegas – Tick