Forget all of those sites that profess to get you upgraded from economy to business or first class when you are flying. What you guys really need is MX297! What am I talking about? Well, read on…
(I have bolded the effects, so those who want to bypass the story can do so)
I was dropping my friend at the airport, he’s heading back home to Hong Kong after a short visit here to the UK. He packed all his bags and we are heading out of the door. “Shit”, he says. “I forgot to spritz myself with my Jo” (which incidently, is Jo Malone’s Amber & Lavender cologne - absolutely and utterly AMAZING). I say to him, just go to my room, I’ve got a couple of bottles there. He goes up and comes back down smelling, UNMISTAKABLY, of MX297. I ask him, “Rob, that’s not Jo!”…I had inadvertently left my bottle of 297 on my table and he sprayed that. “What is that”, he asks. “A sample of a new cologne from Armani”, I tell him. “297 is basically their stock code”. Anyways, we were in a rush and we headed out the door and into the car. NOTE: I was not wearing 297 on this journey, I was phero-free.
Conversation flowed as usual, I certainly felt my speech was much more eloquent and liquid than usual (i.e. no umm’s, aaah’s etc..). Very relaxed atmosphere.
Parked the car and reached check-in. Long queues. He was flying economy. I didn’t work for, or have any contacts in that particular airline, so we had to wait until called. Airline lady approaches and asks for his passport and ticket. Lots of small-talk and eye-contact, more so than she engaged with other passengers in queue.
Reached the counter. The lady asked for the ticket and passport…typing away on the computer. I noticed she had a faint smile on her face. A bit like when you’re in a nightclub and a super-hot girl starts talking to you unexpectedly. Weird comment 1: “you have some nice luggage sir” (it was a normal samsonite spinner carry-on). Weird comment 2: “why do you wear a ring on your little finger, is it a family ring” (errrm…)
“To save you some time in Hong Kong, I’m going to mark your bags as priority” That was nice of her. We thanked her for that. BTW, hardly any eye contact with me, all on him! All formalities completed, just waiting for the boarding pass. “I’ve changed your seat assignment sir, I think you’ll like it”
First Class, Seat 2K. (from an operational point of view, getting a “double-dip”, i.e. 2-class upgrade from economy to first, is very RARE)
Lucky bastard.
Some of you may think this is “too good to be true”, you may well be right. It may just be a coincidence. But, I’m an eternal optimist. I’d like to think that maybe, just maybe, 297 had something to do with it…
Tis sad liking something, and having it out of stock forever, seems like; but that’s just the way it is.