I love when unexpected moments from my past pop up. For example, last week I checked into my British Airways flight from JFK to Heathrow. I was flying in their new first class and was excited to undergo the experience. At JFK I went to the first class check-in  counter and was greeted with smiles. They saw the flight I was on, which was delayed an hour, and put me on the earlier flight departing in 50 minutes. First-class privileges paid more than ever at that moment. I was escorted to the prestigious Concorde Lounge and asked if I had been there before. I smiled and said yes, once in fourth grade. The guest relations manager and I had to stop and laugh. It was a memory I had not thought about in years, and yet vivid images went through my mind as we walked up the ramp towards the lounge. In the fourth grade, a classmate’s mom worked for BA. She arranged a tour of the Concorde, which was still flying at that time. It was an exciting day for me. I always loved planes, even then, and I knew my dad had flown the aircraft. That made the visit even more special for me at that time. Back in the present, I sat in the gorgeous and recently refurbished lounge and had to smile again — maybe I wasn’t flying the Concorde, but it was my turn to fly BA’s new first class. I ordered dinner in the dining room section of the lounge, which had elegant, white cloth tables and leather booths arranged for passengers. I ordered salmon over lentils. Looking around at my environment, I nearly forgot I was at JFK and not somewhere in downtown Manhattan. Once finished, I was escorted on board the aircraft. While boarding I overheard another passenger speaking about his loyalty to the carrier and how he can always count on BA to get him where he needs to go in style and comfort.  I arrived at my seat and looked around the first-class cabin while I got organized for the flight. There are a total of 14 seats in the cabin of the 747, yet I felt a very good sense of privacy in the new seat. Stay tuned for my full review of BA’s first class in a future issue of Global Traveler. – Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher