I remember my first time like it was yesterday…. There I was, a lifelong Economy Class flyer onboard a Lufthansa A330 at Washington Dulles bound for Munich sitting in the front cabin. I knew they were coming but the moment was so tense with anticipation. Down the aisle the lovely flight attendant came and presented me my very first set of First Class pajamas!
The Lufthansa – Van Laack pajamas were so nice I was afraid to even use them. I ended up falling asleep wearing business casual. Fail. Even without use, I made absolutely sure to pack away and take my new possession off the plane with me. “I can’t wait to take these home and wear them every night”, I told myself.
Fast forward a year and a half and 10 First Class flights later and now I have a chunk of closet space full of First Class pajamas that, frankly, won’t see much more than their one time onboard use.
Every month I have a scheduled run to Salvation Army with the designed intent to pass on things that I do not use or do not plan to use in the future. I do not use First Class pajamas now nor do I plan to use them in the future yet for some reason I can’t conjure up the will to place them into the donation pile. I find them too hot to sleep in and most of them just look silly anyways.
The pajamas just sit in the closet collecting dust, month after month. Every once and awhile we may pull out a pair and see how it looks on our pooch but that’s about it.
Jackson prefers the comfort and styling of the Thai pajamas
I understand that for some, pajamas represent a souvenir of a memorable trip (as most International First Class trips are) but for me I am not sure what it is. Are the First Class pajamas symbolic? Am I giving up my memories of the trip if I give away the pajamas? May I one day have 15 dogs that I can dress all in various First Class pajamas? Who knows?!
So to you I ask, do your First Class pajamas mean anything to you? Do you use them or do they primarily sit as a trophy in your closet?
About alex
Alex loves to travel and does so a lot. Logging 100,000 flight miles each year over the past 4 years, Alex uses points and miles to power his passion. Alex is continuously striving to experience the far reaches of the globe. In his day job, Alex is a Management Consultant frequently on the road advising Technology organizations. I love thinking about, reading about, and talking about all things travel. Feel free to reach me at pmmalex@gmail.com
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I have not been fortunate enough to get first class pajamas yet but I have a pair of Quantas business class. I have them around in case someone decides to stay the night. It makes for a great story.
sew them together into 1 superjama
Love the pic of Jackson! 😉
I keep the PJs as part of my amenity kit collection, though they’re stored separately.
I think I’m trying to make up for forgetting 2x pairs of PJs on CX on my first ever international trip in 2011. Now I’m not sure what i’m going to do. I collected 5 pairs of PJs on my last international trip in May. I’m about to fly on TG again in a few weeks in long haul and collect another pair and possibly switch my TATL flight to LH for another pair of theirs
Definitely a first world ‘problem’….I too have waay too many…they take up an entire shelf in the closet. I haven’t been able to part with any yet…they do serve a good purpose in the winter…but I’m not sure how long it would take to work through wearing them all.
I like the dog idea….perhaps I’ll give that a whirl and see how mine likes the home casual look.
As you know, there are pajamas and pajamas even among the van Laacks.
The soft brown with vertical stripes and collar with the words Lufthansa First class on the back are among the most comfortable to sleep in (and quite warm) and I routinely pack them with me and use them whenever I can lie flaton planes. I do not care if Biz or F
The Blue van Laacks with collars that can be worn as a sweater I actually wear by itself as travel wear and even to casual evening functions.
The AA pajamas are very soft and daily wear
The Cathay Shanghai Tangs are the best for sleeping at home.
The Etihad ones with diamonds were great gifts to family.
The Singapore Givenchys are routine travel wear for the women in the family. They look elegant to wear as casual travel wear
These are well worth the experience.
I’ve flown United First multiple times but just took my first Lufthansa First flight 3 weeks ago so my Van Laack’s are my first set of airline PJs and are definitely in the “cherished” category for me. Even spent Sunday afternoon hanging around in them. Sigh, being very much of a nerd with them. That said, I have NOT worn them outside the house 😉
flew UA FC PEK-IAD. didnt even get jammies…WTF!!! its cool though..only paid 32.5K miles for it.. continental/UA merger glitch
Qatar gives them on business class as well and I use them as travelling pyjamas and leave them in them behind in the hotel. As the flights are through Doha to the US or Europe, you get 2 pairs – enough to see you through a few nights. However they do take up carry-on baggage space though.
Am I the only person who doesn’t even use them on the flight, let alone take them with me? Heck, I don’t even take amenity kits. It would just be one more thing cluttering up my life.
All’s I got are coach PJ’s. But one of these days… one of these days…
We have a pair of BA First and a pair of AA First PJ’s that we use to lounge around. They make great “sweats” and are very comfortable especially in the cooler months.
Patrick W
you are not alone, I ask for small size for my daughters on CX flights, I like to keep my comfortable outfit on for the trips.
I have not received any pajamas since we travel in the “no class” area. Would love to receive one. Thanks.
This post is just to show off , in a very nasty way. Are you try to say even your dog is more superior?
I always wondered if they come in 2x for us larger folks, or just a standard size?
I donate my extra and duplicates, along with my many amenity kits and hotel supplies to soldiers. I work with youth outreach and we make up goodie bags with these inside and I hand deliver to soldiers…its amazing! (contact if you’d like more info)
Thanks!