Travel month eh? Well I am writing this on a plane, how is that for travel. I still cannot get blas’ about air travel, despite doing it twelve times already this year. What I have become to particularly like is the quirks of the individual companies, the individual airlines. Where in the past you could be guaranteed your freebie drinks and snacks, these days it is roulette to know what you will get. Take GB Airlines, a BA subsidiary. Two months ago I flew with them to Malaga (a regular trip for me), got nothing. Zip, nada. Might as well have been on Easyjet. On the way back they gave me breakfast (an odd bready omelette thing).
Tonight, exactly the same route, but take off at 8:15. The staff, a jolly bunch even for stewards, literally leap out of the strap-in seats to fling partially heated ciabatta cheesy and ham toasties, with some fruit salad, muffins and a mini Kit-Kat (wither my Nestle boycott when it is complimentary). And barely have I had a time to digest the ciabatta (and it is teeny) they?re out with the drinks. Which brings on the drinks dilemma?
If the bouze is free it is rude not to have bouze. But beer is usually a piddly can of Heineken, barely worth it when there is a world of miniatures in the trolley. So then its gin vs vodka vs whiskey vs Jack Daniels (but only the latter if I’m hungover). My drink of choice is usually a Bloody Mary, but that is possibly because I usually fly in the morning. This is a night flight tonight (sorry, also seem to be listening to Joni Mitchell), so the sophisticat’s choice is a gin and tonic. I have three seats to myself (hooray for automated self check in) and have food, drink, books and CDs spread over the lot of them. I think I’m going to watch The Thing in a minute (You’ve gotta be fucking kidding!).
Christ, I’ve just realised ? I wish this flight was longer!