In article >,
Goomba38 > wrote:

> Last year I flew first class from Atlanta to Los Angeles and back. What
> a huge difference in my mood and physical condition when I arrived at my
> destination! A little food, drink and extra space does wonders for me. I
> dread flying in the cattle car section anymore. I can't afford to fly
> first class/business often, but it is particularly worth it on some of
> these long flights. Especially when it takes you hours and hours just to
> get on the damn plane anymore.
> Flying back home the flight left at o'dark thirty, so having a nice hot
> breakfast (and unlimited screwdrivers!) was manna. I felt sort of sorry
> for the hungry unwashed masses in the back.....

To each his (or her) own. I travel by air about 2 or 3 times a year on
average, which is not a lot, but I have been doing it since 1970 when I
was 9 years old. I grew up in Philadelphia. I had family in Miami when I
was a kid. My folks would pack me off to visit family in Miami once each
summer and we would usually go to Miami over the winter school break all
together. When I traveled solo as a kid, my parents would take me to the
plane and watch me board it. When I arrived in Miami, my dad's brother
and my aunt were at the arrival gate to greet me. This worked out well.

When I first set foot on a commercial plane (Eastern Airlines) in 1970,
we were fed well, even in cattle class. That lasted for around 15 years.
Now, after many years of flying, I don't care if the flight has food on
it or not, even for long haul flights. I appreciate the extra space in
first class, but not enough to actually pay extra for it. Where air
travel is concerned, my only expectation is that the flight arrives
intact, on time, and that my luggage is undamaged and not lost.

Whenever I board a long-haul flight, I have a hearty meal right before
it. I also take a snack on board with me, such as some crackers. Even
for a flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, if I don't eat a meal on
the flight, I am none the worse off for it. The little snacks the flight
attendants offer and the cold drinks are usually enough to tide me over
for a cross-country flight.

Fortunately for me, PHL has some nice places to eat with reasonable
prices, which is why I am rarely hungry during a flight. On most
flights, I just put on my earphones, crank up my iPod, and doze off just
after the flight takes off or I read.