High times

When I was a kid, I hated flying. Even up until a few years ago, I found that it immensely drained me, and only through consuming copious amounts of alcohol, could I remain completely relaxed (& consequently inebriated). Surprising really, considering my recent choice of world travel, but thankfully things have moved on quite a bit since my younger days. With advances in portable entertainment devices, personal music players, in-flight entertainment, comfortable airport lounges, and even decent meals, flying can be an integral part of the holiday that is worth looking forward to. True, not all airlines are equal, and therefore, I considered it a blessing of fate when we discovered the cheapest option for our return flights to the UK for Christmas, was with 'Singapore Airlines'.

They are the only airline I’ve been on that I have felt any degree of sadness when the final descent was announced, and they are also the only airline I’ve been on where I’ve said no to a further drink order – I assure you that these are unrelated. The fact is, they take care of you, relax you, and entertain you: there are personal back-of-the-headrest TV screens for every passenger; a choice of 80 movie channels including new releases, classics, seasonal-orientated, and world cinema; about 50 TV choices including documentaries, comedy, music & fashion; a selection of games; 30 new albums to listen to, and over 30 different radio stations. I remember the days of flying, when my brother and I spent the entire time scanning the handful of radio stations for a half decent tune, only to have to repeat the process once the tune ended – I realise this is still the case on many British Airways flights. The only problem is that to someone that loves films, there are now too many reasons not to sleep.

We’d forgone the expense of a hotel room at Singapore Airport, reasoning that it would be easy to find a comfy chair and sleep without problem, but soon discovered the available chairs must have been purposely designed in opposition of this ambition. We dosed & drifted around the airport for most of the night, until finally discovering heaven for the homeless. There were a couple of leather sofas on a lower level that no-one else had discovered yet. Sleep was now just an escalator away.

The next morning (3 hours later), we scraped ourselves off our makeshift beds and crossed the distance to Terminal 1 for a morning swim. Although, it wasn’t the warming experience we’d hoped for after a night in air-conditioned hibernation, it was refreshing and rejuvenating, and successfully washed away one flight before we engaged in the next. Thankfully, sleep came more easily in the second flight.

Our next flights this Christmas were to and from the Czech Republic. As yet, Singapore Airlines don’t cover this route, so we were forced to endure the torture of British Airways. It was the busiest I’ve ever seen Gatwick Airport, with every flight running around 30 minutes late, and our return flight provided the most terrifying landing I’ve ever experienced.


One thing that does perplex me about air travel is the strong warnings about using electronic devices during take-offs & landings, and the use of mobile phones at anytime during the flight. Surely the effects of listening to an ‘ipod’ during take-off cannot be so damaging to a plane’s controls, or if so, why have terrorists not chosen this method of manipulation? Why bother trying to smuggle on board bombs in shoes, explosive liquids, and other ingeniously complex means of destruction, and not just go hyper with some personal gaming devices and mobile phones? Are our airlines in so much danger from this equipment, and if so, why are mobile phones even allowed in carry-on luggage? The catalyst for these questions was the landing on the return flight from Czech; either the pilot was a blind-folded intoxicated monkey, or there was some serious electronic interference occurring with the controls. This left us slightly more apprehensive of our next flights back to New Zealand, but thankfully the unlimited booze of Singapore Airlines has a way of causing you to forgive and ...