It’s a long way from Singapore to Orlando, but when I fly on the impeccable Singapore Airlines, time flies too. After 19 hours of non-stop pampering, I landed in New York, and by trotting briskly, was lucky to squeeze into a Continental Airlines flight earlier than planned.
My luck did not extend to getting a glorious seat. Squashed between two comfortably-built ladies who had already laid claim to the armrests, I tucked my elbows in and sat upright, but despite the cramped position, fell asleep. When I awoke, I was pleased that we were in the air but dismayed that my neighbours had both been served dinner, which surprisingly looked edible. The two flight attendants – grim arm wrestlers in their fifties – were several feet ahead serving others. There was a call button above my seat to summon service but in America, this is purely ornamental. You never actually press it, unless you’re ready to take on the stewardess in unarmed combat. So I watched in agony as my companions devoured sandwiches, chips and cookies with relish.
In my hotel room at 11 p.m., having reduced a giant sandwich to mere crumbs, I went to bed but couldn’t go to sleep. I tried lying on my back, my side and my stomach (one at a time). I even tried sitting upright with elbows tucked in. But sleep wouldn’t come. My body was still sweltering in the mid-morning heat of Singapore.
My luck did not extend to getting a glorious seat. Squashed between two comfortably-built ladies who had already laid claim to the armrests, I tucked my elbows in and sat upright, but despite the cramped position, fell asleep. When I awoke, I was pleased that we were in the air but dismayed that my neighbours had both been served dinner, which surprisingly looked edible. The two flight attendants – grim arm wrestlers in their fifties – were several feet ahead serving others. There was a call button above my seat to summon service but in America, this is purely ornamental. You never actually press it, unless you’re ready to take on the stewardess in unarmed combat. So I watched in agony as my companions devoured sandwiches, chips and cookies with relish.
In my hotel room at 11 p.m., having reduced a giant sandwich to mere crumbs, I went to bed but couldn’t go to sleep. I tried lying on my back, my side and my stomach (one at a time). I even tried sitting upright with elbows tucked in. But sleep wouldn’t come. My body was still sweltering in the mid-morning heat of Singapore.
