It’s a little bit ironic; we drove 3 hours south to SeaTac only to find out Flight EK 230 takes the polar route… it flew us north back over BC and then over the Arctic. As this 14 1/2 hour flight took us over the northern regions of the planet, we never saw night during the trip. Most of the flight took place with the window shades draw down tight. However, the ever thoughtful folks at Emirates Airline did give us the illusion of night… their 777 was equipped with LED “stars” that twinkled over us from the ceiling – how cool!

Boeing 777 star-lit ceiling

In case you’re wondering… yes, Virginia there actually is an airline with edible food! Even in economy class; not only were the snacks, bevies, and meals included with the fare, they were even recognizable as food and were flavourful. And we were even given real metal spoons, forks, and knives. In addition, each passenger was provided with real stereo headphones and a little “fresh-up” kit with a toothbrush, eye cover, and facecloth – all in a carrying case which can be later repurposed as a MP3 player case. Each passenger also had the (free) use of a seatback entertainment system including literally hundreds of on-demand movies and numerous other video, audio, and gaming options. The cabin crew was extremely courteous and attentive. The only thing that detracted from an almost flawless flight experience was the sheer number of small children; approximately a third of the passengers.  And at that, it wasn’t necessarily the children’s fault (given the 14 1/2 hour flight time). It was more disturbing to note the large number of indifferent and out-right negligent parents accompanying these children. By observation, it must seem to be the “cultural norm” for certain ethnic groups to simply let their off-spring run amok. Several children were seen standing and even jumping up and down on the fold-down tray-tables and even more were intransigently screaming at the top of their lungs. Things got so bad at one point that a flight attendant (with a sad look of apologetic resignation on her face) went around handing out earplugs to any who wanted them.

Anyway, I hope the kid-situation on this flight was an anomaly as everything else was excellent and harkened back to the golden age of passenger flight.