...waiting for my flight back to the UK, which doesn't depart till 11.30, and I figured it's time for a survey. Oh, and I've only got 10 minutes of internet time left, because I can't be bothered to buy more, so it'll have to be a quick one.

1. Have you ever been on an airplane?
yes

2. Where did you go? Or if you fly too much to say all, where do you go most of the time?
Gran Canaria twice; New Zealand via Hong Kong; Creta

3. Do you like flying? Why (not)?
undecided. I like seeing interestin places, but as an aerospace engineer I know a little bit too much about the accidemts that can happen. Still irrational, though. Statistically flying is safer than driving a car.

4. Don't you just love sitting at an airport waiting for your flight? I know I do. So many people to watch, so many things to see....
I like the atmosphere of internationality. OTOH waiting for a long-distance flight if you already had one (like I did in Hong Kong) can be very tiring.

5. Any funny plane/airport related stories?
I once had the opportunity to find out about the different approach to politeness and formality of steward(esse)s from Hong Kong and New Zealand within a few hours. It's amusing how different they express themselves when offering you coffee:
HK: "May I ask you if you want some coffee?"
NZ: "You folks want some coffee?"
I somehow prefer the Kiwi way.

6. What do you usually do during your flight? Just sit and wait? Read? Sleep?
depends on the length of the flight and the features provided. Mostly reading or watching TV if available. Sleeping if the flight is long. Trying to get a look on what I'm flying above if possible.

7. Window or aisle seat?
undecided. I take it as it comes or as my company prefers. Most people seem to prefer window.

8. Have you ever missed a flight? If so, what did you do?
no

9. What's your favourite airport? Why?
Stuttgart because I can reach it within less than half an hour by subway/underground. But Frankfurt/Main and Hong Kong (the new one) were more impressive.

10. If money wasn't an issue, would you travel by plane more often?
yes, if time to spend away from work wasn't an issue.

11. If you could take a flight to anywhere you want, but you'd have to leave right now, with just enough time to pack a suitcase, where would you go?
New Zealand

12. Has the airline ever lost your suitcase? Which airline was it?
No. A colleague mentioned that his g/f had several losses of luggage with Airitalia. She's Italian herself and therefore still flies AI.

13. It looks like I'll be flying a lot in the years to come. What airlines should I avoid?
Some say that the younger the (female) flight attendants, the older the aeroplanes. General rule IMHO: bigger airlines seem to have better technical facilities and thus may be safer.




I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.
(Terry Pratchett)