Air travel has certainly changed since my first flight to Paris with my sister on that long ago summer trip to Europe. We are all too familiar now with heightened security, the impending danger of liquids, gels, shoes, and belts. But even onboard, the changes seem dramatic.

The second leg of our trip, a twelve-hour flight from Denver to Narita/Tokyo was in the “relative” comfort of a Boeing 787 with the good fortune of being in Business Class. Unaccustomed as I was to that level of luxury, it didn’t take long to love it. Each passenger sits in the comfort, such as it is, of their own individual “pod”, constructed in a fashion reminiscent of the Herman Miller modular office systems from my old career days at Hallmark Cards but much more up to date, complete with a touch and remote controlled screen for audio/video entertainment, built-in pockets to stow belongings, and a fully-adjustable seat with footrest that can completely recline. The ultimate Lazy Boy. When everyone was then fed, watered, and libated, we settled into our pod homes to make the best, each in our own way, of a long ordeal.

Solitaire 1

Solitaire 2

Solitaire 3

All was well enough until we landed in Tokyo, and had to do it all over again for another eight hours to Singapore. This time it was on the world’s largest passenger airliner, a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine Airbus A380 with Singapore Airlines. This one also had all the bells and whistles in Business/First Class. And I noticed some comfort and technology features that may trend into the mainstream home such as a toilet that automatically flushes when the lid is put down (likely invented by a woman), and variable electronic window tinting at the touch of a button, instead of drop-down shades.

Actually the flight route from Kansas City to Tokyo would make a great travel itinerary, though cloud covered much of my views looking down from above. Beginning at the Missouri River, over the mosaic fields of Kansas to Denver, it skimmed the majestic Rocky Mountains, then made an arctic arc north to Helena, Vancouver, Alaska, chased the sun over the Aleutian Islands, glimpsed the edge of Russia, then curved down to the islands of Japan.

The Missouri River

Kansas Fields

Rocky Mountains

Aleutian Islands Below the Clouds

Air travel may have progressed….some, and there is something to be said for the views, but still nothing can replace a good night’s sleep in the comfort of your own bed.