BA good reader
 

My beloved Mrs. Scibard’s 777 LGW-DFW flight last month suffered a total IFE failure for the entire flight. Being an editor and writer (and the far far better half of our publishing company) she instantly produced …and I think you are expecting something work related here… a coveted book. She claims it was a grand flight with 9 hours of J service, quiet, a nap, and good reading.

When I was a lad, reading was the primary thing I remember doing on long flights even when there was a movie. Is it just my faulty memory or when did we transition to endless loops of film and TV reruns?

So, how many of you read for enjoyment on flight? Does anyone think that a “BA reader’s review” page would make an interesting feature in HighLife?

What about an FT forum devoted to reviews of books related to aviation, the business of transportation, or perhaps even FA’s in love or lust, that sort of thing?

Cheers,
Scibard

P.S. DFW-LGW in beloved BA J with my beloved Mrs. Scibard on Monday (I’ll be watching for FT tags! :cool: ) then on to our beloved Paris via Eurostar.

Always combining work and fun, in addition to academic work we get to write a lay mag piece on health issues related to airline travel. Mrs. Scibard is bringing her meat temperature thermometer. Fear not – if the results are bad, we’ll say we flew on Air Fra… … Air Fraaaann… ….Air Frannsssss…

<sigh> I just can’t say it. ;)

A good book is the best IFE there is. I recently did SIN-LHR day flight and read the whole way (The Da Vinci Code). it's got to be better than Catwoman which was the film.

Flat bed, multiple g&t's to hand and a pile of good books - the perfect flight :) Always happy to swap with someone whose IFE has been temporarily 'enhanced', which makes for a happy CSD as well :)

PS: Has anyone read anything decent recently? Got a couple of long-hauls coming up and will be in need of reading matter. Is it time for an FT book review thread perchance? After all, there has been much talk on these august pages about how much more literate and sophisticated (or should I say sofistikatud?) we are than the residents of a certain other forum devoted to saving the pennies ;)

PPS: On the subject of your beloved Paris, Mr. Scibard, may I recommend (if you have not already had the pleasure) 'On the Brink' by Jonathan Fenby - a masterful analysis of La Belle France.

I like to have a read on planes, but I do find that keeping eyes open in that dry air can make reading more tiring than otherwise.

It would be great of there was an audio channel of books on tape, or short stories a la Radio 4 to keep one entertained or provide book reviews with teaser chapters.

I always recommend anything by Paulo Coelho, particularly the seminal work The Alchemist - it's life transformingly amazingly superb, and easily read on a long haul in one go.

I also recommend Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds although that may not be ideal inflight reading!

merci!

If you can find your way around the flowery language and occasionally-pretentious literary and artistic references; Adam Gopnik's "Paris to the Moon" has some interesting and sometimes hilarious vignettes about Parisian life.

I was chatting to my parents about the demise of reading books on long-haul....when I were a nipper I used to get flung Alastair MacLean novels which I used to devour on yes, LIS-LHR-LIS. I think I could get through one in a return trip.

Although sometimes Mum wondered whether books entitled "Death Train", "Death Star", "Missle/Island/Cliff of Death" etc. etc. were suitable reading for an 8-year old.

Personally, I don't read books on the plane, preferring to spend £20+ on magazines in Smiths and then carting them onto the aircraft....

I enjoy watching a film - but only the one and then spend the rest of the flight either reading, daydreaming (also a much under-rated pursuit) or sleeping.

Books enjoyed recently included Krakatoa (easy reading history and science), Korea (great travel book), and a collection of Jan Morris's essays (some superlative travel writing over the last 50 years).

Definitely! Slightly reclined on the UD, looking out of the window with a glass of champagne and the iPod on, just daydreaming at the clouds is one of my favourite ways to spend a flight!

I also appreciate the IFE - usually for a couple of films if I'm not trying to sleep - provided it's the first trip of a month. In the months of more than one longhaul return I normally find I've exhausted all I want from it after the first flight.

Phil

That's an excellent point often overlooked by us "less frequent" travellers. We are recently up to about 8 transatlantics a year -- but usually for stays of 6-12 weeks so repetitions of films and audio rarely overlap much.

It must be a drag for the frequent business traveller, et al.

Perhaps sat radio technology and improved wireless internet access will soon provide a tremendous advance in onboard diversions for work and ent.

It will be interesting to see which airlines make such leaps and at what cost.

cheers,
scibard

P.S. I've only flown longhaul F once and was too enamoured with talking to my seatmate to notice the ent/IFE differences. Don't they let you pre-reserve movies in F? Is there a good non-english selection?

My last read.....

Environmental Costs and Liberalization in European Air Transport: A Welfare Economic Analysis (Transport Economics, Management, and Policy) - Youdi Schipper

Was very slow going after a few Martinis, Pipers, Cordoniu, <insert freely available booze on IB/BA C flights>