I appreciated the convenience of air travel when I had to drive from FLL to EWR with 3 strangers in a rental car after my flight got canceled after a snowstorm. 24 hours on the road instead of 2 hours in the air. But it was interesting how we all got to know each other pretty well after the long road trip, whereas we wouldn't have talked on the flight. After refunding our flights, driving was cheaper for all of us since we split the cost and avoided the one way rental fee because one person was planning to drive it back to FLL.

Yes, and I also like a more pedestrian version of the above. You're on the Friday evening flight home from wherever you've spent the week going to boring meetings and living out of a suitcase in a mid-grade anonymous business hotel.

Your upgrade to F has cleared, and as you settle in you hear the not-so-subtle sound of that little plastic hammer breaking up the bag of ice. You sense the entire cabin relaxing thinking "cocktail hour, and I'm on my way HOME."

Same here. For all the hassle getting through security and dealing with delays, looking out the aircraft window has very calming effect on me. I can't explain why, but observing the world down below from 30,000+ feet has a sedative sensation that makes me feel good.

Flying over the Rockies into DEN, over the harbor into BOS on a bright sunny morning, and over the patchwork countryside into BRU are three of my all-time favorite moments in the air.

When you plan out a potential trip with someone you enjoy traveling with and they email you:

Nothing more satisfying than when those travelling with you are excited about the details of a trip. To be honest, my wife isn't completely happy all the time. I sit down and explain to her the situation, prior to booking.

But yes, nothing gives me full joy but my wife happy about details of a trip.

being the only person on the upper deck of a Lufthansa 747-400 in first class...one of the 744's with the separate seat and bed for the 12+ hour flight from Tokyo to Frankfurt. That is probably the best rest I've ever had on a plane.

Birthday cake and an card autographed by the crew of the SQ flight I was taking IAH-DME. On my birthday in F, of course.

I just have to agree on this one. I have done TATL many times but I to this day I NEVER get bored of seeing the Manhattan skyline from the air. Flying into EWR from MAN I always seemed to get a great view.

This is my all-time favorite FT thread. Thanks to the OP for starting it, and to all of you who have contributed.

A flight in FC when my father and I were traveling ORD-LAX-SYD on an award booking in bc. We were on the first leg from ORD-LAX in domestic first on UA when they came by with makings for the hot fudge sunday. That was awesome. I remember sitting there eating the Sundae and looking down at the clouds.

Another cool one was when my GF and I traveled from ORD-HKG-BKK. This was also a United award ticket. We were coming into land at HKG at dusk, and we were transfixed by the skyline of Hong Kong. We were jet lagged and kind of out of it as we switched to a Thai airlines flight for the last leg. The HKG airport was a surreal blur.

Twice my father and I were op[upped from economy coming back from Europe. Once from Milan, and once from Frankfurt. Grueling flights suddenly became enjoyable.

The first flight I ever made. From London to Damascus, coach on Syrian Arab Airlines - a name not normally associated with wonderful in-flight experiences. We stopped briefly somewhere, coming in to land at night and I was mesmerised by the city lights laid out beneath me. In the 30+ years since I've flown more times than I care to remember on all sorts of carriers and classes but the magic of that moment stays with me even on the most mundane flights.
And thanks to everyone who's participated in this thread, a wonderful set of experiences.

Last year had a window seat in EC on a Delta flight from MSP-AMS- It was quite a northern route over northern Canada, Greenland and Iceland. For almost 3 hours - absolutely spectacular view of the Northern Lights

JetBlue coach transcon, BOS-SFO, earning AA miles, and spending them as a graced EXP as a disaffected UA 1K. That was the year that was. But now the stars are drifting apart. Alas, all things must pass. Thank you JetBlue and American.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

ETA: OK, I jumped the gun, so rather mundane before reading the posts above. Instead, these:

Coming in for a landing at PDX, flying down (in) the Columbia River gorge.

And oh dark thirty opening to an absolutely stunning red buttermilk sky illuminated by the sunrise before takeoff at Key West, as the pilot recited a poetry passage about some goddess kissing the sky. Did I dream it?

One of the coolest things I've ever experienced was when I was in F from PHL to SEA. Sometime after dinner had been served I was sitting there with a jack and coke relaxing, I looked out the window to see one of the coolest things I've ever seen

There was a storm that had to be at least 100 miles away in the midwest somewhere, the sky glowed with lightning. We flew along pacing the storm for about a half hour, it was awesome seeing the lightning in the clouds and the bolts heading toward earth

Dave