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13 air travel experiences to have before you die

With the proliferation of “must see before you die” lists, I’m moved to submit my own…

Some of these I’ve been lucky enough to experience myself. Others, I just been able to photograph… and some I can only dream about.

Take a spin through my top 13 list and add your contenders in the comments at the bottom! 

1) Take a shower on onboard a plane.

Each first class passenger gets five minutes of hot water on Emirates (Chris McGinnis)

Each first class passenger gets five minutes of hot water on Emirates (Chris McGinnis).

2) Get a ride to your plane across the ramp or on the tarmac in a luxury car.

United has deployed two silver Mercedes at Houston IAH to shuttle arriving passengers. (Photo: United)

United has deployed two silver Mercedes at Houston IAH to shuttle arriving passengers. (Photo: United)

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3) Eat warm udon on a Japanese carrier- simple, yes, but I can’t think of anything much more comforting on a 11 hour flight.

Nothing is more soothing than a warm bowl of noodles in broth (Chris McGinnis)

Nothing is more soothing than a warm bowl of noodles in broth- this is on ANA (Chris McGinnis)

(This post is a “blast from the past”– a previously popular post on TravelSkills. Take a look at the original post here as well as the reader comments!)

4) Fly backwards in business class.

Only United and British Airways offer forward and rear facing business class seats (Chris McGinnis)

Only United and British Airways (and a few American planes) offer forward and rear facing business class seats- this is United’s configuration (Chris McGinnis)

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5) See the northern lights or the north pole from the plane.
Seen the northern lights from a plane? (Photo: Francisco Anzola / Flickr)

Seen the northern lights from a plane? (Photo: Francisco Anzola / Flickr)

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6) Fly supersonic. I know this is more difficult now that Concorde has been retired, but it could come back in our lifetime.

Don't even ask about the hair. But I rode on the Concorde in 2003 (Chris McGinnis)

Don’t even ask about the hair. But I rode on the Concorde in 2003 (Chris McGinnis)

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7) Get a haircut or spa treatment at the airport.

Hair and nails at the airport? Sure

Hair and nails at the airport? Sure, if flying Virgin Atlantic via London

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8) Spend a day on or near runways planespotting. I’m lucky to occasionally get media access to runways, but you can always go to In-N-Out Burger in LA or take a vacation on this beach in St Maarten.

Not much more exhilirating than standing between runways at airport rush hour (Image: Peter Biaggi)

Not much more exhilirating than standing between runways at airport rush hour (Image: Peter Biaggi)

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9) Take a swim or a soak between planes at the airport.

Pool and hot tub available for all passengers at Singapore Changi (Chris McGinnis)

Pool and hot tub available for all passengers at Singapore Changi (Chris McGinnis)

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10) Get inside the crew rest area on a plane– take my video tour of a crew rest area here.

This is the secret stairway to the crew rest area on a Cathay Pacific 747 (Chris McGinnis)

This is the secret stairway to the crew rest area on a Cathay Pacific 747 (Chris McGinnis)

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11) Sit in a Captain Kirk seat on Aer Lingus new business class or in JetBlue Mint class

Only a handful of these very special seats on JetBlue and Aer Lingus (Chris McGinnis)

Only a handful of these very special seats on JetBlue and Aer Lingus (Chris McGinnis)

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12) Eat caviar on the plane.

Caviar onboard Emirates in first class (Image: Leon Brocard / Flickr)

Caviar onboard Emirates in first class (Image: Leon Brocard / Flickr)

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13) Have a drink in an onboard lounge

Lounging around on a Korean Air A380 ICN-ATL (Chris McGinnis)

Lounging around on a Korean Air A380 ICN-ATL (Chris McGinnis)

How many of these experiences have you had? Which business class experiences do you think I should add to this list? Leave your comments below!
(This post is a “blast from the past”– a previously popular post on TravelSkills. Take a look at the original post here as well as the reader comments!)

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