I’ve flown to and from the Caribbean over 30 times for business, always in economy, or “the zoo” as airline staff call it. Surrounded on the way put by pale but happy holidaymakers, usually doing their best to empty the drinks trolley by mid Atlantic and back with the same people, now tanned or sunburned. Climbing the steps onto the 747 and glancing enviously left, before turning sharp right towards the back of the plane. Only 8 hours in the air, but the flights seemed to go on forever.
Towards the end of my career I got the chance to fly back on concorde from Barbados and jumped at it. As sleek combination of art, engineering and technology. Beautiful outside and functional inside. The interior is really small and the windows tiny. Flying at 59,000 feet, on the edge of space, above was blackness and you could clearly see the curvayture of the earth. MACH II and glass of Premier Cru. Only 3 hours 45 minutes back to Heathrow. I wish it had been 8.

Loaned by Andrew Wilson