WE got off to a rocky start. It was the school holidays and, 40 minutes into the journey from London to the Greek island of Corfu, a flight attendant for the economy-class cabin came over the loudspeaker. ‘There are 28 children on this flight,’ she said. ‘If parents can’t keep their kids out of the aisles, we won’t be able to continue the beverage service.’
You could see her point, but people did raise their eyes to the air-conditioning spigots. Then there was a fandango by the lavatories and the long and short of it was that the voice came again: ‘Due to health and safety, there will be no more tea and coffee available.’ Laughter rose from the cabin, scattered at first, then—chillingly—louder and more united. My husband looked
