No, but I’ve noticed a changing style in passenger-ship the past few decades. When I first flew, in the ’70s, getting on a plane was still new and exciting. People sat next to each other and thought they were supposed to strike up a conversation — "Hi, I’m Joe Smith from Daytona." The novelty and excitement of the experience made people open. I remember a flight with my aunt and uncle to San Juan once in the early ’70s — people were allowed to move around in the cabin in those days, and smoke, and they visited each other down the aisles and talked loud to be heard over the engines, and laughed loud. I remember on that flight everyone was in Bermuda shorts or capri pants, and it was so festive; they were starting their vacations right there. Now, of course, everyone is used to flying, it’s not exciting and there are more rules, and stewards have to keep their eye on everyone, grimly, lest anyone pull a bomb out of their shoe. And people don’t talk to each other as they once did. The person next to you will make eye contact, briefly, and then say nothing until the food comes. It feels rude to eat side by side with someone and say nothing, so they’ll say, "Well, this looks adequate," and smile briefly. I think people see their plane seats now as a safe alone place to think about what happened at the meeting or what’s coming up at the sales pitch. It’s so quiet. All you hear is the engines, and the dry tap tap of plastic on plastic as people type on their computers. I miss the old joy. But I’m grateful for the alone place too.

Let me add something about the stewardesses of America circa 1950 to 1980. They were fabulous. They were capable and quick and sturdy but they also felt, and were taught, that part of their job was to be nice — to be sweet to kids and to calm the nervous and to be gentle with the old person and to keep the drunk guy in line in the nicest possible way. It was like they were all southern. People used to make fun of them: "Coffee, tea or me," "Poor flying geishas unaware of their oppression by the patriarchy." But they were wonderful, capable, beautiful, and our culture is lesser for their absence. What a great movie scene it could be if you could transfer iconic figures of the ’50s into a moment in time today. The stewardess of 1962 could go down the airplane aisle being sunny and beautiful, and dumbstruck passengers in 2008, us, the famous flying cattle, would stare in awe, and then stand and applaud. Then a modern steward could come in and tell them to sit down or the flight will be diverted and they’ll be reported to TSA.