Have Passport, Will Travel

Helena C, a 27-year old Art Director who's traveled for
work, school, fun and too many weddings to count

“Hey can you hear me? It’s Helena. I’m inside a bar if you can’t tell.”

Oh, I could tell. I could barely hear her. We were originally supposed to have this phone “interview” earlier in the day while she was at JFK waiting to catch her flight back to SFO. But as it often does, her schedule changed and she would be catching to a later flight; hence the late night call from her local watering hole. But I knew that this conversation with Helena, a true world traveler, would definitely be worth it.

They say that a way to a man’s (or woman’s) heart is most certainly through his (or her) stomach. But for whatever reason the majority of airlines act as if they have never heard of this age-old adage. “They don’t serve food, but they have WiFi—which is just another way for them to make money.” While some airlines deserve props for recognizing customers’ desire to always be connected, many more could offer FREE WiFi as a truly value added benefit to a seemingly creature-uncomfortable process. Even buses have come to this realization.

Oh, back to Helena. “I’m so hungry when I fly. Why can’t they just give me something? Anything. Even a mediocre chicken sandwich is better than starving.” Looks like Helena’s travel experiences have left her with a major case of starvataion.

Luckily for Helena, she’s a seasoned traveler and invariably knows the lay of the land better than any Lonely Planet guide. Which of course means that mere moments after landing, she’s hopping in a cab ready to meet a friend for a big bowl of pho and a libation or two. I’ve shared many a meal (and many an adventure) during our time both living in San Francisco. Helena was always my culinary beacon in the storm of hunger my local on the scene and my Yelp before I even knew what Yelp was.

For all of her travels, Helena isn't attached to any carrier in particular. Sure, she wants to be comfortable, but price and timing are her top priorities. Off the top of her head, Helena recalled flying aboard Virgin Atlantic & America, British Airways, Singapore Air, United, American, JetBlue and SouthWest. So it was particularly surprising when she said she couldn’t attest to flying Emirates personally. Of course as the informed international traveler that she is, she knew of them. “I’ve never taken them, but I expect them to be posh like the country is.” What transpired next was a brief conversation on what it’d be like to fly on Emirates and to visit Dubai. “I hear it’s like Disneyland for adults. It’s definitely not for your typical middle-American mom. It’s for someone who makes a lot more money. Someone more flashy.”

And that when I realized, that for better or for worse, peoples’ perception of Emirates will always be connected to how they view Dubai. All associated stereotypes included. As the city is seen, so is the airline. And not necessarily vice versa. Of course with Helena’s curiosity and traveling joneses having been piqued, she suggested that a swing through the Middle East aboard Emirates could be a part of her future travel plans.