Flying Solo

Not Quite Sure What to Do When You’re an Introvert Who's Travelling Alone? Tammy Chan Shares Her Experience Onboard the Emirates Flagship Double-decker A380 Aircraft and Why She Thinks Dubai Is the Best Place to Spend Your Long Layovers.

- Tammy Chan

As I was writing this story, I realised that I’ve never once travelled on a long-distance journey alone. I’ve always had company and it made sense whyeveryone kept asking me if I was going to be okay – given that I’m also very anti-social. I did text my parents and friends to let them know that I was safe by using the in-flight Wi-Fi. Yes – there’s Wi-Fi on board! Imagine being able to update your InstaStory about 13km above the ground and have your followers wonder how you got service. So the next time you’re flying Economy on Emirates, remember that you’re allowed 20MB of free data usage within the first two hours of login. Better still if you’re an Emirates Skywards member as you get to purchase additional data at discounted rates!

I didn’t want to spend the rest of my journey to Dubai on the phone, so after the 20MB ran out, I took a few short naps, woke up to eat, binge-watched an entire season of Modern Family and listened to a talk called Negotiating Your Leadership Success via the LinkedIn Learning course channel on Ice Digital, Emirates’ in-flight entertainment system.

At one point during the night flight, my neighbour spilled coffee all over my hands and shoes. I was fuming internally but still kept a friendly face since it happened due to turbulence. Nonetheless, I was pleased at how fast the crew responded to my distress. Bonus points to the crew manager who checked up on me every hour after the incident and brought me more and more treats with each visit!