Flight reviews: my final return from France

April 21, 2026

Flight path: Paris to Philadelphia

Airline: American

Seat: Aisle, economy

Overall flight experience: 8/10

This flight marked the end of an era. I was finally finished with my teaching contract in France and coming back to the USA indefinitely to start my next chapter. This was my first time on an international American Airlines flight, and I can confidently say my hopes and dreams were met.

Boarding and pre-flight:

To get onto the plane, all passengers had to take an airbus from the gate to the plane. Normally, these drive for only a couple of minutes, but this Airbus was practically a long-haul flight. We rode in the bus for 10-15 minutes across a freeway and all the way to a random assortment of planes. I jumped at the offer to check my bag for free at the gate to save overhead storage space (and the humiliation of trying to lift my bag above my head), so I was free of my carry-on bag’s burden. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I had to grab it from the corner by the gate, where the flight attendants put it to take it on the Airbus over to the plane. So halfway to the plane, I realized that I forgot my bag and had to ask a gate attendant to bring it over for me. I had narrowly escaped the burden of carrying my bag but still managed to find some humiliation.

Movies reviews:

• Hairspray:

First on the flight agenda was easing my debilitating flight anxiety with some lighthearted entertainment. After some light scrolling through the media section, I landed on Hairspray. I have to say Hairspray is a rare gem in the airplane movie repertoire, so I was immediately taken aback. Completely stacked cast and completely out of pocket dialogue. What’s not entertaining about that? I remembered when watching this how layered it is as far as being satirical, musical, and also social commentary about integration (or lack thereof) in the 60s.

• Zootopia 2:

Next on my watchlist was Zootopia 2. I heard from a lot of people that this was one of the best movies they’ve ever seen. This is quite the claim for an animated movie, but I was a fan of the first one, so I had high hopes for the sequel. Not unlike Hairspray, Zootopia 2 navigates a story of a segregated society with a bright-eyed protagonist (Tracy in Hairspray and Judy in Zootopia) who just wants everyone to get along.

What’s almost as thought-provoking as wondering how Judy will help create an integrated animal society is wondering why the creators of this movie chose to put so much chemistry between the bunny and the fox. The internet has been creating thirst traps of the fox character … I have no comment on that. Only about 20 minutes in I got weird romance vibes between the fox and the bunny. What’s with the tension? At no point have I discovered if they are in a relationship or if there is just undeniable chemistry.

Although I did enjoy the movie and the endless animal puns and catch phrases, it didn’t really capture my heart the way I anticipated. Perhaps it’s one that’s best seen on the big screen.

• Something really bad is going to happen:

As a person with anxiety and just as a person on an airplane, I realize that it’s counterproductive to watch a series with such an anxiety-inducing title. But I’m already hooked, and there were only a couple of episodes to go. If you’re a fan of The Beast in Me, The Watchers, Black Mirror, or Get Out, this show will be a good addition to your watch list. It’s mysterious, creepy, and thought-provoking.

• Song Sung Blue:

As a less disturbing choice, I decided to watch a movie about a Neil Diamond cover band. I’m a sucker for biopics and always find myself fascinated with the artist and significantly more drawn to their music after I watch. Even though this one isn’t quite the same as those other biopics, it fits the bill enough for me. Plus, my brother’s drum teacher was in a Neil Diamond cover band, so this one was close to home. Kate Hudson is in this one, and that’s all I needed to see to press play.

Boy oh boy, did this movie have me in tears. It was A Star is Born adjacent as a musical love story mixed with the complications of our personal lives. Kate Hudson was FABULOUS. I never doubted her musical talent after watching her iconic roles in Glee (shout out to Penny Lane as well, even though that wasn’t a singing role), but she really did surpass my expectations. Great plane movie!

Seating arrangements:

After switching my seat three times on the American Airlines app in the weeks before my flight, I settled for an aisle seat. Easy bathroom access with minimal social anxiety disturbing my seat neighbor. Even better is that nobody claimed the middle seat in my row, so I was able to put my bag under the seat next to me and stretch my legs.

I can’t complain too much about my neighbors. The only notable characters were the couple in front of me who were sitting across the aisle from one another and briefly held hands until the man wrestled his hands free. Across the aisle from me was an elderly woman who had size 72 font on her phone (me one day) and decided to illuminate the pages of her book using the light of a screenshot of the 13 best restaurants to visit around Lake Erie this spring!

Food:

fine dining experience

⁃ Airplane pretzels 4/10

⁃ Eggplant pasta 7/10

Eggplant pasta is how this dish was advertised, but that’s much too modest a title. This was pasta alla norma! It was piping hot, which is obviously the side of the temperature spectrum I’d prefer my airplane food. It had red sauce, creamy ricotta, and tender eggplant all mixed in with pasta. It was absolutely one of the better airplane dishes I’ve had.

⁃ Bread 3/10

⁃ Cheese 5/10

The cheese was the Laughing Cow brand, which I ate with some crackers as a palate cleanser.

⁃ Lemon cake 6/10

I love lemon cake, and this was a nice springy addition. It had a lemon glaze on top as well, which really enhanced that bright citrusy flavor. A nice way to end my feast!

Later in the flight, attendants came by with ICE CREAM. This was the first time I have ever been so lucky to get an extra sweet treat on an airplane. They were in those cute little cups with the spoon tucked away inside. So spectacular.

Wow. At the end of the flight, they gave us “pizza” which was actually a lattice pastry with beef, potato, and gravy inside. This plane has fed me more than Thanksgiving. Welcome back to America!

The in-flight service certainly made up for the Airbus situation and forgetting my bag. My neighbors were friendly, the food was practically an all-you-can-eat buffet, and the flight was on time despite all of the chaos amid the partial government shutdown (thank you, TSA workers). Overall, a positive experience.