I fly a lot, and most flights blur together. The ones I remember usually come down to something small, like Virgin's little airplane salt shakers or the quiet right before takeoff.

So this week, no airline strategy, just my 20 favorites. Some come with an expensive ticket, some cost a few dollars, and a lot of them are free.

I know not everyone does, but I fly business class a lot, and it’s nice when an airline makes the ticket feel worth the money. These are the moments I look forward to most:

1/ The pasta course on ITA. On ITA's long-haul business flights, dinner has a pasta course, the way a proper Italian meal does, along with an Aperol Spritz and tiramisu. The menu follows Italy's regions and changes with the seasons. This summer it was burrata-filled scrigni from Puglia and fregola with pistachio and shrimp. Yum!

2/ Real cocktails on Emirates and Virgin. In business on both airlines, there's a full cocktail list on every flight. On Emirates I can get a Negroni or a breakfast martini at my seat. Virgin writes cocktails for specific routes, like a Soju Mojito to Seoul. And on the Emirates A380, there's a real bar at the back of the upper deck where I can stand up, talk to strangers, and for a few minutes forget I'm on a plane. On flights from SFO, I take my laptop back there and get in a few hours of work with a Manhattan in hand.

3/ Virgin's salt and pepper shakers. In Upper Class, the salt and pepper come in two little metal airplanes. They were designed in 1995, and they're stamped underneath with "pinched from Virgin Atlantic." Virgin knows people take them home. I have a few myself. 🙂

4/ The croissant bag on JetBlue Mint. Overnight flights from the East Coast to Europe are far too short for two full meals. On JetBlue flights to London, I can skip breakfast on board and take a bag with a croissant and a drink off the plane instead. I sleep the extra hour and eat it in the taxi. Brilliant, and it shows they really thought through the experience.

5/ The restaurant in Delta One lounges. I normally get to the airport with vanishingly little time before boarding; I love walking straight onto the plane, even with the overhead bin risk. But when I’m flying Delta One from JFK, LAX, Boston or Seattle, I actually like to arrive early, because I can have a delicious sit-down meal. Steak frites, tuna tartare, soufflé: it’s just the best. And a real dinner before a red-eye means I can sleep as soon as the wheels are up.

6/ KLM's Delft Blue houses. KLM has handed out tiny Delft Blue houses in business class since 1952, each one filled with Bols genever. I collect them and have never actually drunk the gin, but they look super cute on my bookshelf! Every October 7, KLM's birthday, it adds a new one. The 107th came out this month, a winery in Zeeland. Can’t wait to grab it on my next flight.

7/ Cathay Pacific's noodle bar. Cathay Pacific has some of the best lounges anywhere, and the architecture of The Wing and The Pier makes me want to move in. In its Hong Kong and London lounges, I order a bowl of dan dan noodles at the counter and watch it get made. I feel like I’m in Hong Kong before I’ve even left.

8/ United's stroopwafels. I look forward to this deliciously thin Dutch waffle, handed out in economy, especially on morning flights with coffee. United has pulled them and brought them back more than once because they’re a fan favorite, yours truly included.

9/ Drinks that taste better in the air. I always order a Bloody Mary on planes, and it turns out there's a reason it tastes so good up there. A study Lufthansa commissioned found that at cabin pressure, salty and sweet tastes drop by about 30%, while tomato juice tastes fruitier. Ginger ale is the other one. It settles my stomach.

10/ Noodles on JAL. JAL has its own cup noodles called “UDON de SKY,” a pun on the Japanese for "is it udon?" They're available in premium economy on long flights, and I always ask for one between meals. ANA goes further and serves Ippudo ramen in business.

11/ The chocolate on Swiss and Alaska. On Alaska, elite members get a free chocolate bar as a thank-you for their loyalty. On Swiss, every passenger gets a small chocolate at the end of the flight, so even short hops from Zurich to Geneva or Milan feel a little more special.

12/ A huge movie library. I treat long flights as a guilt-free occasion to binge-watch movie after movie. I settle in, tee up five movies on the seatback TV, and forget about the world for a while. And someone comes by to refill my wine and bring me food!

13/ A shower after landing. After a long-haul flight, nothing beats a shower before my next connection. On overnights, a quick rinse before a morning meeting feels like such a luxury. Virgin's Revivals lounge at Heathrow will even press my clothes while I shower.

14/ The quiet before takeoff. Between taxiing and takeoff, the cabin goes quiet and everyone closes their eyes for a few minutes in the warm light. The announcements are done, the phones are put away, and the Wi-Fi isn’t working just yet. It’s a heavenly moment, and there are few like it in public life.

15/ A good announcement. I love how Southwest flight attendants always bring some personality and fun into the experience. Alaska is great at this too. And United pilots are coming out of the cockpit more often to address the cabin. It’s nice to see humans connecting with other humans instead of repeating the tired script.

16/ Outdoor decks after security. Fresh air after security is rare, so I always go looking for it. Zurich has an observation deck on Dock E for non-Schengen flights. San Diego's new Terminal 1 has a terrace looking out at the bay. SFO and Helsinki have them too. No better way to plane-spot and appreciate how amazing air travel is!

17/ Water refill stations. I try to drink four liters of water a day, so I’m glad airports are investing in these free, simple ways to make travel a little better. No more bottled water at airport prices.

18/ Great Wi-Fi. I swear I didn’t write this just for my Starlink fans, but for years, plane Wi-Fi was slow and expensive. Now Delta's is free for SkyMiles members, Starlink is on 600+ United planes, and Southwest is adding it to more than 300 planes this year. Fast, free Wi-Fi means I can work the whole flight.

19/ A well-designed boarding pass. The new boarding pass in Apple Wallet shows me a live tracker for my flight, links to airport maps, and where my bag is. United had it first. Air France's mobile boarding pass is one of my favorites too, and I've always loved Delta's original boarding pass redesign.

20/ Being called by name. When a flight attendant or gate agent says my name and thanks me for flying, it takes two seconds, and it pulls me out of my own head. This huge industry is really built on people serving other people. A good reminder in an increasingly fractured world.

What are yours? I’d love to hear. Hit reply and tell me.