Ask Valerie Elizabeth

The Diary of Elizabeth Hearst

10 PM PST Thursday, February 12 United flight LAX->JFK "Per federal regulation, we appreciate your being mindful to keep your mask on at all times. With a flight time of five hours and 47 minutes, we expect to touch down in New York at approximately 6:08 AM. The flight attendants will be dimming the cabin lights for those passengers who wish to sleep. So sit back, relax and enjoy your flight,"…the Captain droned on with all the usual pre-flight announcements. I glanced around the empty cabin and wondered if we could take a vote about the lights. With only eight of us on the flight, it should be easy to determine a majority.