When we travel, we get used to the standard treatment, whatever it is. An extra or a perk is any service or good that departs from the norm. The problem here is that once we get used to the extra at hand it no longer seems like an extra. Those little "Snooze Kits" that JetBlue hands out are a perfect example. After a few cross-country jaunts you begin to expect them and they no longer seem like a perk. In fact, they seem like a wasteful extravagance. If you're like me, you're just going to try to do a little work, drink selzer to stay hydrated, and flip between the Live Map and noxious political talk shows all night, anyway, so you don't really need the kit.
But that first time they're extra special.
Here's another example of a very appealing perk. Last month on a very brief morning flight between Martinique and Guadeloupe on Air Caraïbes, flight attendants handed out croissants wrapped in napkins. The croissants weren't very good, but I didn't really care. It was such an unexpected act with such local significance, and I was starving and needed to fill my stomach.
And another. Last summer I took a 5 a.m. express bus from Skopje to Belgrade. Once we crossed into Serbia the bus attendant made her way through the bus and handed out buttered pieces of bread and orange drinks. A little snack was the last thing I expected, and it was fully appreciated. Plus a dubbed version of Are We There Yet? played. Until you've seen Ice Cube and Nia Long banter in Serbian, you haven't lived.
