The Passenger

The plane pushed back from its Heathrow stand just after six in the evening and took off twenty minutes later, an hour behind schedule  The captain was not hopeful of making up the time against headwinds.  The forecast was for intermittent rain and showers, with a night visibility of fifteen kilometres.  As they reached cruising height the cabin crew served drinks from the trolley.  For the first thirty-seven minutes this was just another transatlantic flight, with everyone settling down for the long haul.