I flew back to New York business class with KLM.
My seat on this Airbus 330 had the button M on the armrest -- M as in Murder? Well, not only could the chair recline, the chair could give you a massage.
The chair started making a strange noise as if you were visiting the dentist, and started rubbing itself against your back. I cannot say that it was pleasant. But of course when a certain thing is expensive enough the question if it is pleasant (or beautiful) becomes obsolete.
On a recent flight from La Paz, Bolivia to Santa Cruz with American Airlines the captain announced: “We are experiencing some heavy turbulence. Sit back, relax and enjoy the free massage.” (Probably this man was a maniac or a stand-up comedian. When you fly a lot you know that this is not unusual. A couple of years ago on a flight from Zurich to Nice I was in the goods hands of a stewardess who sang Christmas songs before and after making safety announcements.)
On September 11 2002 I flew from Geneva to New York. The plane was almost empty and there was an eerie atmosphere among the crew and the passengers.
Today the plane was not fully booked but fairly crowded and it was business as usual.