On May 1, 2015, I took a flight from Halifax to Calgary on Air Canada rouge (always spelled with a lowercase r), a “leisure airline” that operates out of Toronto. During takeoff, we were informed that our flight was the maiden voyage of the new Halifax–Calgary route, so all passengers would receive complimentary biscotti and an alcoholic beverage of their choice. The interior of the plane looked like every other Boeing I have seen except that the curtains separating coach and business class were red, and the flight attendants wore jaunty fedoras secured to their heads with small straps—in case of turbulence, I imagine—which they took off as soon as we reached cruising altitude. I accidentally dropped a piece of almond biscotti on the floor, and I ordered a rye and ginger and got a little drunk.
