My seat: A space in a netted row along one side of the cargo hold. Spacious enough but made all the more comfortable by lying back in a down-lined extreme cold weather jacket — which is mandatory attire, along with the heaviest pair of boots you've ever worn.
Fellow passengers: Scientists, journalists and a pair of overall-clad load-masters.
How full: About half-full, which is nice. More room for man-spreading or walking around the hold.
Entertainment: A book, a movie on my laptop that I could hardly hear over the engine rumble through my cheap headphones, and the unusual window view of thousands of kilometres of sea ice below.
The service: Friendly and efficient, as is the American way. The load-masters will help you anyway they can: just talk loud. And make sure you're belted in for take-off and landing.
From the landing strip, your ride to base is via a giant snow coach nicknamed Ivan the Terra Bus.
Food and drink: A paper bag full of such goodies as Bluebird chips and ham-and-salad sandwiches. If you're thirsty there's a drum full of drinking water.
The toilets: Receptacles at the front and rear of the cargo hold with a curtain for privacy.
Fortunately, no one onboard had the temerity to do a No 2.
Luggage: A green canvas bag secured with cargo belts. Plenty of room for this in the middle of the hold. Your "checked" bag is palletised at the rear of the plane with the rest of the cargo.
The airport experience: A terminal near the International Antarctic Centre, close to Christchurch International Airport. You need your passport and a departure card like any other airport — but you also happen to be weighed down by polar gear. The short safety videos prior to take-off are pretty informative.
The bottomline: A tough slog if you don't use earplugs... but the destination is, er, cool.
