Flying to travel and holiday destinations these days is rarely fun. In fact, I’d rather go to the dentist or even the opera than get in an airplane.

That said, I’m happy to report a delightful experience in the air. I just returned from several weeks of Germany and Croatia, which included six separate flights, and each and every one was a delight. Now, that is news!

We flew Air France from Seattle to Munich, with a stop-over and flight change at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. Takeoff and arrival for each flight was on the minute, perfectly timed, and included our bags arriving, too. We booked business class (there is no first class on this flight) and were delighted with the space for reclining, the electronic entertainment choices, and the food, too. No surprise, being France. The daily Air France flight departs Sea-Tac at 1:50 in the afternoon, a pleasant time to be at the airport. The arrival in Paris is early, which certainly works for those hitting the ground running. We walked the lengthy corridors of the Paris airport to get to our next leg to Munich.

After a relaxing overnight with friend in Munich, we departed the next day for Dubrovnik on our first-ever Air Berlin flight. Again, on time and perfectly organized, which is something I’ve come to expect from the Germans. Air Berlin has no first class or business class seats, but for the 90-minute flight, that was never a problem since the leg room was decent (I am 6-foot-3-inches with most of my height in my legs), and the service was spotless.

A bonus of our various flights was that the Dubrovnik airport was spanking new — less than one month old, and it simply added to our sense that this vacation was really working for us.

Upon the returns to Munich on Air Berlin, and from Munich to Paris and Seattle on Air France, virtually every step was on time and flawless. Maybe we just got lucky … or maybe Air France and Air Berlin are the real deal.

Any comments from readers are appreciated. Bill Morton can be reached at billmorton@msn.com.