Iraqi Airlines sounds like a bad joke, but such a company actually exists and routinely plies the airspace above one of the more dangerous countries on this planet right now. I’ve flown some pretty horrible airlines in my life (Aeroflot, China Air), but have never run into the problems encountered by Associated Press writer Scheherezade Faramarzi while trying to fly from Baghdad to Sulaimaniyah.
Take a moment to read her engaging account. Although she lives to tell about it (always a big plus in my book) and arrives much closer to her destination than where she took off from, her ordeal is a lesson in frustration that will make even the worst trip of your life seem like coddled first class in comparison.
Given the option, however, I’d still chose Iraq’s “friendly skies” over their not-so-friendly roads.