Landed in Fort Lauderdale after 28 hours of journey time and have to say, not feeling as ragged as I thought I’d be.

I had had some trepidation about flying Delta – yes, you form certain perceptions from what you’ve heard or read in social media – and it’s a long time to commit to someone who’s not your first choice.

My routing was Singapore-Narita-JKF-Fort Lauderdale and when you have to wake up at 4am to catch a 5.45am departure, even the cheerful Christmas lights on the expressway to the airport are not enough to lift your spirits.

But all flown and dusted, have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the new Delta business elite product. Like the skybeds (pictured left) and how they are positioned – at an angle away from each other – unlike one United configuration I recently experienced, which have you facing the other passenger and flying backwards if you are given one of the seats that face that direction.

The skybeds come with Westin’s Heavenly Bed bedding – very soft and comfortable – and the crew on both legs (led by men) were attentive and anticipative. Food, movie choices, big screen, workspace – all comparable to what you would get on Singapore Airlines’ business class, which costs a lot more than what I paid for this Delta-KLM round-the-world ticket.

The transfer through JKF Terminal 4 was painless – no queues, friendly officers – such a contrast to my last experience transferring at LAX. Three hours waiting time in the Sky Lounge – you have to pay for drinks at the luxury bar here – but who cares, at this time, all you want to do is arrive.

I am in Fort Lauderdale to attend the PhoCusWright conference themed “Cult of Context” (pictured below right) – all to do with personalisation, relevance and recommendations in a world where local meets social meets mobile.

So here’s what happened to me on the short flight from JFK to Fort Lauderdale. The passenger next to me got personal. He told me his entire life story, his political leanings, his philosophical take on life in the 2 hours 20 minutes. The conversation starter was his observation of how I ate my chocolate.

“I noticed you took a very small bite and you had this look of pleasure on your face and then you put it down. I would have eaten the whole thing in one shot,” he said. “This makes me wonder about pleasure – and how if prolonged is even more rewarding.”

He then told me about a Chinese doctor he had met in Shenzen (he runs a cosmetics manufacturing business and travels to China a lot) who advised him on the secret of pleasure. “He told me to eat nothing but chicken for four days and then on the fifth day, eat an apple and then appreciate what it really tasted like.

“I need to do more with less,” he said, adding, “But it’s very hard in America – there’s so much here.” This, as he pats his generously-girthed belly and grins.

We continued to have a relevant conversation around how to have moderation and balance in life and when we landed, he immediately took out his mobile, called his son-in-law and told him he’d made a new friend and wanted to give her a lift to her hotel.

“I don’t want her to be taken for a ride by the Haiti sensation (apparently the name given to the taxi drivers who have a reputation for taking first-time visitors on long detours),” he said.

When his son-in-law pulls up in a huge SUV, he tells me, “This is one of my seven cars.”

An Israeli born in Capetown, he’s made Fort Lauderdale his home for the last 15 years and this was his first re-entry using his new green card. He’s clearly found his American dream.

Me, I have made a new friend. Who knows, we may even extend it to Facebook to give our new friendship even more context.