On an airliner: 

  1. The roominess of it all.
  2. The food.
  3. The idle time while waiting / standing in the aisle.
  4. Duty-free / Tax-free shopping (yes, I almost always get myself a bottle of Whiskey on my journey back home)
  5. Old in-flight entertainment.
  6. The comforting feeling of being in complete control.
  7. Adjustable air nozzles.
  8. Watching someone attempt to close the overhead bin at least 15 times before giving up and letting the attendant deal with it.
  9. Some idiot closing the overhead bin whilst empty and pretending it’s all packed up! 
  10. Ear-popping fun.
  11. Enjoying the quality of public transport.
  12. Quality reflection time.
  13. Fumes.

So this is why I want to do it myself:

  1. Planning the flight yourself.
  2. Starting up the engine. (You have to feel that yourself!)
  3. Freedom.
  4. Enjoying the view (and not seeing only the clouds below).
  5. The mere fun of it.
  6. Pulling 3+ Gs while turning final.
  7. The feeling in your stomach while flaring and settling the plane on the runway. (And the looks of the passenger).