keeping a 3 year old amused on an airplane

When i traveled with my 4 year old son to germany( 9 hour flight) i brought his favorite books, coloring books and allowed him to bring some of his favorite toys. the cars he brought were a big hit as he enjoyed rolling them accross the trey. portable dvd player isnt a bad idea or if your little one is like mine, he enjoyed playing what we called "car games" on the flight such as eye spy.i find my son has more fun when i engage with him rather than just stick a movie in front of him. it was fun for both of us and gave us some "special mommy alex time" as well.