At Amsterdam's bustling Schiphol International Airport, people start boarding the plane a little before noon on July 17, 2014.

The passenger manifest is a tapestry of the world: Europeans, Australians, Canadians, Indonesians, Malaysians, New Zealanders and Filipinos are on this flight to Kuala Lumpur, along with 15 crew members from Malaysia Airlines.

Some of the 283 passengers are going on holiday while others are headed home. There are several people traveling for business, including an international group of scientists bound for an HIV/AIDS conference in Melbourne, Australia.

A Dutch teenager named Gary Slok snaps a toothy selfie with his mom, Petra, as they settle into their seats on the Boeing 777. The 15-year-old and his mom are going on a vacation designed for single parents with children.