As Ricky's band manager, Fred informs Ricky that there is a Pan American flight leaving Nice, France tomorrow afternoon, arriving in New York the following day, thus making it an overnight (red-eye) flight. Flights from Europe to the United States travel westbound and generally arrive the same day.
When Lucy gets out of her seat to speak to Ethel, it's obvious that the bundle of cheese under the swaddling has already been cut into smaller pieces because it bends as she stands. Prior to this scene the bundle was one long rigid piece.