Yes, you can assume that the coursework part of an American PhD program is the rough equivalent of a European Masters, and the research part is like a European PhD.  In many American programs, after completing the coursework part you actually receive a Masters degree.

Scholarships do exist (they are usually called "fellowships" at the postgraduate level) but a more common funding method are assistantships, in which you are paid for either teaching or for research work (the latter is often funded by a supervisor's grant).  If you got a fellowship or assistantship, you could expect it to pay for all of your tuition and a low-to-modest salary.  Teaching assistantships are usually based on 10-20 hours of work per week; research assistantships vary, but in some cases you can get paid for doing your own dissertation research.  Depending on the department, the availability of assistantships can range from scarce to universal.  Part of your conversation with your Harvard contacts should definitely be "What funding is available, and how much can I realistically expect to actually get?"

How difficult is it to undertake a Humanities PhD. at Harvard (converting to the American system from Europe/UK?)
When travelling on flights where meals are included, travellers who need special meals, such as vegetarian or kosher, are, in my experience, typically required to make such a request by phone.

For the traveller, this might mean a 15 minute hold, followed by a 1 minute phonecall.  After all, the operator simply needs to make an entry into a database somewhere.

Why don't airlines offer seem to offer travellers the option to select their special meal request through an online interface?  Or do I just have the bad luck to happen to fly with airlines where this request can only be made by phone?

Examples: Air Transat, Korean Air both require to contact the service centre by telephone.
