I am one of those people who simply love flying. I love the bustle of the airport, the book stores there, the anticipation of a trip… I love the feeling of the takeoff and landing and I even love the ghastly airline food. Watching Aircraft Investigations occasionally with my husband has dimmed the glow somewhat, now that I know what all can go wrong. But on a balance flying is still my most preferred way to travel. And now, with flying being more accessible to more Indians than ever before, I think everyone has an opinion about flying – people either love it or hate it:
It’s a steel tube that takes us up high into the sky and there seems to be nothing holding it up – for some of us, this seems precarious in the extreme. It is a very, very long way down.
There is the apprehension that neither the seatbelt, nor the oxygen mask nor the floatation device (some cheapie airlines even tell you to use the seat cushion as a floatation device) is going to help if the plane actually goes down.
Some people don’t like to go offline for that long – what if something big happens or they miss some memes while they were offline? Perhaps for some it’s just FOMO
Some of us have watched too many movies about plane hijackings, hostage situations, snakes on a plane as well as documentaries about 9/11 – those things can play on the mind --- a lot.
They always try to fit as many seats as possible on a plane, with the result that one is uncomfortable, cramped, restless and just unhappy. And then there are long haul flights which can be excruciating.
They won’t let us take liquid above a certain amount on board, several items are banned, they charge astronomical sums for excess baggage.
Sometimes the hatred for flying is quite irrational – logic, facts etc. don’t really work
I think we are all afraid of this: a chatterbox taking the seat next to us, a noisy baby, irritating kids that their parents fail to control, opinionated uncles, nosy aunties…
Flying used to be unaffordable and hence inaccessible for most people. It used to be a luxury whereas now it is of utilitarian value. Simply put, flying is much more democratic these days. That is a good thing. Maybe those that hate flying for this reason, can channel their inner snob in some other direction?
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