FLIGHT TIME

Whether it is your first ever flight or an experienced veteran’s flight – most of us has some interesting tales to tell.

My first ever flight happened some time in 1973, I think. It was a Delhi-Calcutta (now, Kolkata) flight. Everything was a new experience – the x-ray machine where  you push your bag through; a uniformed officer checking you all over with a hand-held equipment which locates two 50 paise coins in my pocket; the various announcements; the board showing the arrival and departure time; eagerly waiting for announcement of your flight; and so on.

The inflight announcements were also very eagerly listened to. Like, ‘welcome aboard flight no…… from….. to……. Your captain is …… The total flying time is…… please keep your seat upright, fold back the tray table, switch of all the electronic equipment you have…. ‘ etc. etc. The one about the electronic items was a bit puzzling. The only two electronic items I had with me were my wrist watch and a calculator – (courtesy  one of my uncle who came from Singapore). Do I switch them off? The guy in next seat confirmed it is not necessary to switch them off.

I was a bit nervous because the announcement said clearly that it would affect navigation. With so many electronic watches and calculators ‘ON’ in the flight, would the flight go to Calcutta or due to a navigation error would it fly to another city?

Those days, there were no announcement about mobile phones and laptops since no one had mobile phones and laptops.

The safety instructions, the captain’s announcement that we were flying at 25000 ft above Nagpur etc were fine and informative. They served lunch and then came the announcement about landing. Overall the announcements were quite clear and passengers listened to them and obeyed them.

These days things are a bit different. Children sometimes refuses to switch of their ‘Tablets’ and to fold back the tray table. A bit of scolding from the parents and some howling from the child normally settles it satisfactorily.

The problems are the adults. The moment the announcement to switch off the mobile phones came through, most of them are in a frenzy to talk to whomever – it is so urgent that it can’t wait. There is absolutely no way to control them. Some of them switch it off ultimately when an air-hostess comes and tells them to. Some will not switch it off and will sit with, ‘ oh, I have flown so many number of times…. Nothing happens…’ kind of expression.

Similarly, the landing time announcement that, ‘ please be seated until the seat belt sign is switched off…’ has usually no effect on most of the passengers. As soon as the plane touches down, people are up and in the process of opening the overhead lockers…..

No, I didn’t show it to Shish because he won’t be able to contribute anything since he is yet to travel by flight!