MAN-errs, all you jetsetters!
It's not just celebrities who are badly behaved on flights. People from the city recount their experiences.
Constant flight delays, jet-lag and the perpetual fear of losing your luggage — the perils of jet-setting are aplenty. But, if we were to pick one of the biggest peeves among common in-flight inconveniences, boorish shenanigans by Indian co-passengers top the list.
In the wake of the recent terrifying episode of a party MP slippering an Air India staff on not getting a business class seat; the need for serious decorum in-flight checks have come to the fore.
In a candid chat with namooru’s frequent fliers, we document some eyebrow raising instances and moot arguments, which left us at a loss of words, along with expert views...
‘Man’ errs, please!: “On a recent trip, a young guy, seated right next to me, was on a movie-watching spree! He went on watching a Chinese film in full blast volume on his cell phone. Despite repeated requests from me and others too, he would not reduce the volume or switch it off. He didn’t heed to the requests/light warnings of flight attendants too... would reduce the volume when they came by and play it full blast once they went away,” shares Sharmila Aravind, a city-based documentary film- maker.
Echoing similar lines from his list of philistine in-flight experiences, Shajan Samuel, a social entrepreneur adds, “Once while traveling from Mumbai to Bengaluru, a passenger randomly got up mid-way, and started walking, while the flight was taxing to the bay. He was obstinate, and wouldn’t sit back in his seat, despite valiant requests from the flight attendants. I travel almost 100 flights in a year, and I have seen this haughtiness with slightly elderly people. People in power, or people wielding considerable influence, think they can get away with it. He even went on demanding for a lot of things, and resembled a baby that threw unsightly tantrums. It was disturbing too say, the least.”
The scrooge on the prowl: Ill-tempered co-passengers aside, airborne travellers are often at the risk of acquainting opportunists who’s want more bang for their buck.
On the receiving end, was author Shivoo Koteshwar. “It was the long segment of my travel from India to USA, Singapore to San Francisco. After the take off, and when the plain was in its cruising altitude, my neighbour got up and asked me if I drink.When I responded saying no, he remarked, “Great, when she asks for a drink, get two whiskeys with soda and some ice. I know... it’s for me. I have paid a lot for the tickets. It’s only fair if I make use of stuff on offer,” he says.
Expert speaks: Charting out the possibilities, Vikramaditya Shiva, a psychologist opines, “We perceive etiquette as an option, not a part of ethics. It’s more like, the moment you pay for something, you have absolute rights over it - even if it’s at the cost of those around them! Quite like how passengers are taught how to equip themselves during an emergency, there needs to be a clear and perhaps stern dessimation of in-flight decorum.”