"How you do something - is how you do everything" - some wise man had once told me. Though I kept my opinions open about that one, somehow that same line came rushing back to me the other day when the plane I was in, was taxiing in the runway, slowly coming to a halt. And the reason for that was the mad scramble that ensued among some of my fellow travellers to get out of their seats, grab their bags from the overhead bins and try to rush to the exit.
The poor airhostess kept repeating, "Sir, please take your seats and wait for the aircraft to come to a complete stop". While some acquiesced, many others just brushed her aside, avoided looking in her direction and went about their purposeful task.
"Why are we so impatient as a country?", I wondered. Perhaps its the competitive streak that gets ingrained in all of us right from the time we get our first admissions into kindergarten, where we have to "beat the line" to get those coveted seats ? Perhaps its the culture where a 85% marks by a student is no longer considered "good enough" in a market where 97% atmost is the cut-off for most "prestigious' colleges ? Life seen in that perspective is really one mad scramble to the finish line !!.... but does the winner really take it all ?
For each his own - and I really dont want to think about what makes someone else tick. What really occured to me though was that regardless of how much you scramble in a plane to get off it first - at the end of it all, the "Luggage Belt" will still get you !!! Its often amusing and I actually get a sadistic kick now-a-days when I see someone not heeding the airhostess, scrambling for his bag, pushing and shoving ahead - only to reach the luggage belt and keep waiting eternally for his luggage to arrive. I almost feel like going up to him and sharing some undying wisdom from Murphy : "The last bag on the luggage belt will always be yours" !
Just made me think - wouldn't it be much much better, if the announcements they make in airlines was a bit more amusing - perhaps poking fun at ourselves as a people ? Let me share a few I would love to hear and appreciate :
1) Ladies & Gentlemen, thankyou for travelling with Jet Airways. Please note that the duration of waiting for your baggage at the belt is inversely proportional to the speed at which you exit the plane. So, please time yourself to your convenience. Thankyou.
2) This is one I heard from someone : During the safety instructions.... "...... below your seat you will find the floatation device. Should the plane land on water, please take them with our compliments"
3) Here are a few other good ones I found that could be used :
- After the landing : Thankyou for flying Spicejet. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride.
- As you exit the plane, make sure you take all your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.
- After a particularly hard landing : We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal
- Safety instructions again : In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask and pull it over your face.
Come to think of it - a lot of the airline safety instructions are really redundant and could do with a complete re-think and make-over, couldn't they ? Do we really need someone to say how to put on the safety belt ? Not a lot of rocket science in there is it ? Not in an age where my 5 year old niece knows how to use a mobile phone !!
Just made me think - wouldn't it be much much better, if the announcements they make in airlines was a bit more amusing - perhaps poking fun at ourselves as a people ? Let me share a few I would love to hear and appreciate :
1) Ladies & Gentlemen, thankyou for travelling with Jet Airways. Please note that the duration of waiting for your baggage at the belt is inversely proportional to the speed at which you exit the plane. So, please time yourself to your convenience. Thankyou.
2) This is one I heard from someone : During the safety instructions.... "...... below your seat you will find the floatation device. Should the plane land on water, please take them with our compliments"
3) Here are a few other good ones I found that could be used :
- After the landing : Thankyou for flying Spicejet. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride.
- As you exit the plane, make sure you take all your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.
- After a particularly hard landing : We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal
- Safety instructions again : In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask and pull it over your face.
Come to think of it - a lot of the airline safety instructions are really redundant and could do with a complete re-think and make-over, couldn't they ? Do we really need someone to say how to put on the safety belt ? Not a lot of rocket science in there is it ? Not in an age where my 5 year old niece knows how to use a mobile phone !!
In an airline market that is already overcrowded - I am really waiting eagerly to see the first airline that develops a sense of humour. I believe its a huge opportunity for one of them to stand outside the clutter - and in the process, make all our lives a little less serious & a bit more cheerful !
While on the topic - heres a hilarious video about airline safety : Maybe the day is not far when we see this happening in low cost airlines !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFjVbiPzwpI&feature=player_embedded
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2 comments:
if you have flown Southwest Airlines in the US, you will hear some fun comments. despite their workload the cabin crew take the stress out of flying.
Really kumuda ?.... i have not flown them - but now that you say this, will definitely try them whenever i get the chance ! Must be a good relief :-)
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