Are you ready to fly?

There is nothing that excites me and amazes me more than airplanes. The sole possibility of travelling back and forth in time, defying all perceptions of time travel. There is also nothing that makes me cringe more than being on an airplane. It makes me sick to the stomach, sends shivers down my spine, and renders me helpless, all at the same time.

There is a reason why people send texts and make calls before take-off and after landing. No matter how advanced air travel becomes, no matter how many thousands of dollars you spend on that luxury first-class suite just so you can feel at home at 40,000 ft in the air, the fear is inherent. I am no frequent traveller, I am no member of the mile-high club, I am just a young girl who sees airplanes as nothing but a means of transport and occasionally a means of thrill. Having taken a few different flights to and from a few different destinations in the world, what has remained unchanged is my praying before each take-off and after each touchdown. And this praying continues intermittently, proportional to the turbulence experienced on flight. Every flight I have taken, I almost always feared the unfortunate fate. On some flights, where my co-passengers are as enthusiastic or as full of fear as I am, I can’t tell which they are more, we burst into a series of applause at landing. It is not where we left from or where we have reached that unites us, it is the collective sighs of relief, the collective nervous smiles, the collective gratefulness for another safely landed flight. If you ask me, as someone who lives thousands of miles away from home and family, who sees air travel a boon, I will tell you it is also the most uncertain mode of travelling. For when you are lost, you are not likely to be found.

On days when news of a missing plane or a crash makes headlines, I can’t help but wish there was a safer, simpler way of getting home. No doubt, airplanes have made it easier for people to be as displaced as they are today. It has also made it just as easy to be misplaced. Nothing breaks my heart as much as a plane crash. It is true that one day we are all going to find our way back into the soil, but the dissolving of debris into soil, is the worst way imaginable. What is also particularly unnerving is the fact that we know the risks, we know the uncertainties, the 50-50 chance of making it out alive, yet we voluntarily step onto that plane whose fate is decided by powers far above 40,000 ft in the sky. And then there are some, who by sheer luck, have a narrow escape.

The point isn’t that life is uncertain. In fact, the only thing certain is that life is uncertain. Some people go to bed at night only to see no light of next day. Some people go to work only to never return. The point is, it may look all glamourous and exciting, but air travel is in fact daunting and scary and not for the faint-hearted. My heart goes out to the families of people who lost their loved ones in such accidents among others. We may count the number of flights we take in a year, the number of miles we earn, but let’s not forget the number of lives lost and the number of families uprooted. I didn’t know the people who were on these unfortunate flights, but what I do know is that if this were to ever happen to anyone, it would be the most devastating thing ever. What I also know is that if you want to see the purest form of happiness, spend some time at airport arrivals and you will never want to be on the departure gate.  

‘Your flight to Toronto is scheduled for 15 March 2019. Subscribe for regular updates and reminders.’ 

Sadly, we aren’t informed of any change in destination.

I am going to stop here. My flight is now boarding. See you on the other side.