“Ladies and gentlemen, as we begin our initial descent, please make sure that your seat belt is securely fastened and your seat backs and tray tables are in their full, upright position. All carry-on luggage should be stowed in an overhead bin or underneath the seat in front of you…”
When you travel often, it’s funny how you can recall almost word for word the script of those flight announcements. And of all the standard announcements you hear while traveling in the air, the initial descent announcement is one that’s warmly received by many as it signals the beginning of the end of yet another journey in a cramped economy class seat. Those lucky souls in business or first class may have a different perspective on this though, especially if they’re currently slumbering in their fully reclining bed seats.
But on every flight, just before the descent occurs and the seat belt sign is turned on for good, officially marking the full restriction of your movement inside the cabin, there’s one critical thing I know needs to be done—that final trip to the lavatory. And not just for my own sake but also for the sake of our son. Because as parents know too well, Murphy’s law is that your child will desperately have to go to the restroom in between the time the seat belt sign is turned on and that sometimes agonizing amount of time it takes for the plane to taxi and be finally stopped at the gate. Because of this, I can’t count how many times I’ve heard that little ping sound and seen the seat belt sign illuminate as I and/or my son try to finish our final “business” of the flight.
Those pre-landing announcements also often mark another race—the race to finish that movie! It seems another one of Murphy’s laws is that you’ll inevitably get caught up in a really, really good movie just before you land, only to realize you don’t have enough time to finish it! As much as I travel, and as much as the math is pretty easy to understand (the length of film must be less than or equal to the length of flight time remaining), I find it funny how many times I’ve been caught in that situation, sometimes fast forwarding through parts just to get to the ending. And then there are situations when you have to abruptly finish that movie if the flight attendant comes around to collect the headset you’re using or even worse, when it’s the airline’s policy to turn off the in-flight entertainment system before you even land. Seriously, how cruel is that? :p
In all of my years flying though, I’ve found the final 30 minutes or so of every flight to be an incredible mix of conflicting thoughts and emotions. Even if I’m distracted trying to finish a movie, I’m feeling excited that the flight is almost over and more excited that we’ll soon be reunited with family again. I’m looking at that small screen but thinking about the smiles of my parents, of my wife’s parents. Just a little bit more to go. But all the while, there’s also a stream of thoughts running through my head: Where are our passports? Did I complete the immigration cards? Did I leave anything in the very bottom of my seat pocket? Did anything slide under our seats during the flight? What about our son’s seat pocket? Should I wake him up now? I wonder how many more minutes until we arrive? Wait, still 20 more minutes to go, how’s that possible?! I thought was only 15 minutes to go when I checked 10 minutes ago? Did I leave my watch in my backpack when we went through the security line?
And then it happens: that first bump. We’ve reached the cloud zone. And if the window shade is open as it should be by now, I immediately scan the clouds looking for signs. If it’s nighttime I give up quickly but if it’s daytime, I’ll definitely start analyzing from my aisle seat perspective if the clouds look ominous or not, what color they appear, how thick they are. Even if I’m trying to distract myself by re-reading the same articles of the in-flight magazine, I’m still looking for clues outside the window because I’m now entering my discomfort zone, where I’m feeling anxious predicting how bumpy our descent will be.
At this point I’m usually saying a silent prayer and probably holding the end of one of the arm rests and/or our son’s hand. Why my son’s hand and not my wife’s? Well, with those 3-seat configurations, Kai is always in the middle seat, so at least at this stage in our travels, he’s the lucky one who sometimes gets to comfort me. I actually took the picture attached to this post as a visual to paint in my mind for future trips, to remind me of the calm I felt here. And to remind me of how blessed we are to travel together, and also still be at that stage where I can hold my son’s hand without him feeling embarrassed.
Feeling calm and safe. Those are the two feelings you want to have as a plane descends. But like all frequent flyers, I’ve had my fair share of bumpy, you-better-hold-on-tight descents. Probably the scariest was a real rollercoaster of a landing when the plane I was traveling in got caught up in torrential “rains down in Africa” (song reference intended) and after several terrifying circles around the international airport in Lagos, the captain managed, fairly miraculously, to get our plane safely on the ground. I was never happier to exit a plane. Still, I know from my aviation guru dad and from numerous studies that air travel is still by far the safest way to travel. Though nobody likes rough air, very few people are seriously injured by turbulence—in fact of all domestic flights in the US in 2018, only 9 passengers and crew were seriously injured whereas nearly 2,000 Americans suffer serious knife wounds every year while cutting bagels! And speaking of food, did you know that you are about 80 times more likely to die from choking on food than you are to die in a plane crash? In fact, traveling by air is not only much safer than traveling in a car, it’s also statistically safer than bicycling and even hiking!
Still, there are many people who, for a variety of reasons, feel fear and anxiety when traveling in a plane, and it’s natural to feel those feelings given we’re thousands of feet up in the sky and have no control over the situation. And one of the major factors that exacerbates a fear of flying is that while thousands of people die every single day in road accidents around the world, we hear about very few of these accidents—but when a commercial airliner crashes, we ALL hear about it, even if it occurs thousands of miles away. And given the images of the crash site that will undoubtedly appear online and in the news, this can quickly change our perceptions of the risk of flying. And it can be particularly nerve wracking when we’re planning to fly soon. Because I generally start feeling anxious a day before any air journey, I need to remind myself that air travel is still incredibly safe and is of course the only feasible way to get from Point A to Point B in many situations.
So if there’s any other fact that can calm your nerves about flying, remember this—in the International Air Transport Association’s 2019 Safety Report, it was noted that a person could take a flight every day for 535 years before experiencing an accident with one fatality on board! That’s some powerful reassurance right there. As my dad would tell you, the commercial airliner is one of the most complicated machines ever built, and with decades of progress in design and in improving systems such as air traffic control and quality control of spare parts, the airline industry’s safety record today is nothing short of extraordinary.
All of this being said, there are still many people around the world who will never have the opportunity to fly in a plane—not out of fear, but mainly for lack of resources. A former CEO of Boeing estimated that only about 20% of the world’s population has ever flown. And throughout my own travels, I’ve met a number of people who have shared that they just dream of being able to fly. This humbles me a great deal, knowing very well I am incredibly privileged to be able to afford air travel in the first place, and I couldn’t possibly count all the times I’ve flown so far.
If you ever get the chance to fly with someone on their very first flight, you’ll see very clearly all the things you take for granted if you regularly fly. This happened to me most recently with a friend named Kareem who joined me on a domestic trip in Egypt, from Alexandria to Sharm el-Sheikh. Even though it was a relatively short flight, it was fun and even heart-warming to watch Kareem’s reactions to being on a plane for the first time— seeing his excitement as the plane raced down the runway and started its ascent into the sky, and then hearing him say “wow” as he looked out from his window, seeing his hometown of Alexandria from above for the first time. He continued to watch the changing scenes from the window with pure wonder, taking in every minute of the view of white puffy clouds and the small glimpses of the landscape below. I was also aware once again of those small details of flying— explaining to him how to adjust the air vent above his seat, for example, and watching him pay full attention as our flight attendants demonstrated the safety features of our aircraft—but it was sensing his awe at being up in the air that I’ll never forget.
Fast-forward to a couple of years later, and the airline industry that was growing at a rapid pace, especially in Asia and the Middle East, is now facing its deepest crisis ever. The current COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked havoc in many ways including an absolutely staggering 95% reduction in air passenger traffic in the U.S. in April 2020 compared to a year ago. Travel restrictions/bans and overall reduced demand have resulted in thousands of passenger planes being grounded around the world, and grounded planes mean that airlines are already laying off thousands of staff to cope, with millions of workers in the aviation business still at risk. It’s just devastating, and the airline industry will undoubtedly struggle for a long time to come.
Despite these incredible challenges, there is hope. It may not be so apparent at the moment, but as the situation improves and communities and countries begin to re-open, we will start feeling more comfortable to leave our homes again, to return to offices, to meet with family and friends, to travel by air again. We should be careful doing this of course, and there’s no doubt air travel will look different in the foreseeable future—passengers in masks, cabin crew wearing personal protective equipment (even hazmat suits)—but airlines have always known how critical safety is to their business. Current investments and procedures (including use of HEPA filters and disinfectant sprays on planes, social distancing at airports and temperature checks of passengers and crew) will certainly help promote the safety of passengers and crew alike as more aircraft start flying again.
I’d like to conclude this 3-part series on flying by visualizing that truly wonderful day in the future when we’ll be on an airplane heading home to reunite with our family, and towards the very end of the flight the captain will come on the speaker for last time of the flight to calmly announce, “Flight attendants, prepare for landing.” And once we do finally land, I’m sure that our trio will be all smiles hearing the flight attendant’s last message, welcoming us home, informing us of the local time and weather, and thanking us once again for flying with them. Of course we won’t really care what time it is or how hot/cold it is outside… all that really matters will happen after that final ping sound, when we finally unfasten our seatbelts, grab our stuff, and make our way through the terminal…
and into the arms of our loved ones.
Sources:
Mr. Thomas R. Wahl, my father. At the age of 19 Tom applied and was accepted to a 4-year machinist apprentice training program at General Electric Aircraft Engines where he would work for 38 years, becoming the direct point of contact for GE Aviation for the Australasia region. He continues to be involved in the aviation business and will teach a course later this year on the complexities of commercial aviation at the University of Cincinnati where he completed his degree in engineering. My dad is the guy who first spurred my interest in learning about and appreciating the world outside of my national borders and also taught me a lot about loyalty, including the benefits of being loyal to an air alliance and your favorite hotel chain… miles and points, people! 😃
https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2020-04-06-01/
https://time.com/5823395/grounded-planes-coronavirus-storage/
I enjoy reading this one Brian for reminding me how lucky I am for going around without much thought about safety and or wondering whether I would make it. I had ridden on a Jhapa bus once to Dharan and I questioned my own safety more times during that trip than all the plane trips I have had combined.
Hahaha, re: the bus to Dharan!
Totally get that… Those bus trips are much more dangerous and definitely more visceral. I also remember the sharp hairpin turns on those windy roads in Nepal, and how those cliffs went absolutely straight down. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts here Son Ha!
Freshman year college, i flew to Florida for a break and i had a two for one ticket. i took my friend Tony with me so he could see his girlfriend who was in college in FL. he had never been on a plane – this was his first time. Meanwhile, I had flown around the world 7 times by then. it was an endearing experience. i don’t recall every detail. i slept much of the flight because i had pulled my first and only all nighter for an exam. but i know he was nervous, excited, and grateful all at the same time.
it is funny what we take for granted, or as I’d put it, it’s just normal every day to me to fly. i do still love the view and staring out the window. i don’t take that for granted. because i don’t really take much for granted anyway. i think about my mortality on every flight and any time i get on the highway or when people i love do. life is precious. we have to own every moment and be in every moment.
Love this memory and message Karina, gracias!!