This happened a couple years ago.... in an airline I'll call Experience Air.. It's a true experience which I had written about, but I don't want to name the airline here...
On March 25 I flew down to Delhi – my first on a low cost airline. And for Christ sake was it shaky!
Ok, so we arrive at the tarmac to board the plane. My father travelling with me mulls over...trying to decide whether one tyre really has lesser air than the other, or is it his flight of imagination. I blissfully unaware climb on board, only to discover I am stuck with a young mother with a wailing baby in her arms. Ah, I decide, there goes my sleep. Thankfully soon after the child seems amused by a plastic giraffe his mother offers Bunny – that is what the lady keeps calling him.The plane starts…thuk thuk, dichik dichik, thuk thuk….vroooom vrroooooooooooooooom. I am not used to so much of noise and certainly not the amount of jolts during the run up that are usual of train travel. My father and I look at each other…we are still more amused than afraid. The airplane noses up into the air and the engine seems to be struggling under the pressure. It reminds me of my 10 year old Maruti when it got stuck in a 1-foot deep 'pot-hole' last monsoon.
.
Finally we are in the air; Bunny is quickly losing interest in the yellow and purple polka dotted giraffe and is tugging at his mother's T-shirt for something more intellectually stimulating. Sadly, mum dear only takes the giraffe and tries to make it jump around on the now open table in front. Really, do giraffes jump… it seems that is what my rabbit named co-passenger is thinking as he gawks and tries to catch his plastic buddy in action.
I quickly put on my ear-plugs, turn on the Sony Walkman that my boyfriend loaned me as my cell phone conked off sometime back and relax. The familiar strains of Bryan Adams, Richard Marx and Westlife soothe my soul.
The air hostess – Garima – soon comes along vending vegetable croissants combos and some sandwich. I buy the croissant combo – it tastes horrible…but then all airplane food does. The fruit cake though is very scrumptious. Poor dad tries eating some of the ice cold croissant with similar success or should I say displeasure!
All the while the plane seems to be a bit too turbulent. And I am qualified to make that statement – frankly if I did not know for sure that I was born in a hospital, I would swear I made my big entry on an airplane.
Now, I am sleepy, but Bunny's mum wants to make small talk.
So, which class are you in?
Urgh, I am tired of convincing people that I am definitely an adult and working.
Oh, so you are a journalist…when are you getting married?
Now, why is that my being an adult mean I necessarily need to be married, anyway I grumble on, amiably of course, saying yes I will some day. Unsatisfied, she goes on: Oh, so you are looking for a suitor? Ok, what is this? FBI for interrogating eligible spinsters. Or is this like a matrimony.com on air. Oh, and who is travelling with you, she starts off again.
Thankfully I decide to play with baby Bunny and in turn distract my interrogator. The journey is quickly ending; I smile at the prospect of seeing my mum and brother again. Dichik, thuk thuk, dichik dichik, thuk thuk…no, not the jolts again! The funny sounding pilot announces we are soon to arrive at the Indira Gandhi airport. The plane seems so shaky, my father and I are saying our prayers. It seems to be wobbling. And then it hits the tarmac with a loud thud! And it shudders as I hold on to my seat…the air hostess had announced we could rip out the seat cushions to use as "floatation devices" if we land at sea.. huh, talk about low cost! Look ma, no life jacket just seat cushions.
Anyway, we land. And when we get off we notice that the airplane hatch door is covered with black soot or fungus, as it seems from afar. The side view glass for the co-pilot is also covered in muck or perhaps something is peeling off it… God, help us!
I have arrived safely, but shall be making the flight back on Saturday. I have already paid up and now I really can't change. May the lord be with us, and I get another stab at writing my experiences. Amen!
