September 15, 2009

Fly with me

Flying can be fun and quite entertaining, that is if the seat is comfortable, service is excellent and if you are lucky enough, passenger seated next to you is exceptional... or even better, the seat next to you is EMPTY. That does happen nowadays, when H1N1 and few other things prevent people from flying. we all know what these "things" are- terrorist and bomb threats, coughing and sneezing fellow passengers, fear of flying and disease transmission, expensive flying, inconsiderate fellow passengers, turbulence, fear of seat belts.. etc..
On my flight 3 days ago seat (70D)was not comfortable. The seat next to me was empty, but what did the passenger on the other (70G) do. At first he was listening to music, headphones on, but the volume so loud that I could hear each and every word of the song. That was not enough, he turned on both his and "empty seat passenger's" video screens, volume to the max, sooo annoying and inconsiderate, Star Trek and a Chinese movie. Had I know what comes next, I'd have said keep the music on. Dinner time: he was one of those without any table manners. Burping, sniffing, smacking his lips. I was spared from seeing him finishing his dinner as I fell asleep, only to be woken by loud music straight from the headphones.
Young man, wearing a cap, headphones on, sunglasses on but facing "backwards, somehow attached to the cap.
He may not have any hearing ability left when he gets old if he carries on like this. Anyway that's none of my business. To hear or not to hear.
Next thing he decided to do was sleep, using both seats, the empty one next to me as well as his own. No prob, I just felt that he was tad too tall for two seats. He arranged his pillows and blankets- I was following this with great curiosity, and next thing I felt was pillows leaning on my arm, and his head on the pillow. Now!! That is just too much. I moved my arm, his head popped up "soriiii" he said. Yeah right. I lost count how many dirty looks I gave him and called him "Pig" but none of that registered in that head of his, perhaps hearing already damaged by love songs he was listening too bloody loud. On top of that he did not know how to wear seat belt. Mild turbulence on the way, el capitan ask us to wear seat belts, but not this one, noooo way. He either did not care, did not hear, did not want to.. or all of the above. Sigh...
Flight was full, no seats nowhere in sight and I just could not be bothered to ask to change the seat, incase I'd land sitting next to someone even worse.

At the end of the flight: a spectacle. The plane still in the runway, some hasty ones jump up and get their suitcases out of the overhead compartments. Seatbelt sign on, no matter what cabin crew says, this happens at least three times. Unruly passengers should be thrown out of the plane? Unbelievable, totally uncivilized, seat belts are there to be worn, rules to be followed. Poor cabin crew boys and girls, they've probably seen and said it all, but it keeps happening again and again.

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