In-flight Queue

Airplanes! How they have made lives so much more convenient. Commuting from one place to another has never been quicker. It has almost become a necessity nowadays. So much so that everyone tends to travel by it to save time and why shouldn’t they? It is so much faster than other modes of transport.

Now, I understand the fact about people wanting to rush to their destination but there is this one thing which people do that really annoys me. They start getting up from their seats as soon as the aircraft’s wheels touch the ground.

I mean, really? Just where are you going with all the doors and windows closed and lavatories out of bound; to the cockpit to give the pilot directions?

And then, as soon as one person does it, everyone just goes with the flow and forms a queue. As if the airplane would just take all of them back to their previous destination if they do not get out in time.

‘Excuse me,’ a voice beside me asked as the plane touched down on the runway. ‘Aren’t you going to get up?’

The man was already standing, or at least as much as a man of his height could when he is stuck in the middle seat.

I turned to face him as much as I could in my aisle seat without making it awkward and replied as-a-matter-of-factly, ‘I will. As soon as it makes any logic for me to stand up in a moving plane which has all doors closed and seat belt sign still on, I will. Or when the plane comes to a complete halt and people can actually leave the aircraft, then. Whichever happens first. You will have to wait till then.’

The man just looked at me and sat down without uttering a word.