Ahh …The Pleasures of Flight Travel..Reminiscences during the lockdown

Seated in the aircraft, my soul lifts up in gratitude to the Almighty for relieving me from the misery of crouching my legs to a near foetal position and for providing me ample leg space.

Well, bizarre does it sound??…try travelling in the budget flight options of late, to sample the misery and the reason for this heart felt gratitude.

Wonder how it actually feels? Let me paint a picture for you as u settle into the comfortable seats you are seated on.

As one finally arrives at the boarding gate, there is a certain serenity in the air. A no pretense peace and calm after the frantic flurry through the check-in, baggage drop and security-checks with sounds of dropping keys, mobiles and passengers eagerly awaiting the clearance of one’s baggage, akin to clearing the board exams…

Jokes apart, one finds a diverse scene at the waiting lounge at the gate…aged parents rushing to their gen-next, apprehension wrought on their wrinkled faces, kids frolicking about, office travellers, infants cozily sleeping in warm arms and so on the list goes…But there is indeed unity in this diversity too…and that’s the mobile phone…what would have been a fertile ground to network and make a few new friends, now, is replaced by selfie-taking sprees and instant postings on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and what not…o yes!!! WhatsApp too..how could I forget!!…

As the time passes on, much to the chagrin of travellers with low charges in their batteries…finally the much awaited boarding call arrives…

The rapidity at which the Q materialises never fails to intrigue me…and all the jostling…for what? I ponder…is it the comfort of sinking into the seat or the mere act of wanting to be the first to board the plane? I fail to fathom the real reason..but anyways, all said and done, we finally do manage to settle down amidst selfie takers.

All is well till the plane is airborne, though I should not fail to add on a few words of pity for the cabin crew, who gesticulate the safety instructions, with hardly one among the passengers actually watching them.

Frequent flying could be blamed for this may be…who knows?..we do need something or someone to blame other than the PM!!

Now that being done, and the serenity restored, begins the luxury service of a back massage at the comfort of the very own seat one is tucked in. Well, this service is only meant for the lucky passengers who travel by economy class!! Yes U read it right…just for economy class passengers…

As the kneading begins from the mid back, to the lower back, I shoot another prayer of gratitude to the Divine for having sent such an angel to occupy the seat right behind mine and offer his/her service to my aching back.

And now comes the part which gives me the jitters…and as I type this, I am pushed back deep into my seat by the not-so-gentle gentleman in the seat before mine, who decides to have his siesta and reclines to the extent that he makes me conscious of my growing paunch and the subtle reminder of long given-up workout resolutions. The seat belt complemented this reminder as I tried to strap in and had to stretch it to its maximum limit, with me shooting a sheepish grin at the aunty beside me who watched in amusement as I wriggled to get the buckles to meet.

Well its time to snooze and make the most of this environment for my power nap…

Signing off…