| What the freak is happening to us on board flights? The first incident of violent behaviour onboard an aircraft was registered in 1947 on a Miami-bound flight from Havana. Air Rage as a term first found its usage in the year 1997, a good half decade after the first recorded incident. But why am I giving you lessons in linguistics? On November 26, an inebriated man urinated on a female co-passenger on an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi and almost after 40 days, the case has come to light. Although the woman was given a change of clothes, she was made to keep sitting there for the longest time. The perpetrator was let go smoothly and only after the news got out did Air India banned him for 30 days. Now reports have surfaced that claim that the man is from Mumbai and may face arrest soon. More recently, a scuffle broke out between two men aboard a Thai Smile flight over the reclining of the seat. Not even the best Bollywood scriptwriters can come up with plotlines as these. It is indeed true: fact IS stranger than fiction.  Credit: Giphy  In a discussion at office, a colleague pointed out that manual or video guides should be installed in airport lounges or waiting areas to sensitise people on flying etiquettes. But my point is, is this even something that needs to be taught, let alone be reiterated? Why should we be educating people on something as basic as not peeing on others? What was unthinkable in forever, that is physical violence in a closed air carrier mid-flight where there are no lawmakers or security to intervene, has now become, dare I say, normal. Not to say that it also induces anxiety in other passengers and may also put them in harm’s way. Some suggestions for hiring more male stewards over air hostesses also came up, but I find it laughable. Does this mean they want bouncers on-board rather than cabin crew? Road rage seems to have given way to air rage and when earlier people couldn’t hold their drinks on road, now they can’t even hold it in the air. We need stricter guidelines to curb these instances and a reality check as to where are we headed as a people. Tarot |
