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Flight 97 to John F. Kennedy International Airport is in its initial boarding process. Every last seat, or so the gate agent has told the flight crew, will be occupied. Ducking, turning sideways and saying "excuse me", the passengers make their way down the aisle. Most of the passengers are carrying an illegal number of carry-on bags. Does one person really need 4 carry-on bags? You might as well bring the kitchen sink. As passengers are getting settled, I can't help but notice the man seated in 4C. He's smiling as he is getting comfortable in his seat. He pulls out a yachting magazine and a bag of trail mix and places it in the seatback pocket in front of him so that it will be easily accessible during the 5 hour flight to New York City from San Francisco, California. Like pack mules, passengers continue to squeeze their way down the aisle, being careful not to hit the elbows of people who are already seated. I become preoccupied with a mother and her child in 1E and F for a few minutes so my flying partner, Tina monitors the boarding process. Once the frazzled mother is seated and her child is occupied with a coloring book, I glance at Mr. 4C. He's not smiling anymore and looks like he's about to vomit. My gaze shifts to his seatmates. There are two enormous women getting settled in 4A and 4B. They look like twin sisters. Just like Mr. 4C pulled out his magazine and trail mix in preparation for the long flight, the twins are placing cans of Vienna sausage and chili in the seatback pockets in front of them. I make a mental note, opening the cans during flight won't fly with me. As if the odor coming from the restroom and from people who've been sitting too long isn't bad enough. The last thing people want (flight crew included) is to be trapped in a metal capsule for 5 hours with the stench of sausage and chili tickling their noses. It's my job to ensure the comfort of all 195 passengers on board. Oh, the joys of air travel!
this was a well written, comical article on the dangers of being in tight spaces, and, of course, next to an elevator that is stuck with 10 people, an airplane is as tight as it gets. thanks for sharing, and i hope you continue writing,
This is a grand article and one of the reasons I have decided to stop flying after many hundreds of thousands of miles in the air. Keep up the writing.
» left by Arlene Wright-Correll from Munfordville, KY (61 days 12 hours ago.)
I live a vacation each and every day of my life. I have traveled and worked in many places all over the world and though I miss my favorite places in the Mediterranean now and then, no amount of money in the world will get me on planes any longer.
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