Taking a flight anywhere can be a pretty scary experience for some. Sure the turbulence can be off-putting and the air pressure in the cabin may seem too low, but these are problems you face only once the plane takes off. What about all the little scares before the ‘please fasten your seat belt’ sign goes up.
First, you have to ensure you arrive in time to check in, ensuring that your bag isn’t over the weight limit.
Then comes the dreaded questions, “Did you pack the bag yourself? Do you know the contents of your bag? Do you have anything dangerous in your bag?”
It’s ten times worse when you’re a Liverpool supporter and realise your seat is situated next to a guy in a Man Utd top.
As a friend, Jonathan Hunter, recently said, that would all depend on what is considered dangerous. The contents of Jonathan’s bags were extremely dangerous to those with diabetes according to him. My bags were probably offensive to anyone with a fashion sense who probably thought that I had none. How many black T-shirts can one person have you may wonder? Once check-in is done and you navigate your way to the right boarding gate, the next task is finding your seat.
This can be made increasingly harder depending on how many people have already boarded the plane. You may not realise it at first but finding your seat can be a lot like going on a first date. You never know who you’re going to be sitting next to or whether the conversation will be any good. It’s ten times worse when you’re a Liverpool supporter and realise your seat is situated next to a guy in a Man Utd top.
Talk about awkward. But as they say, never judge a book by its cover. The Man Utd supporter, despite his poor choice in football teams, turns out to be a gamer and a true football fan. The rest of the flight is spent talking football and who are favourites to get relegated and win the league and before you know it, it’s touch-down Cape Town. So engrossed were you in the conversation that you didn’t even notice that couple sneaking off to the toilets or the clown sitting on the wing. Sure, taking a flight may seem like a scary thought for some, but there’s so much good that can come out of it.
You can make new friends you would have never met before, you can stare at the cute air hostesses for the duration of the flight and you can cross the country in a few hours without ever leaving your seat.