Air Travel in the 21st Century

The rapid pace of acceleration in the world of technology seemed to have missed the airplane which we were assigned. I felt goosebumps rising as I squeezed my backpack through the narrow aisles between rows of tightly packed seats. After an alarming event where a passenger was caught smoking on the aircraft, we were off! Off to a rocky start, that is.

I felt ready to be transported… back in time, as we boarded the plane that looked like it had been preserved from the 1950’s. The seats were cute and tiny; while they were small and adorable, they were also startlingly uncomfortable on a 10-hour plane trip. I wasn’t the tallest person on the plane; I shuddered to think what that individual would have to undergo.

The primary gleam of light during the journey came in the form of the snack cart that rolled down the aisle twice in the duration of the flight. The sparkle of excitement engendered by the rattle of the cart emerging from the flight attendant’s corner was enough to sustain us passengers through any turbulence. Heads popped out into the aisles like lemurs as passengers sought to establish an ETA for when the snack cart would reach them. I could see the worry rising in the fellow in front of us; with every additional request of “Apple juice, please,” he became more concerned. And with good reason: by the time the cart reached him, and he, in turn, requested “apple juice,” the attendant said, “I’m sorry, sir, we ran out. But we can offer you tomato?” ✈️