That’s high-altitude high-handedness

The news that some pilots of our national carrier bring along tiffin boxes from home rather than partake of what is dished out to their passengers should not be taken as a damning indictment of the quality of the airline’s flight catering. It is normal for pilots to be served different food as they often fly the same route every day, which means the same on-board menus every day. No wonder some pilots try to ward off ennui by ordering smoked salmon or guacamole for their in-flight nibbles. But a surfeit of such specially ordered goodies would inevitably lead to some of them falling back on simpler homecooked khana. After all, many airline passengers, especially frequent flyers, also bring along their foil-wrapped spicy gobhi parathas or vadai to munch on during flights. Indeed, it is quite touching that while some pilots allegedly order special food items to be served to them such as smoked salmon, hummus and guacamole on our swadeshi airline, other pilots bring meals from home.

Of course, passengers quietly stash away their empty containers, never daring to tell the cabin crew to wash the vessels before they do so. But when a pilot is called a commander, self-service can become a problem. Considering aircraft are almost totally automated these days, what else can the commander, well, command except the crew anyway?