Camaraderie of airborne whiners

Airline passengers all over the world appear to have remarkably similar gripes about their flying experiences, if periodic surveys conducted in different countries are to be compared and believed. The recently-released survey of Indian passengers ranks rude reclining and kicking of seats and obstreperous children high on the list of pet peeves. That shows a definite common cause with Australian flyers polled five months ago, not to mention American complaints of a year ago. This camaraderie of annoyance is yet another proof that most human beings at some level — say 33,000 feet up — have a lot in common despite differences in region, race and livelihoods.

However, the grievance that got top billing from Indians — of passengers getting up, gathering their baggage and crowding the aisles soon after the plane lands, only moments after switching on their phones — points to Indians’ deeply ingrained impulse to get a headstart, even though they know there is no race. Other manifestations of that primal instinct include the inexplicable urge to jump queues, collar trolleys, book taxies or simply bag the best seat in the short bus ride to the terminal. All this stems, of course, from the primary annoyance — the presence of other passengers on the trip. But that, unfortunately, cannot be remedied!