From a plane: Thoughts from 30,000 feet

The man spent more than three hours staring straight ahead, clutching a cardboard box that was, from what I could tell, his only piece of luggage. He declined all food and beverage from the crew of the Delta flight headed to Phoenix, Arizona, at roughly 500 mph at more than 30,000 feet in the air. He didn’t take advantage of the on-board entertainment conveniently located in the back of the seat in front of him. He didn’t even stand up to stretch his legs or use the restroom. He sat perfectly still, staring straight ahead and guarding his mysterious parcel.  

I wondered what could be inside. He held it like it was his last earthly possession. I attempted to make small talk, seeing if I could figure out something about this strange character, who, like me, had spent the morning going through security and fighting the crowd at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. There’s a TSA agent there who knows, but that’s the only person because I was unheard or ignored by the gentleman. I settled in for a little in-air television time on the otherwise uneventful flight. 

On the return flight a week later, I sat next to an older woman who was more pleasant, but clearly did not like flying. At takeoff and landing, as well as at every bump of turbulence, she braced herself against the seat. I could hear the sigh of relief when the 757 came to a stop at the gate. 

Nobody likes flying. If people were meant to move through the air, the good Lord would have given us wings, and we all know the unfortunate tale of Icarus, who fell to his death after his man-made wings melted because he flew too close to the sun.

That being said, you can’t beat the convenience of flying, and I’m always surprised to meet someone who has never been on an airplane, though I know there are still a great many of them. A lot of folks still say they are afraid of flying. That’s not true, they are afraid of crashing. Some of these same people will tell you that while cruising 80 mph down the interstate while eating a cheeseburger and catching up on text messages. There is danger everywhere if you look for it. 

My kids are great airline passengers. It seems security agents are much more patient with you when traveling as a family. Once on board, in less than four hours they can be across the country, plus there’s TV and WiFi. What’s not to like? My car certainly can’t hold up to a Boeing. On the plus side, though, there’s no stranger hugging a mystery box.

I’m fortunate enough to have been on several flights on different kinds of aircraft. From WWII-era bombers to modern jet airliners, I’ve trusted pilots and their crews to take me up to the blue, and I’ve always made it back to terra firma safe and sound. I’m not afraid of flying, but I’m happy not to have any tickets booked for the foreseeable future.