I recently traveled across the continent - you know that dreaded 6 hour flight experience - it is all good if it ends in the promised 6 - from door to door so to speak; weather, man, machine and misc idiosyncrasies accounted for.
Now when it comes to enjoying the 'already paid for' 6 hours, airlines are getting creative by wiring seats with personalized television - reality shows at 6,000 feet must feel different when you are under less pressure (< than atmospheric that is) - as well as food menu items that are priced higher (because you guessed it - you are high up) to charging for pillows and blankets and earpieces and extra legroom. Perhaps next will be rental dogs if you are really missing your pooch at your side.
But not wanting to shell out any more per seat than I had to on one of my legs I most often try to spark a conversation with the human next to me assuming he or she has not already given up and spaced out. So it was this time when I encountered a young person that proved to be equally interested in social conversation 1 x 1. Not the pseudo - electronic - social networking type but real honest chatting old fashioned way.
So as this conversation kicked off and progressed what I realized is that it is akin to a confession that Catholics attempt at their local place of forgiveness. People will many times (more data points on prior flights) open up and convey their darkest or most inner emotions and thoughts to a total stranger because there is a comfort factor of not having baggage (other than what you checked for a fee) on either side of the fence. It is candid and it ends with the arrival at the gate.
I learn a lot from these snippets about people - what they think - why they do what they do and it is by far better than any sociological experiment you can conduct. It opens up your mind to understand the fellow beings a little better I think and also makes for a smarter person than when you got on the tube.
Besides the kicker is you do not have to pay the airline for this 'tube' experience.
Now when it comes to enjoying the 'already paid for' 6 hours, airlines are getting creative by wiring seats with personalized television - reality shows at 6,000 feet must feel different when you are under less pressure (< than atmospheric that is) - as well as food menu items that are priced higher (because you guessed it - you are high up) to charging for pillows and blankets and earpieces and extra legroom. Perhaps next will be rental dogs if you are really missing your pooch at your side.
But not wanting to shell out any more per seat than I had to on one of my legs I most often try to spark a conversation with the human next to me assuming he or she has not already given up and spaced out. So it was this time when I encountered a young person that proved to be equally interested in social conversation 1 x 1. Not the pseudo - electronic - social networking type but real honest chatting old fashioned way.
So as this conversation kicked off and progressed what I realized is that it is akin to a confession that Catholics attempt at their local place of forgiveness. People will many times (more data points on prior flights) open up and convey their darkest or most inner emotions and thoughts to a total stranger because there is a comfort factor of not having baggage (other than what you checked for a fee) on either side of the fence. It is candid and it ends with the arrival at the gate.
I learn a lot from these snippets about people - what they think - why they do what they do and it is by far better than any sociological experiment you can conduct. It opens up your mind to understand the fellow beings a little better I think and also makes for a smarter person than when you got on the tube.
Besides the kicker is you do not have to pay the airline for this 'tube' experience.
The old version of this was romances on the ship during a voyage-when any girl looks beautiful.
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