Thoughts About How to Make Air Travel Easier for the Directionally Challenged
Is it just I who think so, or is airport processing more chaotic than ever?
Now, don't get me wrong I've seen remarkable improvements within the air travel industry over my many years. I do believe, however, that a few more non-tech tweaks could make life easier for all, but especially for those who are directionally challenged.
From I was a child, I have been fascinated by aircraft.
Growing up in St. Mary, Jamaica, in an area that predominantly produced bananas, I was scared to death by the low flying "spray plane" that was used to apply insecticide and fungicide to banana plants growing on the several plantations surrounding my village.
I was also fascinated by the passenger planes that flew high above my head, and with my active childish imagination, I thought that the people who were flying above could actually see, and hear me. I would wave and say, "Please take back a dolly baby (doll) for me!"
I well remember my first flight. It was a class trip to Mexico City on Mexicana Airlines. I won't say the year. I'll just say I was close to my eighteenth birthday, and my Spanish Class was making the trip to facilitate our fluency with the language.
Some of the most interesting aspects of that trip, to me, were the take offs and touchdowns. Only people my age can remember how you'd be thrown back in your seat, as planes lifted off, then, front first; and how long that ascent took before the plane finally levelled off. The touchdown was the opposite as we were tilted forward as the plane quickly reduced its altitude, then tilted backwards, is it landed, just like planes land nowadays - with the back tires touching the ground first. What was memorable was the spontaneous outburst of applause from us, as we realized that the pilot had miraculously brought us down from such great heights, and we were all in one piece.
My fascination with air travel has not diminished over the years. Of course, my favorite spot in the cabin is a window seat, and I have noted the extreme advancement in passenger aircraft technology that allows planes to have almost vertical take-off these days. Certainly, planes now cover 0 to hundreds of feet of altitude in seconds.
Airport facilities have also improved tremendously. On my first trip, we walked out of the waiting area, unto the tarmac, and then up a seemingly endless flight of stairs to board the aircraft. Nowadays, if you're fortunate, you can use a moving walkway, an escalator or an elevator to get to your boarding gate. The only thing they haven't automated as yet is the boarding passage, which, mind you, is now very effective in protecting you from the elements - a great improvement on how things were in the past. But this piece is in pursuit of a better all-round passenger experience, from the boarding gate to disembarking gate.
Some brilliant mind in airline management thought of a way to make more money, by assigning various labels to travelers, depending on predetermined designations. A natural and logical group is the frequent-flyer designation. No one begrudges frequent flyers the perks that an airline accords them, one of which is early boarding. Others allowed early boarding, and rightly so, are families with young children, veterans and active duty personnel, the disabled, and those who travel "first class."
Evidently, a lot of thought went into getting those groups seated early. It's what happens with the rest of us that I question. Most airlines place passengers in groups from A to F, with the A Group being allowed to board first, and the F Group last.
This exercise is still chaotic. It's not unheard of for Group A or Group B travelers to be still standing in the walkway to the plane, or in the aisle of the plane, when the F Group is invited to board.
I was one of those who had to fly during the COVID 19 crisis, and as I recall, boarding and disembarking were such a pleasant experience. The airlines boarded travelers from the back of the plane, and there was no bundling. Why has the practice not been continued? It worked!
I'm sure that those already seated who, currently, will have others leaning over and on them, lifting heavy bags over their heads, sometimes having those bags fall on them, would not mind sitting in the waiting area a bit longer, if, when they are told to board, they simply walk to their seats without any hinderance.
Then, when the plane finally taxis to the disembarking gate, we'd all de-plane in the opposite order to how we came on. There'd be no hassle. We'd simply stand up according to our rows, get our carry on luggage and leave.
Is there anyone else who is thinking like me? For someone who is directionally challenged, the bundling that takes place in the aisles is too much!
What do you say?
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