Friday, August 26, 2011

Am I traveling or on a timeout?

Flying has got to be one of the top five greatest things that humans are able do. To actually sit in a piece of metal and go 30,000 feet in the air and be able to get to another part of your own country, let alone a completely different one, in a matter of hours? Incredible. So, why is it not a celebration on a plane? Why is everything so cold and robotic?

When you walk on, the flight attendant and Captain should be there to say, "Can you believe that we're actually going to fly?!” 
“I know! In the air!”
“We'll be in Vegas in four hours! Two weeks on the stupid train!" 
Then they high five you and pop a bottle of champagne.

"My god I love the Wright Brothers. Wooooooo!"
Alas, that is not what happens. A flight attendant is standing at the door to greet you, but only to check your boarding pass the exact way a flight attendant did at the top of the ramp! Does the flight attendant at the top of the ramp mess up so much that they had to get a stewardess on the plane to double check? 
"Can I see your boarding pass, sir?...This is a box of Raisin Bran. My God, Cheryl is slipping up there today. Cheryl! This is cereal! Jesus, whose cousin is she?"
Why do the airlines have to talk as if we are in the Oval Office listening to scientists? Even then there might be a "Yo, bro, you wanna give me a second to explain what's in this beaker?"
The language on a plane couldn't be any colder if it was written by Tipper Gore, and edited by a corpse.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to extend our hands in gratitude to you for flying with us. We would ask that you please place your leather body holder in the full and upright locked position, and keep your vision sensors forward as we prepare to ascend into the atmosphere."
Nobody in the real world talks like this! If their are people that do, they should not be allowed on planes, they should be investigated for the murders taking place in their towns. WE ARE FLYING! This should be a celebration!

"Yo guys, it's about to happen! You know when you get on a roller coaster and it goes to the top of the track? Well this plane is gonna do that, but keep going up! INTO THE SKY! And we have alcohol! Can you get a beer on a coaster? Don't think so!"
I just don't understand why it all HAS to be so uncomfortable. I understand you want to make money planes, but the people who paid to be here should be able to unclench their fists without hitting the seat in front of the. You lean back, you crush the top of someone’s laptop who was watching 'Good Burger' to try to shut their mind off and not deal with this tuna can simulator. 
Why do the seats need to be straight up for take off? Is there any actual reason for this, other than, "Sir, you were looking kind of comfortable and as if you were about to fall asleep, we just can't have that here. Put your seat straight up, and prick yourself with this needle so you have a disgruntled look on your face". 
"Aghgh, god that hurt."
"There you are, sir. Thank you."
The craziest thing to me is that if you have headphones that are anything but earbud headphones, you have to take them off for take-off and landing. What? Why! Well, I asked one day. Do you know why? DO YOU? It's so that if the plane flips upside down during take off, and you fall out of your seat, you won't hang yourself... THAT'S THE REASON I WAS TOLD! Told me as well as if it was law. As if nothing else could possible make more sense than this.
"Oh, it's because if the plane flips over, you don't hang yourself. That's a fact. Nothing is more factual than that. We've done tests, and even needing air to breathe is not as much a fact as hanging yourself with headphones. Seriously. Studies have shown that we might not even need air. Apparently we could be getting our oxygen from the sun. I know, I couldn't believe it either! I do however believe that you will choke yourself if we flip upside down. Headphones off, please."
First of all, it could possibly be the stupidest thing that has ever been said to me, and someone said to me once "You should come to this club man. The girls there, they have hungry eyes". 
Second, "if we flip upside down", how often does this happen? That should be looked at and not my headphones.
"We have been flipping a lot of these planes upside down on take offs and landing. We should really look into it."
"What? That's part of the plane’s charm! Might flip this way, that way. It's a ride! We're not looking into that. Just tell people people to brace themselves."
Third, if I want to wear my headphones and the consequence could be hanging myself, let me make that decision myself, all right? I think that's fair. I paid to be here. If the plane flips over, while everyone else is screaming, I want to be choking while Ice Cube blares in my ears.
Being on a plane now is like being in Homeroom. 
"Um, stop doing this, stop doing that. Oh, here comes an announcement."
"Kids, I am an ominous voice that sounds as if I'm in a cave. We are experiencing some turbulence, so please keep your safety buckle fastened. Also, remember, Mr. Bleaker’s math class is cancelled today, and oatmeal chocolate chip muffins are just a dollar today in the cafĂ©. Thanks for flying with High Jet School Airlines."

I'm assuming they are going to keep the terrible safety demonstration on the plane, but can we just get rid of the seat belt part of the safety demonstration? We all know how to buckle a seat belt by now. If you don't, doesn't even matter. A seat belt may help in a car crash, but a plane crash? No way. Never a story that goes, "A plane crashed today, and there were hundreds of survivors, except for one idiot who didn't have on his seat belt. Didn't he know that seat belts stop all bad things from happening? If you were wearing a seat belt while a tiger attacked you, the tiger would politely apologize and lie down in front of you making himself into a foot stool."
Nope, just, "Yeah, a plane crashed today. Survivors? You serious? It's 30,000 feet in the air! Some people die from falling from 10. Seat belts?! Jesus. I'm assuming once the plane made impact those seat belts turned into somewhat of a fire whip that lashed at everyone. Much like Ghost Riders chain. "
One airline was making things fun. Making jokes, having a good time. WestJet told jokes constantly. Then what happened? A flight attendant made a joke about a place they landed, something like "Nobody wants to be here", and people from the town complained! COMPLAINED! The mayor complained about it! This town really must be something if the mayor has time to answer cheap shots from a flight attendant.
"Sir, sorry to bother you from doing your mayoral duties, but someone called our town a Doodie head factory."
"What?! My God. I had a lot of mayoral things to do,  but this is now on the top of the list! Roads and schools will have to play second banana today. Doodie head factory. Jesus Christ, my kids live here! They'll have as little fun as I do when I'm done with them!"
So, because of that, now WestJet does not make jokes, and is as un-fun as every other airline. Good going people who can't laugh at themselves. Now on every flight we can all have our seriousness in a full and upright locked position.

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