A couple if days ago I flew in an aeroplane for the first time in years.
When I last flew, most people checked in at the airport with a human behind a desk. There were computers that could be used to check in, but most people didn’t know how to use them. Some of the airport staff stood around and invited people out of the queue to come over and check in with a computer instead!
This time the only option was to check in with a computer at the airport.
I typed in my booking reference.
The computer asked me if my hand bag was less than 7kg.
I pressed’ yes’ because it would be pretty silly to have a handbag that weighed more than 7kg. It would make my arm tired.
The computer asked me if I had any big bags to check in.
I pressed ‘no’ because I had already couriered my things up to my destination in advance, because I wanted to make sure they got there.
The computer showed me lots of pictures of prohibited items, fireworks and rats and things like that, and asked me if I had any in my checked-on baggage.
I pressed ‘no’ because I didn’t have any checked-on baggage, but the computer must have forgotten this already.
The computer showed me the seat I had chosen when I booked my ticket on the internet and asked me if I still wanted that seat.
I pressed ‘yes’ because I had picked a window seat in row 4 so I could see the propeller of the aeroplane.
So I sat in the airport watching planes and watching people until my boarding call was made.
I gave my husband a hug goodbye and boarded the plane.
During preparation for take off I watched the propeller start up, and it was exciting because it was still and then it moved! I love machinery!
Then we took off and I watched the scenery out of the window get smaller and smaller as the aeroplane got higher and higher!
Then the aeroplane just kept flying and I could see teeny tiny hills and roads and rivers.
Then we flew into clouds! It was so long since I had been in an aeroplane that I had forgotten that clouds are in layers. The aeroplane flew between two layers of clouds and being between two layers of clouds made me feel very special.
Then after we had been flying what seemed like forever (but it was actually only an hour) an announcement was made that we were descending and we were to put away our tray tables, fasten our seat belts and keep our seats upright.
My tray table was away and my seat was upright and so I just made sure my seatbelt was nice and tight.
Then the plane dropped a little bit in a hurry and it gave me a fright and I gripped the armrests and the I realised there was a button on one armrest that I had not noticed.
I looked at the button and wondered what it was for and then I realised that it must be the button to press to recline the seat.
Then the plane dropped a little bit more in a hurry and gave me another fright and I said to myself:
“Do NOT press the button! The voice told us not to recline our chairs! DO NOT PRESS THE BUTTON!”
The problem was, that if there is a button that I know I should not press, all I want to do is PRESS THE BUTTON!
I sat on my hands to stop myself pressing the button.
The plane dropped a couple more times in a hurry and I got a couple more frights and because I now could not grab the arm rests I pushed myself as far back into my (very upright) chair that I could.
Then we landed! Yay!
I looked out the window, which I had not done for a while and I saw the propeller of the plane, but because I was so far back in my chair I only saw the tip of the propeller and it looked different and I thought: “Wow, there is another aeroplane right next to this one, I didn’t think they were allowed get that close to each other.”
Then I leaned forward in my seat properly and I saw that I was looking at the propeller of the aeroplane I was in and then I wanted to laugh and I tried really hard not to laugh so I just ended up smiling a lot.
So, in theory, on my flight home next week I should be all prepared: as long as I don’t think about the button on my armrest and remember there is a propeller outside my window, it should be an uneventful flight!