Flying the once-friendly skies
The year of my 12th birthday also marked my first airplane flight. There were, of course, prop-jets, flying out of my hometown airport of Love Field, but for the short hop from Dallas to San Angelo, the only service at that time was Trans-Texas Airways.
I remember walking across the tarmac to the stairs leading up to the aircraft's door and feeling overwhelmed by the size of the silver bird and its wide wingspan. Of course, lined up next to one of today's Boeing Dreamliners, that little Douglas DC-3 would look like a toy.
Airlines bragged the DC-3 could fly from Los Angeles to New York City in 18 hours with only three stops. I also read recently the DC-3 had a cruising speed of 207 mph, a capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs. of cargo, and a range of 1,500 miles. Powered by two engine-driven propellers, the aircraft was perfect for flying around Texas because it could operate on short runways, the rule more than the exception in the waning years of the 1950s.
Air travel rituals included wearing your Sunday best and checking only one mid-sized piece of luggage... and, it went without saying: you were polite to the uniformed stewardesses, who were required to be registered nurses, and helpful and considerate of your fellow travelers.
Fast-forward to two weeks ago when a passenger on a Southwest flight in California refused to keep her seat belt as the aircraft taxied to the Passenger Boarding Bridge (AKA: Jetway). A fracas of words followed with the passenger refusing to fasten her seat belt and becoming physical, resulting in the flight attendant losing two teeth and sustaining a bloody nose...and this was just one incident!
A passenger recorded the abusive passenger's perp walk, down the aisle and off the plane, accompanied by airport law enforcement personnel.
If I were queen, I'd fine that young woman for endangering fellow passengers and then place her name on the terrorist no-fly list for the rest of her days...but that's just me.
The union for Southwest flight attendance reported 477 incidents of passenger misconduct on flights between April 8 and May 15 of this year, noting this was an uptick of problems, compared to the year prior to COVID-19.
Nationally, the Federal Aviation Administration said it had received 2,500 reports of unruly passengers, flying America's once-friendly skies.
Just this past week, during a 12-hour flight between Tokyo and D/FW, another incident occurred that almost defies belief.
First of all, let's establish the cabin crew -- the flight attendants -- are there, not just to bring blankets and pillows or to serve meals and beverages. No, these well-trained men and women are there to assure the safety of every passenger, from preparing them for a safe take-off and landing, to taking steps to remain safe in turbulent weather, attending to passenger health emergencies, such as seizures, heart attacks or unscheduled infant deliveries.
So back to the international flight from Tokyo.
Three or four hours into the flight, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, a woman in the economy class seats in the rear of the aircraft found that the phone charger, located in her seat, wasn't working. The woman was in full melt-down mode and was screaming about the phone charger. As one attendant tried to calm her, another came to assist, only to have the passenger stomp on her foot and push her down. From there, the passenger ran down the aisle until she reached the door of the flight deck.
At that point, she banged on the door, screaming she needed someone to fix her phone charger.
These antics forced the pilot to place the flight in a Level 3 Lockdown Status and divert to the nearest airport for an emergency landing.
Walka Suzuki, 26, was escorted from the plane by law enforcement. If I were head of American Airlines, I'd put her on the terrorist list...after I had collected a whopping fine for endangering the lives of 60 passengers and 13 crew members, all because she couldn't get her phone to charge!
Maybe it's a numbers game -- the bigger the plane and the larger number of passengers on a flight, the higher the odds there will be at least one bad apple to deal with.