Planes

Planes are the 21st century’s fastest way to travel. Gone are the days of the intercontinental boat and the long-haul train. Despite airplanes’ ubiquity, there still exists an entire host of complications with the medium.

Planes represent humanity’s conquering of the atmosphere that has been taunting us since our conception. However, it is that very same newness that makes air travel so enticing that births many of flight’s difficulties. Humans are not built to be 10,000 meters in the air. Any frequent flyer will regale you with tales of dry eyes, cracked lips and skin, and dreaded, tasteless “airplane food.” Sea-level travel is simply not beholden to the same biological limitations.

Yet, there is another tasteless airplane experience that plagues the flyer even before boarding, security theatre. While some train stations do have rudimentary security screenings, nothing compares to the excessive examinations of airport security. This adds hours upon hours to what would otherwise be a short journey. Much of this is unnecessary and simply serves to project a facade of law and order. 

Order seems to be a favorite of the airline industry, considering how systematic the boarding process is. Many people are given barely enough space to keep a personal item and still fit in their seat. While the dominance of the public aircraft over the private one may be a triumph of the people in one sense, the preference for profit margins over personal space is certainly not. 

COVID-19 has created disaster the world round, but out of the ashes of disaster rise the fires of greatness. Many compare the current pandemic to the global wars of old—times in which many companies were co-opted by the state for the greater good of the country. I agree with this comparison and suggest that—just as many public transport, health, and social systems came into existence during the aftermath of the Second World War—this period of disarray can give airline executives to reflect on the way they operate their business.