Airline Staff - double faced ??

Passengers stranded on a plane at Gatwick for NINE hours following heavy fog 

Date published : 17th october 2011; Date accesses : 18th october 2011.

For all those who feel that flight is the most comfortable mode of transportation, think again.  Recently 250 passengers onboard Air India flight 131 from Mumbai to London were stranded at the Gatwick airport in England. The strange part is that they were forced to sit inside the flight for nine hours and not leave. The flight was initially expected to arrive at Heathrow Airport in London but was diverted to Gatwick Airport due to fog and aviation rules. The reason why they were not able to complete the journey - aviation law limits the length of time for which flight crew are allowed to work in one shift. The passengers stood in front of the cockpit demanding an explanation from the pilot, however he refused to open the door. The passengers also complained about the lack of food and how hungry they were. The ironical thing is that Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport are just 35 km apart and the airlines could easily have arranged an alternative mode of transportation for the weary passengers.

This article can surely be related to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. The actions of the airlines staff were quite similar to that of the mental hospital staff. The passengers can be related to the patients in the mental asylum. The mental hospital staff prevents the patients from following their own wish and forcing them to do what they want. They are in total control of everything. The staff decides for how long a patient should stay in the mental hospital and when a person should leave the hospital. Similarly in the flight the pilot and the attendants were the ones who controlled what the passengers did. They did not even allow the passengers to leave the flight. The passengers were totally dependent on the flight attendants and had hardly any say of their own. The mental hospital staff desired acquiescence from its patients while the flight attendants did not give them any other option.

Thus the next time you see an airhostess pass a friendly smile to you don’t fall for it. Who knows what evil machinery is going on inside that false face!!


VOCABULARY


stranded
adjective, origin-1621
drive or leave (a boat, sailor, or sea creature) aground on a shore
The students who had gone for a visit to the Chesowick island were left stranded when the ferry departed without them.


compelled
verb, Middle English compellen, from Anglo-French compeller,from Latin compellere, from com- + pellere to drive — more at felt

First Known Use: 14th century

force or oblige (someone) to do something
The school principal compelled the teachers to follow his orders threatening them with lower wages.


acquiescence
noun, origin - 1646
reluctantly agreeable
All the employers expect complete acquiescence from their employees.