flying days after plane disaster

I am drafting this to you from the seat of my flight from Phñom Penh to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur.

Flying just days after another plane tragedy took way too many lives and I must confess I am a little more nervous than usual. Generally speaking I am OK with flying... I hate the first 10 and last 10 minutes of the flight.

This flight is a little harder and many thoughts come in and out of my mind while waiting for and during take off. This flight is a Malaysian Airlines flight.


I will confess to being a little hesitant when my travel agent told me it was the best flight option for me. When I told people of my travel plans someone even commented "You're not flying Malaysian Airlines are you?".... but I couldn't let events from the past prevent me from travelling. Gosh if we all did that we'd never leave the house!!

I wonder about flight MH370, a number we all know but have no answers about. I wonder how the hell a big arse plane can disappear without a trace. I wonder about MH17 as well... we have a few more answers about what happened to it, but I wonder if we will ever know the full story. I wonder if we need to. 

I wonder how the families who had loved ones on board both those planes are dealing with their loss. I wonder what thoughts were running through the passengers and crews minds as whatever happened happened.

I wonder about the staff on board that flight, going about their job, often we focus on the passengers and forget the crew. I wonder how the other staff at Malaysian Airlines, the staff aboard this flight, coped when both tragedies involving their company occurred. Did some of them leave? Quit their job? Did they go on business as usual? Are they concerned each time they board a flight? Of course I'm not about to ask them... But I wonder.

I wonder about the co-pilot on the Germanwings flight. I will confess to not having read any of the news articles other than a headline to say it appeared he deliberately refused the pilot entry to the cockpit. I must confess to not really wanting to know the sad story that must be behind a man who could end not only his own life, but those of all the staff and passengers on board.. 

I must confess it makes me a little angry, that shit could have been prevented. It didn't have to happen. Those people didn't have to die. 

I am sitting by the window, the lady on the aisle seems to be praying during some turbulence. I wonder what she's thinking?

At the end of the flight a message comes in the TV in the seat console that says 'Thank you' and I can't help but think, 'No, Thank You Malaysia Airlines'**

I wonder all these things but it will not ever stop me from travelling by plane. If we stopped doing things that might kill us then we wouldn't get out of bed in the morning. 


Linking up with My Home Truths for I Must Confess and One Mother Hen for Open Slather!


**I was not thanking Malaysian Airlines about 2 hours after I wrote this post when I finally arrived in Singapore only to be told that my luggage wasn't transferred to my connecting flight in time and should be delivered within 24 hours... was not a happy traveller! Thankfully it was delivered intact the following day.