‘When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.’
– Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American industrialist, the founder of Ford Motor Company.
During my 18-hour direct flight from Singapore to New York, I had anticipated the usual monotony of a long-haul journey. However, last Saturday had a surprise in store for us. Just as I settled in with my movie and snacks, a young American boy, perhaps around 12 years old, confidently walked by, waving a GoPro. He played a video clip that showed me switching seats on the plane.
The caption read: “Dude switches spots with a dad. Gets ANOTHER kid! Dad’s chilling now, huh?” And, believe it or not, a dramatic holler played in the background. He cheekily titled it “A little Saturday rage.”
My immediate reaction was, “Wait, what?! Did I just get punked? When did you start using me for your content?”
He flashed a mischievous grin. “Mom dared me to. It’s our little ‘Saturday rage’ challenge.”
“Besides, you stood out. There’s something cool about you,” he added.
I raised an eyebrow. “Cool? On a long-haul flight? That’s a first.”
Honestly, his perspective was quite refreshing. Usually, on flights like these, passengers are irritated over stale aeroplane peanuts or when their touchscreen stops working. And here was this boy, turning the entire plane into his TikTok studio.
“Seriously though,” I asked, trying to understand his reasoning, “Out of everyone on this plane, why did you choose me for the challenge?”
He scratched his forehead, pondering for a moment, and then said, “People on planes, they’re just … different, you know? That whole seat-switching event? It was just the kind of unexpected move that caught my eye.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I’ve witnessed all sorts of crazy behaviour on flights.
Not letting my curiosity fade, I pressed on, “Alright, Mr. Director, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve caught on camera?”
After building suspense with a brief pause, he shared the juicy details. “I caught two elderly men having a heated argument over space in the overhead compartment. Oh, and there was this overweight lady —she got so mad when someone reclined onto her laptop, that she threw her sandwich!”
The saga of seat reclining never gets old. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen someone lose it over that, I’d probably have enough to upgrade to first class.
Nodding, he agreed, “Humans, man. They’re just … weird.”
A few rows ahead, I recognised a colleague from work, Catherine. Our eyes met, and she gave me a sheepish smile. It turned out that my little filmmaker was her son, Donovan! Everything made sense then. I thought, “No wonder the kid’s so bold!”
Shaking my head, I said, “Listen, Donovan, about that video, you better not …”
“Don’t worry,” he interrupted, “I won’t post it. It was just for fun.” With that reassuring smile, he scurried back to his seat.
Now that I’ve had a moment to think, why do seemingly rational people act like children on a plane? Is it the altitude or the cramped seats? I swear, with all the drama I’ve witnessed on flights lately, it feels like I’m in a reality TV show.
Recently, I witnessed a woman extend both her arms to block the seat in front of her from reclining. I read about a man who caused a scene because he didn’t get his first-choice meal. I even saw an adult lose control over a crying baby and respond by screaming back.
Footage of these in-flight meltdowns can go viral on social media, but the passengers involved often remain unidentified. They appear as cursed images: a curtain of hair grazing the tray table, a hand reaching through a seat gap to adjust someone else’s window shade, and a barefoot propped on an armrest. It truly reveals how we behave when we’re out of our comfort zones.
I mean, think about it: planes are these peculiar, in-between spaces where the normal rules of society don’t seem to apply. Everyone is crammed in, there’s an unspoken seat etiquette and minor things suddenly become major issues. It reminds me of that old rat study by John B. Calhoun back in the 1960s. Pack too many rats into a confined space, and tension flares and chaos ensues. And you know, it’s not just about being cramped. The whole flying experience just amplifies the stress.
The ordeal begins long before we even board the plane. The dreaded drive to the airport, navigating through a sea of luggage on the curb, bustling terminals, and snail-paced security lines — all while your smartphone keeps pinging with work emails, even as you remove your shoes and put them through the X-ray machine. By the time you’re on the plane, you’re already running on fumes.
Some say we’ve forgotten how to behave in public, but I believe it goes deeper than that. Flights nowadays are more stressful and less enjoyable. So, when things don’t go smoothly, passengers react, sometimes dramatically.
On a flight, everyone is competing for limited resources, yet their destinies are intertwined. When a baby cries, everyone hears it. When one passenger acts out, it affects everyone. I recall an incident involving a stock trader named Juan. Falsely accused of being “sick” by an elite fellow passenger, Juan documented the event on Instagram, directing the camera at his accuser. At that moment, the privileged traveller became just another passenger, stuck like the rest of us.
As I was jotting down these thoughts, our descent into New York airspace began. Beside me, a toddler was crying inconsolably. The mother couldn’t calm him down. Distraught and embarrassed, she finally turned to me. “I think kids know,” she whispered. “I think they know there’s nothing underneath us.”
It struck me then. Perhaps we all sense it. We all know we’re up in the sky, far from the ground, and all we have is each other.
