​​​My Flight experience from Gulf country to Kathmandu…

Well, traveling is always fun, filled with excitements and new things to explore in every travel. To my comfort, I would prefer to travel in the airline, which is reliable and which makes my flight journey comfortable at the cost I pay. But this time I prefer to choose a budget airline to and from Kathmandu and it was first of its kind and I was well aware of facilities which I will not enjoy.

I do understand the level of patience and tolerance needed to make people understand things when language becomes problem and people themselves show irresponsible behavior knowingly or unknowingly. But I guess, this was not the first flight of the airline and neither they were unaware of the types of passengers who board the flight. I am sure they do have records of flight passengers and things to consider dealing with different passengers. 

Among passengers, I noticed they felt uncomfortable as if they didn’t feel they are part of the so-called civilized environment and also, most of them were ignorant about flight discipline. But on the other hand, they were also ignorant about their rights, as a passenger. As a passenger, they were supposed to get similar and equal treatment as any western passenger would get. But things were different. They were afraid to ask things and they hesitate to request anything because they were not fully aware of their right as a passenger and unaware of the fact that they have paid their blood money, for the flight. They were supposed to be confident, ask for things they don’t understand, and demand for the things they are supposed to get. But instead, they were getting indifferent treatment from the airline people, which was wrong in my personal opinion. The airline industry should not judge passenger and treat them indifferently because of passenger’s ignorance, as they have not set any pre-requirements for passenger boarding flight except you to have a valid visa and pay for the flight.

If communicating in English is the problem, then as suggested previously, try to hire native from Nepal who is bilingual in English and Nepali language and make things more comfortable in both the ways. Because as Nepali, I do have soft corner for my colleagues, who get indifferent treatment because of the way they are and I feel hurt when airline people shows different behavior judging passengers from the way they dress or to the knowledge of English language they have. Passengers are passengers, be it from anywhere around the world and as a passenger, I would like to have a soft, delightful and disciplined environment and not strict, taunted and discriminatory.

While in the other side of the coin, I do acknowledge that being ignorant about the flight rules and discipline will always place you in an awkward situation because as a passenger if one has the right then he/she is also equally responsible to obey social and safety discipline and to show civil obedience in flight. Passing on cheap comments to airline people, drinking alcohols and disturbing others, being intoxicated, quarreling and talking loudly and aggressively are something that is against flight rules and regulations for passengers that will not only place you on trouble but also question your identity as Nepali. As I always believe, once you take off from Nepal, more than your individual identity, one carries the big responsibility of representing national identity. So my genuine pledges to the concerned authority who controls foreign labor work, at least take genuine responsibility towards making them aware of the civil discipline in the flight and make them prepare for simple flight rules at least, so that they may not end up into awkward situation, every time and at least show confident body language, so no one will treat you indifferently.

Brinda Shrestha 

My journey began from Kuwait to Dubai, it was around one and half hour flight and I was quite satisfied with the flight with no differences except in the services offered and I was happy enough. After 3 hrs. of transit in Dubai, my next flight to Kathmandu started and as I entered the aircraft, I felt some new changes,  for instance, the air hostess herself. She was not like the one I have been used to seeing. I guess, she was senior in her position and in age as well, with white blond hair, spectacles and without makeup touch on her face. Since the time I boarded the plane, I noticed the air hostess was having a hard time trying to explain passengers about their respective seat numbers and managing their luggage in the cabin. She was repeatedly requesting passengers to put on seat belts and to switch off the mobile in English but later on, she attempted her another request attempt, in Hindi language as most of the passengers, boarding the flight, were Nepalese, returning from Gulf countries, and probably at the age between 20’s and 30’s.Maybe she believed that passengers are having difficulty in understanding English and I did respect the genuine effort of her and I just wished this time people would really listen to her and do what she says because traveling in plane needed the feeling of social discipline and safety consciousness not only for yourself but towards others as well. But as she kept repeating the instructions, I felt, she was turning into warden, like in an examination hall and we all were students giving the exam. The scenario was such that passengers behaved and tried hard not to obey what she was saying and she, while in another hand, tried her best to impose her instructions, which was her duty. To me, seeing this was so different from my previous flight experiences. I have been used to seeing air hostesses in polite, hospitable and with the full service-oriented attitude towards her passengers but, here her voice keeps changing into strict attitude as if she is commanding and not requesting. With all these ambiguity and chaos, the flight took off at its scheduled time and journey to Kathmandu continued.

So, then, when one is aware that most passengers will be from Nepal with difficulty in understanding and communicating the English language, why doesn’t the airline hire someone who can communicate in both Nepali and English language? I have seen some airline, hiring native Chinese / Arabic speakers in the flight where most of the passengers traveling, are from China or Arab. I understand it’s the budget airline and people chose to travel cheap but when your airline income is dependent upon those people who have difficulty in communicating in English, isn't’ it the responsibility of the airline, being in service-oriented business.