Sending out an SOS!

I generally hate domestic flights... In India that is... Sometimes it feels like sitting in a flying second class A/C train coach!!!! But I had quite a pleasant surprise after we (me and Dad) checked in at the airport... a new airline company had emerged in the world of domestic flights! Apparently, their planes don't have economy class! All business class through and through! Thats coz the aircrafts are small and can fit in only two seats on either side of the aisle. But I guess we always associate economy class with 3 seats and business with 2 seats on either side of the aisle. We also got the invitation to chill out in their airport lounge till it was time for security check! I've never been inside a lounge in any airport! I've always sat in the uncomfortable waiting area! I was thrilled! :D :D And I celebrated by pigging out on sandwiches, drinking coke and making the best use of their leather couches. Ah... now THAT'S life! :P

Anyhoo... soon it was time to board the aircraft. Comfy seats and friendly air hostess. It was wonderful! After take off, food was brought on immediately. The flight was only an hour long, so no wonder. I generally hate airline food. I hadn't come across any decent food on any of my flight.... till that one! The desert looked amazing! Looked like cheese cake... it wasnt cheesecake... but something creamy. The appetizer was great but the main dish was the best. My favourite Chilly Paratha! I picked up my fork and began to attack my food. I was tempted to finish off the desert first! But I have a habit of leaving what I like the most to the very end. Unfortunately for me!!!

Halfway through my chilly paratha, the captain speaks up saying there was some problem with some part of the plane and we had to return to Chennai immediately for safety reasons.

Uh-oh

A general murmur and a slight amount of panic spread through the aircraft. Though none of us really understood which part of the plane stopped working, we just generally assumed it was the engine! (later found out it was some problem with the fuel injection... some clogging apparently.. *shudder*). But to be honest, I wasn't one bit scared. I carried on eating. The the pilot announced that the meal would taken back to prepare of landing!!

No way!!!!!!!!

I saw the air hostess coming from the front. A few rows ahead... I quickly attempted to unwrap the desert to just taste it! But by the time I opened it, my tray was gone :(

I sat mourning the loss of such wonderful food and stared out of the window. The flight landed at the airport and after it touched down, it pass by the fire station. I have seen the airport fire station like a million times. Ok... not a million, but everytime the plane takes off or lands when I shuttle between Singapore and home, I get to see it. But never had i seen it open with all the fire fighters! This time, when i looked at it, my jaw dropped when i saw all the fire fighters lined up by the big red engines! And yeah, the engines were out of the station. Like they were prepared to go somewhere. I assumed it was some kind of drill and just dismissed the incident. Then my dad leans over and asks me...

Dad- you know why those fire trucks are all ready to leave the station?

Me- No

Dad- Ours was an emergency landing. Thats why. For all emergency landings, the fire trucks stand by just in case the plane catches fire. You know nat geo's air crash investigations right? Its small problems like this that get magnified sometimes and causes more serious trouble. Its a good thing we got back when we did *grins*

Me- *shocked expression*

Dad- *grins more broadly at my expression*

Now all of a sudden, it doesnt seem so bad that I lost the amazing food :P Seriously, its times like this when I realise how wonderful things are for me and what a tragedy it would be to lose it all.

I'm alive and life rocks and its good to walk on solid earth!!!!

Yipppeeeee!!!!