This woman was so nervous about flying, so the flight attendant explained every sound and bump and even sat here holding her hand when it still got to be too much for her - eviltoast
  • EdibleFriend@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I know this is a very tame example for what he meant but I’m reminded of Mr Rogers saying look for the helpers

  • samus12345@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    “Don’t worry about a thing, honey. I’m gonna help you through this.”

    “Those are all normal noises.”

    “Luggage compartment closing. Cross-checking.”

    “Just sit back and relax.”

    “That’s just the engine powering up.”

    “That’s just the engine struggling.”

    “That’s just the carp swimming around your ankles.”

  • fjordbasa@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I did this once. A stranger asked me to hold her hand as we landed. It was the height of COVID and I was kind of wary, but I used some hand sanitizer before and after, and grabbed her hand as we hit the usual turbulence and bumps on approach. I figured if she was scared enough to ask a stranger to hold her hand, it would be meaningful to her to do it. We didn’t really talk before or after. Once we landed and started taxiing, she let go, thanked me, and I said you’re welcome.

    • cucumber_sandwich@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I figured if she was scared enough to ask a stranger to hold her hand, it would be meaningful to her to do it.

      This is such an important realization, I think. It was a little bit awkward for you, but imagine her internal process.

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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      10 months ago

      I’ve experienced some scary shit, for me – nearly lost a limb (thanks be to medicine), cancer scare, etc. Life shit.

      The simple human kindness of reassuring touch is so trivial at the time until you’re really in the depths of the fear in the spinning, wild, no-no-no-no part. Then the triviality of reassuring human touch - platonic, but there to say you’re not alone - is a fucking lifeline. Just for a moment.

    • FeminalPanda@lemmings.world
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      10 months ago

      I have done it for kids before but not adults. I would do the same though. I flew from STL to Mobile, Al with a transfer in Atlanta when I was in 6th grade. The flight attendants and others that helped me thru it were wonderful.

  • Nougat@kbin.social
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    10 months ago

    If the flight attendants aren’t worried, I’m not worried. Eh, fuck it, I’m just not worried no matter what, it doesn’t help.

    • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I’m not going to worry even if I’m being sucked out of the fuselage after the door plug blows out. Worrying won’t help in any of these situations.

      I’d probably scream a little tho

          • Mossy Feathers (She/They)@pawb.social
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            10 months ago

            Interestingly, that’s not always true. Supposedly there are things you can do to improve your chances of surviving a fall without a parachute, like spreading your shirt to increase drag, orienting yourself to land feet-first, knees bent, or aiming for bushes. Luck is a large part of it though.

            • moody@lemmings.world
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              10 months ago

              I’ve literally met someone who survived a parachute failure. She mentioned something vague about a skydiving incident, so I looked her up. Turns out she literally survived hitting the ground after her parachute didn’t open. Lots of nasty injuries, some permanent, but nothing obviously debilitating.

            • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              Falling out of a plane is literally safer than falling off of a skyscraper. Because at least with skydiving, you have a chance to direct your landing and pick something that isn’t solid concrete.

            • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              I wonder if you could make a makeshift parachute by taking off your shirt. What’s unclear to me though is just how rapidly you’d decelerate, and if the force associated with that would be manageable…or rip your arms off.

      • 0ops@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        I’d probably scream a little tho

        Yeah might as well. It’s funner when you put your hands up!

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        That looks like a Delta plane. Delta doesn’t fly any 737Max-9 planes. In the USA you’d need Alaska or United for that.

      • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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        10 months ago

        But it does help to worry a bit before you are sucked out the fuselage though.

        Keeps you from getting nearer to the open hole.

      • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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        10 months ago

        Worrying won’t help in any of these situations.

        That’s a rational take on something that isn’t rational. Worry is fun in that it doesn’t care about your logic.

        Example: My friend was ditched in a round of layoffs a ways back with terrible timing. He’s just moved back to the country, with a mortgage and other costs, taken in his dad to care for, and it’s close to 10k/mo of run-rate with cars and dual taxes and just family costs. I bet he still worries, even though it’s no help.

        • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Right, which is why identifying and eliminating such behavior is preferable.

          I don’t have to engage in irrational behavior just because some stupid idea pops into my head.

    • MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
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      10 months ago

      The most apt description of worry that I’ve found is that worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but ultimately, it doesn’t get you anywhere.

      IMO, if the flight attendants look worried, I’m preparing myself to jump into action if required. Putting things away and getting ready to move at a moment’s notice if it’s needed. Beyond that, I’m not going to take charge and start delegating or anything. I don’t have that much of an ego. I’m just ready and willing to help, and if I have a few minutes to prepare myself, then I can do that much more quickly.

      As for worrying, I handle worry and stress with action. So until there’s something to do, worry isn’t a helpful emotion to me, so I’ll do everything in my power to ignore or eliminate it until I can take action.

    • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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      10 months ago

      Just have to look on the bright side. If you die you never have to go back to work again. And a plane crash will be over quick.

  • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Not to be cynical, but she’s seated in First Class. In my experience, there is usually one flight attendant for first class and one or more other ones for coach. On that plane may only be 15 first class passengers that need to be taken care of by that flight attendant.

    I would like to think that this would have happened in coach too, but those flight attendants are a lot more busy.

    Still, very nicely done to that flight attendant. Delta, give that flight attendant a raise!

    edit to add: My goodness the disbelief in these being first class makes me think you haven’t flown on commercial airplanes very much. Here’s a map of that type of jet (which @zainitopia@lemmy.world correctly pointed out is a CRJ-900. A small regional jet Delta flies. The flight attendant is sitting on the floor in aisle 4. Here’s a seat map showing all TWELVE of the First Class seats on this plane

    • Ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      10 months ago

      That’s a pretty cheap looking first class. It doesn’t even have in flight entertainment!

    • TooPoor@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Idk what the other comments are saying this is very clearly first class on a Delta flight

      • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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        10 months ago

        Outside of America, first class isn’t a relative term, but a fairly absolute one. If a flight doesn’t have very luxurious seats, it might not have a first class at all, and will instead have business class. If it lacks even the degree of luxury necessary to call its seats business class, it might only have premium economy, which is a term for seats which are entirely normal seats, but with slightly more legroom. You’d never get first class that is remotely possible to confuse for premium economy, because first class means something specific, it’s not relative to what else that particular plane is fitted for.

        • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          If it lacks even the degree of luxury necessary to call its seats business class, it might only have premium economy, which is a term for seats which are entirely normal seats, but with slightly more legroom.

          I would really love if USA air carriers were that consistent. Even between brands here in the States they have different names for the same level of seat and amenities. I’ve mostly got it figured out for Delta and United, but occasionally I’ll have to book a long haul flight on American Airlines and have to look up their seat classes before booking to make sure I get what I want.

          • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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            10 months ago

            Even between brands here in the States they have different names for the same level of seat and amenities

            It’s like women’s clothing sizes!

            (And men’s, albeit to a lesser degree.)

    • Ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      10 months ago

      My goodness the disbelief in these being first class makes me think you haven’t flown on commercial airplanes very much.

      I have, but inter city first class in Australia doesn’t look like that, even for domestic flights! The only time I’ve seen first class look anything like that was a prop commuter plane, flying to a country town.

    • cosmicrookie@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Wouldn’t the flighr attentant be required to be strapped down during take off and landing though?

    • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Those seats are way too small compared to first class seats. That looks like economy class to me.

      • modifier@lemmy.ca
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        10 months ago

        That’s domestic first class. Maybe on a smaller plane like an e175, but it’s first.

    • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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      10 months ago

      edit to add: My goodness the disbelief in these being first class makes me think you haven’t flown on commercial airplanes very much.

      Literally 2 hours before your “edit to add”, an explanation was already provided. From the diagram, this might actually be business class, and my earlier claim that it would be “premium economy at best” was perhaps overstated. But still, this would never be “first class” on domestic flights here in Australia, or on any of the very many international flights I’ve been on during my time growing up as an expat.

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Literally 2 hours before your “edit to add”, an explanation was already provided.

        2 hours after that explanation I was still receiving NEW posts claiming it wasn’t First Class. People weren’t reading the later posts and, like you, claiming it wasn’t first class anyway. So one edit with a picture addressed both things.

        From the diagram, this might actually be business class,

        I don’t get to decide what to call it. Its not my airline. Delta calls it first class.

        But still, this would never be “first class” on domestic flights here in Australia,

        I’m glad to learn something about my friends in Australia. However, this is an airline in the USA and this is what they call it.

        or on any of the very many international flights I’ve been on during my time growing up as an expat.

        Nor any international flights I’ve been on, but as I said in a later post, this is a regional jet. In the states smaller regional jets like CRJ and Embraer move passengers from smaller cities to larger hubs for cross country flights or international.

        • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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          10 months ago

          2 hours after that explanation I was still receiving NEW posts claiming it wasn’t First Class

          Sure, no problem with the fact that you felt the need to make an edit clarifying. The content of the edit was mostly very good. It’s interesting to learn!

          I just take issue with the notion that you knowingly prefixed the edit with “makes me think you haven’t flown on commercial airplanes very much”.

    • Zagorath@aussie.zone
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      10 months ago

      What about that looks like first class to you? Based on the size of the seats, I’d say that at best we’re looking at premium economy.

      • elgordio@kbin.social
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        10 months ago

        US domestic ‘first class’ is pretty comically named. It is technically the best class available but it’s pretty similar to premium economy on an international flight.

        There are a few airlines / routes that do better but the majority are not what you might expect for ‘first class’.

        • lad@programming.dev
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          10 months ago

          Makes me wonder if I ever get to see what one should expect from the fabled ‘first class’ with my own eyes, if not travel in it. Really, I saw some that are better than those in the picture but not that much 😢

      • cosmicrookie@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        To be fair there is not article. It’s just a title and a picture.

        That said, considering any flight I have ever been on, and based on talks from anyone I know who is afraid of flying, once the plane is in the air, it’s neither scary or gives off any substantial soundsnor bumps that a flight attentant would be able to explain.

        Therefore I think that it is fair to assume that this was mostly needed during take off and landing

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          I’m not afraid of flying and turbulence can scare me if it’s bad enough. I’m not sure why you think everything is smooth once a plane gets into the air every time.