A recent headline says:
Hindustan Times
Allegedly, the pilot asked for pillows to make the cockpit ‘like a living room’ and ordered alcohol to serve the guest.
In the olden days, it was common to let Business and First-Class passengers into the cockpit mid-air, to offer them extra hospitality—direct from the Captain.
The sentiment was similar to being seated for dinner at the Captain’s table in a luxury ship, to make those passengers feel special and encourage them to travel again.
But those were the days of full-service carriers, of gourmet meals, of bone-china crockery and stainless-steel cutlery, and of well dressed (and well behaved!) passengers.
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When I was in the Air Force, and travelled by air (in Economy class, of course) I would send a message to the cockpit through the crew that I was an IAF pilot and keen to see the cockpit. Nine out of ten times, the pilots would invite me to the flight deck, as the commercial aviators call it, and show me all the gadgetry and instrumentation, besides offering some refreshments.
Wikipedia
Being a MiG 21 pilot, who was used to the design and technology of the 60s, I found myself envious of their cockpits and their glamorous lifestyles.
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Only after I took premature retirement and joined an airline did I realise that my lifestyle in the IAF was happier and healthier, though not wealthier than theirs.
But all that changed after the horrific 9/11 attacks.
Manufacturers reinforced the flight deck doors and regulators mandated a strict ‘no entry’ policy.
These days, we do allow passengers—especially children—to see the cockpit, but only on the ground and only from the door itself, without touching anything.
Even our own pilot colleagues must be in uniform to travel in the cockpit, so that passengers do not get worried about any unauthorised person in there.
So, inviting a female friend into the flight deck in-flight and ordering alcohol plus pillows, is truly living it up!
But…
But it seems so strange from a pilot’s perspective.
Turning the cockpit into a living room? Really?
Makes me wonder if there’s more to the story.
Guess we’ll have to wait till the inquiry is complete.
Meanwhile, here’s a related story.
That flight was Delhi-Dubai.
My Pune based pilot friends and I fly a Pune-Dubai-Pune flight daily, in which we neither serve alcohol, nor have pillows.
So, borrowing Gabbar Singh’s immortal words, I posted the headline in our pilots’ group, asking, “Tera kya hoga Kaaliya? Tu kahaan se laayega daru aur takiya?” (How will you manage, Kaaliya? Where would you get liquor and pillow from?)
And a youngster replied, “Let me find a female friend first! Then I’ll worry about the other things!”
Guess he is still envious!
The writer is a former fighter pilot of the IAF and is now a commercial airline pilot. He is the author of three books and many blog posts, available at www.avinashchikte.com