Mohit Malhan’s Blog

Having flying around places it seem I have more number of air miles rather than road miles

On all my flights there are some very unique experiences that I am come across, I never thought that I will be able to bring it down to blog, but today it seems I have to.

The number of contacts that you go ahead and make out on these flights lasts until you onboard the aircraft. Once you are out, you get involved in your own social ecosystem and you then hardly remember who was next to you.

There is a very interesting fact that I have observed here. The reason we begin to talk to the stranger right next to you is justified because of several reasons.

1. You are not allowed to use the phone on jets when you fly. Phone acts as on of the primary source of connecting you to your social network, so once you are in and you switch off the phone, you are disconnected with the group that you belong to.

2. You don’t have internet to use by, which again acts the primary source that connects you to your social network.

When I say social network here, I explicitly mean every individual that you have an acquaintance with. May it be someone from your professional network or may it be someone from your personal network.

The bottom line is you are disconnected.

Human mind follows Darwin’s third law. Given the situation it will try to adapt to the surrounding environment as soon as it can. Talking to stranger on jet is one of the best examples.

I have talking to zillions of people when I travel around, a senior engineer from Boeing, directors of startups, consultants, professors from diversified background. I have been frank with so many of them that we did even shared drinks with him paying for me or me paying for him. But once I went off the board, I hardly recalled his name. What I remember now is that they were gem of the person. YEs I have also come across jerks, obese guys and what not!

Obese, when I write this, it tickles my mind to note down something very unique that firmly believe you should take care of. I remember once when I was flying to Chicago there was a 300 Pound guy sitting next to me, I was in economy class and that person took almost half of my seat making it uncomfortable for me even to breath. That might the worst experience that I might ever have had, to my left was the engine which was throttling gas at what more than 1000000RPM and to my right was this guy! Yikes! Squeezed!

Today a guy with same physique is sitting on my back sit pushing his leg every now and then making it extremely difficult to get comfortable! Wonder Airlines should charge them extra for being overweight, when then charge you extra for every additional pound that you chip in your check in baggage’s,  they should charge this people more or at least make them opt for the business class travels.

Ciao,,,,will catch you all again from my way to Frankfurt from Dallas!!