Survival Guide for IFE emergencies
#16
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SFO/TPA
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 199
Even when everything is working fine, there is the passenger who...just...sits. Not reading anything, not listening to anything, not watching any screen. Not sleeping. Just sitting and staring blankly ahead at what is, essentially, nothing. I’m always so curious. Zen master? Solving quadratic equations in the head? Plotting revenge? How long that goes on I can’t say, as I am way too fidgety and easily bored to stick with the task of observing, and reach for the lifeline of my book, e-books, audiobooks, music collection, downloaded podcasts, videos, magazines, and Instapaper articles, plus spades and hearts against the gremlins in my phone if all else fails.
#17
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
Even when everything is working fine, there is the passenger who...just...sits. Not reading anything, not listening to anything, not watching any screen. Not sleeping. Just sitting and staring blankly ahead at what is, essentially, nothing. I’m always so curious. Zen master? Solving quadratic equations in the head? Plotting revenge? How long that goes on I can’t say, as I am way too fidgety and easily bored to stick with the task of observing, and reach for the lifeline of my book, e-books, audiobooks, music collection, downloaded podcasts, videos, magazines, and Instapaper articles, plus spades and hearts against the gremlins in my phone if all else fails.
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Denver, CO, USA
Programs: Sometimes known as [ARG:6 UNDEFINED]
Posts: 26,702
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: GM on VX, UA, AA, HA, AS, SY; Budget Fastbreak
Posts: 27,614
david Putty on Seinfeld did that. Elaine Bennis couldn’t comprehend his ability to sit in his middle seat and simply exist. Super inspiring!
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,371
imo, first and foremost, "no IFE" =/= "emergency"
I'm with javabytes and Toshbaf ... look out the window, watch the world go by (topography, other aircraft, stars, clouds, distant and not-always-distant lightning, occasionally the Aurora Borealis)
I'm with javabytes and Toshbaf ... look out the window, watch the world go by (topography, other aircraft, stars, clouds, distant and not-always-distant lightning, occasionally the Aurora Borealis)
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
Even when everything is working fine, there is the passenger who...just...sits. Not reading anything, not listening to anything, not watching any screen. Not sleeping. Just sitting and staring blankly ahead at what is, essentially, nothing. I’m always so curious. Zen master? Solving quadratic equations in the head? Plotting revenge? How long that goes on I can’t say, as I am way too fidgety and easily bored to stick with the task of observing, and reach for the lifeline of my book, e-books, audiobooks, music collection, downloaded podcasts, videos, magazines, and Instapaper articles, plus spades and hearts against the gremlins in my phone if all else fails.
Lastly, the person may be tired but can't sleep or concentrate/interested in doing anything meaningful either, so they are just zoning out staring blankly ahead waiting for the flight to be over...Or they are just comfortable being with themselves and their thoughts...
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
Ask the FA to come and talk to you and keep you company, because there is no IFE, and it's the airline's fault, and they have to take some responsibility for their failures...
#24
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: BNA (Nashville)
Programs: HH Diamond
Posts: 6,229
Even when everything is working fine, there is the passenger who...just...sits. Not reading anything, not listening to anything, not watching any screen. Not sleeping. Just sitting and staring blankly ahead at what is, essentially, nothing. I’m always so curious. Zen master? Solving quadratic equations in the head? Plotting revenge? How long that goes on I can’t say, as I am way too fidgety and easily bored to stick with the task of observing, and reach for the lifeline of my book, e-books, audiobooks, music collection, downloaded podcasts, videos, magazines, and Instapaper articles, plus spades and hearts against the gremlins in my phone if all else fails.
I go to my happy place. The same place I go when I am at the dentist getting a root canal.
I daydream.
I do it now when I am flying on a long trip in J and nothing is interesting on the IFE. I just daydream.
Usually its about where I have been, or where I am going, or my last trip, or my encounters with people along the way.
Sometimes its mulling over a specific problem at work or with someone in my life. Or replaying something nice that happened.
Its very relaxing. And with ubiquitous electronic distractions, I think its becoming a rare activity. I try to make time for it when I travel.
#25
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: DL Gold, AA Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 253
Even when everything is working fine, there is the passenger who...just...sits. Not reading anything, not listening to anything, not watching any screen. Not sleeping. Just sitting and staring blankly ahead at what is, essentially, nothing. I’m always so curious. Zen master? Solving quadratic equations in the head? Plotting revenge? How long that goes on I can’t say, as I am way too fidgety and easily bored to stick with the task of observing, and reach for the lifeline of my book, e-books, audiobooks, music collection, downloaded podcasts, videos, magazines, and Instapaper articles, plus spades and hearts against the gremlins in my phone if all else fails.
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Programs: Frontier Gold, DL estranged 1MMer, Spirit VIP, CO/NW/UA/AA once gold/plat/comped gold now dust.
Posts: 38,151
The mark of a true introvert is being able to do an entire 13+ hour trans-pac flight either without switching on the IFE or leaving it on "Flight Plan" the whole time.
I still bring mostly dead-tree reading product, but only stuff I can jettison while on the trip. I have a way of using up the entire allowance on the return.
I still bring mostly dead-tree reading product, but only stuff I can jettison while on the trip. I have a way of using up the entire allowance on the return.
#27
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: HK
Programs: Qantas (Lifetime Gold), PAL (Elite), British Airways (now sadly blue), Cathay MPO DM
Posts: 647
Even when everything is working fine, there is the passenger who...just...sits. Not reading anything, not listening to anything, not watching any screen. Not sleeping. Just sitting and staring blankly ahead at what is, essentially, nothing. I’m always so curious. Zen master? Solving quadratic equations in the head? Plotting revenge? How long that goes on I can’t say, as I am way too fidgety and easily bored to stick with the task of observing, and reach for the lifeline of my book, e-books, audiobooks, music collection, downloaded podcasts, videos, magazines, and Instapaper articles, plus spades and hearts against the gremlins in my phone if all else fails.
#28
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: DL Gold, AA Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 253
Good point, but I save my daydreaming for the office.
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,669
I think it depends if you fly J or Y on long haul flights. If I fly J TPAC I find that the flights are too short and I didn't have enough time to get all the sleep, work, food, or movies I wanted, and wish the flight was longer, lol. If I am in Y, it is torture all the way, lol...