Associate Professor Hans Baer, friend and former University of Melbourne Honorary colleague and a committed eco-socialist has strong if not sometimes strident views on air travel that keeps me flying low when I am with him! His research into the frequency and the exponential increase in carbon emissions from air travel has him writing papers on the need for us to reconsider air travel if we are to save the planet. His paper titled ‘Grappling with flying as a driver to climate change: strategies for critical scholars seeking to contribute to a social-ecological revolution’ lays out the argument for universities to seek and act out alternate means of communication. Keywords: academics, anthropologists, air travel, climate change, socio-ecological revolution
The reality of air travel does not equate with the hype and the fantasy promoted by the airlines of air travel. In fact as consumers of air travel we are also party to the fantasy mostly because we w ant to ‘get away’ and also the price we pay to be taken to another place. My recent experience flying from Melbourne to Singapore and on to London provides ample reasons why air travel not only harms the planet but also the body!
Singapore Airlines has managed to manage its marketing so it is often seen as an exemplar amongst airlines. Certainly that other airline that still promotes itself ‘by calling Australia home’ treats its citizens and no doubt others as aliens. The check in at Melbourne airport was chaotic largely because passengers turned up in large numbers before staff had put in place signage for the delineation of passengers - first to last! The crowd moved forward as staff scrambled to gain some control and the self service kiosks had to be over - ridden by manned (sic) desks.
The rest is common to all passengers; the wearisome and often confusing pathway through immigrations an customs. Looking back after that experience in Singapore there is certainly no uniform approach to customs. It is computers out iPads in, hats off hats hats on, belts on / off and shoes on / of have no consistency. Staff are over zealous or disinterested in the cause of protecting us all from each other.
The flight to Singapore was broken up with food to disappoint and those who ordered in advance of the flight were left waiting for beverages until the rest of the passengers were catered. Still the time went and the landing in Singapore’s labyrinth and extensive airport of malls, shops and food outlets.
The usual pass through customs was stressful. The relief of passengers having made it to the other side was palpable though for some as would be revealed later on board the plane were still suffering. The boarding was again chaotic due to the static filled announcements for boarding and once again passengers feeling that a free for all was better than queuing in line with an unlikely expectation of being first to board.
The result was passengers entered the aircraft in opposite directions so the aisles became a confrontation between those heading to the south and those heading to the north. Eventually order was achieved but for a passenger finding a hole in the plane beside their seat. This was too much to bear for an already very stressed passenger and for those who were wanting to take off and get to their destination.
The passenger in question was in the row in front ot mine so I was not only privy to his concerns and that if his wife but had some personal interest. The passenger called on the staff to inspect what he said was sufficient to see the ground and he and she demanded that they be put on another pane.
We then had a conga line of stewards, an engineer (I assume as he was wearing a fluro jacket) and a person who appeared to be a pilot with obligatory stripes They all inspected the offending hole. The engineer returned with what appeared to be an adhesive patch and stuck it to the plane.
This was too much to bear for the couple and with shrieks of ‘we are not flying in a plane held together by sticky tape’ to a demand that ‘we should all have a vote’ they decided to disembark the plane. With cries of ‘we will call the BBC’ and the International airline authority’ they took their on board bags and left. There was a combination of a sigh of relief and a feeling of ‘what if’!
The crew pilot included returned to their allotted roles and plane then taxied down the runway and we took off as meals and drinks were served. We all took a collective deep breath and settled back for the bumpy ride to London.
Air travel will be a thing of the past or at least limited to those who are in need for personal, professional or perhaps even academic reasons. But I suspect it will be that air travel will finally be seen for what it is; bad for the passenger and the planet!
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