My inaugural flight experience in 1983 remains a vivid memory I still often reminisce about. In those early days of air travel, the cabin crew’s pre-flight safety demonstration surprisingly did not include instructions on how to fasten or remove a seatbelt.

The air hostess came by for her final cabin check before take-off and efficiently buckled me in. After we were airborne, I applied all my military ingenuity to unlatch the belt but failed miserably. Looking around, I realised I was the only passenger in my entire row, isolated in my predicament. I remained securely fastened to my seat for over two hours, too hesitant and embarrassed to ask the air hostess how to release myself.

Upon landing at Dabolim Airport in Goa, salvation arrived. I keenly observed the passenger sitting across the aisle unbuckle their seatbelt, and with a quiet Eureka, I finally decoded the intricate contrivance.

Years passed. In 1989, shortly after our wedding, my wife Marina accompanied me on a flight to Kashmir. As we boarded the aircraft at Kochi, I proudly demonstrated the workings of the seatbelt to her, ensuring she wouldn’t suffer my previous silent ordeal.

Eventually, pre-flight safety briefings evolved to include the simple solution to my 1983 mystery. That’s when I realised there must have been many other idiots like me!

The Annual Ritual: Indian Airlines and Nostalgia

From 1983 onward, flying Indian Airlines from Delhi to Kochi became an annual ritual. The flights used the old airport located within the Naval base. The flight ticket, even with my military concession, cost more than my one month’s pay at the time.

The aircraft were often sparsely populated, and I frequently found Members of Parliament as my co-passengers. On two memorable occasions, my seatmate was Commander Surjith Kandal, a course mate from the National Defence Academy (NDA), coincidentally flying Kochi to his home at Delhi for his vacation while I returned from mine.

We flew on a Boeing 737 with a configuration rarely seen today: all economy seating, but with luxurious legroom. The tray tables were double the size of modern ones, and the food served was equally generous.

The journey began with a 0530 hrs take-off from Delhi, stopping in Dabolim, Goa. Substantial meals were served after both departures. A true bliss for a smoker like me back then, the seats at the rear of the aircraft even permitted smoking. We would typically land in Kochi by noon.

The Jolt of Acclimatisation

The most memorable flight of all took place in 1988. I was posted at a remote location on the Line of Control (Kashmir), at about 10,000 feet above sea level. For my annual leave, reaching the airport required an entire night of trekking across snow-clad Himalayas (to avoid avalanches), followed by a three-hour drive in an Army vehicle to Srinagar Airport.

The Delhi flight departed at 1500 hrs, and the next morning, I connected to the Kochi flight. Mid-afternoon, I landed at Kochi airport and descended the mobile ladder—aerobridges didn’t exist there yet. I was now standing barely a foot above sea level. The moment my boots hit the tarmac, I was instantly drenched in sweat, as though I had just walked out of a shower fully clothed.

My senses were numb for a couple of minutes until I realised my folly: I had skipped the crucial process of acclimatisation, a core tenet of the good old Indian Army way. For the next two years I was posted in Kashmir, I always ensured I took a mandatory three-day break at the Regimental Headquarters in between altitudes before venturing home to Kochi.

New Flights, Familiar Rituals

Next week, I will be flying Air India from Toronto to Delhi to attend our Regiment’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. I typically fly Etihad Airways as it offers a convenient routing from Toronto to Abu Dhabi, with a comfortable five-hour layover in their lounge before the final flight to Kochi. This routine helps me reset my biological clock and effectively fight jet lag. Etihad’s business class service, both in the air and in the lounge, has always been outstanding.

I am hoping for an excellent experience with Air India this time around, especially now that the Tata Group is controlling its operations and revitalising the airline.