[0:02]When I was 21, I took a flight to the US to spend some time with my boyfriend. When my dad dropped me off at the airport, he went into full parenting mode, fussing and worrying over me. He told the man at check in that I'd only been on short flights before. The crew member told him not to worry, and that I'd be well looked after. And he told me to wait on some chairs near security. I did so, and a bit later I was escorted onto the plane in a car. I was the first on the plane, and I saw that there was a coloring pack on my seat, which I thought was a bit odd. I was about to ask a cabin crew member about it, but they were busy with the other passengers who were all cuing and boarding after being cramped on a coach. A bit later, I was asked if I wanted to go up to the cockpit to see the pilot and I did. It was there that the captain asked me how old I was. He got a bit of a surprise when I told him. That's when I realized that my dad had made them think I needed special treatment as a minor. It was hilarious.
[1:01]I was on a flight from India to the USA with a stop over in Dubai. I was just boarding when I saw someone I recognized, but he was in a wheelchair, which was odd because I had always known him as a fit and healthy guy. It was curious but I didn't know him well, so I decided not to get into conversation with him. He might not be in the mood for small talk if he was under the weather. I didn't see him during the flight. I think he was in first class. At Dubai, I saw him again being wheeled through security while I was queuing up. And then I saw him again after we arrived, and that's when he noticed me and gave me a cheery wave. It was about a week later when I saw him in the park. I couldn't believe my eyes. He was jogging. I couldn't understand how he'd made such a fast recovery. Anyway, he spotted me and jogged up to me and we got chatting. It turned out that there was no injury at all. He just bought himself a fake doctor certificate so that he could pass as a wheelchair passenger and get special treatment. Apparently, it's common practice.
[2:04]I was 13 years old when I took a flight to London with my mum. Neither of us had been on a plane before, so we were excited but nervous. We knew that we had to get to the airport three hours before our flight took off, but what we thought was the check-in time was actually the departure time. So when we arrived at the airport, the flight was already boarding. The lady told us not to worry, we wouldn't miss our flight, but there were only two seats left, one in the middle and one at the back. We were so disappointed. I didn't want to sit away from my mum because I was nervous about flying, and she wanted to sit with me because she doesn't speak English. The lady must have seen my face because she said, "Don't worry, I can sit you together." She printed out our boarding cards and we ran to the gate. When we boarded, we turned towards economy class and the flight attendant told us we were going the wrong way. The lady at the desk had put us in business class so that we could sit together. It was so comfortable and we got all kinds of extra treats. I only wish I'd realized sooner and had thanked that lady properly.
