Points of View from Teenage Passengers

To be successful, every politician needs to listen to his constituents. Businessmen must know what their customers want. Billions of dollars are spent on market research every year. Airlines are no exception; the analysis of the profitability of routes is probably only second to safety as the airline's priority. However it is interesting to hear the points of view of some young passengers, their perception of what a pilot does and how an aircraft flies, and why have there always been some people with a fear of flying. Here are a couple of edited opinions of 16 year olds, who may be the sought after business class passengers of the future:

“Things I don’t understand about flying: Personally, I find the idea of flying quite exciting, and after experiencing flying almost every summer, I still do not understand how aeroplanes work. It baffles me how a mode of transport made from the same material as a Coca-Cola can can somehow go up in the air and not fall down straight away, and then turn up in a different place, continent and even a different time zone within hours. I think the uncertainty of not knowing how they work can scare some people, but for me it adds to the overall experience.”

“ Holiday: A holiday isn’t a holiday without waking up at 4am. The airport is the worst bit. Having to wait, queue, shuffle, wait a bit longer, making it seem as though I am never going to get on the plane. My favourite bit about flying is turbulence. Usually this is someone’s next to worst fear, but for me, it makes it more exhilarating.

“Personally, I have no fear on planes. I fully trust the pilots. They have gone through years of training, know what they are doing and the plane that I would be on would most likely not be their first time piloting. I know that all safety checks have been carried out effectively, so I know my flight will be a safe one. I always pay attention to the safety announcements too; in fact I can actually join in with their cabin crew with all the actions.

When the plane lands I feel disappointed that my journey is now over, however I am also excited to explore a new country (and to fly again after two weeks)”