Personal Narrative Essay: The Trans Caribbean Air

We proceeded through the security section of the airport and subsequently located our gate. As we waited, my sisters and I marveled at the planes taking off and landing behind the large transparent windows. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, it was time to board the plane. Soon afterwards, I found myself drowning in a sea of tiredness. I woke up to an air-hostess offering a tray of food—pretzels, bread, butter and some fruit salad. I devoured the meal to realize that the plane would reach London’s Heathrow Airport in a mere thirty minutes. After the plane landed, we followed the same pattern of going through security, locating our gate and waiting at our terminal. However, to our surprise, a ticket agent revealed that our flight to Dallas had been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. He

For a minute it seemed like things had gone back to normal on the jet. People were shocked, a few reached into the aisle or around their feet to recover cell phones, and other possessions.Up near the galley between economy and business classes, an Asian doctor crouched over the steward who’d hit the ceiling and cricked her neck. But as air rushed noisily past the fuselage, the passengers were unsettled by intermittent shudders ripping through the airframe. The pilots couldn’t devote their time to staring out the side of the aircraft, so the stewards passed through the plane asking passengers in the window seats to look outside for anything unusual. De'aaron watched as his grandmother touched a stewardess, who stopped walking and turned

When you wake up from a coma and you find yourself on an island with only your family. The only thing I remember was flying and then boom, the plane crashed. I was on an island and that is all I remember.

From December 30, 2016 to January 6, 2016 I traveled to Punta Cana, this is located in a Caribbean country called Dominican Republic; it has beautiful beaches and clear waters. Traveling to Punta Cana was an amazing experience. As a result, I had the chance to enjoy the wonderful all inclusive hotel, relax at the Rock Spa and meet great people. I also had the opportunity to travel with my boyfriend and friends so this also made my experience in Punta Cana delightful.

While waiting in line inspectors were swarming us like bees checking us for any signs of wheezing, coughing, itching, or difficulty walking. When we put our luggage in the directed area and started on our way. As soon as we got off the ship we saw a steep set of stairs, because I am very active I had no trouble going up the steep stairs and it didn’t matter to me. Mother wasn’t that lucky she was still active but

We were crammed into a C130 passenger aircraft like a can of sardines. Barely able to move with my gear on my lap, I heard the announcement that we were preparing to land. My emotions were running high like everyone else around me.

The sound of the engine was deafening. Then again maybe my heartbeat was the sound pounding in my ears. Sudden panic mixed with excitement over takes me as I think, "what have I gotten myself into now?!" But, then I look over at my partner in this so crazy it-just-might-work adventure. I take a deep cleansing breath and look at the picture of my boys, which I have secured to my in-flight reading materials. They all said the flight is the worst part, from there the action will be of a different sort. The clinic would be up and running in no time, but first there was some prep work ahead of us. Taking a cue from my partner who is reading up on our assignment of the Indigenous people of

She looked around, disoriented, before she remembered that she was on a plane. “Unfortunately, we are now experiencing severe turbulence,” came a crackly voice through the intercom. “Please stay seated.” Anxious, Yasmine observed the storm through her window; the dark gray storm clouds racing across the sky coupled with the deep, resonating thunder didn’t help to calm her nerves. The plane gave another violent lurch, and the familiar feeling of fear started to bubble up inside her. Planes almost never crash. Almost never. Almost never. Almost never. Yasmine laid her head back against the stiff pillow, and with those toxic words ringing in her mind, she fell into a restless

There was another boom and screaming after that. I looked out the window to see if there was smoke coming from the plane, but there was none. No one on the plane was even panicking! The booms were so loud but no one but me heard them. I reached for my ears to make sure they were clear and hearing things correctly, but I grabbed headphones instead. There was nothing wrong with the plane of any of the passengers. The only thing wrong was that my peaceful music playlist wasn’t long enough. The playlist ran out of songs so switched to a different one that happened to be rock. A stewardess was coming down the aisle with a selection of foods. “Hello sir, can I offer you something to eat?” she asked with a smile. “Well I am a little hungry, so what are my options?”. “There is a choice of a spicy tuna sushi roll with a side of rice, or grilled salmon with asparagus sir.”. “Can I have the salmon please?” I asked as I reached for the food, mouth watering. I quickly gobbled down the delicious smelling and tasting food then got up to use the restroom. The intercom on the plane spoke as I was about to ask the stewardess how much longer the flight would be. “Attention all passengers, we are seven hours into our 11 hour flight and everything's going swell. We would ask that everyone find your seats because we will begin to ascend to our new safe cruising altitude of 10,000 feet. Thank you and have a nice day!” Continuing my

I felt the eye of judgment piercing through me as I entered the plane. I could hear people whispering and giggling. While scanning the rows to find my assigned seat, I could see the looks of concern from those who thought I might sit by them. The clicking sounds of seat belt buckles almost sent me into a panic. I was dreading asking the flight attendant for a lap belt extension, or worse, having it offered without asking. Words were not necessary to feel the intensity of mass criticism. To make matters worse, it was a hot day, and my clothes were sticking to my body, outlining my multiple layers of over-indulgence. I was overheating and could taste salty beads of sweat trickling down my face.

Traffic was at a standstill on LA 431. Cars moved at molasses pace and it was making my already sour mood grow toxic. There was a cop holding traffic on both sides and I remember thinking that we’d be there forever. We were stuck in front of what looked like a football game that day, at a local church school. I knew the school well, as I had a couple of friends that attend there. The game had already started, but it looked like it was a timeout. More specifically an injury time out, as players from both teams were huddled together on one knee in prayer. I felt sorry for the player and his family but thought nothing of it after that. As cars started moving a bright, chartreuse copter flew in behind us. It drew nearer and nearer to the left of me when finally it stopped. It hovered as closely to the ground as it could and lowered a ladder. “This is serious” I thought. Using an air med in any situation is serious, and at a high school football game it is even more. As curious as I was, I drove on.

As soon as my brother and sister were off the restraints the Dominican men attached my mom and I to the parachute. I wasn’t ready, and all of a sudden Whoosh! We flew into the air like a bird. I had no words. I was in shock. I was panicking until my mom calmed me

I woke up from my nap when I felt a light tap on my shoulder by my brother, Alex. He told me that it was time for the plane to begin its descent so I gathered my belongings and adjusted my seat until it was upright. As the airplane began to descend, I was filled with excitement and enthusiasm. I could feel so much energy rush through my veins as my ears popped and I finally heard the flight attendant say, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Singapore Changi Airport!”

However they did not know what just happened to the flight attendant. No one got up to help her because everyone

The thrust of the engine pushed the airplane forward. Small butterflies emerged in my stomach. Since my first time flying, I had always felt a high level of anxiety upon boarding. This particular flight was no different. However, my anxieties heightened by the news that Malaysian Airline fight 370 disappeared two days before. I tried my best to distract my anxieties with any irrelevant detail in my surroundings. I laid my head against the laminar tempered glass of the airline window. The faint chatter of the passengers surrounding me sounded distant. The pressurization system blew small whistles of cold air. I peaked in between the narrow crack of the seat opening in front of me. The passenger was a female. She couldn’t have been any older than me. The narrow lining only allowed me to see a side profile of her face. Her hair flowed down to her shoulders. Unlike me, her curls looked magnificent. It looked as if she spent hours making sure each curl had the perfect dimensions. Her hair was dark blonde with light wheat blonde highlights. I could see the swipe of her mascara pasting onto her eyeglasses every time she blinked. It was as if a woodwork carved every curve in her face. I quickly drew my attention to a pimple she had attempted to conceal on the lower portion of her chin. This insignificant imperfection reminded me she was human. I then felt a substantial relief. If I was meant to die today, I wouldn’t die alone.