Salon :: Tech & Business

Ask the pilot: How safe are those old Russian jets Cubana flies? Why don't people clap on landing anymore? Plus: Stowaways, oxygen deprivation and more!

Something I miss on airplanes (aside from the obvious things, like pillows, blankets and something to eat): clapping. Yeah, this is old school, but it wasn't that long ago when passengers routinely burst into applause each time their plane touched down. I came of age, flying-wise, in the late '70s and early '80s, and the phenomenon was still widespread.

No surprise that it rarely happens anymore. The number of Americans who fly at least two times a year has more than quadrupled in the past quarter-century. The familiarity of the routine, together with the many abrasive hassles that come with it, has rubbed away whatever sense of excitement or novelty had remained.

Clapping remains somewhat common overseas, where passengers aren't (yet) as jaded. In the past few years, on trips I've taken to Asia, Africa and the Middle East, cheers and applause could be heard on roughly half of the landings. And I wouldn't say this pertains only to remote routes on lesser-known airlines -- these were big-city arrivals on carriers like Malaysia Airlines and Air France.

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