By Wg Cdr Satish Aparajit (Retd)
The rapid changes in the IT industry and AI often baffle those who are not closely connected with the developments, especially older generations like retired individuals in their seventies or eighties. These advancements can seem incomprehensible to them.
I recently found myself on a flight from Delhi to London, regretting my decision to book the ticket for Sunday, July 21st. This date coincided with the final round of The Open Golf Championship 2024. As an avid golfer who has been deeply involved in Indian Golf for over two decades, missing the final round felt almost criminal, particularly when one is retired with ample free time. My routine usually involves playing golf, enjoying evening drinks, or frequenting coffee bars like Starbucks, Bistro, or Piccolo.
Typically, during flights, I stick to the flight information display and avoid movies or other distractions. However, this time I decided to explore a bit and was pleasantly surprised to find live news channels like BBC, CNN and India Today available. After confirming that the broadcasts were indeed live, I was delighted to catch up on current events, including President Biden’s decision to step down.
In recent years, we’ve become accustomed to digital boarding passes and presenting them at various checkpoints, including airport lounges and duty-free shops. However, discovering live TV on a flight was an unexpected delight. Excited by this new feature, I switched to sports channels and was thrilled to find live coverage of The Open 2024. Watching the sport I love at 40,000 feet, while traveling at 585 miles per hour, was an incredible experience. What would have been a mundane nine and half-hour flight turned into an enjoyable time spent watching live sports.
Just the other day, I was part of a discussion debating whether AI and IT advances are a bane or a boon. My experience on the flight provided a clear answer: they are indeed a boon. I had previously made phone calls from an aircraft, but that was with a foreign airline that only allowed phone services after clearing Indian airspace. This time, I was pleasantly surprised to find that an Indian carrier, Vistara, offered this service. Bravo, Tatas! Well done. Tata!
(Satish Aparajit is a retired wing Commander)
