Doh. I misremembered that being a 3 runway instead of a 13. Revise my directions by 100 degrees…
I know. I’ve flown the KLM from Toronto to Schipol quite a few itmes and it all seemed routine, but this was Iberia from Barcelona, and they were FREAKED OUT. That was what mostly had me laughing as I’d experienced it before.
The first time I flew, I flew into Vancouver in a snowstorm, and it was while the in-flight movie was Apollo 13, and they were re-entering the atmosphere. We were getting banged all over the place just like the movie and everyone was scared shitless…no applause when we finally landed, much to my chagrin.
There are sevral reasons why Israelis usually applaud when their plane lands, especially when it lands in Ben Gurion Airport.
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They’re happy that the damn flight’s over.
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They’re either excited about going on vacation, or happy to be home.
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They’re applauding the pilot for doing a good job. Israelis respect pilots a lot.
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Technically speaking, you’re supposed to kiss the ground when you set foot on the Holy Land. Most Israelis are a bit to self conscious for that, so they clap hands instead.
I’m an American who has flown into the US from abroad maybe a dozen times and never experienced that for that reason. I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened though.
In a lot of the world people have reason to say a prayer before a bus ride let alone a plane ride (robbers, cliffs, road accidents), given the horrendous accident rates in the Third World. Arriving anywhere safely in any vehicle isn’t a given for most of the world’s poipulation. Cheering I could understand…
I’ve experienced it on flights back to the UK.