Airline maps beyond borders

The first leg of my trip to Portugal was on Jet Airlines, a newish carrier based in India. That meant announcements and placards in English and what I presume was Hindi.

It also meant knee-length tunic-jackets as part of the female flight attendants' uniforms. But the real difference was a discreet note at the bottom of the screen that traced the flight's progress as a curving line across a map of the world. Superimposed on the lower left-hand corner was a note I had never seen on such a map: "Physical Features Map Only. No Political Borders Depicted."

Obvious? Redundant? Unnecessary? Maybe -- until one reflects that India has in recent years been involved in border disputes with China, Nepal, and, most notably, Pakistan. Perhaps Jet's caution is inevitable. In today's tight airline market, it may be more important than ever to keep the skies friendly.

© Peter Rozovsky 2011