By Talal Al-Qashqari
PASSENGERS on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Riyadh to Jeddah were forced to wait over a quarter of an hour past their departure time because the wife of the captain, who was traveling on the flight, was running late.
I am surprised at the resentment of the passengers; what is the harm of patiently waiting for 16 minutes for the wife of a commander? A one minute delay at Riyadh airport costs thousands of riyals only. Inconvenience to passengers isn’t that much of a problem, but the opposite is true, as we must show the world that we are civilized and respect women, especially wives, and especially the wives of leaders who do not take advantage of their positions and treat their families well, following the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “The best among you are the best to their family.”
May God forgive the passengers, and I tell them: “Enough blabbering.” And if women and their children onboard took a selfie with the wife of the leader, it would have been better for them. And if men took a selfie with the captain it would have been better for them. And if they could imagine how upset the captain’s wife would be if she missed the flight, they would have realized that they get rewarded for their patience, and that the longer the delay, the greater the reward. Patience is a social bond between officials and ordinary people that is uncommon in international airports around the world, unlike in our country. If a common passenger is delayed only by a minute, his trip takes off without regrets. In fact, the airline may fine him for canceling the ticket or changing his booking, considering that he will find any reservation, especially flights between Riyadh and Jeddah, classified under the category of wonders of the world. So excuse us captain and your wife for the resentment of passengers and “forgive us.”
