EARLY this year, our family received the long-awaited wedding invitation from Jamie, our English nephew in the United Kingdom. He had finally decided to tie the knot with his soulmate, Kimberly.
Jamie is the oldest of our nephews and nieces and this special occasion was a highly anticipated event for everyone, particularly the grandparents.
Going to his wedding in August meant a summer holiday for us and I got all excited about the wedding, visiting relatives and experiencing the delightful English charm again.
I was in touch with my sister, the soon-to-be mother-in-law, who shared her excitement in emails and phone calls.
She described the wedding gown and how she was planting sunflowers in her garden, to bloom in time to make the bridal posy, and putting her creative flair into the preparations for the big day.
It also meant shopping for gifts for the bride and groom, as well as family members, in the UK. My choice has always been useful handicrafts that are proudly made in Johor.
Besides thinking about gifts and what to wear for the wedding, we also had to book our flights.
While my brother and his wife sorted out their leave applications to match with their children’s school terms, we checked online for suitable flights to London.
The weeks seemed to pass too quickly and a decision had to be made on our flights.
The nation was still reeling from the tragic loss of flight MH370 — an unprecedented incident that rocked the confidence of air travellers worldwide — but, in spite of the prevailing uncertainties that plagued our national carrier, we remained loyal to MAS and confirmed our flight reservations with them.
Just weeks before our travel date, the airline was hit by yet another tragedy with the downing of MH17, and our family grieved along with the nation as we were gripped by fear, anger and more uncertainty.
Over the next few weeks, there were reports of two other air tragedies that involved flights in Taiwan and Algiers. Air travellers were understandably spooked and nervous as the news reports surfaced.
In the wake of the tragic incidents, MAS graciously offered full refunds for cancellations. While we were sad and disturbed by the tragedies, our faith did not let us be paralysed by fear.
During our departure at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, there was a noticeably subdued atmosphere among the airport staff and even among the travellers.
MAS ground staff answered our queries frankly as they stoically carried on their duties.
Flight stewards and stewardesses warmly welcomed us as we boarded the flight and settled into our seats.
A steward even paused to exchange friendly banter with us about a hot topic that we were reading in that day’s newspaper.
Air travel will never be the same again. As the bereaved families affected by the airline’s double tragedies have my deepest sympathies, my thoughts were also centred on the airline staff and their families who were inadvertently plunged into adverse circumstances.
I must commend them because it takes a great deal of courage and commitment for the staff to persevere and uphold their pledge to serve passengers even though they may be personally affected by the tragedies.
If the nation can be touched by the grief and horror of the shocking news, I cannot imagine how much more the staff may feel for their colleagues and friends who are involved in the tragedies.
I observed a sense of resilience among the cabin crew as they went about their duties professionally and my respect for them increased with each passing moment of our 12-hour and 15-minute flight.
Our flights to London and back to KL were rather uneventful, probably because the passengers were cooperative and did not want to put the crew through any unnecessary grief.
I must confess that the only high point for me must be in discovering a feature entitled JB Cool in the August issue of Going Places, the in-flight magazine that highlighted the chic businesses in Johor Baru’s Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Dhoby.
It warmed my heart that our very own JB is going places and gaining exposure among international travellers onboard our national carrier.
As I scanned the photos, I recognised the faces and places because I’m familiar with the merchants who are injecting new life into the heart of JB with their new businesses in the old buildings.
I felt a glow of pride because I make it a point to introduce this charming part of JB to my visitors.
The joy of a family reunion, a beautiful wedding and being tourists at interesting sights, kept us occupied. But, thanks to modern technology, we managed to stay in touch with news at home.
It struck a chord in our hearts when my sister-in-law announced at the dinner table that Aug 22 was declared a national day of mourning.
And, even though we were faraway in the UK, we stood together with the nation in grief and mourning.
On our last day in the UK, we popped into the little village sweet shop for some jelly babies and when the merchant, who knew we were my sister’s visitors from Malaysia, heard that we were flying MAS, he expressed his sympathies for the airline as it had virtually no control over the horrific double tragedies.
I appreciated his kind comments because the reality is that, as in any company, the airline is made up of people and many innocent people are hurting now.
They not only need our sympathies but our support and encouragement to valiantly carry on with their careers for themselves and the future of their families.