People who have been working in the international development field for a long time all have lots of stories. It's hard to avoid them at work, but I don't mind. I'm looking forward to having my own soon.
While trying to book a flight for some of our advisors from Dubai into Kabul, I ask boss #1 which airline we should use.
“Well, I guess Kam Air is the best bet. Although one time back in 2004 on one of their flights we had to make an unscheduled stop in (Taliban stronghold and opium growing area) Kandahar. We sat on the ground for an hour and weren't allowed off the plane. At some point a bunch of Afghan soldiers boarded the plane with four prisoners. The prisoners were cuffed and seated in the back. They were the first people to be escorted off the plane when we finally landed in Kabul.”
Boss #2 chimes in, “Still, Kam Air is probably your best bet. The airline we used to use doesn't even exist anymore. I was on a flight one time from Kabul back to Kuwait City. Suddenly this guy behind me starts making all kinds of noise and flops to the floor in the aisle. Flight attendants run towards him from the front and the back. It turns out the guy is having a heart attack.
“That's bad enough, but we happen to be flying over Iran at the time. So we make an emergency landing at some airstrip in Eastern Iran. Soldiers board the plane while doctors take the guy off and presumably to a hospital. For the entire hour that we are on the ground in Iran, not a single passenger says a word.”
Okay, good to know. So you want me to book a flight with Kam Air?
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