A layman’s guide to the dude who would spend seven hours or more staring at an animated map showing a cartoon plane inching around the planet

A viral TikTok trend challenges travellers to endure long flights with no entertainment, no headphones, no books, just a flight map. Illustration by C Y Gopinath using AI

You are sitting, strapped to a chair, helpless. You can only make minimal movements. If you try to stand up, a sharp voice on a loudspeaker will tell you to sit down at once. You cannot stretch your legs, you can’t fold them under you. You cannot lean back, you cannot bend forward, and there is no question of going to sleep. For one, it is terribly cold. For two, you don’t dare close your eyes, for God knows what they will do to you then.

You can cry for help, but there is no one to hear you. You are invisible.

No human being should be in such a position. You are suspended 30,000 feet above the planet. You will be shaken violently without warning like a rag doll for minutes on end. Just as you are getting your breath back, you will be dropped, falling several thousand feet in seconds.

You will endure these extreme punishments for at least seven hours, but it has been known to go as high as 12 or 13 hours.

The words above describe a normal

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