'Flight shame is hypocritical, it's taboo, just like a plate of meat'

We've been flying like crazy for decades, but now the word "flight shame" has even entered our vocabulary. Is there something wrong with that? It was discussed on TV on the Nieuws van de Dag .

Is it really that strange that we fly to faraway places so often? No, not really. Just half a century ago, you had to save up for it. Now, we're much more comfortable boarding a plane, often several times a year. Earlier this week, Metro wrote about the prices: flying is often cheaper than taking the train . So why take the train and make it take so much longer? There's even a list of tips for finding cheap flights .

And yet it is there: flight shame.

"Schiphol is bursting at the seams again this summer," says presenter Art Rooijakkers on Nieuws van de Dag on SBS6 (see the video above). "5.8 million travelers will pass through passport control at the airport. We're flying more than ever, but at the same time, so-called flight shame is also increasing."

Opinion leader Aylin Bilic told the Nieuws van de Dag studio that she finds flight shame hypocritical. Bilic also sees that we're flying much more often than before. More than last year and more than before the coronavirus pandemic. "At the same time, it's actually just like eating a plate of meat. Some people consider flying almost taboo."

But who's the one feeling this flight shame? Bilic: "If you ask further, it's precisely those people who happily fly to Thailand. Guys under 30, highly educated, just starting a second job, who celebrate a birthday in Barcelona and then fly back to Rome. It's all possible, of course; I've experienced it myself. It's not that I blame them, but it's also good not to say, 'You're not allowed to fly,' when you're going to Thailand yourself."

Want to know which political leanings are the least likely to get on a plane (with or without flight shame)? Then watch the video.

And if you want to see the goings-on behind the scenes at Schiphol, with all those millions of travelers, Metro recommends the two Videoland seasons of Schiphol Airport .

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