Travis is my first new contributor to the blog, who will be writing a post every Wednesday to start. The idea behind adding guest contributors is to add different perspectives to the blog. Travis has a unique approach towards travel, given that he travels almost exclusively with his wife and young children, which is in stark contrast to my travels, which are usually alone.
Travis is currently on a month-long trip to Southeast Asia with his wife, 3.5 year old son Squirt and 2.5 year old daughter Squeaker.
An AirAsia flight from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore has gone missing. There are reported to be 162 on-board. It’s last known position was just off the southern coast of Borneo.
Events like this are scary for everyone, no matter where in the world you are located. However, they hit a little close to home when they either happen in your neck of the woods, or a neck of the woods where you are currently traveling or have recently traveled.
My family arrived in Brunei just yesterday on Malaysia Airlines. The last known position of this plane is just a few hundred miles south of here, as reported by Flightradar24. Moreover, we flew AirAsia from Jakarta to Singapore at the start of our month-long Southeast Asian Adventure a few weeks ago. A little close to home indeed.
The manifest, as currently reported, shows no Americans on-board, though given how early media reports can be erroneous, I’m sure we have a few friends and family back home worried just the same. Which reminds me that we should do a better job of informing family members of when and where we are flying.
Speculation is that weather may have had something to do with the disappearance. Indeed, the weather in Brunei has been more stormy than that which we have experienced on the rest of our trip. Electrical storms moved through the area last evening and again this morning, although I generally would have assumed it was mostly normal for the region.
Finally, it’s certainly been a rough year for commercial aviation in this part of the world. Technically this flight was operated by AirAsia Indonesia, a subsidiary which is 49% owned by the corporate parent AirAsia, which is itself a Malaysian carrier. Still, when most people hear AirAsia, they probably associate it with Malaysia.
I certainly hope that there is good news regarding this incident. Until then, I’ll pray for both those on board, their families, the rescuers, and everyone else involved.
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