How to board an aircraft in Chukotka

Author(s)

Elena Davydova

Abstract

Based on ethnography of airports in Eastern Arctic Russia (Chukotka),
this article examines institutionalised practices of active waiting prior
to the boarding of an aircraft, called the podsadka. On the one hand, a
distinct feature of Russian Arctic aviation is its unpredictability. Delays,
cancellations of flights, and persistent waiting by passengers are an
inevitable part of the everyday life of airports in Chukotka. On the
other hand, even in remote places of the Russian North, airports are
spaces of heightened control. This article argues that the disjuncture
between the rigidity of airports and the flexibility of people creates
a podsadka game among passengers and contributes to its
“hunting”/“active” peculiarities. The article begins with a comparison
of passenger and air carrier perspectives, which are termed “lucky”
and “efficient” mobilities, respectively. It expands on this theme
by considering airports as spaces for displays of diverse airport
regulations and passenger intentions. Finally, it focuses on specific
traits of Chukotkan mobility that include overcoming multiple queues
and waiting, revealing the strategies applied by local people to be
lucky in their travels.

Organisation(s)

Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Journal

Mobility Humanities

Volume

3

Pages

111-133

No. of pages

23

ISSN

2799-8118

Publication date

07-2024

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

504017 Cultural anthropology

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/f2409b2f-489d-414a-9857-5c90f388c92d