After my wonderful vacation in Bali, I boarded my flight back to London at Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta International Airport.

"Cabin crew, prepare for take off," the pilot announced, and minutes later, we were gaining speed. I was getting ready for the familiar tug of gravity as the plane leaves the ground, but instead, the whole aircraft shuddered as the pilot deployed reverse thrusters. The plane slowed down, came to a stop in the middle of the runway and taxied back to the gate.

There was a long delay, but the flight crew were not keeping us informed. Finally, without a word of apology and two hours behind schedule, our plane took off.

I was curious as to know what exactly happened earlier, given Indonesia's poor aviation safety record. As the attendant was serving my drinks, I casually asked her: "So what was the delay about?"

"Oh it was nothing," she said in her sweet voice. "The pilot heard a strange noise coming from the engine."

"So everything is fixed then?" I asked her, trying not to look too scared.

"Yes," she replied in a reassuring manner. "We replaced the pilot."