Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Oddities of Air Travel

I’ve done my share of air travel in my adult life with at least several hundred thousand miles under my belt. At first it was unusual, but after so many trips it feels like just another part of life. But overall, it seems like a rather unusual experience.

It would seem that the restrictions and frustrations of air travel would generate a lot of complaints and backlash.  There are multiple modes of travel besides the plane itself – moving walkways, taxis or buses or trains to get to and from the airport, trains at the airport. Flying requires being at the airport several hours before the flight. After the flight, often waiting for baggage can take a long time even in small airports. It’s even true that airlines have scaled back services – no more pretzels, no more free baggage, and some contemplating charging to use the bathroom.

The reality is I rarely hear a complaint, even from friends and family who travel. Of course when there is severe weather or other unusual situations that disrupt the system and cause massive delays, complaints are there. After all it’s no fun sleeping on an airport floor or spending 36 hours in an airport.

Oddly, it seems just the opposite. Every line is usually calm – the check-in line, the security line, getting on the plane. Even the atmosphere on the plane seems relatively calm. There’s not a lot of disruptions or unruly passengers or words spoken in anger or frustration. How is that?

I wonder – is this because of the rules. It does seem that there are quite a few rules – take off your shoes, take out your laptop, only seating area 1 first, an assigned seat, put your luggage in wheels first, etc. These rules are not oppressive in any way and even not that restrictive. The truth is they make travel easy because they are simple, they are easy; everyone knows what to expect and how to behave. Everyone can relax for a bit.

That’s what people do – they relax. This is nothing to do but follow the pattern from leaving home to getting to the airport to checkin to the actual flight. There’s nothing to do, no place to go, nobody to please, no cellphones to answer, no email to attend to. It’s peaceful in an unusual way. Just grab a book, listen to music, take a nap, do a crossword – it’s like recess or free time.

It’s not that I particularly look forward to the routine of travel, still it offers an unusual calmness.
 

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