Monday, June 14, 2010

In search of "the friendly skies"


In search of “the friendly skies”

My step-daughter is preparing to take her first plane ride—EVER. I’m ashamed that she is nearly 17 years old and has not yet experienced this phenomenon—the feeling I love so much, of lifting off and crossing miles and miles of globe in mere hours, of going to someplace new, of seeing new things, new people … new, new, new.

But there have been obstacles—which I must not discuss here—that have prevented us from getting her onboard an aircraft before now. I’m excited for her, knowing the butterflies will be fluttering in her stomach, and how everything she’ll see and do from the moment she lifts off until she finds herself on the return flight will be an entirely NEW experience to her. Surely the travel bug will sink its teeth into her, as it did to her step-mother so many years ago.

Speaking of air travel …

Does it seem as though the backlash from all the baggage add-on fees has done any good? Or have you found airlines that are still charging out the wazoo for one, two, or more bags? I still don’t know why they don’t just factor that into the airfare. No one would have batted an eye had they done that.

I hear they’re considering doing away with peanuts:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/12/peanut-ban-on-airplaines-_n_610247.html?ir=Food
The risk of food-allergy illness seems enough reason to do this. Besides, will anyone REALLY miss that miniscule bag of overly salted peanuts? It only makes you want to drink more, and by the way, that’ll cost you, too.

Here are a few “tips” for surviving modern-times air travel:
http://lifehacker.com/5561002/top-10-strategies-for-surviving-airports-and-airplanes
Though I TOTALLY disagree with the “check your pistol” strategy, unless you’re trying to get yourself on some “watch list.”

Here are a few airlines said to “do it right:”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/27/the-best-airlines-in-the_n_591738.html

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