RANT – Beginning to hate air travel

Posted on November 20, 2007 by Rick

You know how some things are supposed to become easier the more you do them – right?

I find this is not the case for air travel. The more I travel by plane the less I can stand it.

First – security. More of a pain and a nuisance. Yes yes I know because of 9/11 and so on we need this. But come on – I have traveled to other nations with more airport security than we have and they do not make it quite this painful or humiliating. Heck – in India everyone gets searched/probed. But they take you behind a little curtain. Much more discrete. Less humiliating.

Second – delays and so on. This time I flew through Philadelphia (rather than Atlanta or Memphis or Houston – as usually I do). Thirty minutes delay from landing to gate. Forty minutes delay getting onto plane. Then fifty minutes delay from leaving gate to taking off. Geez. By the time we landed in Syracuse I had not eaten or had anything to drink for hours. I understand that Phillie is one of the worst. (My relatives all quickly said, “No – O’Hare is the worst”. They probably know from experience.)

Third – and this is the biggie – rough flights (turbulence). Oddly enough flying used not to bother me. Bumpy rides had a kind of “fun roller coaster ride” effect on me. Did not mind them much at all. But the more I fly the more bumps and drops and shakes frighten me… send my heart rate flying… anxiety attack levels… this time (Phillie to New Orleans) I wondered where the sick bag was (did not have one in front of me)… practiced my old martial arts breathing exercises to keep from losing it (whatever it might be). All I could think was, “Get me out of here… get this plane on the ground…. can’t wait for this to end.” Perhaps it is the ever inceasing ubiquitous nature of news in the Internet age. Every crash… every terrorist attack… every near miss – everywhere you go every website you visit there it is. You begin to see the world as full of terror and danger and death.

I am genuinely interested – how do you handle air travel? Especially in terms of turbulence and rough flights? I know that some of you reading this weblog travel by air regularly. (I go by plane occasionally – conferences mostly. Maybe 2-3 times per year.)

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  • Jonathan

    I was one of those kids who dreamed of being a jet pilot and an astronaut and loved the ideal of airtravel.

    I am one of those business travelers who has so many frequently flier miles that I no longer see the total as a subject of pride (the idea of having a million ff miles is much more cool than to actually have earned them). I still usually enjoy that g force moment when the plane has taxied to the end of the runway, has stopped, you hear the engines throttle up and pilot “pops the clutch” (there is a more technically correct description but my way sounds cooler).

    Security. This is much more difficult for the ocassional traveler. It might be that after a specific number of times getting searched that your mind just goes to autodrive to get through it as quickly as possible. What irritates me the most is the fellow passenger who wants to express indignation during the inspection issue. I don’t care if the TSA dude/dudette is a power drunk or just having a bad day. You can’t win and all you do is delay those of us behind you. If you have a really bad experience, there is always the possibility of recourse after the fact.

    Delays. I second your experience. The combination of a stone age ATC system in the US, conjestion at airports, delays, no food on planes makes domestic travel a pain. So…I always have 4-5 protein and at least one good book in my carry-on (sometimes it helps to have good DVD or video game on your laptop). 2-3 of these bars are for sharing with a hungry stranger (in the spirit of full dislosure this is more pragmatism than good naturedness).

    Turbulence can be tough. The absolute best advice that I have is to make sure that you are either drinking water or a diet drink. There is nothing quite like having turbulence cause you to spill your drink on your lap and having to spend 3 or 15 hours with an increasingly sticky lower body. The best way to avoid nausea (or, at least, to lower the quantity of result) is to make wise pre-flight eating/drinking choices. Avoid high sugar food/drink and stick to quickly digestable fats and proteins. And, always, drink a lot of water.

    Some good tips:
    - Get an intense workout in before your flight and you will have a great chance to be both relaxed and mentally alert during the trip. (Plus, being beefier than the average pax is a plus…just kidding.)
    - Consider a membership to a airline lounge. If you travel 3-4 times per year, it might be worth the annual fee. Aside from having a comfortable and quiet place to hang out during a delay, the lounge desk is the best place to get airline assistance…and these employees actually want to help you.
    - Travel like a Spartan: wear loose clothing that can easily removed/changed, pack the right supplies in your carry-on, and focus like a laser on your goal.

  • http://www.livethetrinity.net Rick

    First – welcome Jonathan! And thanks for registering and for leaving a comment!

    Second – and thanks for such a long and helpful reply. This is great stuff and should be bookmarked (“dugg”?) for the benefit of others.

    Oddly enough I did not dream of being an astronaut but of designing space craft. Sent drawings to NASA when I was in 4-5th grade – even got a personal letter from the head honcho saying “when you grow up maybe you can come work for us”. Suh-weet.

    Holy smokes! My gravatar works! Awesome!