This is How We Get There.

Wife and I took a trip to California. We looked forward to it. And it turned out to be all that we hoped it would be and more. The most important and precious pleasure was seeing our son whom we had not seen in almost a year. We shopped in advance on line for the cheapest airfare. Hotel. Rental Car. Being a retired airline pilot, one might think I could have gotten a real deal on the airfare. But the real deal of employee discounts at the airlines is riding "space available". This means you only ride when there are extra seats. The airline industry has changed. There was a time that a full airplane was a rare event. If a flight canceled, there were seats on the very next flight. And tickets were refundable. Then government subsidies went away and fuel prices climbed twenty fold. The full airplane cattle car approach is now the norm. Even before 9-11 the experience of flying on an airliner had become drudgery. Where it used to be the best part of ones vacation or business trip. But since 9-11 the simple drudgery of full airplanes, middle seats, no amenities and no one being nice, has been replaced by a surreal nightmare of just getting there with your sanity. And your luggage. And a shred of dignity. I love to fly in any airplane, but I was dreading the travel days of our little vacation.

There was both good and bad on the travel days. Really, really noisy babies and toddlers during the entire flights both out and back. Oversized travellers who used part of my seat space both out and back. Full airplanes.

On the good side we flew non stop each way. Wife had a window seat and although her window was fogged on the way out to L.A., her flight home was clear all the way and she watched the entire country go by and with the prevailing wind the flight took a little over four hours.

We were on a 737. An airplane that used to barely make it halfway across the country. Now more efficient engines and airframes and winglets make the old venerable "seven three" a coast to coaster. I won't tell you the name of the airline we were on, but it's initials are AIR TRAN and it used to be Value Jet. Now I travel in spite of flying on an airplane.
LLITTY :::::+:::::