Don’t Fly

Over the past few months, there have been a few incidents reported by the alphabet and cable news networks. Notice for a moment, that when things go bad with the airlines, these stories come in bunches. For example, Chicago-Midway Airport last week an airplane skidded off the runway into a street killing one 6-year old boy. Dateline Nigeria a plane crashes just short of the runway killing 103 people. Just last week in Miami, Florida, the Federal Air Marshall’s shot and killed a passenger who claimed to have a bomb. (COMMENT: You stupid idiot!).

Sure, these and other stories dot our lives each and every day, but it is the price we pay for air travel, which is still one of the safest ways to get from point to point, quickly and economically. What you really want to take Greyhound? You ever seen a bus crash? Not a pretty sight, then neither is an air crash, both of which rarely yield any survivors.

I only bring this topic up because my good friend, Chad is traveling again and his anxiety is running high. His only comment to me over on his site, Pongibism is “STFU Oswald!” Said with such conviction, can’t you feel the love, the friendship? Hahah. Seriously though, I can feel his pain, although I cannot relate to it. As you may or may not know, I just happen to work for the airlines the past 10 years and let me say it has been rather turbulent recently.

Personally, I don’t fly because

• I hate the TSA and their bullshit passenger screening procedures just to get into a terminal.
• I fly standby. This means, if there are open seats and my seniority is high enough, I just might get on that airplane. It also means I could end up spending 10 hours TRYING to get on a plane and never make it.
• I don’t like the airlines any longer. This is a story in itself, and I am sure I can single out my airline just because of the bad experiences I have had both on a plane and off and just at work in general. So I have stopped supporting them all.
• Is there really anywhere I need to go that I can’t get to by car? Okay, so all of Europe and Hawaii. Let’s see with a newborn, I don’t think we will be going on vacation anytime soon, so both those destinations are out of the question. For any other travel plans, I will drive.
• My wife hates airplanes. Yup, she is petrified to get into that “death tube” for extended periods, or even a quick 45 minute hop down the coast. Add the fact we have a newborn, as stated above and it all equates to no flying.

So for all you traveling this Christmas Season, enjoy the inclement weather, the delays, the TSA and their ever so probing security checks, the long lines, the rude customer services agents and remember I will be sitting at home, by the fire enjoying this holiday season.