our opinions: CURMUDGEON MUSINGS
The Last
Word
BY MARK BROWN
Just Plane Annoying
S
o on the topic of flying, and
its many challenges.
I predict that you’ll hear
this story someday soon on the
news, but, I’ll get back to that
later.
First, here’s the state of the
airlines industry through the
eyes of a frequent business flyer
— me.
In the airlines’ valiant efforts
to become more profitable,
they have made flying miser-
able.
Overbooked flights, much
less room in any of the coach
classes, totally full flights,
hardly any space for carry-
on luggage. First of all, if you
check luggage, you know
there’s a good chance that
you’ll never see it again
because more and more
baggage doesn’t make it to its
planned destination. Secondly,
it takes a very long time for
airlines to get your bags to the
baggage claim area.
Flights are exceedingly more
expensive, airports much more
crowded, security lines are
unmanageable, TSA person-
112
nel in most cities are inept,
although a few airports seem
to have better, more competent
TSA people. Can’t figure that
one out. To use a line from
“Men in Black,” “That’s what
we have come to expect from
years of government training.”
So my point is, in looking
back over the last 20-something
years of flying for my work, the
stress level on flights is getting
more and more tense. I write
this little fictional story based
on a recent flight I was on.
Again, someday you will hear
this