IT'S ME AGAIN -

I haven't posted in almost a month, and before that it was hit and miss. I find that being the community magazine editor takes a lot of my time - time to keep the records and files, time to edit articles and handle the editing staff's assignments, time to do the magazine proofs, time to write. I do enjoy it all.

In the past, I've often posted here with articles of my own, usually the articles that didn't get printed.
I've still got several that may never see print, but I do have some that you might enjoy. They've been in past issues this year, and I'll post one now and then. I find I am more and more interested in researching and writing essays than in any other pursuit - except reading, of course.

Herewith - an article I hope you'll find interesting:

DO YOU REMEMBER – AIR TRAVEL?

                                       

                                             by Lee Johnston

Of course you remember air travel and  what it was like many, many moons ago.

Lately, the airwaves abound with horror stories of business trips and vacations ruined by the airlines. We hear stories of waiting for hours on the tarmac, lost luggage, not to mention passengers being forcibly removed from  their seats. And those seats are not too comfortable these days. We do know that what we hear are just the most newsworthy items.

It wasn’t always like this. Oh yes, there might have been the time that the airline overbooked and you got bumped, but there was usually decent compensation and even some surprising upgrades to a better class.

The first step in planning a flight was to head to the travel agent. Unless you were planning an extensive trip like a circumnavigation of the globe with appropriate stops, transportation, hotel bookings, and side trips, the service to book your flight and prepare your ticket was free. Travel agents are still in business, but the emphasis for many of them has shifted to unique group tours, and planning and making the arrangements for lengthy, individualized itineraries. Anyone  today can do most  travel arrangements for themselves online and print their own tickets, vouchers, and boarding passes.

Air travel has regressed from the days when flight attendants had to be registered nurses, know the procedures backwards and forwards, and, on international flights, speak several languages. Today, many attendants seem ill-trained and surly. Though we do know better, sometimes it seems that they were handed a uniform, a schedule, and told to get on the plane. To be truthful, not every airline is guilty of this. There are those like Singapore Airlines and Southwest that enjoy stellar reputations, but several of the others are the ones making the news. The unsung flight crews who do a yeoman’s job are not newsworthy.

The economy, the tense state of the world, and the less formal way we live our lives have stripped air travel down to the essentials.

Years ago, ticket in hand, dressed to go to church, you presented yourself and your bags at the airline’s ticket counter. Unless you had packed your entire wardrobe and encountered a fee for too many or too heavy suitcases,  airlines took your luggage, assigned you a seat, gave you a boarding pass, and sent you on your way to the gate: no lines, no increasingly complicated security checks. You usually had a pleasant flight, with a snack and a drink on a short hop, and a meal on a longer flight.

As to our clothes, it’s easier now to go through security checks in slip-ons and flip-flops instead of lace-ups. Flying is certainly more comfortable now that we’ve ditched the suits and ties, the panty hose, hats and gloves, and (egad!) the girdles. Now we dress for flying as though we were going to Walmart. With regular airplane seats getting smaller and smaller, and closer together, it’s downright uncomfortable to dress up for anything but first class.

Remember all the luggage? Many of us now do with a very large tote (heaven forbid we leave the electronics at home) and a properly-sized roll-on. And what wouldn’t we have given for some built-in wheels back in the days of hard-sided luggage? Savvy travelers have reduced their travel wardrobes to the coordinated essentials, and many go online to learn just what to pack a trip – be it a weekend in the country or a three-week jaunt to Europe. Just search online for “travel wardrobe.”

When holidays are approaching, it’s difficult to tote everything you need or want to bring on a flight. Think about sending holiday gifts, even some of your wardrobe, on ahead via the USPS, UPS, or FedEx. Moreover, think about making your travel reservations sooner than later .While considering  holiday flying, think if it would be possible to avoid hassles, delays, and crowds by traveling days before and after the peak rush so you can relax and enjoy your trip.

Have a good flight.