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.
