6 reasons why flying is no longer part of the fun of traveling

I don’t care how quickly you can get from one place to another, flying is no longer the a fun part of traveling. As a kid, it WAS fun. The flight was like riding the monorail in Walt Disney World before getting to the Magic Kingdom. It was part of the experience. It was the overture before the show. Now…it is just pure aggravation.

Here are 6 things that bother me about airline travel:

1. The cost of tickets has gotten outrageous

What do you actually get for the cost of an airline ticket? Because after you agree to purchase the ticket, you then have to choose a seat. And when you go to choose that seat, almost every seat available to you is only available at an additional cost.

The airlines try to sell you on the fact that the additional higher prices will get you additional room for yourself. But don’t be fooled. It won’t make a difference. You will still be suffering the sardine can effect regardless of the seat you choose…unless you are in first class or business class…but then you better be ready to really ante up.

2. The seating space leaves little wiggle room

The space afforded you on a plane is rather small. While things are supposed to be bigger and better…the only thing that seems to be “bigger” are the people sitting next to me…and they are claiming the arm rest when I should be the one entitled to it. (Since I am most often sitting in the middle seat so etiquette would point to me laying claim to those arm rests.)

I am rather small compared to most people and I get that. But why is a plane designed to have seats whereby people are overflowing into the seating space next to them? Someone didn’t plan this correctly. And as someone who hates being touched by strangers…I can tell you that I am hyper-aware when my personal space is being invaded. And a flight of a few hours or more has proven to be great exposure therapy.

3. The boarding process makes no sense

I don’t understand the boarding process at all. What is that big rush to get on that plane? I know that I want to wait to get on until the very last minute before squeezing my way into that sardine can for hours.

And the groups…what is the purpose of putting people in groups…and telling them to get in line? And why are they getting in line before they are even called? Seating is not on a first-come, first-served basis.

The majority of the time, it appears that airplanes are boarded from a hatch near the front end of the plane. So in the interest of pure logic, why not board the plane beginning from the last row and moving toward the first row like a graduation procession?

Essentially, there are people from all over the plane, trying to get down the aisle, but pretty much being blocked by those who are IN the aisle and putting things in the overhead, wiping down their seats, getting themselves settled, and backing up the process.

And of course those very same people in a rush to be the first ones on, are jumping out of their seats before the plane is actually set at the gate, to be the first ones off. Go figure.

4. The luggage is the problem

The real reason for all the madness to rush on to an airplane is to get to that overhead compartment.

I always believed that there were highly skilled aeronautics engineers involved in the design of planes. So why is it that, if the premise is for every passenger to bring one “carry on” that is to be placed in the overhead compartments, then why is there not enough room for everyone to, in fact, place a carry on in a compartment over their respective heads?

I have seen people placing not just a carry-on bag in the overhead, but also a personal item like a backpack, a heavy winter coat, and a shopping bag of whatever crap they may be toting along. It is the first few passengers to board who take up all of the room before everyone else can get on board that aircraft.

Every passenger should be entitled to one piece of luggage…free…as a part of the cost of the ticket. But while that used to be the case (not suitcase) years ago, it’s obviously not now. The airlines have established price guidelines for everything…including checked luggage and the weight of that luggage. (An airplane obviously is limited to the weight it can carry.)

So with passengers trying to circumvent the added cost of luggage, they find ways to bring everything they own ON THE PLANE. Well, that means that everything they own must go somewhere. And that somewhere is in the overhead compartment. But there is never enough space to put even ONE carry-on bag for each seated passenger. So when people sneak on board all kinds of things on and around their bodies, and then stick them in the overhead when they get on the plane, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist or, in this case, an aerospace engineer, to figure out that the plane will run out of room very quickly.

5. “Food service” is no longer an applicable term

There was a time when you were provided a meal during your flight. A meal. Now you are provided with a snack…or a morsel…of some kind. What you get is the bite size version of a snack, much like the size of Halloween candies. But you still get the complimentary soft drink or water. Anything else you may want comes with a fairly hefty price tag. And that doesn’t mean that it will be good enough for consumption.

Load up on those snacks before you board. Or preferably bring them from home to save on the astronomical airport costs.

6. Self-awareness is virtually non-existent when it comes to airline travel

Travel can be stressful. And all of the hoops you have to jump through to deal with air travel, including time constraints, delays, weather issues, and all of the rest, can make the stress exponentially worse. People can lost patience, and lose their cool, under such conditions. And especially when people are in a very confined space and vying for the same space, it can be combustible.

The behaviors and total lack of self-awareness by some people would be comical if one is not being subjected to it. There is no consideration for another human being. It is a microcosm of the society we live in…”me first and everyone else can go scratch.”

You are on an airplane…with hundreds of other people…aren’t you conscious that there are other human beings around you and can SEE YOU?

Or HEAR YOU?

Driving cross country doesn’t seem so bad anymore, does it?