OK, A Sudden Realization
In Newark I’ve got an hour or two to kill and decide to leave the plane to see what security is like. I also want to use a lounge pass I have with Continental, which is in another terminal. Security tells me that US Airways is in the other terminal but as I explain my airport lounge challenge, she lets me through with my proper ID. The security seems OK, no slower or faster than others which means with the traffic they get, I’m sure there are some long lines in the morning. What is a challenge for them is the fact the terminal hall is narrow, which means they are using wands on people as they stand in the way of passengers leaving the terminal. This airport will need to review how things are laid out before it becomes efficient enough for most of us. When I went through security I was flagged for a bag check – a very long bag check. The security personnel loved my digital tape recorder and wanted to know how I liked my Nikon digital camera. They were also impressed with the FlyerTalk luggage tags. At first I was put off by the slow nature of this bag check, but as time went by, I mellowed out and came to peace with the fact that this is the way I will travel in the future. I almost miss the flight to Baltimore because I didn’t hear the boarding calls – even though I’m sitting right next to the check-in counter. Only when they page me for the second time do I emerge from a sleep-deprived haze and run down the gangplank. On this flight from Baltimore the captain informs us we are #1 for takeoff, then goes on to say “There’s a first for everything….” and that gets a chuckle from me. During the Baltimore to Charleston, WV flight (I changed planes in Baltimore despite the same flight number from Newark to Charleston) I suddenly realize I’m bored. I’ll explain: I’m now on flight segment 27, which in frequent flyer terms means I’m nearing the first level of elite qualification after only flying 5 1/2 days. After 27 segments, all the flights have left on time and arrived on time (except the security incident in Detroit, which didn’t affect anything anyway), and frankly I find that boring. There has always been a certain excitement in wondering if you’ll make your connection and then scrambling to use your SkyGuide to search out new schedules for flights that can get you to where you need to be. Or the disappointment that comes when, after a delayed flight, you arrive at your hotel only to find that all the rooms on the Executive Floor have been taken by those lucky enough to have flown on an earlier, on-time, flight. Or those frantic calls to prospective business partners or family members to say that you won’t make the meeting or make it home for dinner. Thanks US Airways for making this boring; it sure makes it easier for me to make my itinerary work. And please, take ‘boring’ as the highest compliment. I realize I’ve become bored iwhen I find an old September issue of the Attache in-flight magazine and read an article about why birds fly south in the winter. As a compulsive reader, I read pretty much anything, but instead of finishing up the Robert Ludlum novel I’ve got in hand, I’m entertained by an article about birds flying south for the winter. Go figure. That and the fact that I’m actually looking forward to next week when November 1st rolls around and the latest issue of Attache will be on board. I usually read Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazine when traveling but this experience might just convert me to a seatback reader. I’ve also just finished my Christmas shopping by staring at the SkyMall catalog for the last 4 segments. Oh, before this flight lands, did you know that soaring raptors (eagles, hawks, owls) store fat and then fly for weeks at a time without eating during their migration?