When I flew to Nashville a few weeks ago, I noticed that the security line designed for first class and elite flyers at my home airport was unusually long, in fact longer than I’ve ever seen it. Normally it moves pretty quickly, though, so I went ahead and got in it. This time, though, it was pretty sluggish, and when I got to the font I realized why: they were training new TSA agents.

This was irritating to me for multiple reasons. First of all, it was 5:30am on a Monday morning, so it was during one of the busiest times at the airport. Second, business travelers typically don’t leave very much extra time in their schedule, so it seemed likely the delay could lead to someone missing their flight.

I get why they would put a trainee in our line—we fly so often we know the routine, and are (in theory anyway) more prepared to go through security. People who don’t fly often are less likely to be ready with ID and boarding pass and more likely to be flustered, leading to delays. Plus there are fewer frequent fliers, so if the trainee has difficulty with a procedure he is causing fewer people to wait.

But I can’t help but feel that frequent travelers, especially business travelers, pay a lot of money on a regular basis to fly, and I feel like that should be respected. Not that it ever will be, by airlines or the TSA, but that’s how I feel.

Readers, what are your thoughts?

My best friend recently traveled to Atlanta for a conference. She had plenty of stories for the blog when she came back (just wait until you hear my etiquette for next week–I shudder just to think of it), but the first thing that caught my ear was this. “The Atlanta airport is so disorganized!” she said. “I arrived at my gate, and was sitting there waiting for my flight, when out of nowhere they made an announcement that they were changing the gate!” She stopped, waiting for my reaction.  “What else happened that made you think they are disorganized?” I asked. “Well, nothing. That was it,” she answered.

At this point, I was reminded how much stuff frequent fliers deal with that is baffling to those who fly less often. Airport security (“What do you mean I can’t take barbecue sauce in my carry-on? It’s sealed!”), turbulence (“Are we going to crash? What’s happening??”), and yes, gate changes. I can absolutely see how frustrating gate changes would be if you’ve never dealt with it before, but unfortunately it’s a fact of traveling life. Airplanes arrive late, depart early, flights get canceled, etc. And the people who figure out the gates are arranging and rearranging a constantly moving puzzle. Honestly, considering how many flights go in and out of Atlanta (and DFW, ORD, JFK, LAX…..) it’s surprising the gates aren’t changing even more often!

I don’t spent a lot of time in the Atlanta airport, so for all I know it could actually be disorganized. But gate changes will happen everywhere, from the largest to the smallest airports. Every so often, check the sign at your gate to make sure you’re still at the right place. And remember, traveling is an adventure! Try to be flexible and just go with the flow, and it will be way less stressful.

Readers, is there anything that was disconcerting to you when you first started traveling that you are used to now?

According to the New York Times, some airlines are going to start allowing anyone to spend a little extra money and get an exit row seat. These seats, with their extra leg room, have long been one of the perks of being a frequent flier. And in my opinion, it’s a win-win. The FF gets rewarded for their loyalty, and the airline gets a passenger pretty familiar with the responsibilities of sitting in the exit row.

This article says that the flight attendants will have the final say-so about whether someone is physically capable of performing the exit row requirements, but my question is: Won’t people who paid extra for this special seat be upset if they are told they have to move? Even if they get refunded the difference? We know that not all passengers are awesome at reading or following instructions, and some people will likely just click “Yes” without reading all of the responsibilities of the exit row seats.

In my opinion these airlines are just looking for more ways to have customers pay for things they used to get for free (checked bags anyone?), and this will end up being more trouble than it’s worth. But hey, no one asked me right?