Smackie the Frog

I’m leaving tonight, actually in a couple of hours, to go see Phil and Helen. I think that I’m the first in the family to do this, so it is a pretty big deal, and I’m really excited. It has been almost 3 months since they went away, but it just seems like 2 days.

The only thing I’m really not looking forward to is the flights out there. I’m going to be in the air for almost 6 hours, which is a long time. I could be in Europe, almost, at that point. And I’m flying US Airways, which I’m doing because it is so cheap. However, after some research, it looks like there is a reason for this. Basically, abysmal customer service. However, there is one thing that I approve of that they are doing. No free stuff on the plane. Not even water.

So I packed some food, and will grab a bottle of water at the airport once I’m past security. But it just strikes me as how far we’ve come from when people wore their finest and had gourmet meals on airplanes. And now it is basically just transportation, to get from one place to another. And you know what? I like that. Because I think that if they can keep the cost of the ticket down so that I can get to where I’m going for cheaper, I’m all for that. I don’t fly as entertainment. I fly as a means to get where I want to go.

I read some aviation forums from time to time, and there are quite a few people who complain about that sort of thing. About turning air travel into Greyhound. But I think that is great. Because it allows me to fly to California from St. Louis for under $250. Hell, the fuel has to cost almost that much. So take away all the goodies. Give me a chair, a seatbelt, a good pilot, and I’ll take care of the rest of it myself.