The Miracle of Air Travel
I know, we all have our complaints about it. But let's pause for a moment to appreciate that our complaints, in the big scheme of things, are laughably trivial. Long lines. Seats too small. Flights get delayed. The TSA gropes little old ladies. Sometimes your baggage gets lost.
Now consider the big picture, the real picture: I woke up today (or whatever day it is, my body's a bit confused) in Manhattan. About fifteen hours later, including cab rides to and from the airports, I was deposited intact in my apartment in Istanbul, having been hurled over the Atlantic Ocean at 600 miles per hour in a shiny metal tube. The experience was completely safe and completely routine. Flying is relatively inexpensive; it happens tens of thousands of times a day, all over the globe, and it is so rare for anything to go seriously wrong with the experience that when it happens, it's headline news for days. (This as opposed, say, to things "going wrong" on the freeway, a daily cause of carnage so routine that it almost never makes the news.)
Now, being American, I'm still not satisfied: I want air travel to be faster, cheaper, line-free, hassle-free, grope-free, and more comfortable. But that's just perfectionism. Basically, the fact that modern man on a regular basis flies--safely!--anywhere he wants to go, pretty much anywhere on the planet, is just mind-exploding. The Romans sure never managed to pull that off. (And the Russians still can't.)
By the way, the lines at JFK weren't that bad; the part of the airport I was in was clean and pleasant (has it been renovated? It used to be hellish); the security screening wasn't invasive (no groping at all); the screeners were polite and professional, and Turkish Airlines has outstanding customer service.
I've posted this before, but I love this video, so I'll post it again:
We do this. We do it every day.
What an amazing world.
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Comments :
May '11
Re: The Miracle of Air Travel
Yes it is amazing, and safe, so much so that we have many times sent out daughters as unaccompanied minors to Canada for summer or Christmas vacation, without worrying.... too much. In March of 2010 we sent our 15 year old Daughter to live in Canada and go to high school there, she flew as a regular passenger, not an unaccompanied minor. She had her MacBook with her and via free WiFi at Vancouver International Airport, she was able to call us via Skype when she was cleared customs and immigration, waiting for my brother to pick her up.
Even as little as 50 years ago if you moved to another country over the sea it was usually a one way trip, and most people would never see their homeland again, certainly 100 years ago this was very true, now middle class people go to far away destinations for a 4 day, three night holiday.
Truly, it is an amazing world we live in, and here in Japan, we don't have any stinking TSA to worry about!
Domo
Nov '10
Re: The Miracle of Air Travel
Turkish Airlines flew you across the Pacific to get you to Istanbul? That does not inspire confidence.
Feb '11
Re: The Miracle of Air Travel
Now, now, it's all just water and you're asleep anyway.
Re: The Miracle of Air Travel
Fixed. I plead jet lag. Thanks for noticing that before my reputation as an authority on foreign affairs lay in tatters.
Apr '11
Re: The Miracle of Air Travel
Along those lines...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk&feature=related
In the last minute or two he talks about flight.
CONTENT WARNING.
Looks like Pootergeek beat me to it. :-)
Edited on Dec 9, 2011 at 5:33amDec '11
Re: The Miracle of Air Travel
Its none of those things, its the people with 2 roll around carry ons that would never in a million years fit in the wireframe taking up ALL the overhead space, so that I cant put my one small leather briefcase in the overhead bin. Those are the people who make air travel miserable. The inconsiderate people who cannot fathom sharing space and time with others. Oh the people with full on LUGGAGE trying to cram it into the overhead really annoy me. If your bag is too big, just carry it on anyway, and you dont have to pay the baggage fee. Every time I fly I feel like a chump because I try to share time and space with others. Airline overhead space is the tradgedy of the commons indeed.
Apr '11
Re: The Miracle of Air Travel
The problem is with short flights. When you factor in driving to airport + parking + security + flight time + connection time (if any) + waiting for bags (if any) + getting to destination from airport, it can easily exceed the driving time. The increased difficulty & expense of airport parking combined with security delays has taken much of the enjoyment out of air travel. Add to it the massive decrease in the level of service once on board and that explains most peoples change is attitude. For longer trips, I think people will put up with a little more, since it takes up most of the day anyway, so what's another hour of overhead? International flights tend to have a better level of on board service as well, but I'm sure this is being scaled back along with everything else.