Have You Flown Lately??

Flying is a smart way to travel long distances...........or is it? As a long term resident of a reasonably remote region of Australia, flying is about the only option to go anywhere, unless you are prepared for the multi-day long distance road or rail journey. And as for international travel, well, Australia is an island, so it is aircraft or ship, if you leave Australia.

But time is important to most...........so one flys. But is it a pleasant experience? Lots of blogs pontificate on the traveller perspective and how terrible the experience was [funny though, not too many positive comments, which seems a little unbalanced], and how obnoxious the fellow traveller can be. Sure, like most people travelling in Business Class or equivalent on long haul flights I find that it is much more pleasant and a real step up from Economy.......but you sure pay for it. I cannot recall it being awful. On short haul flights [ 0.5 - 2.0hrs] economy is ok, but does one need a lot of liquids or food of dubious character anyway? The old adage of liquid in equals liquid out still applies. Just a seat and settle down to read or quietly entain yourself.......or take a train, increasingly common in Europe or Asia now. Point to point times are usually comparable.

This article and the comments are a reasoned set of thoughts on the crappiness of airline travel, and through that, the unthoughtful, inconsiderate and down right rude behaviour of people. Are we all that inadequate that the ability to smile, say please and thank you and generally behave tolerantly and reasonably to one's neighbours, on a aircraft or almost anywhere else has just evaporated in favour of a mindset that screams "me me me me me" at all times, in all circumstances? That behaviour code is called good manners.

Maybe some people should NEVER travel, on any mode, or at any time.

I have always found you get more from people by being pleasant than you ever do by being awful towards them - pleasantness begets the same in response. Do not forget that.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2632386.htm This is well written and the comments are worth a read as well.