Don't fly if you can drive
What will it be like to be an airline passenger this summer? Let me know. Also, 7 other things worth knowing today.
Never say never, but I am pretty certain I will not be flying this summer.
Part of this is just prognosticatory cheating -- we have a pretty full schedule in my family through Labor Day, so barring something unexpected, I don't know when I'd fit it.
But also: Well, have you flown recently? It doesn't sound like a lot of fun.
One of the big adjustments in the airline industry has been that business travel is down, but personal or pleasure travel is up. One doesn't make up for the other, because in general business travel is a lot more lucrative.
Beyond that, literally thousands of flights were canceled over Memorial Day and Juneteenth weekends in the United States. Some airlines are now cutting departures—United and American, probably others that just didn't send me their press releases— because they don't have the staff to fly them.
(Better than the alternative, which would be to schedule them and then have to cancel them.)
Still, probably the most viral thing I've seen on social media lately is from a flight attendant named Kristie Koerbel who posted some sage advice about how to fly this summer, if you must.
Among her tips:
Don't fly if you can drive. Her cut-off is anything less than a seven hour drive, get behind the wheel instead of in line at an airport.
Fly much earlier than you think you should: a full day ahead of when you need to be wherever you need to go, and on the first flight of the day if possible. Your odds of a delay or disruption are higher then ever, so flying early gives you a buffer.
Arrive extra early to the airport, and if you have layovers, schedule long ones. Again: buffer.
This is not the summer to save $100 by purchasing tickets through a third-party wholesaler. Buy direct from the airlines, so you have more leverage when you run into drama.
Don't get drunk. Take a shower before you fly, brush your teeth, ixnay on the erfume-pay, and for the sake of all that is good and holy in the world don't bring smelly foods like tuna fish on the plane.
Anyway, I could go on, but for a an open comment Friday, let's turn it over to you.
Are you flying more or less than you were, pre-pandemic?
What's your best or worst airline passenger story? (I'll share one of mine in the comments; it's a bit wistful in retrospect.)
And, let's go back to that point about business versus personal/pleasure travel: What's the one opportunity that would get you back in the air, if you're not flying already?
Let us know in the comments.
7 other things worth knowing today
The U.S. Supreme Court massively expanded its interpretation of the right to bear arms, declaring strict gun laws in New York and several other states unconstitutional. The ruling, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, declared that the Constitution protects "an individual's right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home." (AP)
Another big decision: the Supremes took a big step toward limiting the effect of Miranda v. Arizona, which is the 56-year-old case behind the "You have the right to remain silent" thing that police say in every cop show. The right to remain silent still exists, but the decision "ensures that many suspects who are denied these warnings will have no legal recourse, even if they are wrongly convicted." (Slate)
The war in Ukraine: Casualties among Russian and pro-Russian forces are mounting at an unsustainable rate, British intelligence reports, raising more questions about the extent to which Moscow can maintain its current pace of operations amid limited progress on the battlefield. (US News)
The Jan. 6 committee hearings continue, with testimony about how former President Donald Trump sought inside help from the Justice Department to execute his campaign to reverse the 2020 election. Separately (well, I think) federal investigators searched the Virginia home of Jeffrey Clark, the former Justice Department official who pushed the department, at former President Trump’s request, to get involved in efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. (NBC News, LA Times)
A Tesla critic says the company's factories are "money furnaces" losing "billions of dollars." Sorry, wait: That wasn't a critic; that was Elon Musk. “Both Berlin and Austin factories are gigantic money furnaces right now,” Musk said in a video interview with Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley. (Bloomberg)
A bloodhound named Trumpet won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Wednesday night. Winston, a French bulldog co-owned by NFL defensive lineman Morgan Fox, took second in the nation's most prestigious dog show. (CBS News)
Photos captured the moment that a U.S. coach dove in the water to save American artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez, who fainted during a competition in Budapest. Scroll down within the story I've linked to. (BBC)
Thanks for reading. Photo credit: Pixabay. Want to see all my mistakes? Click here.
When I was a brand new attorney at the Justice Department I had a fantastic mentor named Barbara Johnson. Wonderful woman; she's since passed away unfortunately. This was her story:
Barbara flew from DC to Pocatello, Idaho for an early morning court hearing. Her flights were delayed, the airline lost her luggage, and there was no way to buy "emergency court clothing" before the hearing.
A flight attendant came to the rescue. She took the wings and name tag off her uniform, went into a bathroom and changed, and lent Barbara her uniform to wear for court. I don't know if Barbara won the case, but she got a good story out of it!
(Barbara was awesome and saved me from making quite a few dumb mistakes as a new attorney. I'm glad to get the chance to share her name and story.)
Meanwhile at The Supremes we see six justices trying to make a phone call:
We're sorry, the year you are trying to call, 1950, is out of service. Try calling 2022 or anyone with common sense.
These...these...A-hol...dipsh...motherf...morons are trying to wind back the clock to a "simpler time" regardless of who, or what, the steam roll over to get there. If it's not explicitly a named right in The Constitution, tough shit, you lose. Gay marriage will soon be gone.
Just you wait until the Mississippi abortion decision comes down and women figure out that everything they fought for for the last SEVENTY YEARS has just been kicked to the curb. Your body, your decision? Not any more. Some man is going to decide whats best for you. Want a loan, a credit card, a checking account? Bring in your husband or your Daddy to tell us it's okay to give you one.
We're going to wind up with two very different Americas. In one it will be the year 2022 and everything will go along just fine. Want an abortion? Certainly, follow me. Want any kind of basic business done? No problem. Why? Informed choice, is the phrase. You're an adult, we take you at your word and figure you've done your research on the matter at hand.
The other America? It's 1950, forever. Cattle will be treated better than the women. Healthcare will be a nightmare. So few Doctors will want to practice there. Abortion? Forget it, we'll even call the cops if you ask. Tubes tied? We'll just ask your husband or your Daddy before we do. Why? It's 1950, as a woman you have no rights to anything. Businesses will move out of those states and into the majority of states where people consume their products, so as to avoid boycotts of their company.
Yes, the 2022 America is the majority. 34 states and Washington D.C. We have population on our side as well. Electoral votes too, if you're thinking that far ahead, as you should. I currently reside in Oregon. A well run state. We have had a woman Governor for eight years now. Openly bisexual too. Still got elected, imagine that. Nobody cared, it's her business, not ours. All anybody asked was if she could do the job. A woman got a job solely based on her abilities. Imagine that! Welcome to the 21st Century! From the polling I've seen, our next Governor will be a woman too. I'll be happy when that happens. Our biggest project to keeping life happy will be exterminating those Proud Boy assholes. They need to go. Plenty of 1950 America states to take them in. Move or die, thems the choices boy.