As regular readers know, I am a reluctant flyer. It's not that I'm afraid of flying. It's all the rest of the crap. TSA. Lines. Surly employees. Crappy service. Cramped cattle car quarters. And everything about flying seems to be designed to aggravate my back pain. Did I mention TSA?
But after almost two years of terrestrial life, in the last month I've taken 4 airplane flights. Thoughts: Alaska Airlines is impressive. Everybody I met was super helpful and friendly. Planes were clean. Meals tasty. First class seats very comfortable. Baggage delivered promptly. No problems with my travel mobility scooter (bad back).
American Airlines not so much. The people I interacted with were much more of a mixed bag. The flight attendants on the DC to LAX wing, for example, did the bare minimum and were not very friendly. The planes were less clean and more worn out. The first class seats were uncomfortable and really aggravated the arthritis in my back. The baggage handlers were really slow about getting my scooter to the gate.
Will I travel more from here on out? Probably. Now that Helen is retired, she'll be able to go with me on more trips, which makes traveling much more fun. The Luggie scooter makes getting around airports and so on much easier too.
Bottom line: If I can get there without changing planes, Helen comes along, and we can afford first class or business class seats, I'll probably go. Maybe.
