Travel Plans

When I was a child, I used to laugh at the concept of people being afraid of flying.

Why were they nervous? What was there to be scared of? What, exactly, was the big deal?

The thing is, as a kid, one is in control of nothing. I made no choices. I didn't choose what I was going to have for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner. I didn't choose what I was going to learn about in school or what school I would attend. I didn't get to choose how we'd get to school, nor did I have any idea how to drive a car.

So taking a plane really wasn't that much different from everything else.

Not to mention that air travel has gotten much more tense. No steps have been taken to give the traveler more choices or make the traveler more comfortable. Only steps to instill more fear and make more tense. Also, now I have three children to get through security, and I can't bring a soda. And once I get on the plane, I have to spend every moment making sure my kids don't annoy anyone else. And if I complain or do anything to show my displeasure, I shall get placed on a no-fly list and I'll have to WALK everywhere for the rest of my life.

Four years ago, when I was told our flights had been cancelled, I said "OK, how are you going to get me and my kids to our next flight" and the airline worker said "Mam, you don't need to take that tone!" I guess I was supposed to be CALM and NOT ANGRY.

My point is, Airlines can make you as uncomfortable as they want, and you can't complain at all. Even normal reactions need to be squashed because anything negative means you get arrested.

It's not the crashing. It's the actual security and the airlines I am afraid of. AS soon as we get ON the plane - the last one, the big one, the one we need to get on to cross the ocean - I will be able to relax a little.