Losing Real Life Minutes....

[TVDinner]

Airports suck

For all the stories about exotic locations and 5 star resorts, I think it bears an honest look at the increasing problem with delays at airports and how it effects real people. Not the technical reasons for the airline delays. Those have been endlessly reported on. But the true loss of time and "real life minutes" of the people who are stuck with maddening delays every trip. I travel regularly to our different franchise locations. These trips are typically 2-3 weeks in length (or longer), and can include visiting 3-5 different locations during the duration. I do not sit in first class, so I qualify as a regular business class customer. I enjoy sitting in the aisle so I can stretch my legs every now and then, but I also have the occasional pleasure to be crammed between 2 other strangers in seats and planes that seem to be shrinking with every passing year.

It seems that on every one of these trips recently there has been one delay or another that has literally increased the waste of "real life minutes" to levels that make flying almost an unattractive option. I know that most people would choose flying over driving any day, but when delays make the total flying experience time LONGER then it would have been to actually drive the 500-700 miles, what is the point of voluntarily putting yourself through the aggravation. You already have to get there 1-2 hours early for security reasons, deal with unhappy and grumpy security guards while unloading your luggage at the curb, stand in increasingly long lines so your photo ID can be checked 4 times with no apparent purpose, and then wait hours and hours and hours of extra time for your actual plane to arrive and/or depart because of one delay or another. This is not a more productive option for travel - it is ridiculous.

Improving technology has made some of these delays a little more bearable with Blackberries, laptops, and wireless Internet connections. But again it bears to mention that you are sitting next to unknown people in an airport, or worse on the floor in the terminal by an available power outlet. Now there is a business I would like to get in early on - renting power outlets at airport. I could be rich!

And one must never downplay or forget the actual increased out of pocket expenses for monthly Blackberry service or wireless Internet connections hot spots. This takes away from the bottom line, even though it sadly has become "the norm." This new expense should have it's own category on the P&L called "money you should not have to spend, but thanks to airports delays you have no choice."

With the countless loud speaker announcements about another cancellation or delay, this is not the most conducive environment to making serious business decisions or dealing with important clients or customers. As most of the real work you are supposed to be doing is being pushed farther and farther back - here is where the "real life minutes" start slowly ticking away. With the first announcement about fog in Atlanta or rain in Chicago at O'Hare or Midway, everything about your trip, including both business and personal events, gets relegated to "be done "later." Business calls, emails, and actual time talking to family or loved ones is put on hold because you are rushing to new terminals and departure gates, or just freezing waiting for the airport shuttle to some random hotel you are stuck going to outside Cincinnati because your connecting flight was missed or canceled due to intense fog. And don't think this over night stay is free, far from it. But of course you can take the alternative option of spending the night sleeping in the terminal and wake up almost crippled by the pain in your neck and back.

Most business people I know have no problem putting in long 10-15 hour work days. No problem at all. But when you add in the frustration and delays mentioned above and those days become 20 hour days or more. And there is no way to calculate the progressive problems this creates down the line like fatigue, colds, or just outright exhaustion. It is like cards falling one behind the other, and sadly it all begins with the first web search for available flights on Travelocity, or call to the airlines for reservations.

And did I mention the airlines losing your luggage since your flights were changed 11 times over a 2 days period due to the situation. Don't even get me started on that!

[SFB]

I suggest that you consider not wearing a burqa in future, it may cut down the time you spend boarding.

The other option is to get a job closer to home that doesn't involve travelling?
How did your grandfather, even father manage?