Fly With Me

By Mick Holien

Recent incidents aboard commercial airlines cause pause from a guy who for some 40 years flew in first of all actual wide-body jets only to eventually be relegated to what the industry craftfully labeled a Canadian Regional “Jet.”

Extremely short tempers parlayed with ever diminutive aircraft, delays and just plain rancor all have taken the joy about of the “friendly skies.”

I think flying out of the larger airports is even more challenging then the bizarre scenarios one encounters in say Montana destinations.

Just a bit of an example as I was picking up my Virginia company last week at Kalispell I must have arrived when more than a single flight had dumped a sidewalk full of patrons with accompanying curb traffic making finding anyone challenging.

I drove through three times without landing either a parking spot or finding my friends and was about to go out to the highway and try to locate them by telephone when a kind gentleman knocked on my window and asked me to hold on because he was trying to locate a curb spot for my pickup.

And about that time, I spotted my friends so I thanked him and moved on.

Now believe this that would not have happened at Sea-Tac and possibly even not at Missoula. What a gracious occurrence.

But have you observed the fights and poor behavior as people wrestle with each other in cases of “air rage.”

It’s mostly fueled by alcohol but the tiny space the people movers squeeze us into also plays a roll.

I used to be a far bigger guy and I am sure I made more than one fellow passenger uncomfortable when they were forced to sit next to me.

And then the terminals where I just crave watching people OJ from one gate to another with nary a care of running into someone or knocking over a small child.

I never bought a club membership because it was far more fun telling stories about my fellow passengers and their trials and tribulations.

Then there is the way people dress for their journeys – Sure makes one think maybe someone is doing it for them.

But you know what I miss the heck out of that bi-week travel

And listening to the griping about things none of us could do anything out.

Just sayin’

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