Travel Stories

During the last eight days I made speeches in Columbus,GA; Sidney, OH, andTerre Haute, IN. I drove to Columbus (will I never learn?) and flew airlines to Dayton,OH and Indianapolis, IN.

All three trips went well. Flights were pretty much on time, airports comfortable and service was both good and friendly (except for one grumpy woman at a Thrifty Car Rental counter). No other complaints.

TSA personnel were professional, courteous and kind. They really are getting better. From the passenger’s standpoint, however, TSA’s job seems to be a little harder to put up with every year. I thought that the new machines would make it easier on pax. Instead, we must now remove everything—and I do mean everything—from our pockets, raise our hands over our heads and submit to pat downs and/or having our hands checked for explosives for a myriad of reasons. The whole process takes more time, not less.

Is this the fault of TSA people? No, but it does make airline travel a little more onerous, and there is a limit to how much travelers will take before they drive, rather than fly, or worse yet, cancel trips that should be taken.

Frankly, it would be easy to believe that guvmint is trying to make air travel so miserable that nobody will do it. Naw, I guess not. Guvmint couldn’t abide all those people driving willy-nilly about the country unchecked.

Can we get adequate security with less irritation? I don’t know, but do hope that somebody will figure out a way to get the job done less unpleasantly.

BTW, Paschal’s big, sit-down restaurant at ATL is being closed. I truly hate that. It was one airport meal that was enjoyable, instead of just barely adequate. After April 30 it will be no more. More’s the pity.

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