Flying is fun. Right now I’m sitting in The Village Inn after checking in at London’s Gatwick Airport. In a couple hours I’ll board a US Airways plane for flight number 32 of the year and number 8 across the Atlantic. Even though US Airways seriously dropped the ball (several times) on that infamous number 30 flight, flying is still a kick.
Here are my Top 10 Things I Love about Flying (with a few bonus likes thrown in):
- The opportunity to fly. What an opportunity it is to be able to move about. Every trip reminds me to be thankful. Every trip reminds me to DO something with opportunity and not let it go to waste.
- Getting the chance to read something I’ve been wanting to read for a long time (for this next flight, I have 9 Kindle books queued up plus 18 TED Talk videos; probably too much. Also have 5 episodes of Dick van Dyke and 2 episodes of Dr. Who queued up, too.).
- Checking in on Foursquare someplace new (and especially at someplace old, like the Starbucks in Concourse C in CLT, where I’m still mayor at the moment. Yeah.).
- The approach to the runway at the end of the flight. I’ve often wished the entire flight was at 3,000 feet (except over the Atlantic, in which case 35,000+ feet is good).
- The shoe-shine from the hard-working small business owners in the Charlotte (CLT) Douglass International Airport.
- Being on the “you’ve made it through” side of security.
- Being able to turn on and use my mobile phone on the “welcome home” side of US Customs (the other side of Customs is not such fun; someone should let our US Customs people know it’s okay to smile at foreigners and say, “Welcome to the United States. We’re glad you’re here.” I realize that might not be a true statement, but, still, they could say it anyway.)
- The roar and thrust of the engines as the plane launches toward take-off.
- The people I meet on the airplane.
- The people waiting for me at the end of the flight (though, I do miss the people at the other end).
Bonus likes:
- That driver waiting for me at the Glasgow International Airport who whisked me away to a waiting full size Mercedes. (Thank you to Mark Jennings @markofrespect and Media140 for that treat!)
- Mothers who are really, really good (and quick) at successfully comforting their children (especially those mums with triplets. Wow.).
- Bose over-the-ear noise canceling headphones and a well-stocked iPhone.
- Whatever US Airways @usairways eventually does someday to make up for their performance and communication meltdown regarding flight #30.
What do you LOVE about flying? (Okay, the human tendency is not towards expressing love about flying, so feel free to share what you not-love about it, too.)
{ 19 comments }
Hey Trey! The UK is going to miss you. Me too! Travel safe my friend.
The things I love about flying are:
1. Once I've checked in and dropped my luggage off I really relax. I can then enjoy the airport facilities and usually wander round the shops.
2. I love checking out the in-flight movies!
3. I love the buzz of take off and landings. The awesome power of the thrust of takeoff and the huge jolt as the brakes kick in on landing make me smile everytime!
4. I love the sheer adventure of flying and what each new journey will hold for me. A little bit like my Social Media train journey – when you're flying at least you know where you're going, but you never know what you'll find, who you'll meet and the wonderful experiences you'll have when you you get there.
I personally think there are way more things to love than hate about flying, so Trey, kick back, relax and enjoy your books and the videos and Dick van Dyke!!
What are the 9 kindle books? Perhaps you could share your reading list on another blog post.
Have a great flight!
Building on your point #2 above (the people you meet) – here's a recent story:
http://thismommygig.org/2010/06/20/to-a-mother-...
One of my favorite things about flying is that feeling of deep calm that I get once we pass above 4000 feet or so. At that point, God forbid, something disastrous was to happen, you pretty much know how it's going to end. Badly.
It's totally different from being behind the wheel or in someone else's car. On a plane, nothing is in my control. So I don't let it bother me. That's a rare sense of peace.
Also, I recently flew first-class on a tiny regional jet. That's another thing that I like.
I'd agree with number one, although I would say one of the best things is flying home. I miss the days when my loved ones were waiting right at the end of the jetway. From that standpoint GSP will always be one of my favorite places to fly.
I actually get to the airport at CLT as early as 1 1/2 before flight time to ensure I visit the shoeshine folks. Hard workers; awesome end-result. They do a great job.
I have mixed feelings about flying. Riding in a large metal machine suspended high in the air makes me anxious. A different perspective and seeing new places and faces is cool. Here's a recent post discussing this topic… http://www.shewearsmanyhats.com/2010/06/flying-...
I love getting to the airport and looking at the destination board and marvelling at all the places the planes are going to that day and thinking where I'm going and where I'd also like to go.
I like to be organised for any eventuality, so I get a silly smug feeling when I buy my various juices and snacks at Boots- just in case some idiot decides to ram the front of the terminal building with a 4X4 and you get stuck on a plane (I live in Glasgow). I know- weird.
Engineering is amazing, so basically, I like watching the planes, especially if you can see takes-offs-landings. Not always possible these days.
I like thundering down the runway to take-off and the way you get flung forward in your seatbelt when you land and wonder when the pilot is going to bother braking!
I like any free food. I don't care if it's a bit crappy.
I like the fact the cabin crew genuinely welcome you on-board and are pleasant to deal with and when you leave again.
And last time I flew—I enjoyed helping the cabin crew fill out their crossword in 'Hello' magazine. Ha ha.
Love it, love it, love it!
As a storyteller, always looking for connections, I love people watching in the airport. I have a number of incidents in my Intentionality journal all from watching people in airports. On one of my stories on my CD for boys, I refer to an airport as “much like a high-school cafeteria, everybody all crammed in- all having to be in the same place.”
I had a client in Evanston where the staff would come to ask me for my next airport story every time I flew in. LoL.
I'm with you on number 10. It's incredible that in four hours I can be on the East Coast. Just incredible. I haven't yet been out of country, so I wait for the day to jump “the pond.”
Thanks Trey.
Thanks for snapping me out of my routine mindset about flying.
I've let myself remain in a rut of complaints, negative perceptions and gripes about how it “used to be”. Your list reminded me of things I love about flying and the good still obviously outweighs the bad when I think about it with a fresh perspective.
That fresh perspective idea might help us all out with the things we get too negative about. I love your “Ten things I love about…” theme. It's a very positive excercise.
And I can learn to love at least 10 things about flying too. I've given all the bad experiences enough of my time. Thanks!
Thank you Billy. I think I understand where you're coming from—the airlines seem to have institutionalized disregard for humans. They're an old-school industry with systems and procedures built for an age long gone by yet they're dealing with more and more new-school people. (Actually, people have probably been the same for a long, long time.)
I'm just so thankful that neither you nor I were on that US Airways flight from Atlanta to Charlotte this week where the maggots fell out of the overhead compartment and onto the heads of passengers! Yeuuuck.
Very good point. Airports are latent story factories.
I'm closing my eyes and doing a little dreamscaping…I'm seeing a beautiful venue, one where the audience can see each other's face, with a robust sound and lighting system, great sound and video engineers…and lots of friends…in England or Scotland, or maybe even Ireland!…where you and I are presenting Social Story…next year. That's what my dreamscaper shows me.
Very good point. Airports are latent story factories.
I'm closing my eyes and doing a little dreamscaping…I'm seeing a beautiful venue, one where the audience can see each other's face, with a robust sound and lighting system, great sound and video engineers…and lots of friends…in England or Scotland, or maybe even Ireland!…where you and I are presenting Social Story…next year. That's what my dreamscaper shows me.
You're right. The cabin crews are generally quite remarkable people. You made me recall that video where the crew member, I think on Southwest Air, rapped the safety announcements. Now I'll have to go look it up on YouTube.
So true Amy. My wife has a serious and genuine fear of flying. I'm so thankful for the fear-of-flying support she gets from friends online. Seems like that community is very well organized online. In fact, I'm thinking they would make a great case study of what it means to actually BE an online community.
Thanks for sharing the link.
Agreed. I need to look up the address for Executive Shine so I can add them on Foursquare and then add a tip there. Great people. Good role models for entrepreneurs.
Can't wait to see you fly BACK to Greenville.
Thanks, too, for that HARO tip. I'm planning on going back to that one in a little bit.
So funny. Agreed. Every time I feel the plane thundering down the runway approaching launch speed, and feel the nose tip up, I seriously think, “THIS TIME! This time the tail IS going to drag on the ground.”
It never does.
First class sounds like fun.
Thank you for sharing Steve.
Thank you Dickie. Good additions.