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(Written last night enroute from SEA-DFW, posting from the DFW T-D Admiral's club on the way to Cancun!)
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View from Alaska Airlines Board Room- Seattle
Well, Winter 2012 mileage season is well
past now. As is the rest of the year
itself. I’m currently in the midst of
the holiday travel rush full of oversold flights, long security lines and
crying infants. What a difference a week
makes.
Tonight I’m at 37,000 ft. someplace over
the Cascade Mountains, heading on the first leg of my trip to Cancun for a
little family time and relaxation to end the year. So far, so good on my way to 100,000
qualifying miles, the last of which I should be earning while over the Gulf of
Mexico on my return from CUN.
Each time I fly for the sake of flying I
have a few scattered introspective moments.
Maybe it’s the time away from the usual routine, maybe it’s the length
of the flight, or just the altitude.
Still, here’s my ‘takeaways’ from this year’s mileage season-
Every now and then let yourself take a
moment to realize and appreciate what you’re actually doing. The depth of human ingenuity has reached the
point where we can build a machine that reliably can carry over a hundred
people, and their bags, coats….dogs, etc, at 35,000 feet going 500mph & cross
the continent twice in a reasonable day.
The next time you’re annoyed at the minutia of travel, just look out of
the window at the topsides of the clouds and allow the luxury of being proud of
your species for a change.
Okay, that’s done…..now for some
practical advice for the next time around-
Prepare and pack for delays-
Delayed and cancelled flights happen, no
matter what your status is. Know if
you’re on the last flight of the night from any of your connections, and pack
enough to wait it out until the next day.
If you see things going South fast, consider booking a refundable hotel
room right away.
Airport lounge memberships:
They may seem like a waste of money, but
if you’re going to be spending time in airports monthly, or even every other
month, they can be well worth it. They
offer not just comfortable surroundings to work or relax before your flight,
but free food and drinks, and even showers which are worth a lot after that
overnight flight (some are better than others amenities-wise, but I’ve yet to
encounter one that was superior to decent-hotel quality, and some are downright
spa-like). More importantly though, they
generally entitle members to a staff of agents who can check on seat
assignments, upgrade and standby lists, and save you in the case of cancelled
or delayed flights. I have had times
that entire trips have been salvaged by this service when a plane came up with
a mechanical failure, or a delayed flight would have meant a missed connection. Even one of these occurrences in a year is
worth the membership fee. For deals,
check discounts for your airline status, as well as offerings by some of the
higher end charge and credit cards.
In-flight preventative health care:
Couple simple tips- vitamin C, sleep at
least a little on every flight you can, Tylenol PM over booze for overnights,
move around on and between segments (no shame in doing a few stretches in the
airport club), and….water, water, water. Also, be aware of your original timezone no matter where you might be along the way and if you can try and eat and sleep on your regular schedule.
Safety first:
When they say to keep your seatbelt on,
it’s good advice. Some of the most
common injuries on planes are due to unsuspected moderate to severe
turbulence. Your pilots are trained to
fly in these conditions and the plane is designed to withstand these forces-
your head is not. Buckle-up. Also, stay alert and prepared in the take-off
and landing phases of your flight. These
are the times when if the extremely rare happens and something does go wrong,
you can do something about it. Fly in
shoes you can move in, keep them on and your headphones off until you reach at
least a few hundred feet. Know where your exits are.
Etiquette:
There’s plenty to say here on all sorts
of pet peeves I’ve developed but for now I’ll just remind you of the boarding procedure:
Roller-Bin, Bag-Floor, You-Seat. This
should take 10 seconds.
Overall, try have a good sense of humor
about flying, whether for miles, business, or pleasure. It’s a time when even the most meticulous of
us will find many things out of our control.
Storms roll in, things break, flights are oversold, and babies are
cranky. When you find yourself nearing
that breaking point when you can’t sleep, the movie’s a repeat of the one you
saw the last Westbound flight, and they’re out of ginger ale…. look out that
little window at the stars close above, the lights of civilization far below,
and get some perspective.
Until the next departure, fly safe.
~CruisingAAltitude
