We love to travel, but we hate to fly. It seems like I’m having more and more conversations with people who detest the process of getting on a plane. And that – dealing with the inconvenience of flying – was a major theme this week in the travel media.
There’s science behind people’s trepidation. A new study by Air Plus International and Business Travel Market shows that travel reduces productivity for businesspeople. The study showed that, in addition to reduced productivity, travel leads to more stress, lower levels of concentration, diminished communication skills, decreased engagement and reduced levels of tolerance. Well then. Perhaps these folks should check out our post on how to combat the physical consequences of travel
Something sure to ramp up the stress is a long line and a crowded flight. CNNGO has a list of the busiest city-to-city flight routes in the world. Apparently, flying in Asia is the most likely to get you on edge; seven of the world’s ten busiest inter-city routes are between Asian cities
For vacationers, flying is typically the gauntlet you have to run before the joy of the vacation. That’s especially true for families; the thrill of an upcoming European vacation can be offset by the trepidation of getting there with the psyche of your little ones intact through the waiting and the air pressure and the time change and the claustrophobia. At the New York Times, Michelle Higgins has seven tips for making that family vacation easier. Higgins recommends streamlining what you bring, not being afraid to spend money to make things easier, and, for the love of God, bring a lot of stuff to keep the kids entertained.
One thing that families might not be able to do on the plane is sit together. At least that was the fear when it was reported that several airlines are reserving window and aisle seats for passengers willing to pay extra; those reports suggested that families unwilling – or unable – to pay those extra fees would not be able to sit together, leading to some consumer groups to decree the new policies as “anti-family.” But Christopher Elliot at the Washington Post writes that it was just a bunch of sound and fury, and there’s been no impact on families.
At least the price could be coming down. USA Today’s Ben Mutzabaugh reports on a new round of airfare wars.
And at CNN, Kat Kinsman writes about her desperate need to get a snack on the plane and how being fed is the little bit of luxury that makes a delayed flight tolerable.
At the BBC, Brad Cohen writes that one of the few things you can be sure of when flying is that your pilot is almost certainly male. It’s estimated that, at most, only six percent of the world’s pilots are women.
And, finally, something else to cause concern – Rome’s Trevi Fountain is crumbling due to neglect. Officials are fighting over funding to repair it and maintain other Roman monuments.
