Some time last year, I posted some of the deep, mysterious questions I came up with while at the airport. Having traveled a bit recently, a few more have risen in my mind:
* The Southwest Cattle Call: If you have never flown Southwest Airlines you have missed out on the fun of getting your seat assignment as no seats are assigned– you get, according to the time you check in, assigned to either group “A”, “B”, or “C”. They are called in that order, so your seat depends how far up in the line you are behind the corrals at the gate. So the game is, how many minutes before a flight departs will the first person jump into line, causing the stampeded to fall in behind? Is it 20 minutes? 30? 40? The trick for successful Southwesterners, is of course, using their online print a boarding pass which you can do starting at midnight the night before your departure.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Southwest, they have some of the most fun and quirky flight crews, they fly everywhere from Phoenix, and are pretty darned efficient.
* The New Black: While mesmerized waiting for baggage to roll out, I am utterly amazed that 90% of the bags are near identical rectangles of black canvas. Why does everyone buy the same luggage? Riding the bus to the economy parking lot, at one stop, one poor gent must have pawed at 20 different bags on the bus, and seemed to almost walk off with everyone else’s bag but his own. Half the bus got up after he got off to make sure they bag of dirty clothes was still aboard.
But look out black, I notice at least a 34% of bags being nearly identical, bright red canvas.
Me? I have a bag that is mostly black with distinctive yellow highlights, but it also has these chunk clear plastic skateboard like wheels, and I have yet to see the same bag at any airport I have been to.
* There May Be Only One Airport In The World Without A Starbucks – Austin seemed to be free of the $4 cup of joe. But they had a Schlotsky’s Coffee counter that was pretty much a clone just lacking the green logo. But it may only be a matter of time.
* The Internet Wants to Be Fee I flip the lid on my laptop at every airport, but they seem to be just about all paid services for wireless. Oh well, a $10 hour of the net goes down well with a $12 hamburger and a $3 bottle of water. The only consistent exception I have found is Vancouver (YVR), but you need to be in the bigger areas of the main terminals (also it might only be international wings I was told).
