Military airspace opened for holiday travel

by Grant Martin on

If you’re one of the 27 million people flying over the next week, your flight may not be as miserable as you were planning for. Last week, the Bush administration authorized the partial use of military airspace along the eastern seaboard. This mean less congestion (in the skies at least) and better integration with Air Traffic Control across some of the nation’s busiest airports.

That doesn’t mean that you’ll be limited by runway time, landing slots or weather though, so don’t get your hopes up too high. This step is just one of many that are needed to ease the problems with the antiquated air traffic control and greedy corporate airline networks, as we wrote about earlier.

This week is one of the toughest out of the year to travel. Tensions run high as crowds surge through crowded airport lines and security screenings then cram into tiny aluminum jets. This Wednesday I fly from Toledo – Detroit – Amsterdam – Barcelona, so take it from a seasoned traveler: have a scotch before you leave, pack light and be patient and you’ll have a great trip. See you on the road.

Holiday Travel: We Are All in the Same Boat

by Adrienne Wilson on

A few days ago I learned something very valuable about holiday travel that had never been revealed to me before. “We are all in the same boat.” You see I learned all this on my flight out of Chicago into Atlanta where I needed to make my connection to Tampa. The flight into Atlanta was running about 30 minutes behind and once we landed the plane just sat there on the runway until they could get the gate situation figured out. Even though my connecting flight was scheduled to leave in just 7 minutes I remained calm. The flight attendant was kind enough to make an announcement to tell all those who weren’t connecting to remain seated so those of us who were could make a mad dash off the plane. By the time the plane reached the gate and the seat belt sign went off my watch showed two minutes past my scheduled departure time to Tampa. GREAT! My hope did not fade. I was seated only two rows behind first-class and I was sure I could convince a few people to let me slide past. I knew everyone standing had tight connections, but from the sound of things mine was the tightest of all. Everyone was super nice to let me pass with the exception of one first-class gentleman. Here’s what went down:

Adrienne: Excuse me Sir, can I squeeze past you?

First-Class Flier: Where do you think you are going?

Adrienne: I’m trying to get to the very front Sir. According to my watch my flight should have taken off already, but I want to try to run there anyway.

First-Class Flier: Look my plane takes off in 10 minutes and when I get off this plane I am going to be running like crazy to make my flight. We are all in the same boat.

As he turned back around I wondered where this same boat business came from. Last time I checked being on the ‘ten minutes till departure flight boat’ was a hell of a lot different than the ‘your flight is probably flying the friendly skies already boat.’ My boat felt like the Titanic while he was still was being jostled around in the S.S. Minnow. My hope fizzled for a moment and my holiday travel patience was close behind. The doors finally opened and he rolled his carry-on bag off, started in what didn’t appear to be a hurried pace at all and I quickly took off past him. My mind hummed some very choice words as I left him the dust. I made it to the train to get to Concourse B just in time and as the doors were shutting I saw my good friend that wouldn’t let me pass, a moment too short. Wicked fiery flames grew inside and evil laughter rang out as I gave the thumbs-up gesture and waved Sayonara to Mr. Nasty First-Class Flier. I felt like a character in one of those holiday films. Part of me couldn’t believe how I let the gentleman’s enlightening words of travel wisdom reach my boiling points.

When I hopped of the train into Concourse B I had one more leg of the amazing airport race to run. I heard them calling the last boarding call for flight 1093 to Tampa and with beads of perspiration dripping from my brow I handed the gate attendant my soggy boarding pass and shot a slight smile. I made it! I made it! The flight was delayed too and I made it! I was the second to last person to board the plane. As I oozed into my seat I felt myself return to my cool, calm and collected state of being.

The moral of this story people is a raft is not a yacht. Be nice – not nasty and rude during all your travels this holiday be it by car, plane or train and have fun!

Safe travels.

Flying on the Busiest Day of the Year

by Adrienne Wilson on

Philadelphia watch out! I’m going to be famous! Okay, not really famous, but maybe famous for thirty seconds or so… After shuffling off my flight from Tampa, FL, I made way down to baggage claim where I noticed the news folks out and about with their cameras ready to make some news. First they nabbed a mother of one (easy target) and probed her on today’s flying situation. Being a mother of what looked to be a well behaved child I imagine she still had some minor complaints, but that’s just my thinking negatively. Perhaps all went well, maybe TSA didn’t give her any grief – what do I know? Anyhow, almost immediately after I ended my phone call I became prey to Philly’s Channel 6 News crew.

First they kindly asked for my name which I thought Adrienne was enough, but apparently the full government name was in need so I disclosed my last name, but only after requesting some I.D. (I kid.) Once the formal introductions were said and done it was time to spill the beans. They asked what flying on the busiest day of the year was like and my summary went something like this:

Adrienne: Um, well flying out of Tampa wasn’t that bad. The security lines were a little longer than any other day, but they were handing out the little plastic baggies and all went smoothly.

News Reporter: (Laughs) So the little baggies helped? Everything was operating well?

Adrienne: Coming out of Tampa, FL I’d say so…

New Reporter: Well that’s great! Thank you for your time.

Exciting stuff, eh? In all honesty that’s the way things went for me this morning. I got there a bit early, waited in line, played the dress-up game with security, took out my lap-top and wished all happy holidays. I did without any liquids, gels and other suspicious items this time so I didn’t even need the free plastic baggies they were passing out. Sigh… Now I assume there will be similar stories to mine, but was flying for anyone else pure hell today? In the event you didn’t get interviewed by the local news crew consider this an exclusive opportunity from Gadling to share your comments, rants, complaints or fuzzy feelings about flying during the holidays!

This is Adrienne Wilson reporting from the Philadelphia International Airport.

The Turkey Testicle Festival

by Adrienne Wilson on

In the famous words of my old dear aunt, “Gag me with a spoon, please!” Thanks to Jaunted I’ve just learned of a festival that has been taking place in the town of Huntley, IL for 24 years now, the Turkey Testicle Festival. Gulps. The event has already passed (it was held yesterday according to the dates on the site), but appears to be rather popular with um, Chicagoland locals and other Illinois residents? Can someone out there confirm? Staged at the Parkside Pub in Huntley they not only serve hot turkey nuts – they give you some brewskies to wash all of it down! Yum?

While I love trying new things, you’d probably have to lie to me to get gobbling up or down on turkey testicles. Just call me on the traditional side and hand me a leg. That’ll do just fine.