Limp the Unfriendly Skies

Newsweek Magazine reports that in the first quarter of this year, only 71.4% of U.S. flights arrived on time, and 19,260 passengers were involuntarily bumped! FlightStats.com reports that in July alone, 16,988 flights were canceled — up 54% from July of last year. As if that weren’t bad enough, more baggage was lost, damaged, or mishandled last year than at any time in the history of aviation!

However, fear not, these negative stats should not discourage you. After all, you’ll always have the following fringe benefits of air travel to look forward to:

Higher prices
More airport construction
Longer security lines
Overbooked flights
More canceled flights due to weather
Missing pilots and crew members
Rude, sarcastic gate agents
Less baggage allowed on flights
More baggage lost as we add what we used to carry on to what we expect to lose below
Fewer seat choices or additional cost for a choice in coach
The privilege of being shoe-horned into the middle seat, sandwiched between the last two passengers you would choose to sit with if you had the choice
Being assigned the seat directly across from the bathroom that seldom works, allowing you to personally meet and greet the majority of your fellow prisoners
No magazines, pillows, or blankets
Backing away from the gate precisely on time to hear your pilot announce that you are currently 48th in line for takeoff
Landing at Gate 1 in Terminal A to discover your connecting flight is awaiting you at Gate 75 in Terminal F … and realizing that you have 12 minutes to make that connection
Tremendously long layovers OR two-minute sprints to your connecting gate
Jumping on a moving sidewalk that doesn’t
Rushing to your favorite rental car agency to find 65 people got there before you, they’ve lost your reservation, or the only car left is a Super Hummer and local gas prices just passed $4 per gallon
Slower shuttle buses and fewer taxis

Unfortunately, the majority of American flyers lack an efficient alternative to the unfriendly skies. When was the last time you traveled a l-o-n-g distance by car, bus or rail? Have a nice flight. It can only get better … I hope!

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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