On 11 Jul 2003 02:43:12 GMT, PS2727 wrote:
Your logic escapes me. Airline travel has become the bus service in the air so
luxury is out and mass tansit is in now. That means more crowded skies and,
unfortunately, more delays.

If only airline travel was as convenient as mass transit.

Train: turn up at the station, buy a ticket, get on, go. No need to arrive
at the station more than 10 minutes early except at busy times. Tickets
can be bought at a 'vending machine' if you don't have anything special
keeping queues down. Trip from London to Edinburgh: 3 hrs 59 minutes. On
a weekend, only a small fee to upgrade to First Class. Even discount
tickets have reasonable flexibility. There is usually a train station
reasonably close to your destination. If you have to change trains,
the wait at the intermediate station is usually fairly brief. If you miss
a connection, generally there's not too much trouble getting the next one.

Plane: Obliged to turn up at least an hour before departure. Long queues.
You have to buy the ticket way in advance to get any kind of discount.
Lengthy security checks. Airline airports are almost always a fair distance
to where you actually want to go. Trip from London to Edinburgh + waiting
usually also at least 4 hours. No flexibility with a discount ticket at
all. Layovers are usually at least an hour if you have to change planes.

People complain about the trains, but I'd far rather go by train
than airline. Railway staff don't treat you like a terror suspect.

GA: Go whenever you want. Usually a GA aerodrome close to where you want
to go. Your luggage doesn't get lost. You might get delayed, but you'll
spend the time amongst other flyers, and can usually borrow a car or get
a lift somewhere outside whilst you wait for the weather to improve.
You don't have to be wedged between two other passengers, one of whom
is a screaming toddler.
Expensive, but worth every damned penny. GA gains a great deal of utility
when you live on a relatively small island.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"