Fly the friendly skies.

If you are under 30 this blog is going to seem like a joke. If you are over 45 it will not. (It's the 15 years in between that I am not sure about.)

Back in the 60s flying was a really exciting thing to do. As a young boy I would count down the days before a vacation and count them down as fast as possible if we were actually flying to our destination. It didn't happen often as the tickets were a lot of money and with 5 in our family, and the ability for my father to take 2 and 3 week vacations, who wouldn't drive a car? We did drive for most of our trips but I do remember one time when we flew to Florida---it was a very special trip. (One of the biggest reasons was it didn't take 2 and half days to get there.) My Dad must not have been with us at the beginning of the trip as I recall our taking a taxi to the hotel; the fear of the numbers growing on the taxi meter was something I still remember. I was not sure how my Mom was going to pay that much money, but she did. Today it would be a trip from point A to point B in the city.

When you flew on a plane, you knew it was an occasion and you dressed up for that occasion. We are talking nice pants, nice shirt and even a sport coat at times---oh we have come a long way. They served food on the plane and there were people at the airport who helped you get your bags when you arrived.

My favorite airline back then was Eastern Airlines. Of what I recall I liked the colors of the plane's interior and they were one of the popular airlines of the times. In St. Louis there were not many airlines that flew to Florida, but I believe Eastern and TWA did. United and American were in business but to my knowledge they didn't fly to MO.

So let's move forward some 40 years and what do we have? People dress in sweats, shorts and other forms of clothing. A suit? Not unless you are a business man and flying most cases to NYC. The glamour of flying is long gone, but getting there faster than by car is still true in most cases. One of the reasons I drive from Chicago to St. Louis is that with all of the time spent in the airport it's faster to drive. But one of the differences is...it's cheaper at times to fly. Still not always worth the hassle.

My favorite airline is no longer Eastern, but named for another direction; I am a frequent flyer on Southwest airlines. They do make flying a little more fun, but best of all---there's a better chance of being on time to your destination. Food, of course, is no longer part of the equation and for some airlines checking bags is no longer free---it is on Southwest. (If you have flown on Southwest and have been sung to by one of the flight attendants, you know how they make every attempt of putting the fun back in flying.)

The photo above is nothing like any of the planes I have flown on; this picture was taken during the practice days prior to the air and water show in Chicago. I have no idea how they get that close to one another and I don't really want to know. As I see it, if they are all looking to land on time, I don't want to be the one telling them who lands first.

Thanks for stopping by.