AIR TRAVEL, SOMETIMES: PART 1 (AIRPORTS & AIRPLANES)

JUMP TO EXTRA GOOD

Air travel can sometimes be good.

Granted, it's often not very good, but I'm here today and next week to spotlight its upside, an exercise rooted in growth-mindset, nuance, detail, the big picture, silver linings, and rose-colored aviator glasses.

[Positivity alert 🚨: check the breaking news — or the breaking contemplation — at the end of the post. It's possible we could have more frequent good air travel ahead ✈️ 🍌.]

---

If air travel is our One Good Thing both this week and next, you might be wondering if I’ve already run out of good topics, now scrounging for bad things I can spin as good.  Not in the least! I've got a screenful of virtual sticky notes with ideas-in-waiting on Google Keep. But sometimes it’s fun to take the contrary position and argue against expectation.  And in the case of air travel, there actually are a few good things to say. Most fundamentally, at 600 mph, airplanes can woosh us to the people and places we love.

But first: it seems only fair to acknowledge the many downsides of air travel, which — unintentionally and maybe unsurprisingly — took up one-third of this post. But after complaining, we'll calmly shift into what is good about airports and airplanes, and next week we'll focus entirely on good people and good stories. Air travel is nothing if not a broad, dramatic tableau for characters and plot twists, some positive!

Also: the topic of air travel is timely. The summer travel season is coming up fast, and many of us will have plenty of time to consider air travel's pros and cons from the confines of row 26 (hopefully window or aisle 🤞).  I myself am flying to DFW on Friday in 22A — may the pros prevail for us all!

---

A TEST CASE

Air travel is a great test case for discerning what can be good under often not-good conditions.  Of course, it is a first-world privilege to complain about commercial air flight, but there's a kind of unifying camaraderie in grumbling about its nearly-universal unenjoyableness: 

• The search for tickets

• The cost of tickets

• Packing for weight and volume restrictions (a personal pinch point)

• Airport parking / shuttle-busing / Uber-ing

• TSA rules (we learned — too late — that gifted homemade jam is a liquid. Sad.)

• TSA lines

• TSA scrutiny (and that's generally good, I suppose? But I always get flagged for gluten-free flour mixes for E, which via x-ray must suggest materials for weapons v. ingredients for a gf coffee cake)

• Essential trains/trams that are out of service (one time when the train was down at MIA, we had to hail a taxi from the car rental center to the terminal — expensive, but effective!)

• $8 for a pack of gum

• $22 for a sandwich

• Delays

• Missed connections

• Cancellations

• Gate waiting areas with no open seats or functioning outlets

• Gate area people talking on their phones with the speaker on

• Gate area people watching movies/videos with the speaker on

• Gate area people behaving rudely toward the gate agents 

• Cramming a carry-on into an over-full overhead bin (while trying not to sweat, swear, or have your shirt ride up)

• Nearby coughing and sneezing

• Nearby loud talkers

• Armrest jockeys

• Having to use the bathroom when the two strangers in the middle and aisle seats are asleep

• Airplane bathroom lines

• Airplane bathrooms

• Turbulence

• Storms

• Dropping your phone on the floor at your seat (the shirt will ride up again and you risk a muscle cramp trying to reach down)

• Late luggage

• Lost luggage

• Walking across four lanes of airport traffic with luggage

And the above difficulty increases by a factor of 10 or more if you are:

• traveling with babies and children

• traveling with and chaperoning youth sports teams, bands, church groups, and more

• traveling with elders

• traveling with a pet

• traveling with a disability

Air travel is often just:

NOTE: In addition to the above hassles and inconveniences, for some (🙋‍♀️), there's often that little prickle of fear in the back of the head. Statistically, air travel is not dangerous and is by far the safest mode of transportation. But that's a hard fact to sell, especially after an accident or incident (as, unfortunately, there was at DEN last Friday, which is why I delayed this post by a few days). Researchers at MIT have been studying air traffic safety for decades and cite “Moore’s Law of Aviation,” which shows that commercial flight has become nearly twice as safe each decade since the 1960s. This study and other air travel safety reassurances are highlighted in this easy-to-digest Reader's Digest piece: "How Safe is Flying? 10 Facts That Will Put Your Mind at Ease." I read it twice!

---

I would not qualify as a trusted authority on air travel, but I could be considered a trustworthy neighbor on the subject. We fly a lot, partly because we have always lived far from extended family, partly because E has lived in Texas for a decade, partly due to wanderlust, and mostly because we accumulate frequent flier miles from Rick’s business travel.  I asked him to do the math last night: he estimates he’s flown over two million miles throughout his 36-year career.  

Our personal histories did not predict this sort of mileage. Rick and I both came from thrifty Midwestern driving families: my family drove to campgrounds in central Illinois/Indiana and Rick's family drove to their rustic cabin in Wisconsin. The second flight I ever took was in college, traveling from Chicago to Denver to help staff a summer camp program.  My budget-minded mom found a steeply discounted ticket on a cargo plane departing in the middle of the night from an industrial hangar somewhere in the Chicagoland area.  Props to my mom for her affordable, pre-Google problem-solving; we can safely say I came to air travel with humble expectations.

Since then, we’ve had our figurative ups and downs with air travel, and I can commiserate with many of its indignities and frustrations:

• a mechanical issue at SEA leading to an unscheduled, luggage-less overnight in ATL, which led us to arrive a panicky ten minutes before the start of my mom's memorial service in Arkansas

• the eight-hour-at-the-airport delay

• the already-at-the-airport cancelled flights

• the squashed suitcases

• the shockingly boorish next-seat passenger (Dude: we don't lick our hands!)

• the baby (our baby), who — with lungs for days — expressed her discomfort to the entire cabin for a miserably long, sweaty time.  If a hole could have magically opened up in the floor of the plane, parachuting down with her would have been a mercy for me and everyone else; it was so scarring that we grounded ourselves from family air travel for the next two years.

I share these in-the-trenches stories to say I GET IT.  From beginning to end (including the twenty-some transitions in between), air travel can be a tiring, vexing, overstimulating gauntlet. 

But sometimes it is not.  

---

OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT

I am no fan of the lawless maneuvering required to steer one’s vehicle close to the curb for airport drop-off and pick-up, but I release nearly all aggravation when I see people hugging and kissing hello and goodbye at their cars.  The world can be going to hell in a handbasket, but these endearing, age-old public displays of affection upon parting or reuniting always seem redeeming. People still love each other! If they are quick and efficient, such PDAs fill me with goodwill and added patience, which is helpful when the massive Lincoln Navigator cuts me off and glides into the favored Curb Slot 1.

Also, I appreciate when airports try to make their outsides welcoming, which is not the norm. At Chicago's O'Hare, you are greeted by the piercing whistles of neon-vested officers who yell and gesture at you to MOVE, NOW! Denver International Airport does not have this grouchy stress, but it gives off confusing, aggressive vibes with its red-eyed, blue stallion-demon rearing up at you. Maybe we could all take a page from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; it cheerfully features huge pink hanging baskets along the entry road, making it seem like you are simply approaching Minnesota's friendly front porch.

DEN

MSP

---

INSIDE THE AIRPORT

Airports are improving!  In recent decades, airport planners realized that although they have a captive audience, they could still elevate the experience a few notches. Not only has the lighting become more serene and the seating more comfortable, but airports are now smartly tapping into their regional identities.  Welcome to Nashville — here's some hot chicken!!  

Airports have actually become eating destinations, which might come as a shock to our forebears stuck with their reheated hot dogs and generic colas. Airports are also now fun for shopping, too — which I never do except this one time: at the center of Sea-Tac is the bright (but tight — mind your turning radius with backpacks) airport iteration of Seattle's Fireworks Galleries, where I bought a snazzy pair of +1.75 readers on our trip home from Whidbey.  You could do all your holiday/birthday shopping right there at Fireworks, and I'm certain your giftees will love whatever they open.  Also last month, Rick stopped by a very abridged edition of Portland's famous Powell’s Books — a family favorite — while at PDX:

PDX

Airports can surround us in art, too, even on the way to the women's bathroom:

PHL

DEN

Floor of YCC

MSP

MSP

TPA

PDX

PDX

PDX

Photo credit for the last three pics goes to Rick, who took them two hours ago at PDX (an airport that is becoming a triumph of design)

My favorite airport enhancement is at XNA, the airport we flew to and from when visiting my parents in their Northwest Arkansas retirement years.  XNA was an early adopter of the comfy chairs trend (pic below is from 2013); the seating along its so-called Rocking Chair Row extends hospitality and says sit a spell, providing rest when you might least expect yet most need it. I love this chair design and would put one in our family room if possible.

XNA

Also in the comfort category, airports have interfaith chapels, first-aid centers, peaceful nursing pods, giant massage chairs, playplaces for kids to run off energy, animal places set aside for their relief (and by extension, the pet-person's relief), LEGO vending machines, cushy lounges for frequent fliers, and kindly volunteers who will patiently steer you back in the direction you need to go.

I'm an automatic fan of any airport that tries to boost the festive factor with holiday decor and events (including E's 2017 Christmastime golden retrievers-and-caroling-sing-a-long surprise at DFW below), live music, sports celebrations, and megawatt moments like welcoming Taylor Swift's sequined hordes for the Eras Tour. On a December flight from Chicago, a single silver cardboard star had been haphazardly taped to the gangway wall. I shrugged: better than nothing!

ORD

ORD

ORD

ORD

ORD

ORD

IND

IND

IND

DFW

DFW

A final word about airports: in case you are debating between two locations for your Labor Day layover, Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Readers' Choice Awards for the best U.S. airports are here, and Frommer's rankings are here. And if you are flying further afield, you can read about Skytrax's 2026 World Airport Awards here. Which airport is considered tops in the world? Hint: it's where Rachel and Nick arrive in Crazy Rich Asians 💍 🌏 🎬.

---

ON AIRPLANES

I agree: there's not a lot to recommend about the planes themselves, especially in economy class, which is where — unless a rare, magical frequent flier upgrade comes through — we usually are.  But still, we search for good. My criteria for aircraft appreciation include, in order:

• SAFETY

• on-time arrival

• enough space to kick-jam my oversized rolling backpack under the seat in front of me

• window view

• well-functioning climate control

• well-functioning seat outlets

• friendly/funny crew

• a seat-back pocket flexible enough to fit my 24-oz water bottle

• a good free snack

  
  

By these standards, some flights and aircraft are better than others, but remaining aloft and landing safely are my non-negotiables.

Long ago, my mom's brother — Uncle Bill — flew refueling jets in the U.S. Air Force, but his kind of steady bravado skipped me.  I have advanced through the years from a nervous flier to an uneasy flier to a neutral flier, which is pretty good! I still need to hyperfocus on my phone’s solitaire game during take-off and landing, and I mentally clap with relief every single time we touch the tarmac.  I live another day!

A short what-was-I-thinking note: I always knew I wanted to write stories, but right after graduating from college with a journalism degree, I did not know exactly how I'd pursue that path. So I interviewed to become a United Airlines flight attendant, imagining I could earn $$ while seeing the world (or — more likely — Milwaukee), which would give me content to write my stories. OMG, 22-year-old Libby — what were you thinking? I did not yet have enough air travel experience to develop my fear of flying (see next week's post), but much like a horse can sense anxiety, the interviewers must have caught whiff of my future fear (among other disqualifying factors, no doubt). To their credit, I did not advance beyond the first round.

Regarding free snacks, The Points Guy — a helpful clearinghouse of all things air travel — had a funny 2023 ranking of airline snacks; not to be a rankings spoiler, but I might be one of the few fliers who does not get excited about Biscoff cookies ... which seem like a too-generous interpretation of cookies. My top votes go to the Undercover Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Quinoa Crisps, That's It Fruit Bars, and Stroopwaffles, all on United, with varying availability. Two weeks ago, Delta announced — Scrooge-like — that it was eliminating snacks on flights under 349 miles; American Airlines, meanwhile and thank you, is expanding its snack offerings.

As for Alaska Airlines — hands-down our favorite carrier — I do like their free Stellar Snacks Maui Monk Mini Pretzel Braids, but I especially like the pretzel-maker's packaging and website design, including the website's hand-drawn faces of Pepe, Coco, and Toby 🐶🐶🐶. Alaska earns big props for going deep in platforming other Western U.S. producers like Beecher's Cheese, Tillamook Cheese, and PARTNERS Crackers. I endorse all three!

And loyalty has its rewards: when you (meaning Rick) fly over 40,000 miles annually on Alaska, flight attendants quietly hand over one little Seattle Chocolates bar per flight. (Whoa — I tried to add a link and discovered they are no longer called Seattle Chocolates 🤯. There's been a major recent rebranding switch to Maeve Chocolate, and I am trying to process the non-regional-pop-color-psychedelic-video-game-style change. C says, "Mom, it's for Gen Z.") Anyway, Rick brings their delicious, old-style jcoco bars home to me like little souvenirs / consolation prizes. All the benefits and none of the hassle of air travel!

Seattle Chocolates were a gifting go-to in our PNW days, and my mother-in-law, Judy, and I once toured the Seattle Chocolates factory — hairnets and all! Great samples and chocolate education, too!

And despite the startling brand makeover, they still have a powerful corporate mission that supports farmers and healthy agriculture via loans, water protections, tree nurseries, training for regenerative farming, and more. Go, Maeve!

For me, the most enjoyable / least stressful aspect of being on an airplane is looking out of the airplane, which is why I'll always book the window seat.  Oddly, my regular fear of heights does not register as we climb to or descend from 34,000 feet in the sky; I love the birdseye view and have an entire album of airplane window pics, from abstract clouds to tiny cities to quilted patches of farmland to crushed green velvet hills to snowy mountains to oceans' blue.  They make for a closer-in, blurry-window version of Artemis II’s views from space, and I love looking back on them.

2018

2018

2022

2021

2023

2020

2022

2022

2018

2018

2017

2019

2019

2022

2019

Peace out with me!

---

BREAKING NEARLY-NEWS

In late-breaking ... thoughts, we have a LinkedIn post by Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas and the Banana Ball League (described with devotion in my second blog post here). Below (and while up in the air), Cole is seen pondering how to turn the lemons of Spirit Airlines' recent, unfortunate demise into some sweet banana-flavored lemonade.

To borrow the famous words of Jim Carrey, SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THERE'S A CHANCE?

🍌 ✈️ 🥳 ✈️ 🍌

---

---

EXTRA GOOD

ALSO LINKED THROUGH THE EXTRA GOOD PAGE HERE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2026

1._GOOD LAUGHS: It was Mother's Day this past Sunday — I hope you could celebrate / be celebrated / remember well / take care of yourself, depending 🌷. And I'm wondering: with the annual "Maycember" mayhem reaching its fever pitch, maybe we should consider a more peaceful month for moms — or just swap with the dads?

This brand-new LOL mom-content clip might be just the (three-minute) break you need. On last Saturday's Saturday Night Live, pitch-perfect comic Ashley Padilla and her SNL fam bring us the trailer for Mom: The Movie, a feel-good film that promises to be "completely devoid of conflict, suspense, and dramatic tension." I am the target audience. Maybe you are, too!

---

2._GOOD HELP: We are quickly shifting tone here, but I know you can flex. Yesterday I tried to schedule an appointment with Mallory, my talented (and also very funny) hair person. I could see no availability in the foreseeable future, so I texted her, which is how I found out that her adorable, train-loving, curly-haired 3-year-old son, Walker, was recently diagnosed with Wilms Tumor, a pediatric cancer of the kidneys.

Should you feel led, Mallory and her husband Nic could use financial support as they adjust their lives to care for Walker and their also-darling six-year-old daughter, McKenzie. Their GoFundMe story — Walker Colley's Journey to Health — is HERE, and you can give directly via the Donate Now button below. Even a small gift can be a big help with gas or a meal.

What better way to honor motherhood than to support a mom and her family as they navigate the hardest road together. Sincere thanks for your consideration 💛.

---

SEE YOU HERE NEXT TIME FOR

ANOTHER BATCH OF GOOD

😀