MUDGE’S Musings
One of my absolute favorite regular reads is Patrick Smith’s Ask the Pilot 
column on Salon.com. He continues this week amplifying his explanation for the increasing unpleasantness of air travel in this country. Yes, we have eclectic interests here at L-HC… Worth the read, really!
Ask the pilot
Salon.com Technology | Ask the pilot
Article removed at the polite request of the copyright holder
I don’t travel as much as I’d like to – we have close family 2,000 miles away that we’d love to see (let’s face it, daily!) more than a few times a year. Patrick’s observation about how aircraft on major domestic routes have gotten smaller is one that I’ve been most painfully aware of for several years. Crammed into a MD80 for 4+ hours O’Hare to LAX, meal-free and movie-free, is a crime.
And his revelation that the congestion is due to more travelers on many more small airplanes is an eye-opener.
You won’t often see environmental observations in this space (please don’t get me started about green this or that, hybrid cars, etc.!), but it seems apparent that an MD80, 25 years old if its a day, is much less fuel-efficient and much more polluting than a larger, more modern choice. But, they stopped making 757s too.
And no such thing as a weather delay? I’d like to hear more about that, Patrick!
And, Patrick, elsewhere you’ll find pix of the rollout of the Dreamliner. Nobody invited me, either, damn it!
It’s it for now. Thanks,
–MUDGE
Technorati Tags: airlines, air travel, air traffic delays, regional jets, Dreamliner, MD80
Left-handed Complement 
Thanks to whomever it was who thought of and designed the RJ— it is a pleasure to ride on a 50 or 70 seat CRJ … easy and quick off and on.
Jerry, I haven’t had the pleasure, myself. Most of my flying these days is confined to major hubs ( ORD-LAX, ORD-BOS, ) and, the aircraft are small enough ( those MD80’s American uses on the LAX run are its “take” from the TWA acquisition, I believe, and I rue the day… Retire those old guys, already!).
I have flown in some small aircraft though; prop-jet to Kalamazoo; and once on a corporate prop job to St. Louis, but not this latest Bombardier/Embraer generation.
Thanks for your comment.
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