Tired of flying

Because of relocation and beginning of a new job, I've been flying a lot this year. I think I've been making visits to the UA terminal at SFO at least once every month, starting from February 2006. I've tried almost every restaurant in that terminal-- of course none of them is good.

I have mixed feelings of all these visits at the UA terminal. The first time was my interview trip. The flight was delayed for 2 hrs, I remembered I practiced my interview talk in the airport over and over again until I felt a cold sore maturing by my mouth. That's probably the most nervous trip I've ever had. At the second time to SFO UA terminal, I've already got the offer and was on a home-finding trip. My mom was with me and we were so excited to start my new life. The third time I flew I was depressed in my personal life that I couldn't wait to get out of the city. Then I made a wonderful vacation trip and got myself back again. After that, the rest of the trips were just business trips that are all boring.
Although I'm a person who love traveling, flying so frequently starts to make me sick. Considering that you have to go to the airport so much ahead of the time of your flight departure time, the line you need to wait in for security check, the uncontrolled flight status, and the terrible food in the airport and in flight, flying is really not fun at all.

Yesterday I flew back from Seattle, because of this "Orange" security level in the airport, we went to the airport 3 hrs before the departure time. Not to mention that everyone had to check in their luggage because you couldn't even have a toothpaste in your carry-on, the waiting line to the security check was super super long that wound up to the parking lot. We waited in the line for 2.5 hrs. The FAA staff even distrubuted bottled water to everyone to keep people from dehydrating. Who has ever seen the airport security guy so nice to give you water? It's just unbelievable. My friend said if they have started to give us food then we would have been big trouble. We were lucky to get to the aiport early enough to finally (barely) make it to our flight. People who missed their flights because of stucking in the security line had to stand-by for the next (or next next) flights. So the stand-by line was also long. When I got home, I was so tired. The total amount of time I spent the whole day for the flight was 7 hrs, while the flying time was actually as short as 2 hrs.

I think I'm gonna stop flying for a little bit. Espeically not during this "orange security level". I'm sick of SFO and the smell in a airplane. The next vacation, I'm gonna drive!

PS:
The flight to Seattle was delayed for a reason that I've never heard- the first officer was missing...they had to bring someone else to replace him...


This was originally posted in my MSN space in August, 2006.