Recorded in the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago at the end of a full week home, decompressing after 6 weeks of straight travel. We talk about some “travel rules” violators — the woman whose airport meltdown is a YouTube hit and an Amazing Race couple whose violation got them eliminated. A listener suggests a topic — what is the one thing you never want to hear on a flight? And we close with a couple of suggestions on how to avoid the growing cacophony of flat screen TVs shouting out the depressing state of the world. Here’s a direct link to the podcast file.

Here are the show notes from TravelCommons podcast #72:

• Intro music — Warmth by Makkina
• Recorded at the TravelCommons studios outside of Chicago
• Enjoying a week off from O’Hare after 6 weeks on the road
• The Monday morning “rush hour” security lines are much easier to handle now that I’ve fully embraced the “line cut” United Airlines provides the Global Services customers in ORD
• Bridge Music — Santa Rosa Shuffle by Seismic Anamoly

Following Up

• Blog posting on the video of a woman melting down after being denied boarding on a Cathay Pacific Hong Kong-to-San Francisco flight generated the most comments
• Most comments expressed amazement. One of the cardinal travel rules – don’t take out your frustrations with the airlines on its employees
• Watching a recent episode of the TV show Amazing Race, saw a team eliminated by breaking one of the top travel rules — always take the direct flight
• Was happy to see some economic stimulus money directed to high-speed rail, though not sure what we’ll get by the time the $8 billion is spread across the 11 gov’t-designated high-speed rail corridors
• Bridge Music — Sproing-A-Dub by Burning Babylon

Things You Never Want To Hear

• A listener suggests asking people “What is the one thing you never want to hear on a flight?”
• There are the two classes of “things you never want to hear” – those coming over the loud speaker and those coming from the passengers around you
• Flying severely compresses our personal space creating two almost completely opposite reactions — a sense of instant intimacy with complete strangers, or total obliviousness to the 5-10 complete strangers who can hear every word of a personal cell phone call
• Probably the one thing I don’t want to hear from a fellow passenger is – “I gotta get outta here” when I’m still in the air
• If you do manage to “get outta here” at 25-35,000 ft, where do you go?
• Bridge Music — Shinigami by Studio BeBop

Can’t Find a Piece of Quiet

• Tough to avoid the depressing state of the world with TV screens blaring at you everywhere
• CNN Airport News screens seem to be at every gate and an epidemic of flat screen TVs have covered the walls in bars, restaurants, airport clubs, and hotel lounges.
• Mini-trend of putting rocking chairs in airports is some help.
• Other fliers search out airport chapels — no flat screens or PA announcements there
• I cram my noise blocking earphones tightly in my ear and dial up the Amazon rain forest on the White Noise iPhone app

Closing

• Closing music — iTunes link to Pictures of You by Evangeline
• Bridge music from Magnatune
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• Direct link to the show