They make air travel sound so...glamorous!
Because of security concerns regarding flying, I have been thinking about engineering my career and life around not using planes moreso than I have been. It isn't a royal inconvenience when things proceed normally, even with the new invasive searches, but I would not want to ever have to get into a discussion with TSA employees beyond "that tray is mine" and like that. And the spiffy new invasive searches are, by themselves, a very big deal.
On the one hand, I believe that we probably travel too much in the United States as it is. We travel to be physically present at meetings where in most cases a simple video conference would suffice. High end group teleconferencing is much more available, and lower-end teleconferencing is less cantankerous.
On the other hand, sure, there are some events you need to be present at, like conferences, key sales meetings. Vacations.
For domestic travel, if you manage your time more rigidly, you can get to and from the conference using other means of travel that may be way less efficient in time but measurably more efficient in fuel.
The difference between a non-stop flight between SEATAC and LAX, and a typically lumbering AMTRAK passenger train, is most of a day, even including checkpoint delays. And a seven hour one-way trip involving a coast-to-coast flight is equivalent to a three-day train ride; obviously, those who must travel will take the fastest route and put up with the new ESPN television reality show _Extreme Search_.
But I still think the failure of the US government to figure out a better way to handle air travel security heralds the year of the video phone.
I really don't know what could be done to replace international travel by aircraft. It's very hard to go between the US and Europe or Asia without hopping on a plane. I have only been on one international round trip, so I haven't had to think about this much.
To summarize: don't fly.
(edited 101108 to change creative spelling of Amtrak)
On the one hand, I believe that we probably travel too much in the United States as it is. We travel to be physically present at meetings where in most cases a simple video conference would suffice. High end group teleconferencing is much more available, and lower-end teleconferencing is less cantankerous.
On the other hand, sure, there are some events you need to be present at, like conferences, key sales meetings. Vacations.
For domestic travel, if you manage your time more rigidly, you can get to and from the conference using other means of travel that may be way less efficient in time but measurably more efficient in fuel.
The difference between a non-stop flight between SEATAC and LAX, and a typically lumbering AMTRAK passenger train, is most of a day, even including checkpoint delays. And a seven hour one-way trip involving a coast-to-coast flight is equivalent to a three-day train ride; obviously, those who must travel will take the fastest route and put up with the new ESPN television reality show _Extreme Search_.
But I still think the failure of the US government to figure out a better way to handle air travel security heralds the year of the video phone.
I really don't know what could be done to replace international travel by aircraft. It's very hard to go between the US and Europe or Asia without hopping on a plane. I have only been on one international round trip, so I haven't had to think about this much.
To summarize: don't fly.
(edited 101108 to change creative spelling of Amtrak)