Flights really seem to be booked these days. They also seem pretty convoluted.

 

I’m not sure why, and not real certain I care enough to find out. I’m guessing it’s because of the airlines struggling financially and trying to get the most folks on a plane as possible, even if the flights take you a little out of the way.

 

..

 

Snacks and meals on airlines are pretty paltry these days. My flight from San Antonio to Chicago offered dry roasted peanuts and a bag of Cheese Nips.

 

The peanuts, though few, were good. I put the stinky Cheese Nips in my pocket, not wanting to open and therefore release their gut-wrenching stench. Hannah will likely get them. For some season, she likes them and doesn’t think they stink.

 

..

 

Lots of folks seem to work Sodoku puzzles waiting in airports and flying to their destinations. Same thing with working on laptops.

 

I asked the man in the window seat of my row – no one in the center seat (YEAH) – if he worked the pouzzle in his hometown paper (he was doing the one in USA Today). He does.

 

I also asked him what he liked about his hometown paper, which turned out to be the San Antonio Express. We talked a while about his newspaper reading habits, which he described as strong, and his use of the Internet, which he described as not so strong.

 

These questions folded in well with our editors meeting this week as we continue transforming the newsroom into an information center that serves both print and online readers.

 

Our discussion yielded some interesting observations.

 

It also yielded an answer to the first question posed in this posting. Turns out he’s a pilot for Southwest, en route to Chicago for his three-day shift.

 

The reason my flight was so convoluted? Lots of people fly from Louisville to St. Louis and Chicago, and lots of people fly from San Antonio to Chicago. But few people fly from Louisville to San Antonio and vice versa.

 

So they’re simply sending you to the best place to get you to your destination based on market forces. Nothing wrong with that.

 

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 12:18 pm and is filed under The Tribune, flight, media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.