Flying High

I returned from Saskatoon by air this past weekend. It was my first flight in almost 10 years and my second flight every. I'm a little larger than I was back then, and found the seats to be rather 'cozy'. I also had to tilt my head a little because the window seat was so close to the side of the plane, which curved up and in. Comfort increased when I discovered that the arm rest could be lifted up and out of the way. The hardest part of the flight would have to be the airports.

I boarded in Saskatoon, so security isn't as strong as in the bigger cities. There are so many safety issues that have developped that boarding can be 'fun'. I walked through the detector sockfooted while they examined my shoes because I wore steel toe. My keychain was nearly confiscated because it had an eyeglass screwdriver on it. They also had to inspect my inhaler because it was an aerosol. I never realized just how much you had to do to prepair for a 50 minute flight.

When I arrived in Edmonton, I had to find transportation. As anyone from Edmonton knows, the airport is actually NOT in Edmonton, but halfway to Red Deer. On the shuttle ride to the city, I listened to a number of passengers talk about their favourite and least favourite airports around the world. Toronto was agreed upon as the worst because of 3 seperate terminals and not very good time keeping. A layover of 2 hours usually meant a 10 hour stay in 'Chez chairs'. Tokyo was listed as one of the favourites. Transfers were smooth and timetables are almost to the minute.

Now I'm curious what others have to say. Please comment about your best or worst experiences when flying. What is your favourite airport and why? What about your worst? Any handy hints for those of us who don't fly that often and want to avoid any 'surprises'?