It's not hard to find people who still think flying is glamorous. They are the folks who haven't done any recently.
I am writing this on November 5 en route to Norfolk, Virginia, one of
our sister cities, to be part of a delegation that will be work to further our
economic and cultural ties. Norfolk is an ideal sister city in in that it has
much in common with Halifax. We are both the home of our country's east coast
Navy. Norfolk has similar industries like shipbuilding and ocean sciences as well
as strong universities and colleges. I have never been to Norfolk, and have
been looking forwarding to visiting.
Our wonderful City Hall security guard Harry
tells me Norfolk is lovely. Unfortunately in the short time I have there I will
be very busy. I arrive at midnight tonight, have 11 meetings and a dinner on
Thursday and an equally busy Friday. I leave on Saturday morning. All as it
should be, and as it always is, when the intrepid Nancy Phillips from The Greater
Halifax Partnership is running the show. But here is the part I
hate.....getting there and back.
This evening we are flying from Halifax to Ottawa, Ottawa
to Washington, Washington to Norfolk, with a similar return route on Saturday. Small
commuter planes, long lines at security, jammed airports where seats are hard
to find characterize this trip.
People carry half of their worldly possessions on board
(it costs 22 bucks to check a bag), and then are frustrated when the overhead
bins (approximately the size of the glovebox in my Kia) won't handle the load.
Getting a cup of water is a luxury inflight service, and amenities like a video
player are nowhere to be seen. And then, as we just did here at Dulles, you
disembark in a driving rainstorm and make your way to the terminal.
I suspect this sounds like a long whine. If so, my
message is getting through. It is a privilege to represent Halifax in other
cities. It is rewarding, educational, exciting and beneficial. But ain't
glamorous.
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