Tales of the American Jet-set

When entering an airport these days, it takes only a moment to notice how far gone the elegance and prestige air travel once held – when planes were filled with an elite cadre of well-dressed, wise and worldly people. Gentlemen and ladies if you will. These days, the scene is more akin to a high school hallway between periods with noisy travelers dressed in pajamas rushing to and fro, oblivious to others. At the gate, the simplest requests or information from airline personnel is ignored as people crowd and shove to board what amounts to a Greyhound bus with wings. No one is immune from this barbaric de-evolution of etiquette. Take first class, the mythological sanctum of frequent business fliers and well-monied folks; there you can still find shoes removed – even naked, unkempt hooves in Summer, with basic rules of decorum and civility taught from Kindergarten, ignored. One last thing at the risk of sounding like a total grumpy misanthrope. Please, for all that is holy, children, especially babies of the crying variety, should not be allowed into First or Business class. We have enough troubles and issues with our own neglected families to have to see, smell, listen, to yours.