I had a very scary flight today ......

[Stinky The Clown]

I flew from Baltimore to Nashville and back today. Southwest.

The airports were empty.

The flights were not full.

I had truly expected that not to be the case.

Nobody's spending money to get the salesmen to the territory, the lawyer to the client, the tech to the problem, the real estate mogul to inspect the potential investment, the banker to the factory, the stockbroker to inspect the assets.

Nobody's spending.

The food courts were pretty much empty.

The shuttle buses were carry not much more than fumes.

The parking garage was startlingly empty.

The mood of travelers was subdued.




It was spooky.

[WhiteTara]

1. I hope you stretched out

and took a nap!

[Warpy]

2. You want spooky

go to a mall.

Seriously, if they want people to travel by air, they're going to have to stop hazing them in the process. Scan the luggage, fine. However, forget the petty harassment.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. I know, went today to get my walking in one today

one store already shuttered, place looks emptier than a Church in the middle of the week in the summer

[Stinky The Clown]

4. TSA must have issued a memo recently ......

..... after they issued the new Nazi uniforms, of course ....... to be nice to the passengers. I witnessed with my own eyes a TSA person helping a woman who was traveling with two little kids. He carried her three trays of scanned items over to the recovery table/redressing room.

I was expecting them to issue lotion so we could, after being pawed, apply something soothing to the invaded body cavities.

[Old and In the Way]

15. I'm fed up with TSA/Chicago.

I've missed 2 flights (one international) because of their ridiculous screening process. I'll bet TSA has caused millions of dollars of losses to businesses and the traveling public. I go out of my way to avoid O'Hare if it's at all possible in my itinerary.

[ThatsMyBarack]

21. Not to mention....

Stop charging us $ to check luggage! :eyes:

[TahitiNut]

5. The Langoliers are coming.

:scared:

[Old and In the Way]

17. Saw the movie while it was being filed at Bangor International Airport.

The scene where the 2 guys fight in the janitor's closet, spills out into the passenger lounge, and one of them gets knocked out....the airport was actually open that day although it looked deserted.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Ahhh, Pussy Galore's Friendship Airport!!!!

[bullwinkle428]

7. My gf and I had a slightly different experience booking a flight yesterday -

we're traveling to Mexico for a few days next month, and actually got the last two available seats on the return flight from Cancun! The plane is an MD-88, so there are lots of seats on that aircraft (142). Yes, there are other flights and carriers out there, but we were looking for a general time range, and this was the only one that met our desires.

[MsTryska]

8. it's also a Thursday....

most travelin folk like to be on home territory to tie up office stuff before the weekend.

not that people aren't traveling a lot less, but this is a funny week - first week of the year and whatnot.

(i work tangentially in the hospitality industry, and the patterns of business travel always fascinate me)

[SouthernVoter]

9. Next week will be when Business travel kicks back up.

I was in the office this week to recover from the holiday pile up. Plus, clients don't want to see you first week in. They are doing the same thing, working through their back-up.

[MsTryska]

20. Exactly....

gotta deal with Holiday fallout, and year-end closeouts.

[XOKCowboy]

11. I work in an industry that depends on travelers and I tend to agree

The first work week of the year is here. Time to get your taxes together and get ready for 2009. There is only one big show here in town and it's for a large local company. It picks back up next week. What will be interesting is how the current economy will affect our industries.

[MsTryska]

19. Yeah - I do IT support in a call center

for various Hotel guest internet networks.

Historically Sun-Wednesday is Business Travelers and our peak call volume
Thursday it quiets down, Fri-Sun is usually Leisure travel.

From Thanksgiving up until The first Week of Jan has always been slow because of the holidays.

I did notice there was a significant drop in calls the week they decided to tell us it was all going to hell in a hand basket, but it recovered somewhat from there until thanksgiving.

Of course - I'ms till getting laid off when my center closes in Feb, but that isn't necessarily because business is slowing - more to do with the Company itself handling the financial meltdown.

[CAG]

10. O'Lielly says its cuz we're all sceered now that Obama named Panetta

to the CIA post.

[RB TexLa]

12. Oh no! Companies not thinking of country first and trying to save money

Treason! Line them up for execution! :rofl:

[AndyTiedye]

13. Holiday Flights Were Full-Full-Full

[girl gone mad]

18. I took 6 flights over the holiday..

all of them had empty seats.

:shrug:

[Book Lover]

14. Midweek and January = sloooooow time a the airport, historically

Or, you can think of it this way - now is the time to fly! Seriously, January is a slow time being post-holiday, and midweek (Tues-Thurs) is slow(er) all year round. I'm not saying the economy being in the crapper isn't a part of why you saw what you did, but I'd never expect an airport to bustle on any January 8th, either.

[amborin]

16. sounds like when i flew shortly after 9/11