Flying Commercial (And Other Things)

N76288, a United Airlines Boeing 737-800, on the ramp at Cozumel International Airport, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Image by Doug Wint

Some six weeks since I last checked in and I must say that life is getting back to normal. I recently traveled to Mexico with my family and was surprised to see busy airports, full airplanes, and long queues at customs. Travel is back - at least partly and dependent on the region - but it is returning faster than many would have predicted. There are many signs of hope for this industry. Of course, it does not come without problems. Staffing issues at some airlines have led to canceled or delayed flights; the occasional violent incidents on airplanes; and inconsistencies in testing and entry requirements concerning many countries. It’s enough to make you want to stay home, even after a year-long pandemic.

I would be lying if I said that the trips down and back were truly enjoyable for me. I would rather take it lower and slower flying a Cirrus to Mexico as opposed to dealing with the craziness of commercial airline travel. I’ve held this position for a long time before COVID but it is especially true now. Still, I am happy to see the rebound happening with the airlines. It means many good things to my fellow pilots out there with Part 121 aspirations!

I’d also like to mention that I did my first video in which I am not flying. I planned this one over the last month and filmed it at the very loud and very popular Little Island in Manhattan. It’s about ForeFlight and delves into a little bit about how I use it in my preflight planning so if you’re still reading this, you likely will be into that as well!

You can check it out (as well as all of my other YouTube videos) in the “Videos” link above.