The Wall Street Journal continues its efforts to convince us to "go Greyhound" with another article on the joys of air travel, this one called the filth of flying:
This summer, rampant flight cancellations and delays are forcing many travelers to languish, sometimes for hours, before they can board their flight. Unfortunately, that's nothing compared with what may await them on the plane.
Tales of sweaty waits on un-air-conditioned planes, smelly bathrooms, dirty seats and tray-tables smeared with mysterious schmutz abound this season. Travelers complain that the environment on packed planes can degenerate quickly -- and often long before the plane actually starts moving.
"When you get off a plane, it looks like the morning after a fraternity house party," says Tim Winship, publisher of FrequentFlier.com, a Web site that offers frequent-flier program information and advice.
That reminds me of waking up somewhere in Missouri on a bus bound from Grand Forks to Daytona Beach for Spring Break back in my college days. Although to be fair, most flights don't have beer and vomit running down the aisles. Most flights.
One of the most high-profile horror stories this summer was a trans-Atlantic Continental Airlines flight in June, on which sewage overflowed from a lavatory and spilled down the aisle. "It smelled like an outhouse," says Dana Bushman, who was on the flight. Continental later apologized and offered vouchers to the passengers, but Ms. Bushman says she is trying to gather support from fellow passengers to sue the carrier. Continental said it determined that the blockage was caused by someone attempting to flush latex gloves.
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