Spaced Out
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008I asked some of my university students to suggest a topic for today’s blog, and one of them came up with space travel. Now, I thought that was a pretty interesting idea, but what could I talk about? Then I started to wonder how space travel would change the way we think about transportation altogether.
When air travel began, it was only for the wealthy and well-heeled. There was no such thing as “low cost†carriers, flights with no meal service, or flight attendants with the attitude of FBI agents. For many years it was commonplace to board a flight in your finest attire, sit down to a meal served on china to be eaten with real silverware, and be treated as an honored customer by your equally well coiffed purser. So things have changed. We all understand that it is perfectly acceptable to board in your sweats and flip flops. We realize that the smell of a deluxe cheeseburger with fries is wafting through the cabin as the rest of us are offered a $5.00 granola bar; or if you’re lucky enough to have acquired a rare available seat in business class, that we must cut our day-old mystery meat with a plastic knife. We know that our frazzled flight attendant is both hoping to make it to retirement and waiting for us to make a wrong move so he or she can cuff us to the seat. WE GET IT.
Things change; which brings me to the real point here. Is it possible that with the advent of space travel things might enter into a new realm? Could it be a pipe dream that glamour might be brought back to the experience of flight as we gaze out of the space capsule window at the earth rotating below? Somebody pinch me please! The thought of being offered a proper meal again on a real plate with a real knife and fork by an attendant that is actually happy again can’t be just a dream. Or the mere possibility of sitting in a space-bound craft with other well dressed and excited patrons….tell me it could happen please! If for nothing else than this, I can’t wait until space travel becomes available. In fact, I’m already on the net looking for the first space travel agent!
– Morissa Pawl, vice president western region
