Pulse - September 2021 - 32

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
FLYING THE " FRIENDLY " SKIES
L
Elizabeth Goldstone
ast week I hopped on my first cross-country flight from LAX to Fort
Lauderdale, to move my mother to Florida. Luckily, my brother lives
at our destination, so it was not all bad, being able to visit him and his
wife. This was a highly anticipated flight, not only because I hadn't flown in
almost a year and a half, but because I was traveling with many bags and a
92-year old, who hates to fly.
The great thing about traveling so much for work over the years, has been that I am
fairly well-organized and have it all down to a science. Unfortunately, we had to take a
flight out of LAX (I live in Irvine), but that would assure us of a non-stop flight, which is
vital when you have a passenger who is not that mobile. I always park at the Parking Spot,
which has valet, which is crucial when you have another passenger and a lot of luggage.
They have many vans running back and forth, so you should be on time to your terminal.
This was a lifesaver, as parking is impossible there.
Check in was a zoo, but luckily I was able to get through in a decent amount of time.
I pre-ordered a wheelchair, which is the best thing to do, as it gets you to the front of all
lines. I have a TSA Pre-check status, so I can get through easily, but my mother did not.
Check in and going through security can be a hassle, but we were able to do it with not
too much trouble.
What I did not anticipate - and had heard about, but couldn't believe - was there were
more people traveling than I had ever seen in my life! It was so crowded, COVID spike
and all, that you could not even get food or coffee, as the lines were too long. Luckily, the
airport requires masks, so it seemed a little less risky, and they for sure require them on
the plane. I think it was the last weekend before kids were going back to school, so maybe
people were taking their long awaited first vacations before it was too late to do so. Whatever
the case, it was crazy how crowded it was.
So, the other issue I was hoping we would not encounter, were the unruly when we
were on the plane. Recently, airlines have reported 3,420 incidents of " unruly passengers "
just this year. Every time you turn on the news, there is another report of someone drunk,
combative or disruptive. Even the pets on the plane act more civil than some of these
people. So, I was really hoping we would have a quiet, uneventful flight, and thankfully
we did. It was clean, quiet, friendly, and for a 5-hour flight, very enjoyable. Luckily my
mother's doctor prescribed her something to relax her, so she just slept. I chose to watch
movies, and after 2 or 3, we had arrived in Florida.
Next month, I take a little shorter flight to Las Vegas for WVC. I have a feeling I won't
see as many familiar faces as I would normally for this conference. Between the change from
February to September, and after a holiday, I am hoping that some of my local veterinarians
will be attending. I realize they are offering virtual CE as well, so it will be interesting to see
how many attendees there will be. I am also hoping that things calm down, where COVID
is concerned, as I hear that Las Vegas is pretty much back to normal. This conference was the
last place I traveled before the lockdown in March of 2020. A good time was had by all and
little did we know what would ensue the next month. I am hoping I see more faces that I
know and that it is a safe and uneventful conference.
More importantly, I hope that flights to and from are also uneventful and more on the
road back to normal. P
Elizabeth Goldstone
Merck Animal Health * 949-379-0201
Elizabeth.goldstone@merck.com
32
SEPTEMBER 2021
PULSE
What I did not
anticipate - and had
heard about, but
couldn't believe -
was there were more
people traveling
than I had ever seen
in my life!

Pulse - September 2021

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