Are Airline Passengers Freight?

Steve West | June 7, 2008
Not yet, but they soon may be considered as such. It's difficult to find sound reasoning to argue against this except that it's just so wrong. Rolling roads, man. Giant, solar-powered, conveyor belts connecting major cities. The end of NASCAR. What a utopia that would be for me.

Tony Peters | June 7, 2008
someone's been reading Heinlein???
...not that there is anything wrong with that

I guess I should be happy that I don't fly regularly anymore (I am)

Steve West | June 7, 2008
The Roads Must Roll was an incredible short story by Heinlein, yes. I only added the solar power thing, I think. And blame me for taking a poke at NASCAR, not Heinlein. I read it thirty years ago and still remember it fondly.

Tony Peters | June 8, 2008
I don't blame you, the guy could really write some amazing pictures. I fell in love with the flying sequence from "Menace from Earth"

Steve West | June 8, 2008
I think Heinlein's Double Star was the first science fiction book I ever read and later when I read Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's Lucifer's Hammer I was thrilled to see that wonderful book referenced. At least I think that's where I read that reference. Read both if you haven't yet. I really worry that in reading mostly new stuff, I've missed a few "shouldn't miss" novels.

Amy Austin | June 8, 2008
Back to the topic of the article... I do worry about the impact of airfare on my ability to attend Goo Con in October. And on the subject of customers standing on scales... "a horrific experience" barely begins to adequately describe that one for me... ;-7

Steve West | June 8, 2008
That does seem to border on the "cruel and unusual".

Amy Austin | June 8, 2008
I'm imagining a bunch of grown people engaging in the same sort of crap as guys on a high school wrestling team the night before a meet... wrapping themselves in Saran Wrap and starving/dehydrating themselves to make weight... puking in the bathroom before standing in line to purchase tickets... and then, comically, gorging themselves at the overpriced airport restaurant before flying -- perfect!

Steve West | June 8, 2008
Ha! That's probably not too far-fetched.

Aaron Shurtleff | June 9, 2008
Ah, yes, high school wrestling. I have fond memories of that! :)

If something like this goes through, maybe it'll be the inspiration for me to lose weight.

Lori Lancaster | June 9, 2008
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | June 10, 2008
Time reports on the $1 bus fare, one attempt to capitalize on gas prices these days. The statistic that raised my eyebrows was that this year has seen the first increase in bus ridership in fifty years.

On the bright side, there are reasons to cheer high gas prices.

Tony Peters | June 12, 2008
this has been par for the course on military flights for 50 years

Amy Austin | June 12, 2008
Well, it's a little different when you truly are flying "cargo"... c'mon! It isn't like they actually weigh you or that you're paying for it, either.

Tony Peters | June 12, 2008
depends on what you think of as "paying for it" sure no money changes hands but.....and I did have to step on a scale along with my 452.7 lbs of gear (total including me 661.2 lbs) the last time I left DG and that was one an Amercan Airlines cargo flight (half the airplane is pallets, the back half seats)

Amy Austin | June 12, 2008
depends on what you think of as "paying for it"...

being charged/paying money for each pound that you weigh