Flying: Miracle of science or miserable experience?

That’s actually a debate among comedians today. Louis CK, in the midst of righteous rants about the entitlement mentality of younger generations, insists upon the former. Plenty of people have heard this, but just in case you haven’t, give it a quick check at Spotify (lots of bad language, doesn’t get to flying until the four-minute mark):

Patton Oswalt probably didn’t intend to offer up a rebuttal, but his take on flying is a good contrast. Flying has drifted from its genteel origins to “the rocketbus to Galveston.”

Mental Floss has a list of things we no longer see on airplanes, and I think it supports Oswalt’s side:

(That said, they omitted smoking. I remember when airline cabins were a thick haze of smoke, and I don’t think I could get a plane like that today. So between that and seat-back entertainment, at least we have two things that have improved rather than declined. Now if only I could keep watching the seat-back entertainment when the person in front of my reclines the screen into my stomach.)

Frankly, I’d rather ride a bus. These days, a lot of buses have wi-fi, and you don’t have to turn off your electronic devices for 45 minutes while your plane drives out to the runway.