SENTINEL WATCH December 24, 2007 Issue

SMOOTH SEASONAL TRAVELING

RON BALLARD

TRAVELING AT CHRISTMASTIME brings something other than visions of sugarplums to many people. Increasingly over the years, holiday travel conjures up images of flight delays or cancellations, long lines at security checkpoints, snippy airline personnel, and families pushed to their limits. And this year marks a time when airline ticket prices are at an all-time high, and customer service seems at an all-time low. Traffic on the highways is another issue altogether.

What's to blame? Many analysts chalk it up to the rising price of oil and the falling value of the dollar. Higher gas prices have not only upped airline ticket prices, but they've also forced many to consider driving, rather than flying, to their holiday destinations.

During December, there are always news reports about folks sent on detours they hadn't expected to make. Everyone from airline officials to those who conduct seminars on "air anxiety relief" offer their advice. One source quoted in The Christian Science Monitor said, "What we do is ask people to find a memory where they have a profound connection with another person, and to associate each aspect of the flight experience with that memory" (October 17, 2007).