Airport Lounges
I am blogging from an Admirals’ Club in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. (I’m actually writing the post late Sunday night, but I’m delaying it so as not to detract from the main Sunday post.) I have two items:
First, if you travel a lot but are too much of a cheapskate to sign up for access to these things, I strongly encourage you to take the plunge. I actually get access as one of the perks from my AmEx business card. But oh man, when you have a canceled flight or–like me tonight–you take a much later flight thanks to one of Milton Friedman’s* good ideas, then it is heavenly to be able to hang out in these lounges as opposed to the main airport, amidst the riffraff. You don’t have to be as paranoid about someone stealing your stuff, the restrooms are not as big germ factories, you don’t have CNN blaring into your skull, there are nice workstations, and you even can get free liquor!
Second: For those who are amongst the elite and frequent these lounges, let me ask you something: Have you ever snuck into the Children’s Lounge to play the Dora the Explorer computer game? I’m not saying I want to do it or anything, I just like to stay on top of things. So is it fun? I mean, maybe my kid will be traveling with me one day. That’s why I ask, really.
* Actually, Google informs me that it was Julian Simon who was the workhorse on voluntary seat auctions for overbooked flights–not Friemdan. Didn’t a bunch of you, dear readers, think it was Friedman who invented the idea? I guess he coasted after withholding and the negative income tax?
