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You will empathise

Assuming severe weather isn't going to disrupt your travel plans this holiday season this piece by Stephen Walt on his blog on FP - and not writing on politics this time - will resonate with anyone who has had to negotiate airports and flying in general, especially in the US.

"Jet travel still strikes me as slightly miraculous, and despite having visited over forty countries, I still get a certain gee-whiz feeling whenever I'm headed for the international terminal at Logan airport (even though the terminal itself is nothing for Boston to boast about).

As you've probably noticed, however, the Powers That Be are doing their best to destroy that pleasant tingle of anticipation. Just when you thought they couldn't find another way to make air travel more annoying and degrading, somebody comes up with a new method to drive us crazy. So having just flown twelve-plus hours from Boston to Kuwait (via London), I'm going to indulge in a short rant: the Top Five Things that Make Air Travel Infuriating."

Keep reading here.

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