My Opinion of Airports

Daily writing prompt
What’s the best and worst airport you’ve been to?

I am not a well-traveled person, but I have been through a few airports. Obviously, the one I have been through the most is Memphis, now Fredrick W. Smith. The first time I saw that airport was as a Marine private flying in from LAX. I must admit, considering the size of the city, I was surprised at the size and the cleanliness of it, back in 1967. I found out later that it was relatively new and the one it replaced is now for general aviation. Since that day, I have gone through the airport more times than I can count. Unfortunately, I don’t think the airport has truly kept up. I wouldn’t count it as the best or worst. It might be better than average.

It’s been over a decade since I last traveled through LAX, yet it remains my gold standard for operational excellence and strategic planning. The airport processes an impressive volume of passengers and aircraft while maintaining a remarkable track record of avoiding negative publicity. What’s particularly impressive is their commitment to continuous upgrades that keep operations flowing seamlessly. That said, my experience is somewhat dated, so current conditions may well have evolved.

I’ve been through there about ten times without any issues or unexpected delays. They have a nice restaurant right in the center with a great view. The area has developed quite a bit, so the view has diminished somewhat over the years. But when I ate there, I enjoyed excellent food at a surprisingly reasonable price.

Chicago O’Hare is a hectic hub, as you might expect. One particular visit stood out as especially chaotic. I was scheduled to arrive from Memphis at 7 p.m., but severe weather caused significant delays. We circled overhead, waiting for clearance to land. Upon leaving the baggage claim 12:30 am, I found vehicles—primarily taxis and limousines—queued two-deep along the curb.

Still, I won’t call it the worst airport. It was the exception, not the rule. Besides, it features a smart design: you step virtually from the plane onto a train. (Or visa versa). If you know the city, that’s a major advantage. I haven’t seen that anywhere else. New York might offer it, but I only passed through New York on a connection. I’ll reserve judgment on that one. Besides, I don’t know which airport it was.

When connecting through DFW Airport, brace yourself for a challenging experience. On three separate occasions, I barely made my connections, coming dangerously close to missing my flights each time. The gates consistently closed just as I was boarding. This proves particularly problematic when transferring between domestic and international terminals.

Atlanta receives my lowest rating, primarily due to my personal experiences there. While I acknowledge that worse airports likely exist, I haven’t visited them to compare. Every time I’ve traveled through Atlanta, my plane has been positioned at one of the terminal’s furthest gates. Adding to the frustration, my luggage consistently arrived even later than I did. Thankfully, I no longer have occasion to fly into Atlanta.

The Guarantee of Weakness

I am not one in favor of war. If I had the power, if I had the say so, I would end all wars. However, the fact of the matter is, until Jesus comes again, wars will continue. The irony of it all, some wars have been fought to end war. The English and Americans fought both world wars in hopes of ending all war. It had become a saying to encourage the effort. It didn’t stop war. Within years there were wars in the Far East and in a while, the US was in the midst of another war, which we tried to avoid.

All recent wars, at least the ones I know of, have started with one thing in common. One nation had hopes of taking control of another. I would name them for you, but you know them all. The reason that they thought they could win the war, the one nation was weaker than the other. The truth, had the US not come to the aid of Korea, it would all be as North Korea is today. Had we not come to the aid of South Vietnam, it would have fallen to the communists much quicker. The tens of thousands that escaped would still be there.

If we go back to Germany, most of the countries it took over, they took without force or little of it. Many countries fell to the Soviet Union with little resistance. The Soviets were in the process of taking over Poland while they they had hopes of shaking the shekels of Germany.

There is a guarantee that if the US were to do away with our army, some other county would immediately begin the takeover. I suspect the attack would come from many directions, possibly even Mexico.

We, as a nation don’t like the idea of going to war. As a nation, we prefer peace. Unfortunately, it is a one sided decision. If one country tries to take us over, then we are at war, like it or not. It is either that or let that county overtake us.

In years past, such attacks were simple. When England took over Scotland, they sent their armies, and eventually they overtook them. When William the Conqueror attacked England, it was at a time when England was weak. The Channel didn’t provide the protection and the better part of England was conquered, rather quickly I might add. Even today, many of the words in the English language come from French, ironically, including Parliament from the French word parler (to speak)

However, when Germany took over Austria, they were taken over from within. On the other hand, in a few days, they used the Blitz to take over Poland. Poland didn’t stand a chance when they were still using cavalry. Poland didn’t want war. They had no plans of attacking Germany. However, they got no vote in the matter. When Germany decided to attack it was almost over before it began; and hence, we had the official beginning of The Second World War.

And guess what. The world had no choice in the matter. There was no vote taken. The decision was made by a little man with a mustache. One day, Britain was considering war against Germany. The next they were rescuing their troops with every small craft they could muster.

There is something of an exception to this pattern, sort of. In April of 1861, the South fired on Fort Sumter. Did the South think the North was weak. Hardly. Yet, the South came close to winning the war. Why? Because the North was ill prepared with poor generals. If a few of the battles had turned out differently, and they almost did, the North would have lost.

My own personal opinion, the North had the equipment and machinery. The South had the skill and determination. Just a few more resources, a few skirmishes go the other way, we would have two nations instead of one.

Determination is one of those things that simply cannot be measured. Look at the Revolutionary War. The Colonies knew it was a hopeless cause. Yet they were determined. To King George, it was little more than a bother in that place across the sea.

The truth is, not all wars start because of weakness. However, for sure weakness is a guarantee for war. Indeed, it is just almost an invitation. It is just almost irresistible for those who want to rule the world. And, there is always someone who wants to rule the world.

On the other hand, strength is always a deterrent. Consider the cold war. Was the term not MAD? Mutually Assured Destruction. It is our strength that kept the Soviets from launching their weapons. It is what kept them from attacking with their planes and ships. If we destroyed our weapons, hoping they would do the same, we would all be speaking Russian now.

In one sentence, we don’t really want to issue any invitations, to any kind of war, whether it be with weapons or in the world of Spy vs Spy. We must remain relentless because they are. If we drop our guard, they will take it as an invitation. And then, it will be an end to it all. There will be no Declaration of Independence or Constitution. We can cease to be as quickly as Austria to Hitler, or Hungary to the USSR.