Thank you for flying with us.

Remember that famous quote from Animal Farm? You know, the one that says, “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” There is a certain age that you reach when you suddenly realize that this is true. I am not sure when it happens - but it eventually occurs. First you may be angry, feel some loss, grieve a little bit, and then get on with things. That realization somewhat comforted me while watching Chris Wallace's special "inside look" at the president's plane - Air Force One - on last Sunday's Fox News (see video at bottom of post). There were many features aboard Air Force One that I could deal with. I am a realist. I understand that with certain jobs come certain perks. Here are the luxuries that I may have said "wow" to, but that I could definitely handle:

• Air Force One has it's own version of the Oval Office - with a president's desk, accompanying chairs, etc.
• Air Force One has secure communication lines. The President of the US can do a press conference aboard the plane.
• Aboard the plane is real china, glassware, and cutlery.
• The President and First Lady have their own separate living quarters, with bed, lavatories, double vanities, and full shower.
• Passengers aboard Air Force One have meals of their choosing. The elite list of fliers have their coffee preferences (cream, sugar, etc) posted for wait staff.
• Of course, security is a major concern. All plane parts are scanned for safety and listening/camera devices.
• To avoid spotting, the body of Air Force One is never bathed with water. Cleaning is performed with soft shammies only.

I know - some of these things seem really luxurious, but I was fine with everything. It was only one statement that the Master Sargent of the crew team made that got my goat. OK, I don't have a goat, but if I did, it would have gotten it. The statement was, "on most 747s a part is fixed because it is broken; on Air Force One, we find things before they are broken and fix them before it becomes a problem." Oooh - it was like a shot in the gut to me. That is the issue. There is the line that is crossed between luxury and inequality. That is the thinking that got Americans buying Hondas and Subarus, while Ford, GM, and Chrysler were on Capital Hill this week begging for their financial lives.

I guess the fact the Thanksgiving is approaching and that about 41 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home around the holiday (according to AAA) got me thinking about this more. We can settle for crowded seating, airplane peanuts, and no hot shower aboard our flights (although a shower would be lovely). I think that people should be able to expect that our commuter planes are just as safe and in as good of a condition as Air Force One.

OK. I am down off my soapbox. Thank you for flying with me, and have a good holiday. Bye bye...bye now...bye bye...bye...bye bye now...