We flew to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. Philly is the home of the cheesesteak sandwich, Independence Hall, and the Flyers. More importantly, it's the home of my daughter.
Flying from the Jackson International Airport is a chore. There are no through flights. The options for carriers and schedules are limited. Usually, we end up on Delta. Of course, that means we have to travel through Atlanta.
Jackson's airport is small. The agent at the counter may also be the one at the gate. I've wondered if they also have to load the luggage and fill up the plane with fuel. Mainly, it's a one man show.
On the way back home, we went back through Atlanta. The flight from Philly to Atlanta was a little late taking off. The pilot said something about maintenance issues. That caused my ears to perk up! Couldn't we just change planes? After some time spent on the runway, we ascended. My perked up ears heard a high-pitched sound. I started saying my prayers before I realized there was a dog on the plane!
The yapping and crying lasted most of the flight. Good grief! We couldn't wait to get on the flight to Jackson where we could have some peace and quiet. Then I started hearing something. No, it couldn't be! Across the aisle from me was a passenger with a cat under his seat! He sheepishly apologized for the meowing. And I thought flying with kids was bad!
We made it home, glad to be back in Mississippi. We love home, but we love to travel. Despite its difficulties, air travel is really the way to go, so I was quite disappointed to hear the news today.
Southwest Air will no longer service Jackson. Yet another one bites the dust. We are left with so few options to get OUT of Mississippi that it makes staying here and doing business here difficult.
Mississippi is a small state. We are not a wealthy state. I understand that airlines have to make business decisions based on profit potential, but we NEED more options. It's time for our state government to step in and offer subsidies to support air travel to the Capitol City.
Business packages are put together all the time to encourage development in our state. Why not do this for air travel? It's the link that connects us so that other business happens. Surely, such an expenditure could be easily justified.
We could even request the planes have a Magnolia on the side. Mississippi Air-- now THOSE are some friendly skies!
Independent, Fee-Only Financial Advisor
