Poverty in America: Complicated, Stressful, and Difficult

I hate flying. I recently took a trip to Vermont for a conference. Now I hate flying even more.

Allow me to recount some of my frustrations.

This whole checked-bag situation is ridiculous, and I never want to check bags. The size of the luggage you can take on the plane is tiny. If you are staying somewhere for more than a few days, you will want to pack a larger suitcase. And then they charge you. And if you check a second. Well, they charge you again. I don’t think the price you pay for a checked bag includes insurance, something you will likely need given how they lose your luggage or chuck it around and damage the contents.

So for this flight, I crammed as much as I could into a carry-on suitcase. It was a three-day trip, so it was fine. Yet, on both the arrival and departure flights, customers were asked — or, in my case, told — to check their carry-ons. Why are the airlines telling people they can bring their stuff on the plane and then reneging? It’s not the customer’s fault.

Maybe I should be thankful I was forced to check my luggage given all the layover time. Who wants to mind their stuff for several hours during a layover? I went from Norfolk to NYC, and then to Burlington. The layover in NYC was at least two hours. On the way back, the layover was in Newark, NJ. This time it was about three hours.

Layovers may seem just a part of the experience for some, but for me, it’s absurd. I can understand a…