On Airports

I don't fly often, usually if the drive can be made in less than two days I simply prefer to drive or take a train. For me, flying is a an incredible novelty- I'm so withdrawn from the routine that each time it is fascinating to me. I rather enjoy the 'rush' from the entire experience- it's much like an amusement park ride, especially as mentioned in Zoomscape for the five-second period on land where you reach close to 150MPH. However, if I flew every time I went back to Cincinnati or took a trip, I would find it far more grating than enjoyable.

But as someone who doesn't fly often, it's almost exciting- there's the maze to find out just exactly where you are, getting through ticketing, getting your baggage checked, going through security, wondering if there's time to grab a quick snack, and preparing your baggage for the flight, and trying to find my terminal.

My preference for driving involves two things transition, and convenience. When flying, there practically is no sense of transition (hence jet-lag), and the novelty of this new view wears off, where by driving or by taking a train the surroundings are constantly changing. In fact, it's the only form of mass-transit where there is no transition- you aruptly enter different spaces (origin airport, airplane, destination airport) , instead of going through them (aka going from Clemson to Asheville to Knoxville, etc.) Even a train stops in various towns (some of which you'd never know existed) along the way.

If transition can't really be forced into flying, is there a way to at least make the experience more exciting and unique for those who rely on it without annoying those simply "putting up with it all?" I suppose hardcore flyers want the exact opposite: to make the airport as transparent as possible.