Having just come back from what was otherwise a delightful trip abroad, I started stewing about the lousy return flight I took.

Why was this experience the absolute worst part of the trip, surpassing the bad plumbing and other inconveniences that I suffered?

That flight is emblematic of the five reasons flying sucks:

(1) Flying wastes time. Having to check in hours before a flight is unnecessary. When you calculate this lost time, along with what it takes to drive to an airport, park the car, and catch a shuttle, it makes driving to your destination, if it is within 300-400 miles, seem more convenient.

(2) The airline made me wait 5 hours between connecting flights, although TWO earlier flights were available. Undoubtedly, they did this because I was traveling on a discounted fare, and they could market the more convenient flights at higher fares.

(3) The flight crew embodied the worst in service workers. They were authoritarian and not subject to supervision and oversight. They insisted on invoking