The ghost of holiday air travel past: about 10 inches of new snow, followed by high winds and bitter cold that made digging out even more difficult–and flying just about impossible. The ghost of holiday air travel present: random searches, a new federal security force, and 98 boxcutters seized at U.S. airports over the Thanksgiving weekend, 14 months after it was made pretty clear that that was a no-no. The ghost of holiday air travel yet to come: Well, there’s still time to repent, stay home and curl up with “A Christmas Carol.”
Best place to spend a long O’Hare layover, according to Business 2.0 magazine: 17 miles away, at the Billy Goat Tavern.
Passenger-miles flown in the U.S. in 1970: 118 billion. In 1995: 415 billion.
Percentage of passengers who reported tension over late flights before 9/11: 71. Percentage after 9/11: 42.
Percentage reduction of seats on domestic flights since December 2001: 9.3.
