Dogma Disputed

In response to Ian Ogilvy’s “Pondering Dogmatic Tale of Air Travel Travail” (Jan. 21): apparently Ogilvy is not aware that there is a way to enjoy air travel with maybe two exceptions, which are unavoidable. Checking his list of what he calls “horrors” we see: security-check, seat assignments, crowded waiting space, departure delay, movies, headphones, infants and food.

For domestic travel, hassle with the first four can be eliminated by arriving at the airport at least 75 minutes prior to departure, using curbside check-in and holding a boarding pass issued by the airline city ticket office or the travel agent who issued the ticket. Take-off delay due to a weather condition is nature’s act and concerns the safety of the flight.

If movies and headphones are not up to the passenger’s expectations, then is the time to read a selected paperback brought along for this purpose. Infants are hardly “outraged,” they are merely uncomfortable, and flight attendants are friendly and never object to discretely bringing a brown bag on board to satisfy one’s appetite, should the airline food service not be able to compare with fine dining.

NEDRA ZACHARY

Beverly Hills