It’s that time again – the first business trip of the year. Recognizing that waiting all the way until the second full week of January makes me a neophyte, I could not help but reflect for a moment. I’m airborne now on my way to Seattle from Atlanta on a Tuesday afternoon. I knew upgrade chances would likely be slim on a longish transcon flight from Delta’s biggest hub. I was right. I was # 9 of 37 for 0 seats. The flight has been at 0 seats in first class for days. First Class monetization? Welcome to 2015 on the road. (Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com)

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Nonetheless, I have a fairly decent Economy Comfort chair, a power outlet, wi-fi, and a fairly new, and relatively comfortable 737-900 to entertain myself with. Not to mention, I’m staying at a good downtown Seattle hotel since the rates aren’t through the stratosphere given that it’s winter. The airport was extremely tolerable this Tuesday afternoon, PreCheck worked like it was meant to work, the Sky Club was fine, the staff was friendly, and I’m launching this new year on a genuinely cheerful note. It’s good to get to get back up in the air again. Here’s to a successful year in travel for all of us!

-MJ, January 13, 2015