As Willie Nelson’s crooning voice echoes in my head, final safety checks are being done as the crew works through their checklist before they can close the cabin doors. Sitting here in this 737 feels like going back to the summer cabin after a year away.
It’s weird, but with so many flight miles under my belt, waiting for the engines to fire up carries this exciting anticipation for something that would have been commonplace in 2019. Much of it is the same as it was 2-and-a-bit years ago, but so many things are different now too. Between the mask rules variations and the seemingly daily changes in virus testing regulations, this thing I used to do almost weekly, has taken on a new level of stress and confusion.
But hey, I’M ON A PLANE! At some point, we might actually taxi and leave the tarmac. At least some things haven’t changed 🙂
If you have read my blog in the past you know my business travel includes a ritual with the smallest contributor in the family. The last time my helper packed a bag with me she was 2 years younger, so this was an experience for sure.
First, there is the selection of clothes – she always finds me just the right tie for meetings. Then the appropriate travel buddy is selected from her favourite stuffies to make sure I have a friend on the road. She had not forgotten any of it, and my travel companion’s name this time is George.
This new post-Covid business world is going to be interesting indeed. The vast majority of companies I work with are happy with their new remote work reality and so business travel will mostly disappear for me, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. During Covid, we restructured schedules and workload around people’s real lives, which actually increased productivity. That is contrary to what several “back-to-work” proponents have been touting. Getting on a plane today meant cancelling several meetings and disappointing people who have gotten used to me being within reach of a keyboard, as opposed to being stuck at a boarding gate.
But right now, those big CFM56 engines have fired up and we are en route to a runway. Switching to airplane mode, and trusting that nothing breaks while I am offline for the first time in many, many months.
Stay safe, be awesome, and change the world.
The Bleeding Edge 
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