Originally Posted by chollie

Agree. It's a bit like deciding to give up a car for public transportation. It can require an entire lifestyle change - job requirements, family location, not to mention discretionary travel.

If, like most folks, you work and have limited vacation, then even if the job doesn't require air travel, vacation opportunities get pretty restricted if you don't include air travel. If family is spread out around the country, well, time limitations often preclude anything but air travel (especially if some of your family lives in HI).

I think older folks,particularly retired, are more likely to be giving up air travel right now. Other folks are (time permitting), cutting back, even for work. We see folks post that they now drive instead of fly for anything under 'x' hours.

The younger generation doesn't know anything different. This is life in the US today. You can be stopped virtually anywhere at any time and asked who you are and where you are going - and in some cases, you may have to prove your identity and citizenship - difficult to do without 'papers'. They see/hear about sexting and child molestation. Those who fly are being taught from a young age that this is the norm at the airport: you present papers, sometimes multiple times to multiple people, you present your bags and your person for scrutiny and you have no recourse. The kids are growing up thinking it is normal.