I was an airplane freak from childhood who dreamed of a job with an airline, but reality set in. I was grew up in New York City and spent countless days on the observation deck at LaGuardia, enjoying the comings and goings. I wanted to be a part of it, and served in the Marine Corps as an aircraft electrician, and afterward made moves to pursue an aviation career as a mechanic, but quit even before my training even started.

Why?

First, I found another job outside of aviation. Second, I decided that I didn't want to devote years of training and effort to maybe find a job with an airline. Third, in the early 80s, deregulation was taking its toll. And finally, I realized that I could love aviation without having to try to make a living in it.

I fly the big iron -- on my PC -- and enjoy it, and make a decent living with small pay raises, but at least I'm not giving anything back to the company to -- hopefully -- stay employed.

I feel so sorry for those folks who, as another 20 percent is whacked from their already shriveling paychecks, say that they love their jobs nonetheless. They're stuck between a rock and a hard place, I know, probably hanging on so they can make some kind of living as the corporate slobs in the HQ rake in the cash for "restructuring" their pay and benefits.

The truth is that if the company I worked for ever demanded huge pay cuts, confiscated my retirement, looted my 401(k) and basically tried to ruin me financially in steps, I'd quit and tell the top brass to find a goat and perform some interesting things with it.

If I had no morals, values, ethics or integrity, though, I could be a mealy-mouthed airline executive who watches gleefully as the desperate employees struggle to survive and then unleash the coup de gras: outsourcing or cheap illegal immigrant labor in non-skilled and even skilled jobs.

The airlines are in a death spiral, in my view, and just wait 10 to 20 years when no one wants to work in the industry. I'd love to see those boardroom types land a 767 in a crosswind or change an engine.

The deal with the baggage wrapping is that it's to protect the baggage from thieves at Central American airports, and, in Miami (as with everything else surrounding MIA) the concession was a gift to a well-connected person. Graft is pretty much the only way business is done at MIA, at least from what I read in the papers.

I find CNN Airport to be obnoxious and insipid, and wish there were areas in terminals that were TV-free. I do, however, like flying JetBlue and watching TV while we're in the air, not only for the History Channel stuff (Runway Accidents!) but for the tracking map.

Palm Beach International has for years had the dueling announcements. I remember catching a Delta "dawn patrol" flight to Atlanta at something like 5:30 a.m. in 2000, and the endless loop of "Welcome to the Palm Beaches ..." Whenever the gate agent tried to announce the flight, the tape would start. Now that I live on the west coast of Florida and fly out of Tampa and, occasionally, Sarasota-Bradenton, I haven't had enough time to get aggravated at the airport's noise.

I also wish there were more ways to watch planes take off and land at the airport. Maybe some kind of closed-circuit system. I love watching planes as well as flying in them. I guess most people don't want to even think about the machine that's taking them somewhere or the people who are doing the driving.