“Thank you, sweetie.”
Susan, my bartender at the Osteria restaurant at Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport, lays down my drink with a smile. She’s young enough to be my daughter, possibly even my granddaughter, but the endearment is truly sweet and appreciated … and a reminder why traveling from and through small airports is a real joy.
Even though we’ve covered this topic before, Judy and I were both reminded how fun it is when you “go small.” Over Labor Day weekend, we flew round-trip to Boston. Later that week, Judy flew to DC, returning the next week. We had a quick airport meeting/lunch in Phoenix before I hopped on a plane to Dallas. Two days later, we flew to Bismarck, ND on separate flights, meeting up so that she could tick off her 49th state while I attended a work event. We flew back to Dallas together, where I attended more work meetings, then she flew off to Anchorage for an overnight (okay, two), in order to claim her 50th state! While she spent a day exploring, I drove on to Norman, OK with my boss. After meetings and an overnight in the Sooner State, I headed home to Phoenix where Judy and I reconnected after her return to Phoenix via SeaTac. Between us we visited more than seven different airports.
It’s during trips like these that you really learn to appreciate the ease in which you can navigate the smaller airports. DFW is bigger in land area than Manhattan, requiring a sky train to take you between terminals. In Seattle, Judy had a tight connection that required her to hustle from one terminal to another. Bismarck, on the other hand, had a mere four gates. Going through TSA took all of two minutes, with no lines to speak of. Anchorage can easily be considered medium sized, but with a 6am flight time, the airport was sparsely populated making it a breeze to check a bag and “fly” through TSA pre-check. OKC has about 20 gates, but they were nowhere near full. The TSA agents, like their customers, were unharried and pleasant.
Let’s foot-stomp that last point. EVERYONE we dealt with at these airports was friendly. “Please” and “thank you” were the norm, not the exception. Returning the rental car at OKC, the agent went out of his way to ensure I had a pleasant experience. The American Airlines agent was only too happy to check on my location on the First Class upgrade list, and was truly sorry when she saw I was number two on the list, making a complimentary upgrade unlikely. In the larger hub airports like PHX, DCA, and DFW, everyone is often too rushed to be nice (although there are exceptions.)
Finally, there’s something about the ambiance of these smaller airports. They celebrate all the good things about their states and towns. In Bismarck, a giant triceratops skeleton head greets you as you enter security. It makes you realize how short human history truly is. In Alaska, there is a virtual zoo of Alaskan animals, all stuffed and in display cases, along with dozens of displays of Alaskan tribal art and artifacts. To be fair, PHX has a museum spread throughout the terminals, but there is such a hustle-bustle environment that it’s easy to miss.
At OKC, a statue of famed comedian and aviator Will Rogers riding a horse reminds you that you’re in cowboy country. Since you don’t have to run to your gate or avoid the throngs of people trying to make their connections, you can stop and enjoy the artwork and historical displays, or spend some time at the bar meeting great people like Susan.
There’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored. Spend some time at a smaller airport and remember what it’s like to fly the FRIENDLY skies.
© The World A to Z, LLC 2023 — Unless otherwise indicated, no compensation was received for this blog.
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