Flying in America didn’t just get stricter after 9/11—it became an entirely different emotional experience. In this episode, we look at how a once-humane, even charming system transformed into today’s anxiety-filled, hyper-securitized grind. From the end of small kindnesses—like pilots ordering pizza for stranded passengers—to the rise of cramped cabins, endless fees, and thinning staff, air travel has grown safer but far more isolating. What did we lose in the shift from human connection to maximum control? And is there any way back to an experience that feels less like endurance and more like travel?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/09/travel/airline-travel-september-11.html