This is the third excerpt of a series that first appeared in the "Horizons" magazine issue dated May 1996.
See NetLetter #1450 for excerpt #1
See NetLetter #1452 for excerpt #2
Life as a Con by Annette Malvar.
Why isn't there a grand piano in Montreal's Rapidair lounge?
How many people actually pass through that Rapidair security gate in Toronto?
I'm sure these and other interesting questions have crossed your mind while waiting to get on a Rapidair flight. It's all part of trying to keep your sanity in an enclosed area. Which is essential to the waiting process as a 'Con'.
It's very hard to amuse yourself when waiting for hours to get on a flight from Toronto to Montreal. I generally pack myself a little lunch which comes in handy after being left behind on the first few flights. I read the odd pages of the newspapers floating around the Rapidair lounge. Then I start to read the 1,000 page novel I've dragged to the airport only to realize that I can't concentrate on the plot by the time I get to page 2.
This is when I start to look for diversions. In Montreal there are these neat TV's to watch. The problem is that there's no sound. So I end up staring like a zombie at the screens featuring mind-numbing shows like "American Gladiator". Toronto doesn't have televisions, but it does have the piano. It never ceases to amaze how many people play it. It's a good trick which I'm sure was specifically designed to appease 'Cons'.
After four or five hours of hanging around and waiting to get on a flight, I start to take an avid Interest in my fellow passengers. How many times have we played 'who's the con'? This, of course, is not to be mixed up with "who's flying student/revenue stand-by"?
Another problem is that you can't really go for a walk to stretch your legs. The old saying "you snooze you lose" takes on a special meaning in the Rapidair world. So, if you're busy scoping out the competition's product or leafing through the magazine rack, be prepared to run at the mention of anything even mildly resembling your name. Personally, I take heed at the mere mention of any name beginning with "M". Oh. You said "Milton" - my mistake.
Well, I mean, you never know, right?