Friends,
I arrived in Washington, DC today and checked into a hotel I’ve stayed at many times before. The team asked about my family. They remembered my daughters. And in a moment that lasted only a few seconds, I felt something that’s easy to overlook when we talk about travel optimization and points and upgrades.
Familiarity matters.
It’s comforting. It’s human. And when you’re away from home, it carries real weight (to me, at least).
That sense of recognition set the tone for the rest of the evening, especially as I reflected on how different travel experiences can feel depending on how much friction they carry. I flew Southwest today. It was a good flight. Really friendly crew. Safe. Comfortable. Everything worked exactly as intended (except the wi-fi, but that’s another post).
And yet, even with A boarding, PreCheck, and Clear, the process was still long. Uber to the airport. Security lines. Terminal crowds. Waiting to board. Waiting on the jet bridge. Waiting for final paperwork. None of this is wrong. It’s just a lot.
As I mentioned yesterday, I flew JSX on Saturday. I arrived minutes before departure. Light security. No crowds. Walked straight onto a small aircraft and straight off at the other end. The difference wasn’t luxury. It was efficiency.
That contrast got me thinking about something bigger.
What if travel didn’t start at the airport?
What if it started at your front door and ended where you were actually going?
What if efficiency itself was the premium?
All the pieces exist. Ground transport. Smaller aircraft. Security models that scale differently. Technology that can tie it together. But no major brand has fully committed to building a truly end to end experience that removes the layers of friction we’ve all learned to accept.
I think there’s a market for it. I know I’d pay for it. Not for champagne or inflight showers, but for time, calm, and confidence that the whole journey is handled.
This captures my imagination, because I do not think the way we travel today is the best it can be. And I believe familiarity, efficiency, and personalization might shape the next real leap forward in how we move through the world.
More to come.
Fly well.
