Kevin Sent

2020 will end, I promise. 2021 will start right on cue. Time will march on like it always does. You can set your watch to it.

This year, the lost art of resilience made a comeback. That’s so cliche, that I almost didn’t write it. The last 270 days have all been an exercise in going with the flow, and adapting on the fly.

There is a sublimity in giving in and trusting the process. I (mostly) don’t sweat the small stuff and only control what I can. I fought this and lost, trust me. When I finally came around to that way of thinking, life suddenly became much more of an adventure.

As the saying goes, you can’t change the ocean, but you can learn to surf.

When most years end, it becomes de rigueur to look back on the last 12 months.

-Where’d you start?
-Where’d you want to wind up?
-Did you get there?

With 2020 lurching it’s way into the record books as the worst. year. ever., I think most of us have trended our expectations down. Maybe you abandoned them all together?

No one would’ve blamed you for erasing everything off your list except “stay safe.” Everything slowed down.

But as life marched on (as it invariably always does), some things accelerated. Entire industries saw their 5 yr. plans condensed into 5 months. People chased dreams and/or returned to school. Side Hustles are having a heyday.

My point? If we learned anything this year, it’s that life is short. If you knew how many days you had left, would it change how you spent your days? Who you spent them with?

My guess is yes.

Just reading the chart rearranged my mind. Take a look, calculate your estimated time left on this rock, and let me know how it made you feel.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel now, and no, it’s not a train. We have a ways to go yet, but blue sky is in sight. As we emerge from these “unprecedented times” (sorry!), what will you take away from it?

For me, part of that meant a return to music. And by that I mean actively listening. Anymore, music is just something happening in the background while you do something else. I realized I missed the days of making mix tapes; either for my friends to share things I found novel, or as a way of telling someone how I felt when words failed.

But mostly I missed the shared experience of giving & receiving new songs. A friend of mine and a couple of buddies have started making regular mix tapes. Okay, they’re online and called playlists, but that means they’re accessible to everyone. They’re excellent. Give ‘em a listen.

I work for an airline. Last month, I somehow managed to mark 23 years at my job. I say that not to brag, but to point out that even in the midst of a global pandemic, I managed to hold on to the job I love. I’m mindful of how fortunate that makes me, and hope that I am able to ride this through to the other side.

The industry has completely transformed since I joined it, with many former giants like Pan Am relegated to history books. Their legacy lives on through those who helped build them. This is a beautifully written, bittersweet account of the last flight of the once mighty Clipper.

Like the titans of aviation, it was easy to assume they’d always be too big to fail. Until now, you could say the same about Facebook. But yesterday marked the first time a question mark might be added to that statement.Attorney Generals in 48 states and the FTC sued the social media juggernaut, accusing it unfair practices.

Will it mean the end of your high school friend’s nonstop posting of crude memes? Probably not, but there’s hope.

In the meantime, logoff, and reconnect with those in your life that matter. Call, text, meet up in whatever manner you feel is safe. It will do you a world of good. Trust me on this one.

As we round third, do yourself a favor; commit to being uncomfortable once in a while. Aim high. Swing for the fences. it’s all there for us if we want it.

It’s easy to get stuck in everything we lost this year (and it’s a big list), but it’s equally important to give some thought to what you have gained.

For me, it’s a rekindled love of music, and writing habit, and gratitude for work that I enjoy.

What made your list?

Thanks for being here,
Kevin—

1. Scrabble as blood sport. I love words, and studies have shown the importance of exercising your mind, but this is next-level.
   
   “Top players aren’t interested in words for communication, just for maximizing their score. Indeed, believe it or not, some of the top players don’t speak very good English; they’re from Thailand or Malaysia and have memorized all these non-words with one goal in mind — winning tournaments.“
   
2. If you had asked me a year ago, which industries I thought would boom in 2020, Plexiglass would not have made the list. Yet today, it’s everywhere. Will it stay once the pandemic ends?
   
   “…overnight, [global] demand increased by roughly four times what it was the prior year.”  Manufacturers had a hard time keeping up, and customers faced months-long waits. At the same time, suppliers realized that the boost was temporary; unlike face masks and rubber gloves, plexiglass barriers are a durable good. Besides, even if the crisis passes and the barriers are retired, plexiglass, unlike many other plastics, can be recycled into other plexi products. 
   
3. “You’re under no obligation to remain the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even a day ago. You are here to create yourself, continuously”
   –Richard Feynman
   
   I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. This year has been particularly transformative for me- not with regards to the normal benchmarks we use, but with something of a more subtle shift. I’m writing again, making an effort to be less cynical (progress, not perfection), and trying to be intentional in everything I do. I also started running. How about you? What changes have you made this year? What’s on your list for 2021?
   
4. I hadn’t heard this album by the JudyBats in years, but recently dug it out, and it instantly made it’s way back into heavy rotation. They also still hold the record as “most polite towards their audience” of any concert I’ve ever been to. It’s fantastic, and worth your time. Give it a listen!
   
5. Thanks for everything! I know Gratitude lists can be a dime-a-dozen, but this year, they seem to have a certain gravity to them. It’s always been important to see the world with an abundance mindset; the ‘Rona just brought that into stark relief. Spoiler alert; you made this list.

What caught your attention this week? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below.

The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated many industries, but few more so than aviation. 
2019 was a golden year for aviation. Airlines repeatedly set new bars for profits and traffic. Employees that had been through years  turbulence were suddenly enjoying unprecedented profit sharing. Carriers were thinking outside the box and adding new routes daily. Mid-sized airports, such as  Madison Wisconsin punched above their weight and suddenly offered options to every corner of the nation. By all counts, 2020 looked to see that upward path continuing.

COVID-19 had other ideas.

Initially, this seemed to be a repeat of previous pandemics, such as SARS. To be sure, that had a negative impact on the industry, but was mostly contained to Asia. It soon became clear that COVID wasn’t going to obey any geographic construct, and no region was spared. 

The fallout was swift. Starting in March, traffic plummeted. The bottom falling out in mid-April. According to this spreadsheet on the popular aviation site Airliners.net, volume hit bottom on April 16th, with just 3.6% of travelers Year over Year. 

I have spent my entire adult life in aviation, and have experienced multiple shocks to the system; SARS, 9/11, N1H1 flu, the financial collapse of 2008, etc. None of these can compare to what the last 6-7 months have been like. This crisis is worse than all of those combined.

In late spring, it wasn’t unusual to spend my entire workday at the airport without seeing a single traveler. On a few occasions, I literally wouldn’t see anyone at all.  Carriers maintained the minimum flights required to access funding under the CARES Act, but that didn’t mean anyone was actually onboard. 

Soon, these flights would see passengers, but not college kids heading south for Spring break, or business travelers off to close a deal. Instead, it was health care workers shuttling to provide critical care in early hotspots.  Each flight suddenly took on a very real air of gravity. All of us wondered if we’d ever see daylight.

Slowly though, traffic started to rebound. Starting with a (relative) spike around Memorial Day, and slowly trending up through the summer, people are coming back. 

To be clear, traffic is still a fraction of what it was. The TSA posts updated numbers daily. Total volume is hovering around 30% of 2019’s numbers. It’s also important to note that with most borders closed to Americans, these numbers are comprised almost totally of domestic travel. With business travel basically nonexistent, they also represent the (generally) less profitable leisure travel.

Airlines have torn up their traditional playbook regarding networks, and shifted capacity to where they think people want to go. Normal market titans like New York City were out, and cities in the Mountain West were in. Florida was also an early leader, as people wanted to chase the sun. 

The Labor Day-Thanksgiving period is normally as bit of a dead-zone for traffic, as kids head back to school. In most years, business travel fills that void. Not so in 2020, and capturing traffic remains a challenge. And yet, the numbers show there is still some demand. Humans by nature like to travel, and interact with each other.

It will take some time, but aviation’s slow climb back will continue.

Welcome! I’m glad you’re here. This page covers travel, the aviation industry, and the occasional glance askance through the lens of Generation X. Basically whatever I find interesting and think you might find value in.