Frequent flyers feel pinch

By Ray Reed

Published: August 4, 2008

Reggie Pugh, a regional manager in the Areva nuclear power company’s sales force, has a crystal-clear globe given by US Airways.

The globe recognizes him as one of the airline’s top 500 flyers.

“It’s a pretty thing, but it’s not really something you want to recognize,” said Pugh, who flies at least 40 weeks per year to see customers in Midwestern states.

Nearly every time, Pugh departs from Lynchburg Regional Airport, because it’s just 20 minutes away.

Another of Lynchburg’s major corporations, Babcock & Wilcox, said through a spokesperson that most of its employees travel by air or by car. B&W arranges flights through its in-house travel department.

“With regard to local air travel, it is becoming more challenging to find flights in and out of Lynchburg that meet our schedule demands and are within budget,” said Regina Carter, director of corporate communications.

Pugh doesn’t flinch at a 6 a.m. departure from Lynchburg. He gets there by 5:30 most times. “You don’t have to worry about spending an hour to get through security,” he said.

Employees there know him almost on a first-name basis, Pugh said.

The local airport offers a convenience, and a friendly atmosphere, that can’t be found in most other cities, he said.

“I’ve had instances where flights are delayed or canceled, and by the time I arrive at the airport they are already identifying alternate routes, and have transportation, maybe to take me to Roanoke, so I can get a flight for my connection,” Pugh said.

While Lynchburg’s airport doesn’t have cafes, “they try to augment their vending machines,” Pugh said.

“I love the fact, and I keep failing to tell them, that when I walk through security there’s a Lynchburg paper there, a free paper I can pick up and take on my flight,” he said.

Although he’s long since acquired the skills to deal with missed connections, and mid-itinerary adjustments that can get him home quicker, Pugh doesn’t smile at the term “road warrior.”

Too many aspects of flying just aren’t amusing.

Security workers in Lynchburg are accommodating, Pugh said, and even provide the plastic bags an inexperienced traveler might need to get his or her aerosol and fluid containers approved through the checkpoint.

In other airports, security takes on a different demeanor.

“I don’t want to name airport names, but there are some where there is no doubt, to me, it’s more of a power issue. And that’s not the case here,” he said.

Still, at the end of a day, frustrations can mount, particularly at major airports.

“You have people traveling that have a lot of stuff on their plates, and then you have cancellations and delays,” Pugh said.

“It’s a frustrating, sad situation. Airline employees coming to work with, well, it’s not the prettiest situation,” he said, apparently resisting a temptation to describe the details.

“The bad news is, there’s probably no good airlines anymore as far as customer service goes,” he said.