The flight from Narita to Portland arrived about fifteen minutes early. That extra time makes no difference for me as my outbound flight time doesn’t change. The fellow sitting next to me, returning home from Shanghai, China, lives about twenty minutes from the Portland Airport. He was home getting ready for a nap as I settled in at the Delta gate waiting four hours for my connecting flight to Salt Lake City. Then I’ll wait again for a connecting flight to Pocatello. There was an earlier flight to Salt Lake City by SkyWest, but that little airplane was overbooked and two people volunteered to stay behind for some compensation. There was no hope for me to get onto that flight. It wouldn’t have made much difference, anyway, as I wouldn’t make the earlier connection from Salt Lake to Pocatello. Waiting in Portland has one small advantage — the airport has free WiFi for travellers. I think that is a very significant bonus. The airport is practically empty of people right now, so it is very quiet. There isn’t a good place to take a nap, either.

The Japanese have invented the short-time bed for late-night commuters who miss the last train. These small one-person cubicles have a bed, a toilet, and a small TV with just enough space to lay down. I’d think something like that would go over well here at this airport — say $20 an hour — I’d be in one right now grabbing some Zzzz’s. As it is, the nearest hotel is about fifteen minutes away and doesn’t have a short-stay option.

That made me think about where to live if one travels a lot. Pocatello probably isn’t the best choice as you can’t get anywhere without going two other places first. The fellow who lives just a few minutes from the airport flies quite often to Asia. He buys building products for import into the USA from Asia. The Northwest flight to Japan is ideal for him. He gets to Tokyo and four hours later is at his destination — late a night and ready for bed. He comes back through Tokyo and ends his trip here in Portland where he is home within about 40 minutes of landing, ready to take a nap. That’ll never be the case in Pocatello! However, I’m not sure it is worth it to live here in Portland just for that advantage….