All of us involved in any kind of business may have to confer with our colleagues in real time, as opposed to the asynchronous communications supported by e-mail. However, it seems to me that traveling to professional meetings has become a burden, especially if the locations are far enough to warrant air travel. Airport security measures have increasingly approached Bruce Schneier’s definition of security theatre, with recent complaints such as that of Jean Weber, whose 95-year-old, wheelchair-bound, incontinent mother “was asked to remove an adult diaper in order to complete a pat-down search.” Combined with the faltering world economy, the number of premium air travel (first class & last-minute bookings) declined sharply in 2011; but even ordinary air travel has continued to decline in recent years, leaving increasing numbers of empty seats and pushing airlines to increase their fares for even stronger disincentives for business travel.
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