Don't Make Anyone Pick You Up at the Airport

It's going to be a busy holiday travel week, which means lots of people are going to need a ride from the airport. In the Wall Street Journal, Nikki Waller writes that they should figure it out for themselves rather than call in a loved one. "The airport pickup, a sweet tradition we all remember from Die Hard 2, has become a heavy obligation in an era of travel and traffic stress," she writes. In an age when people can just as easily hail an Uber, a Lyft, or an old-school taxi, it's time we let this particular tradition die, Waller argues.

She's willing to offer exceptions—tech-challenged elderly visitors, for example—but for the most part, "if you can order a burrito from your phone, you can hail a ride-share car." And what about Hollywood-esque romantic greetings, the kind envisioned by a recent United Airlines declaration that "you deserve someone who picks you up from the airport"? Waller suggests a tweak. "Set a new expectation: a cold drink waiting for you when the cab drops you at home." Read the full essay. (More airports stories.)