Thanks to a delayed flight, I had some extra time to wander the Memphis Airport and I noticed that there is no gate 13 in concourse A. There’s a gate 12 and a gate 14. There are odd numbered gates 11 and 15, just no 13. Without doing any research on the subject (who am I, Seymour Hersh?), I assume this is the case in other concourses and other airports across America (if not at least across the American South).
Now, I’ve got no real issue if you want to pray before a flight, if the pilot has a lucky set of wing cufflinks, or if the baggage handlers all join in a drum circle to get each day started. Whatever works for you is generally no harm to me. But I do take issue with a corporation charged with keeping huge, flying crafts from becoming huge, metal coffins being superstitious. I mean, unlucky number 13!? Come on, you’ve got engineers building the planes, and traffic controllers following precise mathematical equations keeping everything running (sort of) on time and you’re concerned with bad Voo Doo on one of your gates? Do you also employee Native Americans to dance away the rain? Feng Shui experts to keep the energy flowing when the planes dock?
Let’s focus on keeping the crazies out of the plane cabin, not hire them to airport management jobs, please.
