In New York City it can take a while to get to your flight by public transportation. In addition to the travel time itself, there is all the waiting around — first for the subway, then for the shuttle bus, then, after all that, even for the elevator at the airport.
Today I was on that elevator with another guy who was on his way to a flight, and he looked very grumpy. He turned to me and said “I can’t believe this takes so long.”
“Yes,” I said “that’s true.”
“But then,” I added, “the plane goes very fast.”
I think I managed to lift his mood.