About a month ago, with the possibility of having to nurse Ebola (who is in Germany) after a pretty invasive sinus surgery coming up this summer, I started looking for tickets. I was resigned to the fact that there was no way I was to ever going to beat my 2019 $1000 round trip on AirFrance to Italy, but I thought I’d beat the rush and prepare for take-off.

I just wound up choking at the keyboard.

3+ months out, the cheap seats were all close to two grand.

Holy schamoly. Does anyone need a kidney?

Of course, I cursed Joe Biden and the Ukraine War, the Ukraine War and Joe Biden, but mostly Joe Biden. Then lit a candle to pray that Ebola’s significant other will be able to get the days off so I don’t have to fly in. At those prices – which should be even worse, since I’d be buying them short time – I’ll be Nurse Ratchet instead of my usual Florence Nightingale.

Okay, that’s an exaggeration. As you might imagine, I’m never Florence Nightingale, but – in my defense – I haven’t smothered anyone with a pillow in, like, weeks.

As I still don’t have a “do I stay or do I go” from the lad, don’t you know I was not thrilled to see this in my Twitter feed this morning. You all know how much I LURVES my Euro Green weenies, BUT.

Now they’re messing with MY pocketbook.

"waving goodbye to the low prices that made globetrotting accessible to millions of people."

Remember. The goal here is for people to live in Ewok villages and weaver dream-catchers for a living.

It’s not about maintaining your lifestyle.

— Douglas Ritz (@douglasritz) May 30, 2023

I won’t have any teeth left for the grinding, especially since it’s all MADE-UP UNICORN FART extortion and get-rich WEF schemes…argh!!!

…The first headwind stems from two big changes in the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Airlines must have enough emissions allowances to cover every metric ton of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere on flights starting and ending in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland. Right now, they get about half of those allowances for free. But that deal comes to an end in 2026, as the share of allowances they have to pay for starts to rise from 2024. That is effectively going to double their carbon costs over just three years.

The unit price of carbon emissions has also soared recently, topping €100 ($111) for the first time in late February, and it doesn’t seem to be on its way back down. A report by Alex Irving, European transport analyst at Bernstein, puts the resulting cost from these changes for European airlines at about €5 billion in 2027.

Oh, GAWD, it’s such a crock.

…That’s just the thin end of the wedge. Over the next three decades, aviation has to transform itself from a polluting industry — planes are responsible for 2.5% of global CO2 emissions — to a net-zero one. Under Destination 2050, the European sector’s plan to reduce emissions, it’ll do that by investing in future aircraft and infrastructure, making operations more efficient, and using alternative fuels and carbon-removal technologies.

I do NOT want to be in an electric plane. I also do not want to be an indentured servant for the price of a ticket because of their virtue signaling schemes to take over the world.

The other option is – GUESS WHAT? Just cut the number of flights and passengers. Easy peezy.

THE LITTLE PEOPLE DON’T EVER GET TO FLY AGAIN AT ALL

Bet you knew THAT was coming.

Don’t worry peasants! While it’s too bad, so sad you can’t get around Europe by air, there are lots of other ways if your keepers allow you out to stretch your legs for the day.

…Perhaps it’s worth remembering that there are other ways to get around Europe. On Thursday, Eurostar celebrated the five-year anniversary of its London-Amsterdam route with a claim that it has saved more than 83,000 tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere in that time. Perhaps as short-haul flights get more expensive, traveling internationally by rail will become more enticing — and accessible.

Well, golly, Polly! That’s a big help for people who have trans-Atlantic plans. I guess I’ll just start hiking to the East Coast from Pensacola. I’ll have packed a swimsuit in my hard-sided, twirler carry-on (which will also double as a personal floatation device – Marine here) for the backstroking across the pond to Normandy…or wherever I wash ashore initially.

Unless pissed off Spanish orcas get me first.

As mad as I’m going to be, old White Gladis and her crew may not want to mess with me – Nurse Ratchet and all.