Even if you're only planning on one flight this year, learning to fly like a pro can reduce the stress and anxiety that often accompanies air travel these days.

Hi, I'm Rick Steeves. Coming up today on Travel with Rick Steeves, our frequent flyer friend Johnny Jet updates us on

tips for enjoying your time at the airport and on the plane.

Fun on the flight can start with how you get along with the flight attendants.

I always bring these guys chocolates.

They will treat you like a rock star.

We've also invited back experts on the European Union to help us Americans better understand the economic, political, and social

pressures that European countries are facing this year.

Most European countries are in trouble.

And why it should matter on this side of the Atlantic.

The United States and the European Union, they're both part of what we call the transatlantic community.

We are the West, the West with a capital W.

The politics of the European Union and tips for enjoyment. the For a generation now, the European Union has provided a structure to help unite the economies of countries that over the centuries seem to have put as much energy into fighting as into trading.

But today, the EU is being tested in ways that Americans don't often understand.

Coming up on today's travel with Rick Steve's, EU experts from both sides of the Atlantic help us put Europe's big issues in context. And understanding the airline

industry and tips on making your next flight a pleasure can make for happier

travels. So just before the holidays we invited Johnny D'S Gaulle to

fly up to our studio to share more of his pointers with us for reducing the

stress and hassle of flying. As a frequent frequent flyer, he goes by the

moniker Johnny Jet. That's also the name of his website where he

links to travel deals and posts photos and reports from his many trips abroad.

Johnny, thanks for joining us. Thanks for having me. Now, how much do you fly?

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