> When will the airlines learn about straight lines being the shortest distance? We are leaving on vacation and will be zigzaging all over the country.
>

Technically, a straight line on the map isn't the shortest distance for an airplane. The middle of a "straight" flight path arcs somewhat toward the nearest pole, because planes travel along a "great circle", the path that is shortest on a sphere. Hold a piece of string taut against a globe, and you'll see what I mean. But I know what you're really getting at. Read on.

> We leave Knoxville in a northeasterly direction to Washington Dulles. From there we go to Vancouver, BC, possibly with a stop in Chicago. Then by ship to Seward, Alaska, and by bus to Anchorage. On the way home it is Anchorage to Denver to Chicago to Knoxville.
>
> I think that is about seven legs including the ship and the bus, but it could be eight if we go to Chicago O'Hare both ways. I didn't count the car rides to and from Knoxville's airport or the taxis and vans in other cities.
>

To be fair, you can't really count the ship as a leg, because it's actually your (moving) destination. I'm assuming the bus to Anchorage counts the same as a taxi/shuttle to an airport. Is Seward even big enough to have an airport? (Funchal isn't, but it has one anyway)

Apparently you can only get direct flights to/from an airline's "hub" cities, so lots of trips are done in two legs. Once I flew American from Boston to Montreal - by way of Philly. Each leg was longer than the direct flight would have been, which is downright retarded. I would have flown direct, but my previously-booked Air Canada flight was cancelled post-9/11.

Just the same, I'm really surprised you have to go through both Denver and Chicago to get where you're going. Usually all roads lead to O'Hare.

^v^:)^v^
F"For my Alaska cruise I'm just flying direct to/from Vancouver"B