Imagine this:

You go to your neighborhood food store and head for the canned goods. You pick up a can of peas for a recipe you saw in the Thursday paper. You have quite a few choices to make, but you've done this before, and quickly sort out what size peas, what size can, which brand, and perhaps the date on the can or at least its condition.

Oh, and since they're on sale, might as well grab three more so you'll have some for a future menu. You pluck them off the shelf and head for checkout.

With only four items, it's quicker to use the automatic checkout or at least the "15 Items or Less" checker. As soon as you pay, you're on your way.

Time spent: minutes.

Cost in US dollars: not much, thanks to discounts and buying on sale.

Pretty simple, right? Four cans of peas, one for tonight's rice dish and three for future use.

Now try this paradigm:

You go to your neighborhood food store to see whether the peas are still on sale. You learn that they were yesterday and will be again sometime in the future. "At that price, you need to reserve at least two weeks early," says the store manager. "So when will you want them?"

"What? Well, in two weeks, I guess."

Not good enough. "I need a date."

"Oh, heck. The 28th then. This is absurd."

"Sorry for the inconvenience, ma'am. Now I'll need to know what time on the 28th."

You can see how silly this is. I'd shop another store or another brand, or just forgo the peas.

OK, I admit I'm not a trained economist, but some things are just logical. So here's what I'm thinking:

The airlines - including our local favorite - are strapped for money and could go under. While the recent holiday weekend made a lot of money for the airline industry, their overall status is not promising. What if The Big D took a hint from the canned pea industry?

You want to fly from Atlanta to Washington/Dulles. You call "The D" and ask if tomorrow will work, and the reservations guy says it looks like there are still a couple of seats available on the early bird, or later on in the evening, about 8 p.m.

"Good," you say, "Put me down for the early bird. I have a grandson I haven't seen in a month, and I miss him so much my work is suffering. When I noticed your $103 round-trip special, I decided I couldn't afford NOT to go see him."

"I understand, ma'am. Here's something to think about: We won't be able to hold the price of a ticket to Washington this low for long. You might think about buying five or six of them so when a grandmother attack hits again, you can just drive up to the airport for the next available flight."

"Hmmm. Good idea. Let me read you my credit card numbers...."

With everyone else flying by the same rules, no one has an advantage. You've bought your tickets when they were on sale, and you can fly whenever you want, space available.

Catching a plane would be like catching a bus. You go down to the corner and wait for the next bus to the mall or ....

Never mind. If you're under 50, you've probably never caught a bus at the corner. The way it worked was that you paid when you got on. If you were late or the bus was full, you waited for the next, and if this route is often overcrowded, the transit company will add another bus or two. No advance purchase, no reservations.

But