Live for ever? I’d rather be able to fly

Death is nothing compared to the drudgery of queuing for hours at an airport.

In The Times, Daniel Finkelstein asks: "If you could have a super power, what would it be?" Living for ever is one possibility; invulnerability to injury another (though that, says Finkelstein, can usually be achieved "by a combination of cowardice and avoiding strenuous exercise"). When asked the same question, Bill Gates replied he would like the power of super-fast reading; Finkelstein, who thinks this is an "absolutely brilliant" idea, says he'd go for it too.

It is a good idea, but I'd be tempted by one of the options Finkelstein rejects: the ability to fly. The availability of EasyJet, he thinks, makes it "a bit of a waste to use up as a super power. You can go to Nice for £30 without it. And in any case, what would you do with your luggage?"

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