Nasty Airlines

I’ve had to do a lot more flying than I would have liked in the last couple of days. As I mentioned in my previous post, I don’t particularly enjoy it, unless I’m flying home to India in which case I have something to look forward to.

Airlines have become very creative in charging us for the most basic things, which they conveniently bracket as fuel surcharge. How about a fuel discount when crude oil dropped below $50 a barrel a couple of months ago? That seems unquestionable! What gets me the most irritated is the $2 charge for water/beverage. Checked baggage fee, curb-side check in fee, booking fee, refund fee, exit row seat fee, cancelation fee… the list goes on and on. Any service that was once included as part of your ticket, is now subject to charge (read the fine print!). I won’t be surprised if we soon hear about a lavatory fee.

My worst experience has been with the change/refund fee. United Airlines charges $150 for changing your itinerary or requesting a refund. How much is that going to leave you with? (They're hoping nothing.) And they are very happy to resell your seat for an exuberant price to another innocent customer.  

All this travel is doing me no good expect for the frequent flier miles that I collect. And rumor has it that those miles are worth less each day. So much for loyalty programs, customer service, and convenient flying. One tip that has come handy for me is to travel with very low expectations, that way you leave little room for disappointment. If I could start my own airline and show them how it’s done, I would. But until then I will blog my frustrations away…

P.S: Not all airlines have stooped to this level; I have to give credit to Southwest and Northwest for still serving their thirsty passengers with a free cup of water/soda.

On this one flight...

I was traveling to the west coast dreading the 8 hours of being stuck on cramped airplanes and in busy airports. I’ve come to dislike most airlines cause of their stingy attitudes (they even charge for water!). Not expecting much from this travel experience I charged my iPhone to capacity, carried a book, and took some nutrition bars on board.

I was seated between this 10 year old kid who had the window seat and this other older lady who had the aisle seat. I began talking to the kid. He was traveling alone and returning from a visit to his Grandma’s house. I have to say I was impressed with the kid’s behavior and good mannerisms. It always makes me happy when I see a kid who isn’t rowdy and misbehaved.  

I wasn’t so happy about the passenger on the other side though. The lady kept coughing and she had me on the edge of my seat fearing she had swine flu! I must have used an entire bottle of Purell trying to disinfect my hands every time I had to touch my face.

The Captain was kind enough to point out that we were flying over the Rockies. It was definitely a scenic view, a first aerial view of the Rockies for me. An hour later we landed. Everyone eagerly awaited the air-hostess’ go ahead to switch on their cell phones. It’s interesting to see how people rush to call a loved one to convey that they reached.  After calling that someone, I felt blessed that I wasn’t one of those people who didn’t have anybody to call. The little boy next to me called his Grandma and said, “I reached safe Grandma. Thank you for letting me come and visit you. I hope I wasn’t too much trouble.” I was moved by this little kid. I smiled at him and he smiled back. I guess it wasn’t such a bad flight after all.

 

House Rules

For those of you living with incompetent roommates and/or partners, here is a set of house rules that you can introduce them to...

If it’s open – close it.

If it’s on the floor – pick it up.

If it’s dirty – clean it.

If it’s hungry – feed it.

If it’s sad – love it.

Simple, practical and handy, don’t you think? Now it’s just about getting them to follow these rules!